Under Construction

by J. A. Armstrong

  Under Construction

  By Design: Episode Two

  J.A. Armstrong

  Text © Copyright 2015 J.A. Armstrong Books

  All Rights Reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced without permission.

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  Jameson Reid sat at a long table in a conference room studying plans for her firm’s latest project. Her eyes were tired. All of her was tired. The last two weeks had seemed endless to Jameson, and she had another full week to endure before she would get any reprieve from the stress of work. Worse still, it would be another full week before she got a reprieve from the loneliness of home. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead in a feeble attempt to banish her lingering headache. Her patience was running low. Her energy was running even lower.

  Two weeks ago, the senior architect in her firm, Bryan Mills was forced to take an unexpected leave of absence. His wife was experiencing complications during her first pregnancy. There had been no question in Jameson’s mind that he needed to be home. Bryan had argued that he could work part-time. Jameson would not hear of it. Family first was not just a motto that Jameson Reid had adopted, it was the philosophy she lived by. People came first. Business came second. End of discussion for Jameson. Bryan’s absence happened to coincide with beginning of one of the largest projects the firm had acquired to date.

  Jameson loved a challenge and she had confidence that her team could create something amazing for this new client. The project entailed designing a state of the art medical building and rehab center. The new structure would replace the outdated buildings currently being utilized at a large urban hospital in Maryland. Designing complex structures to house medical facilities was time-consuming and often daunting. Technology had to be considered in every nook and cranny. Safety, while always at the core of Jameson’s designs, took on a different significance in health care facilities. Patients were often immobile. That meant that there had to be alternative ways to access and exit the structure in case of an emergency. Jameson prided herself, and her team’s work on innovation, functionality, safety, and lastly, style. Style, in Jameson’s mind, was useless if the other three points were not executed efficiently.

  Jameson took her work seriously. She sought to please her clients, but she also understood that the work her firm did had both significant applications and implications. The problem she was having lately was with her ability to concentrate. Jameson’s need to be in Albany took her away from the project that commanded her greatest interest. It also inhibited her ability to see the person who commanded her heart. That was beginning to take as much of a toll on the architect as the heavy workload in front of her.

  “J.D.?” Melanie called for her boss’s attention. Jameson looked up. “Maybe we should take a break, huh?” the young woman suggested.

  “Worried about me?” Jameson asked lightly. Melanie pursed her lips. Jameson chuckled. “I want to finish up with this before I head home.”

  “To your home or to Candace’s?” Melanie winked.

  Jameson grimaced. “Mine,” she said.

  “Really? I thought for sure you would be headed there for the weekend. You can’t work 24/7, J.D.,” Melanie said.

  “Thanks, Mom,” Jameson winked. “I’m not working….Well, actually, I probably will be working,” she groaned. Melanie shook her head and sighed. “Candace is stuck in D.C. until next Friday,” Jameson explained.

  “That sucks,” the younger woman turned up her nose. Jameson offered her an awkward smile in agreement. “How long since you’ve seen her now?”

  “Two weeks,” Jameson said softly. “It’ll be three by the time next Friday rolls around.”

  “I thought politicians didn’t work?” Melanie quipped. Jameson squinted at her assertion. “Well, I do read the news!”

  “What news is that? E! Online?” Jameson laughed. “Mel, your friends’ Facebook rants do not qualify as news.”

  “Funny,” Melanie wrinkled her nose at Jameson. “I’m serious. I thought politicians had more vacation days than work days. Isn’t that what everyone complains about?”

  “Not this politician,” Jameson said affectionately. Candace’s workload sometimes frustrated her, but she adored her lover. She missed Candace when they were forced to be apart. “She is the definition of a workaholic,” Jameson said.

  “I thought you were the cure?” Melanie poked. “You know…to get her to stop and slow down.”

  “No, Chinese food is the cure.”

  “She likes Chinese food more than you?” Melanie asked doubtfully.

  “She might,” Jameson answered with a twinkle in her eye. The conversation was making her think about Candace. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before rolling up the plans in front of her.

  “Thought you wanted to finish this?” Melanie asked in confusion.

  “I will. Just need a break,” Jameson said. “I’m going to head into my office for a bit. You should head out early. It’s Friday. I can finish this without you.”

  “J.D., I’ll stay. I don’t mind. I can go get us some food.”

  “No. You go. Who knows how long I will be here,” Jameson told her.

  “Okay….J.D.?” Jameson turned back to the younger woman. “Why don’t you just fly down and see her?”

  Jameson smiled. “I would. She’s supposed to attend some fundraiser tomorrow. She’ll be tied up all day, and I know she is working late tonight.”

  “Two of a kind,” Melanie smirked. “You have a lot in common.”

  “Mm. I guess so,” Jameson said. “We’re both alone,” she whispered to herself.

  ***

  Candace was sitting around an enormous table listening to the people around her argue. She had tuned out the majority of the conversation. It reminded her of the days when both Marianne and Michelle insisted on playing the same song over and over….and over again. She consistently wondered what made people get so stuck on one thing that they became unable to hear anything else. She looked down at her phone to check the time just as a message popped onto her screen.

  New Message: JAMESON

  Candace smiled and opened the new screen.

  JAMESON: “Busy?”

  CANDACE: “Bored.”

  JAMESON: “Meeting?”

  CANDACE: “Maddening.”

  JAMESON: “Are we playing word games?”

  CANDACE: “That would be refreshing.”

  JAMESON: “That bad?”

  CANDACE: “McGuire and Steele must have mixed up their vitamins with their little blue pills.”

  JAMESON: “????”

  CANDACE: “The most excitement in this meeting happens whenever Dana pops in. That’s the only time they pop up.”

  Jameson read the message and started laughing.

  CANDACE: “How about you? How’s the new project?”

  JAMESON: “Good. Working on the rehab center. State of the art stripper poles right in the middle. What do you think?”

  CANDACE: “Never fly.”

  JAMESON: “Why not? It’s innovative.”

  CANDACE: “They wouldn’t need to prescribe all those blue bills. They love those things.”

  JAMESON: “You’re sick.”

  CANDACE: “Good thing you’re designing a new hospital then.”

  JAMESON: “I miss you.”

  Candace sighed softly and traced the screen with her finger.

  CANDACE: “I miss you too.”

  Candace tried not to laugh out loud at her next thought. I even miss that mangy cat.

  JA
MESON: “Late night?”

  CANDACE: “Unfortunately, looks that way.”

  JAMESON: “Me too. Talk to you in the a.m.?”

  CANDACE: “Yes. I will call you.”

  JAMESON: “I’d rather give you a wake-up call.” Jameson included several emoticons.

  CANDACE: “Lunatic.”

  JAMESON “You like lunatics.”

  CANDACE: “Good thing.”

  JAMESON: “Love you.”

  CANDACE: “I love you too. Lunatic.”

  Candace settled back in her chair and covered her tired eyes. “Will this day never end?” she thought silently. “Who am I kidding? Will this week never end?”

  ***

  “Hello?” Pearl answered the phone.

  “Hey, Pearl.”

  “Jameson? Everything okay?” Pearl asked cautiously.

  “Yeah, why?” Jameson asked.

  “Jameson, you never call me on the house phone.”

  “I wanted to see if you were still there.”

  “Why? Someone coming to look at something?” Pearl wondered.

  Jameson had been away, but she still had contractors at Candace’s house working. Once the project to restore Candace’s home got underway in earnest, Jameson had discovered a few hidden issues. Thankfully, nothing in the house had been structurally unsound, but the roof had not been replaced correctly. Jameson was amazed it was not leaking too badly. There were places in many of the walls that needed addressing. She had uncovered plumbing issues, and the electrician that Candace’s brother had hired had basically cut every corner he could and still be able to manage to pass an inspection. Candace’s reaction was to tell Jameson to do whatever she thought needed to be done and send her the bills. Jameson did as much of the work herself as she could to cut costs. Being called away had changed that situation. That meant even more contractors.

  “No. No contractors. I just wondered how much Chinese food I should pick up,” Jameson said.

  “Why? Are you coming home?” Pearl asked.

  Jameson smiled. She had never considered her condo in Albany a home. Home had always been her parent’s house in Ithaca. Being back in Albany the last two weeks had made Jameson homesick. This time it wasn’t for her parents or the house she was raised in. Jameson missed Candace. She missed Pearl. She missed Jinx. She missed home. “At the Chinese place now,” Jameson said.

  Pearl chuckled. “Missed Jinx, huh? He misses you too.”

  “He misses Candace,” Jameson laughed. As ironic as that was, it was also true. Jinx, the cat, had a strange obsession with Candace, the senator. The one person who never wanted to see a cat again in her life after the age of nine was Jinx’s favorite human. It delighted both Jameson and Pearl. They both knew that secretly it pleased Candace as well. Jameson had caught her lover talking to Jinx in the kitchen more than once. She never commented. There were certain things that Jameson just liked to enjoy at a distance. Watching Candace pretend that she loathed the creature and sneaking in the doorway to watch her coo at the cat was one of Jameson’s favorite pastimes at home.

  “Well, if you are bringing dinner; should I break out some of Candy’s wine?” Pearl asked.

  “Coffee would be better.”

  “Coffee? She’s corrupted you completely,” Pearl admonished Jameson. “It’s already after six.”

  “I know. I still have a lot of work to do,” Jameson said.

  “On the house? Oh no…you are not climbing any ladders at night. No way,” Pearl said.

  “I fell once!” Jameson exclaimed into the phone.

  “And nearly put us all in the hospital with you!” Pearl reminded her. “I’ll make you your coffee. You stay away from anything tall, sharp, or with an electrical current.”

  Jameson laughed at Pearl’s stern warning. She had gotten injured once and that was six months ago. Neither Pearl nor Candace let her forget it. They teased her endlessly, but underneath their teasing there was an honest undercurrent of fear. The truth was, Jameson had been both very unlucky and very fortunate that day. If she had been standing higher on the ladder when Jinx jumped on her, or if the ladder had hit her just a fraction of an inch to the right; she might not have fared so well. As it was, she had ended up with a concussion that almost kept her in the hospital. Jameson could recall Candace’s face that day in the hospital vividly. Relief and fear painted Candace’s expression. It wasn’t until that night when they got home that Jameson realized how terrified Candace and Pearl had both been.

  Pearl had found Jameson unconscious on the floor. Jameson’s head was bleeding heavily; although, Jameson was sure that it looked far worse than it really was. Pearl had not been able to get to Candace directly. The vague message Candace did receive that Jameson was at the hospital had rocked her to the core. She had no idea what had happened or how badly hurt Jameson might be. Neither Jameson nor Candace had confessed her feelings for the other until that night. That night, Candace broke down with Jameson in her arms, refusing to let go. If Jameson had any lingering doubts that Candace Fletcher was in love with her, that night silenced them all.

  “I promise,” Jameson said. “Actually, I have to work on a different project. So, you make the coffee. I’ll get the Chinese food and you can catch me up on all the gossip,” Jameson said.

  “About who? Jinx? Not much gossip with just me here,” Pearl laughed.

  Jameson smiled at the older woman’s comment. Pearl knew all the gossip. Everyone went to Pearl. Michelle, Marianne, and Jonah all called Grandma Pearl when they were afraid to tell their mother something. Jameson had figured that out in the first two months of her relationship with Candace. All of Candace’s children used Pearl as a sounding board and a resource. Everyone in Candace’s small town told Pearl everything, in the hopes that she might tell them anything at all about the popular senator. Pearl never shared anything confidential. She was the perfect mother and grandmother figure to them all, even to Jameson. But, she did have her share of anecdotes and amusing tales about all the colorful characters in Candace’s world. Jameson loved to listen to them.

  “Well, just be hungry,” Jameson said.

  “Bring extra fortune cookies,” Pearl ordered.

  Jameson snickered. She often wondered if it was somehow possible that Pearl actually was Candace’s mother. They were two peas in a pod. “Check. I will see you shortly.”

  Pearl hung up the phone and shook her head in amusement. Jameson was homesick. She could hear it. She grabbed her cell phone off the counter and called the woman she had always considered her daughter.

  “Candy? Yes, It’s me….Hold on…Candy....No, no one is in the hospital, but I might put someone there if you don’t be quiet and listen to me!”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Candace walked in the front door and made her way into the kitchen. She stopped and chuckled when she flipped on the light. Jameson had left her plans spread across the table. Candace threw her keys on the counter and looked at the plans. Jameson had notes stuck everywhere. Underneath the long white sheet of drawings, one blue sticky note caught her attention. Jameson had a tendency to doodle when she was contemplating something. Candace picked up the note and smiled. There were no comments about changes, measurements, or questions. This note had just three words on it. “I miss you.” That was all it said.

  “Meow!” a tiny voice greeted her from below.

  “Well, well…Did you miss me?” Candace asked the small black feline that was rubbing up against her legs. She knelt down and scratched behind his ears. “I missed you too, you mangy little brat,” she said.

  “Meow!”

  “Where’s your Mommy?” she asked. Jinx circled Candace’s legs a few more times and then started rolling around on the floor. “Oh, you are hers all right,” Candace laughed.

  She looked back down the hallway toward the stairs. It was late and Candace was certain that Jameson would be sleeping. She was anxious to slip in bed beside her lover. Two weeks had been too long. Pearl didn’t need to do much convincing
to get Candace to cancel her plans for the next day. She had paid more than her share of dues over the years. The Democratic Party did not need her as much as she needed Jameson. That was just a fact. Frankly, she felt she’d earned the right to say no once in a while.

  Candace climbed the stairs slowly. Her entire body seemed to be crying out for rest. She turned the corner into her bedroom and smiled at the sight before her. The curtains were open and the moon offered just enough light to see Jameson’s figure sprawled across the bed. Jameson was hugging Candace’s pillow tightly. Her hair was tussled and hanging in her face. Candace sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a brief moment. She opened her eyes, let out her breath slowly and made her way to the edge of the bed. She stood there for a few minutes just watching Jameson sleep until the temptation became too great. Candace reached out and brushed the hair from Jameson’s eyes.

  Jameson slapped lightly at the sensation. “Jinx,” she groaned without opening her eyes. “Knock it off,” she said.

  Candace bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. She leaned over and kissed Jameson’s forehead and let her lips linger.

  “Jinx!” Jameson complained again but did not open her eyes. “No offense, but I wish your Mommy were here.”

  Candace stroked Jameson’s cheek and Jameson finally started to pry her eyes open. “Hey, sleepyhead,” Candace whispered.

  “You’re home,” Jameson commented in wonderment.

  “Apparently,” Candace said.

  “What time is it?” Jameson asked.

  “A little after two in the morning.”

  Jameson sighed and pulled Candace down to her. She kissed her tenderly but deeply. “I can’t believe you are here.”

  Candace leaned over and kissed Jameson again in reply. Jameson took the opportunity to pull Candace down on top of her. “What are you doing, you lunatic?” Candace giggled, still looking in Jameson’s eyes. Jameson studied Candace’s face silently. “Jameson?”

  “I missed you,” Jameson said with a gentle kiss.

  “Mmm. I missed you too,” Candace said. “Let me go get changed.”