Almost an hour later, the three walked back out the glass doors and onto the sidewalk. As they climbed into her small SUV, she said, “I’ve got to admit the building will be gorgeous.”
“Especially the offices that are on the fifth to eighth floors,” Todd added. “The ones on the south side will have views of the Inner Harbor.” He turned toward her and said, “Don’t worry, I took notes on each floor.”
“I wasn’t worried. I could hear you tapping away on your tablet.” Glancing into the rearview mirror toward Barbara, she said, “I’ll have you contact the businesses that have already signed rental agreements with Partridge and have you set up meetings with them. As soon as we have their needs, we can finish designing those office areas and get the plans approved and sent to Anthony. Then his contractors can get the walls, electricity, and plumbing to those specifications.”
“Okay, boss. By the way, did anyone notice how Anthony seemed to have eyes only for you?”
She grunted her response.
“He’s handsome, he’s rich, and he was seriously into you,” Todd said, twisting slightly to look at her.
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “First of all, I don’t date clients. Second of all, we’re going to be in Partridge Tower for a long time designing and setting up those office spaces. I don’t want to constantly have him around and hovering every time I’m there.”
“What about when the job is over?” Barbara asked.
“Meh. He doesn’t really do it for me—”
Todd swung his head around, pinning her with an opened-mouth gasp. “If handsome, successful, and rich doesn’t do it for you, what are you looking for?”
A flash of a dark-haired, blue-eyed first responder rolled through her mind. Since Harper and Sean had formed a relationship while working on an arson case that led to them to now be engaged and in the final plans of their wedding, she’d seen Rory a few times. After his complete and total shutdown-rebuff, she’d cut back on her trips to the Celtic Cock. But every time she went with Harper and saw him with a different girl pressed tightly to his side, she’d felt the little knife-prick of pain even if it didn’t matter that they’d never advanced to a true relationship. That one kiss had rocked her world, showing her what could have been just before he ripped it away. It didn’t help that Rory, being Sean’s brother, meant she had to spend time with him soon at the wedding.
Pushing that thought away, she turned onto another busy street. “Anyone up for lunch?”
“I hate to turn down the boss offering to buy lunch, but I want to get my notes organized. Is there any way we can call for Chinese delivery?” Todd asked.
Sandy laughed, “I’ll never turn down Chinese.”
Just as she parked on Clifton Street outside the building that housed Carmichael Designs, she heard an emergency siren. A fire station was down the street from her, and sirens were not unusual to hear all during the day, something she hadn’t considered when she’d rented the office space. An ambulance drove past, and she glanced toward it, blinking at the man behind the wheel. The air rushed from her lungs. The driver looked so much like Rory.
“You okay, boss lady?”
Jerking out of her stunned musings, she turned to Todd, a wide smile on her face. “Of course. Let’s order lunch and get to work.”
As she walked into her private office, she looked out the window. Her desk faced the room but was placed at an angle to the back corner. She liked the position so that she could see both the room and the window from her chair. Perfect for a varied view, but not so perfect now that she had a view of the fire and rescue station that was down the street. As she pondered her office arrangement, she considered moving the furniture so that her desk was in the opposite corner. No… if he can ignore me, then I can do the same. Sitting at her desk, she lost herself in the designs for the Partridge Tower offices.
That evening, after her employees had left for home, she typed Perkins Electrical into her internet search, blinking as several news articles appeared, their dates from several years ago. Scanning them, she remembered the scandal. The owner had bribed someone at City Hall so they could underbid on electrical contracts for new buildings and renovations. They won the contracts and then used subpar materials. Other than those few articles that mentioned fines levied against Perkins, she couldn’t find anything else. Knowing the Partridge family prided themselves on luxury buildings, she was surprised to see Perkins Electrical working for them.
Her personal phone rang and after checking the caller ID, she smiled. Leaning back in her comfortable, ergonomic chair, she nearly groaned as her back settled against the cushion. “Hey, Harper. Before you ask, everything is ready for Saturday.”
Harper laughed and said, “Sweetie, after the lovely wedding shower you arranged last month and then the bridesmaids’ party last weekend, you’ve done enough.”
“Well, the wedding coordinator certainly has the bulk of things to do now. I just need to make sure I’ve got the ring!”
“You’re the best, you know?”
Snorting, she replied, “I just want to thank you for talking Sean’s mom out of a full Catholic mass wedding.”
“Yes!” Harper exclaimed. “It was good that Sean didn’t want that either. The little church in the park near the Harbor will be lovely. We were lucky to get it after they initially said they already had an event planned!”
Sandy smiled at her little secret. She had arranged for the church to be available on the Saturday of the wedding. It involved a large donation to the church to rearrange their schedule, but in the end, it was worth it. Harper got her wedding on the date and in the place she wanted. That was all that mattered to Sandy.
“So, I know it’s last minute, but I was going to meet Caitlyn and Bekki at the Celtic Cock. Can you make it also?”
Caitlyn McBride was Sean’s—and Rory’s—youngest sister. Bekki King was the youngest sibling of the King family that lived next door to the McBrides. She’d learned through Harper that there were six McBride siblings and five Kings, all friends since childhood. Having met all the McBride and King women at the bridal shower the previous month, they’d formed friendships with most, particularly the two younger ones.
In truth, she was exhausted from her busy day but also hated the idea of running into Rory. God knows I’ll see him enough at the rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception.
“I’ll take a rain check, Harper. I’ve got some things in the office that I want to make sure are complete so that the whole weekend can be devoted to your wedding. Tell the girls I said hello, and I’ll see them Friday night at the rehearsal.”
Disconnecting, she tossed her phone to the desk and sighed. The winds of change were blowing, but Sandy wondered if they were passing her by.
7
“Okay, Mr. Charles, let’s check you out and make sure you’re not injured.”
The older man looked up at Rory, an embarrassed smile on his face. “I’m real sorry they had to call you.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mr. Charles. We were just down the street, so this is on our way back to the station. No hassle at all.” Rory kept up a calm dialogue with the elderly man sitting on the floor of his apartment in one of the assisted living facilities. The staff was excellent, but if a patient fell and was unable to get up by themselves, the EMTs were called. In this case, the elderly man had leaned forward while in his wheelchair, attempting to pick up a piece of paper on the floor. Parkinson’s had taken away his ability to control most of his movements, and he’d toppled into the floor.
“My bones are hard,” Mr. Charles said. “I’m ninety years old and never broken a bone in my life.”
Chuckling, Rory said, “Then you’re very lucky!” Walking through the man’s bedroom, he noticed a faded, olive green blanket folded on the end of the man’s bed. “That looks like an old Army blanket.”
Holding his arm out while he checked his blood pressure, Mr. Charles nodded. “I served during the Korean War. That blanket has been w
ith me since nineteen fifty.”
“You’re kidding!”
“No. My wife kept it in a cedar chest so the moths wouldn’t get to the wool. It’s old, but it’s still just as warm.”
“I’m recently out of the Army myself.”
Mr. Charles’ eyes lit and he smiled widely. “Good for you, son. I thank you for your service.”
“And you as well.”
The old man chuckled and rubbed the whiskers on his chin. “I didn’t have any choice, you know. Not back in those days.”
“It doesn’t matter how we were called to serve, Mr. Charles. All that matters is that we did serve.” Mr. Charles’ smile widened, and he nodded, a twinkle back in his eyes.
It appeared Mr. Charles was right about his strong bones, and he’d suffered nothing more than a loss of dignity when he fell. Rory and his partner, Shania, gently lifted him to his feet, steadied his wheelchair, and assisted him to sit. The facility’s CNA on duty hovered about, making sure he was comfortable. Rory glanced at the nightstand, seeing a wedding picture with a much younger Mr. Charles and his beautiful bride. Noting that there was a single hospital bed in the room, he sighed, fearing that Mr. Charles was a widower.
As though following his line of sight and train of thought, Mr. Charles reached out to take Rory’s hand, shaking it firmly. “That’s my Millie. She’s been gone about five years now.”
“She was a beautiful woman, Mr. Charles,” Rory said, holding the older man’s gaze while Shania packed up their equipment.
Mr. Charles grinned and nodded. “She was beautiful. Best cook. She could fry a mighty fine chicken. And let me tell you, she didn’t suffer fools lightly.”
Rory chuckled, thinking of his own mother, then patted the older man’s shoulder. “Make sure to put the brake on your wheelchair before you make a transfer, Mr. Charles. I don’t mind coming back to see you, but I’d rather it be for a friendly visit and not a broken hip.”
Finishing the paperwork at the nurse’s station, he had it signed before he and Shania walked back out to the ambulance. He climbed behind the steering wheel as she buckled into the passenger seat. Now that he was assigned to the Second Battalion’s Clifton Street Station, he’d been partnered with her for the last month. The relationship worked well. She was smart, funny, nurturing, and dedicated to the job. She was also dedicated to busting his chops when needed.
“You were good with him,” she said.
“He reminded me of my grandfather. In fact, it was funny, but I even thought of my mom when he talked about his wife.”
“If nothing else comes in, we can head back to the station.” Just then her phone vibrated, and she grumbled under her breath. “My kids are going to be the death of me.”
“What’s going on?”
“Today was a teacher workday, and for the first time, I allowed my thirteen-year-old daughter to babysit her two younger siblings. Leon was home this morning, and then when he went to work, our next door neighbor had her eye on the house as well. So far, they’ve been fine, but my phone has vibrated with a million texts. Mom, we’re almost out of peanut butter. Mom, I put grape jelly on Julius’ sandwich, but he now says he wants strawberry. Mom, I told him I’m going to take his Xbox away.” She sighed heavily and shoved her phone back into her pocket.
“Belinda’s a good girl. She’s just probably nervous and wants to make sure she gets your approval on everything.”
“Well, I’m just glad there aren’t many teacher workdays in the school year!” As they pulled into the station, she commented, “Your brother’s wedding is this weekend, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, tonight’s the rehearsal and tomorrow is the wedding.”
“I always like weddings. Especially if good food and good music are plentiful. Everybody’s happy, or at least they should be.” She cast a sideways glance toward him. “You taking a date?”
He sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. One of his recent hookups had been near him at the pub when his group of friends toasted Sean over his upcoming wedding. He’d seen the speculative gleam in her eye, noticed her cozy up with her breasts tight against his arm, and her wide eyes staring up at him. She’d even gone so far as to suggest he should have a date for his brother’s wedding, intimating that she was going to be free. It was one of the many reasons he’d realized hooking up with someone from the Celtic Cock was not the best idea. Continuing to run into someone that he had spent the night with even after they both agreed it would only be one night was something he hated to do. Glancing to the side, he realized Shania was waiting for a response. “I thought about it, but no. I’m not dating anyone and the idea of asking a casual acquaintance and having them around my family just didn’t appeal to me.”
She barked out a laugh. “Afraid your mama would get the wrong idea?”
“Hell, you know my mom. She’d either like the girl and start wanting to plan my own wedding, or she’d ferret out that I had no interest in the girl and would be furious that I’d brought a hook-up to a family event.” Pulling into the station, he drove the ambulance straight into the bay. “It’s all good, though. Blay isn’t taking anyone either, so I won’t be the only one without a date.”
Rory leaned against the side of the church and stared across the expanse of grass in the park leading down to the Inner Harbor in the distance. The wedding was over, and as one of the groomsmen, he’d finished with his required photographs. He’d thought the photographer would never stop having them pose. Pictures of the groomsmen. Pictures of the groomsmen with Sean and Harper. Pictures of just the McBride brothers, and then the McBrides and the Kings. Family pictures. Wedding party pictures.
Those were the hardest. Somehow, it had seemed he’d been placed next to Sandy for most of those photographs. There was no doubt she was as beautiful as ever. Her thick, pale blonde hair was pulled away from her face and arranged in a loose bun near the back of her neck, with wispy, curled tendrils waving about her face. The bridesmaids were all wearing light blue dresses, and Sandy’s showed off her curves and made her blue eyes stand out even more. Her silver, heeled sandals gave her several added inches, but she was still tiny. Considering the other bridesmaids were his sisters, he tried to convince himself that was the only reason he noticed Sandy. Shaking his head, he grimaced.
He had never been able to get her parting words to him out of his mind, and sometimes at night, they rolled around in his head. You took in other people’s opinions and made them your own. Ever since the previous evening during the rehearsal and accompanying dinner when he’d had to be around her a lot, her accusations haunted him. He had always prided himself on forming his own opinions about people.
During the past months, he’d seen her occasionally at the pub, sitting at the bar with Harper and more recently with his sister, Caitlyn, and Bekki King. Always looking gorgeous. Always with a huge smile. Usually with a circle of men around her. Never with any one man, though.
The previous evening, he’d spent more time in her presence than he had in months. She was friendly to everyone although she avoided him. A whirling dervish when it came to making sure Harper had everything she needed, she’d taken her Maid of Honor duties seriously, and from what he could see, Sean and Harper lacked for nothing. She’d gotten along with the rest of the McBrides and Kings, but when her gaze turned toward him, her smile didn’t reach her eyes. No one else would notice the coolness, but he’d felt her warm gaze on him in the past and knew the difference. I guess I’m just the only man that doesn’t give in to her. At least that’s what he told himself, trying to ignore her presence.
Grimacing, he shook his head. Not wanting to admit he might have been wrong about her, he clung to his earlier opinion. With a diamond bracelet around her wrist and matching earrings dangling, he was surprised she’d come unaccompanied. He figured a woman like her would want a certain type of man on her arm if for no other reason than to make a statement.
The others had gone into the reception tent erected behind the church, but
he watched as Sean and Harper finished the photographs. They walked hand-in-hand, eyes only for each other toward the tent.
“Are you coming?”
He turned toward Caitlyn’s voice and smiled. “Yeah, I was just keeping an eye on the happy couple.”
“It’s about time to go through the serving line, and Brock will make his toast. I didn’t see you inside, so I wanted to make sure I found you.”
He threw his arm around his sister, and they walked together toward the reception tent.
“This day has gone perfectly,” she said. “I know Harper and Mom hired a wedding planner, but I swear Sandy has done most of the work. She’s great at organizing, has an eye for detail, and seems to know exactly what needs to be done to keep things running smoothly.”
“Uh-huh,” he grunted. “Rich girl like her is probably used to making sure things are done a certain way.” He inwardly winced at how petulant his voice sounded, hoping that Caitlyn didn’t notice. He should’ve known he couldn’t be that lucky.
“I think she’s wonderful,” she defended. “Sweet, nice, smart.” Looking up at him, she poked him in the stomach with her finger. “I’ve seen you look at her sometimes when we’re in the bar. I don’t know why you don’t ask her out.”
“Somehow, I don’t think a woman like her would be interested in someone like me.” His arm was still around Caitlyn, so when she came to a sudden halt, his body jerked to the side. Looking down, there was no mistaking the narrow-eyed glare facing him.
“I never knew you could be so judgmental, Rory. She’s an absolute sweetheart, and I have no idea why she's single.”
Rory: Hope City, Book 7 Page 5