by Ann, Natalie
“You’re lucky I could swing today,” Alec said.
“Well, if Sean did his job right, we’ll have someone hired after today and you’ll have some time freed up to be on the site more,” Phil said, smirking at Sean.
“I always do my job well. Ask your girlfriend. She’ll tell you everything is in tip-top shape here. Her accountants were impressed with me.”
Phil shook his head. He’d bet Sophia’s accountants were impressed with Sean. They were young—probably a few years out of college—and Sean was a good-looking guy that could be charming on top of it. “Sorry, but your name doesn’t come up when I’m with Sophia.”
“Does mine?” Alec asked, teasing Phil.
Snorting, Phil answered, “Hardly.”
“Okay,” Sean said, pulling them back on track. “Let’s go in order. Five candidates. Mary and I weeded everyone out and came up with this group. I’m positive one of them should work out well. But the decision is yours.”
Four interviews down and Phil was ready to pull his hair out. Alec looked no better. “What could you have been thinking with that last one, Sean?” Phil complained.
“I don’t need an interior designer,” Alec said. “I understand she can stage the house nice and pretty, but that is one house. I want someone who knows about the construction side of it, not what fabrics are all the rage.”
Phil huffed out a laugh at the high-pitched voice Alec used when saying “all the rage.” It was almost identical to the one the last candidate used. Tiffany, maybe, he couldn’t remember her name. Either way, she was out.
“She interviewed better than that with Mary and me,” Sean said, justifying his choice.
“Since she didn’t even last twenty minutes before Phil’s eyes started to cross,” Alec interrupted, “we’ve got time before for the last one. But so far I’m not really impressed. The first guy has a solid construction background, but I see him more as a foreman on one of the crews. I don’t picture him as the type of person that would do well around potential customers.”
“You mean someone like you,” Phil said to Alec.
“Exactly,” Alec said, grinning back, not taking offense. “The object is for someone to take over part of my work, part of yours and all the real estate end. We need someone to sell these houses and remodels first. Then sit with us for the actual work. But that isn’t everything. This position needs to do a walk through for rehabs, gather information and schedule projects. They have to understand the scope of work each project needs and timelines.”
“True,” Phil said. “The second guy, he knew his real estate, but not much on the construction side. I could tell he only knew the basics. Anything he could read off the Internet or an average Joe would know. He tried to pull off he was more knowledgeable than he was, but I could see through it.”
“Definitely,” Alec agreed.
“The third man had the broadest range of knowledge, but there was something about him I didn’t like. I can’t put my finger on it.” Phil didn’t know what it was, but something didn’t sit well with him. The guy was way too cocky and sure of himself, almost practiced.
And definitely too polished. It was a construction firm. He expected people to be dressed up for the interview, but that man’s suit looked like something their brother-in-law, Ryan, wore in the courtroom defending a high-priced client.
“I didn’t care much for him either. I think I saw a suit like that on pretty boy the other day, too.” Phil chuckled, typical that Alec thought the same thing he did. Alec and Ben always called Ryan “pretty boy” when they were busting on him.
“There’s no need to even talk about the one who just left. You were way off base with her,” Alec said to Sean.
“Fine. Let’s move on to the last. Brynn Palmer. She’s got the same degree in Construction Management as you do Alec,” Sean said, lifting his eyebrows. “So it would be safe to say she knows enough about construction to make you happy.”
Alec snorted. “We’ll see. But go on.”
“She has her contractor’s license,” Sean added, and Phil watched as Alec looked a bit more impressed. “She has been selling real estate for the last three years, though.”
“Why?” Phil asked.
“That’s a question for you guys to ask. I already did, but I want to see how she answers you.”
“What does that mean?” Alec asked.
“It’s not bad, but ask the question.”
“It says here she lives in Rochester. Is she looking to relocate?” Alec asked.
“Really, Alec,” Phil said, his voice sounding almost condescending. “What’s she going to do, work out of her house four hours away? I think it’s obvious she is.”
Sean shook his head, amused. He was always amused when Phil and Alec bantered back and forth. Sean had always said it was because he never had a brother and didn’t know what it was like growing up with one. “Is she driving here for the day?” Phil wanted to know.
“I scheduled her last because she was driving in for the interview today, yes. Whether or not she is driving back home today, I didn’t ask. She did mention she had friends in the area though.”
“Sean,” Mary interrupted over the intercom. “Brynn Palmer is here.”
“I’ll be up in a minute. Thanks, Mary.” Sean stood and walked out of the room.
“She better be good,” Alec said. “Because so far I’m not impressed with the other choices and I don’t want to go through this again.”
“We can only hope,” Phil said.
Sean walked back in with Brynn following. Phil and Alec stood and Phil could almost see the moment when Alec shut down. Brynn didn’t look like someone with a construction background at all. She looked more like someone Alec would hit on in a bar.
She was probably five foot five, but her heels added another three to four inches to her frame. Dressed in a fitted black skirt ending at her knees and a black-and-white jacket over a pink shirt, she looked more like a real estate agent than what they were looking for. Her long brown hair reached the middle of her back. Phil was dreading the next hour, if they even made it that long.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” she said, her voice full of confidence and her handshake firm.
Phil nodded. Alec held his hand out, gesturing toward the chair, and said, “Have a seat.”
“Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself,” Phil started with. He could tell by the look on Alec’s face that he was already frustrated, so he figured he’d better start and give Alec time to cool off.
“I’ll give you a summary outside of what my resume states. My father is a contractor. I grew up swinging a hammer next to him. I think I was holding onto tools before I could walk,” she said, adding a little chuckle. “I’ve always loved building things. Looking at scrap materials and picturing in my head what I could make with them. As I got older I would spend summers working on projects with my father. Getting a lot of hands-on experience, you could say.”
Phil was impressed already. She didn’t look like the type to swing a hammer. More like the type to push papers around. Alec didn’t seem too convinced at this point either. “What’s the first thing you remember building?” he asked.
She smiled softly. Phil got the impression she was remembering a fond moment. “My mother had been asking my father to build her a bird feeder. It was a simple thing he could have made in no time at all, but he was busy. I thought I would surprise her with it. So I went out to his toolshed and found a bunch of scrap wood and made it for her.”
Alec chuckled, a not-so-impressed look on his face now. “A bird feeder.”
“I was five,” she said, laughing along with him, not the least bit put off by Alec’s tone.
“Five,” Phil repeated. Now he was impressed. “You did it by yourself?”
“Yes,” she said proudly. “Once my mother realized what I was doing, she was on board. I wasn’t allowed to touch power tools, obviously. I was trying to prove to my father I really knew what I was do
ing. So I went to his shed, spent hours finding pieces of wood that were close in size for the roof and sides. It was a simple A-frame style. Then I kept sanding the pieces down by hand until everything matched and fit together just right. It took me all day long, with my mother coming out to check on me.”
Brynn stopped and a tender look crossed her face. “She encouraged me and got me everything I asked for that I couldn’t reach. The glue, the right nails, the sandpaper. I secretly think she wanted to prove to my father that a girl could do anything a boy could. I had a younger brother and my father seemed more intent on spending time showing him tools and such rather than me.”
“How long did the bird feeder last?” Alec asked, looking more curious now.
“It’s still hanging outside now.” She lifted an eyebrow at him. “I’m good. Though I have to admit my mother drilled the hole for the birds. Like I said, I couldn’t touch the power tools.”
Phil looked over at Sean who was grinning from ear-to-ear at this point, but not saying a word.
Suddenly Alec stood up, walked out of the room and came back quickly, dropping three pieces of wood in front of her on the conference room table. “What are they?” he asked.
“Wood,” she answered quickly. Phil was ready to clarify the question, but he didn’t need to. Her lips quirked and she added, “Do you mean the dimensions?” She held each one up and said, “Two by two, two by four, and two by six.”
Not easily won over, Alec walked out again and came back with three samples of countertops. “What about these?”
Just as fast, Brynn held them up one by one and answered, “Granite, marble and quartz. This is fun, do you have some more?”
Her eyes were laughing, but she seemed sincere. Before Phil could stop Alec, he walked out again. Phil had no idea what was wrong with Alec. It was obvious Brynn knew her stuff. Then again, she’d been selling homes so she would know the basic materials.
Alec brought in three samples of backsplash and set them on the table. Phil was curious on how she would answer this one. “Is this a trick question?” she said, looking at Alec.
Good for her, Phil thought.
Before Alec could answer, Brynn said, “They are all glass, but the styles are different.” Pointing them out she said, “Subway tile, mosaic and chevron.”
“Why did you wrinkle your nose when you said chevron?” Alec asked.
“Did I?” she asked, unsure.
“Yes.”
“Sorry. Chevron is one of those trends that I really can’t stand. Of course, it’s a personal preference,” she rushed to say. “But chevron dates a house. It will go out of style. I try to tell people they would be better going with a bolder color of subway tile, which never goes out of style, than a white chevron backsplash.”
Phil grinned and looked over at Alec now. He couldn’t help it. Alec had said the same thing repeatedly to clients over the years. Before Alec could get up again, Phil jumped in and asked, “Why did you go into real estate when it seems you enjoyed the construction end so much?”
“Honestly, it wasn’t by choice. It’s hard being a woman on a construction site. It’s still a man’s world. I’ve been on a few crews where I was accepted easily as a laborer. But as a foreman? Not so much. I didn’t get a degree in construction management to always swing a hammer. I love to do it, but not as my career. My last construction job was three years ago. I worked my way up to a foreman position, but it was hard to get the men to follow my lead. Most didn’t want to take directions from a woman.”
She paused, almost as if in thought, then continued on. “In the end I realized I couldn’t change that mentality, and I couldn’t effectively do my job without my crew following directions. It was more important to me that customers get what they were paying for than worrying about changing a bunch of men’s minds.”
“So you quit?” Alec asked.
Phil thought that was harsh, but Brynn didn’t seem to take exception to it. “I wouldn’t call it quitting. It was best for everyone. I got my real estate license after that, and I still have a good relationship with the owners of that firm. Matter of fact, I’ve sold plenty of their builds. They always call me when they’re ready to put a property up for sale. Like I said, it was best for everyone. It wasn’t a good fit for me,” she said, almost hedging in Phil’s mind. But he didn’t push it, because he could see the truth to what she was saying.
“Why do you want to leave what you are doing now then, if you seem to enjoy it?” Alec asked. Phil could see him softening and accepting Brynn now. Her explanation made complete sense. Construction still was a man’s world, and Phil would imagine most men would have trouble taking direction from a woman.
“I miss the construction end. I miss watching something start from the bottom, seeing it built in stages. Watching the excitement of customers when their dreams come true. I’ve been looking for a change, and there aren’t really a lot of opportunities for someone with my range of experience to blend the best of both worlds. I was lucky a friend of mine who lives locally saw the job and sent it to me.”
“So you have no problem relocating?” Phil asked.
“Not at all.”
Twenty minutes later, Sean was walking Brynn back to the front of the building while Phil looked over at Alec. “Well, what do you think?”
“She’s the one,” he said, smiling brightly.
Sean walked back into the room and Phil said, “You did that on purpose.”
“What?” Sean asked innocently.
“Saved the best for last, and put the worst right in front of her,” Alec said.
“So,” Sean replied. “It worked, right? She’s the best, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” Alec said. “When can she start?”
Phil chuckled. He knew his brother well, and Alec had pushed as much as he did because he liked what Brynn had to offer and he had to make sure she really knew what she was talking about. All the other candidates he had written off and shut down early in each interview.
“She said she needs to give two weeks’ notice at her current job, then another week to pack up and move.”
“Does she have a place to stay?” Phil asked.
“During the first interview she said she could stay with a friend until she found a place of her own. If she was offered the job.”
“What are you thinking?” Alec said.
“How do you know I am?” Phil replied.
“Because I know you, and you’ve got something on your mind, so spill it.”
“I was thinking that one of the ten houses we’re building is the model house. Finish it first, or make it somewhat livable and have her stay there. When she is meeting with potential buyers she can walk them through the house easier. It’ll be more secure with her living there, so we can leave all the sample stuff there too.”
“So you’re going to let her live free in the house for a while?” Sean asked, astonished.
“That’s a good idea,” Alec said. “Besides, she agreed with me during the interview about putting all the high-end finishes in the model home. With her background she can help pick out what she thinks might work. What she thinks will be the best selling features.” He turned to Phil. “I’ve been trying to tell you to go really high-end on the model home to get people in.”
“That’s true,” Phil said. “I liked her idea of putting all the samples in binders and organizing them so they’re accessible. That way she doesn’t have to pull pieces out of boxes like you do.”
“Sorry.” Alec grinned ruefully. “The customers don’t seem to mind. They still get what they want.”
“That did make more sense,” Sean jumped in to say. “It’s more organized that way too.”
“Agreed. That can be one of the first things she does when she gets here,” Alec said. “She was okay with the salary?”
“I gave her a range, and she said it was acceptable.”
“Offer her the top of the range. And throw out the idea of the house to her to see
if she is willing or not. She may not be, but see what she thinks,” Phil added.
“You guys are being very generous,” Sean said.
“I don’t want to spend another day doing this,” Phil said. “And I think she is exactly what we’re looking for. I don’t want to run the risk of her turning it down.”
“Consider it done,” Sean said.
Exactly
“Why did your family plan two parties on the same day?” Sophia asked Kaitlin when she walked into Kaitlin’s home for the baby shower.
“It wasn’t my idea. It was Ryan’s. He thought it would be easier to have the women come here first, and the men go to Lucas’ and help get ready for their party. Besides, it’s really only family, some co-workers and a few friends of my mother and Michele’s for the baby shower.”
“True. How are you feeling?” Sophia walked over and laid a hand on Kaitlin’s belly. “Are they sleeping right now?”
“They always sleep when I’m moving around. The minute I sit down they start wrestling.”
Sophia chuckled. Then her eyes fell on Kaitlin’s chest. “You’re spilling out of your shirt.”
Kaitlin sighed. “I’ll be changing in a few minutes. Do you know how hard it is to find bras right now? I thought my chest was too big before, but this is crazy.”
“I’m sure Ryan doesn’t think so.”
“You would be right.” She waved her hand. “Enough talk about my oversized chest. How are things with Phil?”
“Good,” Sophia said, not sure where Kaitlin’s questioning was leading.
“Getting a little cozy lately.”
“What does that mean?”
“Come on, Sophia. This is me you’re talking to. You two spend a lot of time together. More than I’ve seen Phil with anyone else, especially this early on.”
It was nice to hear Kaitlin verify what she had suspected about Phil’s past relationships. “What can I say? I’m good.”