“Do you think Drew will be able to make it work?” he asked.
Our number was called and he went to pick up our food, giving me a minute to think. I sipped my milkshake and tried to picture how we could shift everything to make it work. A full week wasn’t easy to make up. Drew and Xander rarely built in more than a day or two of leeway because they kept so close to their schedules. They booked up subcontractors weeks in advance because they knew exactly when they would need to be there. To shift things wasn’t going to be as easy as bringing people in a day earlier.
Hunter set the tray of food on the table. The scent of the juicy burger hit me immediately and my stomach rumbled. Lunch with Olivia, Abby, and Tara was earlier than I usually ate lunch and I was starving.
“Mmm, this looks good.”
“Yeah, it does,” Hunter said, holding my gaze.
My cheeks warmed. His blue eyes dipped to my chest, then rose slowly to my eyes again, heating up the rest of me.
“You’re dangerous,” I teased.
He laughed. “Only around you. I think you bring out my inner teenager.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know either.”
We ate our burgers and talked about anything but his gallery and the mess it was going to create in my world. As I played out the days, I realized the show would be the weekend of Olivia’s wedding. It didn’t seem like I was going to get a chance to ask him about her wedding. If he had a show the same weekend, he wouldn’t be able to go anyway.
After we ate, Hunter reached for me. He held my hand as we walked to the car. Silently, he drove to his studio. I knew exactly what was going to happen. I wanted it. I wanted him. But I could see our time slipping away. Especially when he said, “I really want to spend the rest of the night with you, but they’ve invited me to participate in the show. I need to get some work done.”
That was the first time he chose work over me.
Chapter 16
I got to work early Monday morning so I could look through all the schedules. Hunter asked me to put him on Drew’s calendar, so I added the meeting when I got in and sent Hunter a text to confirm. He texted back a thanks and said he’d see me then.
I was halfway through my second cup of coffee when Drew came in.
“Did you set up a meeting for me with Hunter Campbell?” he asked before going to his office.
I nodded. “Yeah. I checked your calendar. Is that okay?”
“Sure. I didn’t know he’d be coming in though. Is everything okay?”
“I think so. He needs you to finish up earlier than planned.”
Drew ran a hand down his face, looking exhausted. “How early?”
“A week,” I told him.
“Shit,” he mumbled.
The door opened and closed behind him. Drew spun and I saw Xander over his shoulder. “Morning.”
“Morning,” Drew and I both said.
“Hey, I need some help. Grab a cup and let’s talk,” Drew said to Xander. Then he turned back to me. “If you’re free, I could use your help, too.”
I nodded and saved the proposed schedule changes I made. I had a few different options for Drew, but none of them were ideal. I checked through my email while they got coffee then headed into the conference room. Drew was already in there, and Xander walked in behind me.
“What’s going on?” Xander asked.
“My studio, the artist, he needs his project done a week early.”
Xander whistled. “Ouch. That’s a lot.”
“He just needs the gallery part done,” I jumped in. “The studio and upstairs can wait if need be.”
Drew took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. “I scheduled everyone to do the same thing in all three spaces. It’s going to be a nightmare to reschedule it all. Especially with the other projects we have going on.”
“I have a few options we could at least start to look at.”
“Are you still seeing him?” Xander asked while I connected my tablet to the projector.
I nodded.
“So you got this dropped on you over the weekend?”
I nodded again.
“And you’ve been stressing about it since?”
I shrugged, giving him a rueful smile. No sense denying it.
“Let’s see what our options are.”
I pulled up the first choice, admittedly, the worst option. “With this one, we shift everything. Move all the crews around and get the whole project done in the shortened timeline. It’ll mess with almost everything we have going on.”
Drew and Xander studied it. A row for each project we had underway and columns indicating the days. I highlighted the changes and what it would do to the other projects to make it easier to see.
Neither of them were smiling.
“This would basically stop work at Malick and Jameson.”
I nodded. “I know. I didn’t say it was a good plan. We’d slow down everything except Johnson since that’s almost done. Then we’d move the crews and get the studio done, but everything else would end up delayed. This is sort of my worst case scenario.”
“Does that mean there are better options?” Drew asked hopefully.
“Yeah. At least, they seem better to me.”
I pulled up the next one, letting them take it in before I explained anything. When Drew leaned back in his seat, I jumped in. “With this one, we would leave most of the other projects alone. We could finish up Johnson and bring Ricky over to the studio. Keep the guys there working, but add in one or two from other projects. We’ll end up delaying Moore a week, maybe Jameson also, but the entire studio will be finished a week early.”
Xander eyed Drew, but didn’t say anything. I could see both their minds spinning. Drew finally sighed and said, “It’s better. I don’t like screwing with one project to accommodate someone else though.”
“I agree. This one accounts for that.” I pulled up the last option, but explained without giving them a chance to look at it first. “I left all the crews where they are. With this plan, we completely stop work on the studio and upstairs and pull everyone forward to get it all done a week early. Drywall is already going in, but we can ask them to finish downstairs first instead of spreading the guys through the space. We’ll have to get them out when we paint, and reschedule the painters to come back, but we can get the gallery done in time if we leave the rest of the space rough.”
“What about the inspections?”
“I thought about that. Technically, the studio and gallery can be finished to the point of passing inspection. The upstairs won’t get a CO until we’re done, but that might have to wait a week or two. I haven’t called yet, but if you guys like this plan, I’ll start working on rescheduling the crews to finish upstairs after downstairs is done and then talk to the building inspector.”
Drew breathed deep and rubbed his jaw. He glanced over at Xander who was watching him closely. “What do you think?”
Xander shrugged. “I don’t see any other option. Not a better one at least. I’m with you. I don’t want to fuck with the other schedules to accommodate one, even if it is our biggest one right now. Especially when it’s not our fault that something happened. A deadline came up that wasn’t there before. We haven’t asked anyone else if they have parties planned, or anything else going on.”
Drew nodded. “I agree. Do you think this will work?” he asked me.
“Yeah. Hunter said he needed the gallery a week earlier and would be okay if the rest was delayed. I’m sure he’d prefer to have it all done on time, but he’s the one making changes.”
Drew looked at the screen again, taking in the changes I’d proposed. “Can you get in touch with everyone today and see what we can do about getting the rest of the project done?”
I nodded. “Of course. I’ll start that now. Hunter should be here soon.”
Drew glanced at his phone. “Okay. I have a few things to check
out. Thanks for your help.”
I collected my stuff and headed back to my desk. I reviewed the schedule again and started calling around to make sure it would work for everyone. When Hunter came in a few minutes later, I waved him back to see Drew without saying anything. He looked annoyed, but I didn’t have time to worry about it.
Hunter hung around my desk after his meeting with Drew. I was on the phone again, setting the last of the changes for his project. In an ordinary situation, Drew would have waited until we spoke to the client to make changes with the crews and inspectors, but Hunter didn’t get any other option besides the one Drew chose. I could tell by the set of his jaw he wasn’t thrilled.
I hung up the phone and smiled up at him, not entirely feeling it. “Hey.”
“I was wondering if I could take you to lunch?”
I glanced at my schedule and nodded. “Yeah. Give me a few minutes to send a few things to Drew. Can I meet you somewhere?”
He wasn’t happy about that suggestion either but nodded. “I’ll go to Clara’s Cafe.”
I nodded absently, filling in the details Drew would need. “Okay. I’ll be there soon,” I said without looking up.
Hunter left a moment later. I knew I was being a little bitchy, but just like him, I had a job to do. And his job made mine more complicated.
I finished pulling the new schedule together for the rest of Hunter’s project and sent it to Drew. I headed down the hall to talk to him before I left for lunch. “I just sent it to you.”
Drew looked up at me. “He’s not thrilled.”
I nodded. “I noticed.”
“Did he say something to you?” The concern in his voice was touching.
I shook my head. “No. He just didn’t look happy. I’m meeting him for lunch.”
“He asked if there was a way to get the whole thing done in the timeframe. Or at least to include his studio. I told him we would see but I wasn’t sure.”
“I’ll talk to him. I’m the one who made the schedule after all.”
“Yes, but we all agreed it’s the best option.” Drew looked at his computer screen. “You’ve been in touch with everyone already?”
I nodded. “Yes. I didn’t change anything with the drywall though. I’m hoping they can paint in the gallery while drywall is going up in the studio and upstairs. I’ll talk to them about getting the gallery hung, taped, and all the seams coated and finished before moving on to the other rooms.”
“You know Carlos is going to be pissed.”
“Yeah. I know. I’ll stop by after lunch before I come back here.”
Drew nodded. “Okay. I’m meeting Carrie and Joel for lunch then checking on Moore. I might see you at the studio, but I don’t know.”
“I can handle Carlos.”
He grinned. “I know you can.”
I said goodbye to him and Xander and left to meet Hunter. I found him at a table by the window of the crowded cafe. He stood and kissed me before I sat.
“What do you want? I’ll order so we don’t lose the table.”
I glanced around. “It’s crowded in here today.”
“Yeah, I was surprised, too.”
I told him what I wanted for lunch then settled in to my seat. When Hunter sat down, I knew our lunch was going to be strained.
“Did you talk to Drew after I left?”
I nodded.
“Did he tell you what their plan is?”
“I came up with the plan.”
“Seriously?” Hunter asked.
“Yes. You told me you could wait for the rest of the work to be done as long as the gallery was ready a week early.”
“Yeah, but I thought it would all be done before the event. Drew said it’ll be delayed another week.”
I shrugged. “We have other projects going on. You’re not the only client. I know that’s not easy to accept, but we can’t push someone else off because you have something come up.”
“This is a huge opportunity for me, Vicki.”
I nodded. “I get that. Which is why we’re doing everything we can to make sure the gallery is ready. Instead of working through each phase of the entire project one by one, we now have to push through the gallery, which means putting off parts of the rest. The subcontractors that need to come in and finish the rest of the space aren’t available constantly. They have other jobs.”
He sighed. Our order was called before he could argue and he went to get our food. He picked up right where we left off.
“Is it possible to get everything done before the show?”
I shook my head. “No. I called everyone this morning and we can’t get it all done. Drywall will be done this week in the gallery. I’m going to ask the guys to have the gallery completely done this week so the painters can come in next week. Thankfully, they had the option to come in early. The week after we’ll get the floors and the lighting in. All the finishing work. But that’s going to take us right up to Friday. Your studio and upstairs won’t be painted when the flooring guys come in, which is fine, but to get the painters back in isn’t easy. They had to swap weeks to get the gallery done. They can’t paint the other areas when the drywall is going up, and they can’t get back here until the week after the show so we can get cabinets hung and tile laid before the painters are back.”
Hunter sighed. He ate in silence for a few minutes, staring at nothing. I started on my salad, partly wishing I’d never gotten involved with him. I liked him, a lot, but business and personal rarely mixed easily. He was annoyed and stressed, and I had to protect our other clients. He wasn’t going to get special treatment just because I was falling in love with him.
Thinking the words still gave me pause. I knew what Hunter was like when he wasn’t absorbed by work. When he was flexible with his time. I had no idea what he was going to be like when his time was stretched between his art, his gallery, and me. I knew heartbreak was coming my way. I was always last picked on the playground when something better came along. Life was my playground, and not in a fun way.
“I know you’re doing everything you can,” he finally said, finishing off his lunch. “I’m sorry for being a dick about it. I probably should have said no, but it’s a great chance for me to meet other local artists.”
I took a breath and hoped he meant it. “I looked at all the options for XD. No one wants to mess with schedules. The problem is, Drew and Xander book things without a lot of wiggle room because they always hit their marks. Having to shift everything to be done so far in advance really screws up everything.”
He nodded. “I know. And I appreciate what you’re doing to make it work. Drew made sure I knew you were the one handling all the changes. I think he expects me to make it up to you.”
My cheeks burned thinking about Drew threatening Hunter. “I’m sorry about that.”
Hunter shook his head and grinned. “It’s fine. He’s protective of you. It’s good to have people like that in your corner.”
I smiled. “It definitely is.”
“Can we do dinner this week? Wednesday?”
I shook my head. “I can’t. It’s Olivia’s final dress fitting.”
“The bride?”
“Yep. The wedding is in a couple weeks. Same weekend as your show.”
“Thursday then?”
“I can do Thursday.”
“Excellent.”
Hunter walked me out to my car and kissed me like I hoped he would. I stopped by to talk to Carlos then drove back to the office confused and hoping this time I’d be most important to someone.
Chapter 17
Olivia was the last to arrive Wednesday evening for her dress fitting. Abby, Tara, and I were halfway through our first glasses of champagne when she finally showed up.
“You guys were early?” she asked.
I shook my head. “You’re late. We were all here on time, so we started drinking without you.”
“Sorry. It was a long day.”
“Everything okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Work is just getting crazy. Wyatt is worried everything won’t be ready before I leave.”
“You’ll be back.”
“Yeah, I keep saying that. I think he worries that since Ethan doesn’t really need to work, I’ll quit. I love my job, and Ethan hasn’t mentioned anything about me leaving it.”
“Do you think he would?” Abby asked.
Olivia shook her head. “No. He knows it’s important to me to have a career. I know he’s not going anywhere, but I work because I enjoy it. I do it for me. If the kids were little, it’s something I would consider, but they’re in school most of the time, or summer camp, and it doesn’t make sense to sit around the house.”
“Carrie loves it. I kind of envy her,” Tara said. “I love kids, and am really excited about working with them, but I like getting out every day. I love being able to see other people. I wish I could be content on my own.”
Abby shook her head. “I don’t even know if it’s that. I didn’t mind being alone after Brett left, but I found my work was something he couldn’t take away from me. It made me feel like I had a purpose when I was cut free.”
“That’s how I felt, too,” Olivia agreed. “When Bill left, I was almost happy he was gone because I could focus on what I wanted to focus on, and I knew that I wouldn’t get any more trouble from him about what I did with my time. He wanted me to work, but he complained constantly that I didn’t earn enough money.”
“Well, he was obviously a jerk.”
“Yep, no arguments here!”
“Oh, Olivia, there you are!” Donna grinned broadly when she came around the corner and saw Olivia sipping champagne with the rest of us. “Are you ready to get changed?”
Olivia nodded and stood. She followed Donna and the large white garment bag into the changing room.
“Did she give you the stuff for the seating chart?” Abby asked me.
“Yeah. I called her a few times this week to make sure she knew I meant it when I said I’d take care of it.”
“When do you want to go through it? You guys can come over if you want and we can all work on it together.”
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