Breathing heavily on her neck, he kissed it, moving his lips to her ear. “I don’t think I really need my job after all. This is the best way to spend my time,” Alex said, kissing her jaw. “I’d be content to stay in this bed and make love to you over and over again for the rest of my life, if I could.” He kissed her mouth, pulling her lip between his with his teeth. Clair smiled against his lips.
“Yes, I think I could live with that too… but,” she said, pushing him away slightly, “someone has to work or we’d both starve to death.”
Alex kissed the other side of her jaw. “Not possible, I can’t starve if I’m eating you… and you taste so, so good.” He kissed his way down her neck.
“Mmm… that feels so…” Clair pushed on his chest, making him stop and he looked up at her. “No really, stop. You’ve got to get to Stu’s house and I’ve got to go to work.”
Alex sighed. “I know. I just can’t help myself. You’re too tempting. I’m going to go jump in the shower. Maybe that will help.”
Exhausted from nearly no sleep and making love to Clair for a second time, he hoped the cool water would perk him up for the six-hour drive for which he wasn’t prepared. After getting dressed, Alex walked out of the bathroom to find Clair sitting on the couch with her eyes closed. She opened them when she heard him walk across the floor and a smile brightened her face. She stood holding her hand out to him.
“Feel better?” she asked.
“Yep, I think that did the trick, for now at least,” he said as he ran his hands through his wet hair. “You ready to go?” She nodded, and picked up her bag from the floor. Alex could tell leaving was the last thing she wanted right now but there was nothing he could do to postpone his trip any longer.
He pulled up across from the diner. The clock on the dash read five-forty a.m. and he knew Stu would be calling him anytime. As if on cue, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He fished it out and flashed Clair a knowing look when he saw Stu’s name on the display.
“I know, I know. I’m late,” Alex said, greeting Stu on the other end of the phone. “I’m on my way; I just had to make a stop. I’m at the diner; would you like me to get you a coffee?”
“You know I don’t have all day, right?” Stu said, “We have to get on the road.”
“I don’t know why you have to be in such a hurry. I couldn’t just leave without… you know? I had to at least say goodbye.” Alex looked over at Clair, a bit shy about mentioning her while she was sitting beside him. She grabbed his hand and squeezed, giving Alex a comforting smile and reassurance. “You know how it is. Or did you say your goodbyes to Roz and leave her home alone last night?”
“Of course not!” Stu yelled, “She’s here right now, sleeping… but that’s none of your business.” He sighed before speaking again. “I get it okay? Just do what you have to do and hurry up.”
“Uh huh, at least someone got some sleep last night, because we… I mean… I sure didn’t. You’re driving, in case you didn’t know already. I don’t think I can.”
“Alex, I don’t care to know the details of how you spent your night. Now hurry up and bring your ass… and coffee; two sugars and one cream.”
Alex shook his head and laughed before he disconnected the call.
“He’s not mad at you for being late, is he?”
“Nah, he’s fine. He wants coffee though. Can you make me two cups real quick? With two sugars…”
Clair cut him off, smiling, “Yeah I know, two sugars, one cream. What about Stu’s?”
Alex looked at her, surprised. “He likes his the same way. But how did you know how I liked mine?”
Clair grinned, “I’m very observant. It seems you pick a thing or two up when you’re a waitress.”
Alex leaned back on the seat and crossed his arms over his chest, “Oh really? This I’ve got to hear. What have you observed about me?”
“Oh well, that’s easy. You always get a Coke with your lunch. You like to play with the straw wrapper and curl it around your finger; but most times, you never even use the straw.”
He laughed, “Okay, that’s a good start… What else?”
“You’ll eat ketchup on your burger, but only eat your fries with mayonnaise, which I thought was weird, by the way. But I tried it once out of curiosity and it’s not half bad. Anyway, you always carry your plate to the back when you’re done instead of leaving it on the table, like most customers.”
Wow, Alex thought, how does she know this? I’ve never seen her watch me before. She’s always so busy whenever I’m there.
“Oh, and this is really important,” Clair said, pointing at him with her finger. “You never get the peach pie, which is pretty significant, because that’s how I know if a man has his head screwed on right. I’m a little leery of the ones who eat peach. Good thing you passed the test,” she teased.
“Oh, is that right? Yes, I’m glad I passed too because I definitely prefer the apple pie. Anything else you’ve observed?”
“Let’s see, what else is there? Oh yes, when you’re at home or at my or Roz’s place, you always take your shoes off at the door, but only if you’re staying for a while. You always open the door for me and wait for me to sit down first. You’ve developed a habit of drawing tiny circles on my palms when I’m worried or upset. You care for Roz like she is your mother, even though she’s not. Shall I go on?”
Alex just looked at her, stunned that she knew more about him than he thought. Weren’t those the kind of things you come to know after you’ve been with someone for a long time? Alex thought. He didn’t know what to say, “Wow, I’d say you’re pretty observant.”
“Nah, not really, “Clair said, waving her hand in the air. “If someone came in to rob the place, I wouldn’t even remember what color shirt they had on. I only pay attention to the things that interest me.”
“It’s good to know I’m so interesting,” Alex looked up at the clock again—five-fifty. Ten more minutes and Clair had to be working. She sighed when she looked at the clock, and reached for the door handle.
“I know,” she said. “You don’t even have to say it. Stay here and I’ll be right back with your coffees.”
Two minutes later, Clair was walking across the street with two cups in her hands. Alex stepped out of the car and took them from her, placing them in the cup holders. When he turned back around, she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly and burying her face in his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head as he brushed his fingers through her hair. “It’s only two weeks, remember?”
Clair pulled back to look at him. “I know. You’ll call me, right?”
“Every day,” he said, brushing his thumb across her cheek. “It doesn’t matter what time it is, whatever time you get off, call me. That is, if you feel up to it.”
Clair smiled, “Are you kidding? It’ll be the highlight of my day, I’m sure. Call or text me when you get there. Just so I know you made it there safely, okay?”
“Of course.” Alex paused; there was nothing left to say but the obvious. “Well, you better get in there. It looks like they’re getting busy. Stu’s going to give me dirty looks when I get there if I don’t hurry up.”
At the sound of the bell on the door, Clair turned toward the diner to see more customers filing in. She sighed and looked down at the ground. Alex placed his finger under her chin and gently tipped her head up. Her eyes were shiny, water pooling along her lids as she searched his face. Seeing her like this upset him but made him happy at the same time. He felt horrible having to leave her, especially after the beautiful night they shared together, but thrilled that someone finally cared enough about him to be so upset at his departure. Who wouldn’t want a person to care for them like that?
Tenderly, his thumb brushed over her lips before kissing her. Clair responded, pressing her body against his and wrapping her arms around his neck, raking her fingers through his wavy hair. Twisting their bodies slightly, Alex leaned her against the side of the c
ar, placing his hand on the side of her neck. He deepened his kiss, playing with her tongue, savoring the taste of her sweet lips one last time until he could kiss her again. Not wanting to stop, but knowing he couldn’t start something he wasn’t prepared to finish, without having to avoid the wrath of Stu or Roz, Alex pulled away from Clair. But she grabbed at the back of his neck, pulling him down to meet her lips and kissed him again. Her kiss was desperate, as if it were her last and she’d never see him again. Alex could taste the salt from her tears as they ran down her face onto their lips. Slowly, he pulled away and rested his forehead on hers before wiping the tears away with his fingers.
“It’ll get easier;” he said softly, “Roz will have you busy doing who knows what and we’ll talk every night. It won’t even feel like we’ve been apart that long. Fourteen days and counting, doesn’t that sound better than saying weeks?”
Clair nodded and took a deep breath. “Yeah, it does.” She paused, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t be such a cry baby. I seem to cry every time we’re together.”
“No. If anything, it shows me how much you care, and even though I hate to see you cry, you have no idea how good it makes me feel that you care as much as you do.”
“I do care,” she sniffled. “I… I… I’ll see you soon,” she said, before looking back at the diner. “I better go before Theresa comes out and drags me in there. Be safe, okay?” Clair leaned forward and kissed him quickly one last time. She gave him a half-hearted smile before walking across the street.
He watched her walk away and into the diner. Alex knew he had feelings for her but he never expected to feel this way so soon after meeting her. And he certainly never imagined leaving her would be so hard, even if it were only for two weeks.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Alex
“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty,” Stu said as he slapped Alex on the shoulder to wake him up.
Alex sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe away the sleep deprivation he still felt. How long have I been asleep? A few hours? he thought as he looked around. “Where are we? You ready for me to drive now?” he asked Stu.
“We’re here, in Pittsburgh, at the condo.” Stu pointed to the building in front of them.
“What do you mean we’re here? I haven’t been asleep that long, have I? I feel like I just nodded off.”
“Uh yeah, you were asleep before we even got on the interstate. Which is pretty bad, considering the exit isn’t far from the house.” Stu smirked, “How much sleep did you get last night?”
“Not much, maybe an hour.” Alex thought back to his sleepless night and wondered how Clair was holding up. Had her six hours working at the diner gone by as quickly as his had? He doubted it.
Stu started laughing and took the keys out of the ignition, dropping them in Alex’s lap. “Did you know you snore in your sleep? You do this little gurgling, whining thing. Scared the shit out of me at first. I couldn’t tell if you were drowning or whistling at me. I started to stick a wad of napkins in your mouth.”
“Ha-ha, you’re so funny,” he said sarcastically. “If it was that bad, you could have just woken me up. Why didn’t you anyway? I would have at least driven halfway.”
Stu waved his hand, “Nah, its fine. You looked like shit anyway and I didn’t feel like getting in an accident.” Stu dug into his front pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Let’s get our bags and check this place out.”
The week slowly dragged on. The condo was almost like home, as far as all the major necessities went. The bed was nice and the fridge was stocked when they arrived, which Alex found a little strange. He knew Stu had money, but he had to pay a pretty penny to get the condo rented out for only two weeks, when most people rented in monthly increments. To Alex, the condo was only missing one thing, or rather, person—Clair. He had talked to her the last two nights, though their conversations felt too short. He knew she was busy at work, but he couldn’t help but think she wasn’t interested anymore. He knew it was a stupid, but it didn’t stop the idea from popping up in his head.
Stu was interested in buying Mr. Jacobson’s company and needed to see what it would take to keep it running in Pittsburgh. He had rented a car and spent the week going over paper work and contract details but left the actual construction sites up to Alex. Apparently, Stu wanted him not only to learn more about his business, but also to evaluate the employees and the work being done on all five of Mr. Jacobson’s jobsites. Alex was shocked that Stu trusted him with that kind of responsibility, but also wondered who was going to run this new branch if he did decide to buy this business.
Alex had spent the whole week visiting the worksites with the project manager, Tom. They went over all the blueprints used for builds and discussed their plans for future development. Alex was able to talk with the employees individually, though they weren’t forced to answer any questions they didn’t feel comfortable with. He only cared about their work ethic anyway. Were they building homes because they enjoyed it? Or were they just in it for the money? Bottom line—Alex knew everyone worked for a paycheck. But if you didn’t take the job seriously, you were useless to him and Stu’s company. After all, these were people’s dreams they were building and they deserved the very best that Stu’s company had to offer. If they couldn’t observe that philosophy, then they weren’t right for the company, so it was up to Alex to screen out the hopeless ones.
Alex drove down Interstate 279 North toward the last jobsite on his checklist for the week. He grimaced when he passed a billboard advertising a local golf course. He was forced to play with Stu and Mr. Jacobson the weekend they arrived and Alex thought it was possibly the worst day of his life. Walking eighteen holes wasn’t his idea of a good time. Stu didn’t really want to go either, but figured it was a nice way to get on Mr. Jacobson’s good side since he liked the sport. Alex’s whole body still ached and he knew he wouldn’t be setting foot on another golf course, ever, if he could help it.
He followed the directions given to him but because he missed the exit, he knew he was going to be late meeting Tom at the jobsite. It was the last one Alex needed to look over for the week, and according to Tom, their biggest. Raven Wood subdivision would have close to one hundred homes by the time they finished building the neighborhood. Because it was located in a quaint little part of town, right on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Alex knew the homes would sell fast. The city was expanding, becoming more and more congested every year. Families were looking for a place that offered a rural feel with access to the local mall within a few minutes time, which made Raven Wood the perfect location.
Alex drove into the subdivision and found the first few homes on each side of the street near completion. He pulled over where he saw Tom’s truck and parked behind it. Tom was a big, burly guy in his late thirties. After the first days of meeting with him, Alex had been quite impressed. Tom was the lead foreman over all five jobsites and seemed to run them smoothly, effectively managing the individual team leads for each site. He said he liked to get out there with his men and help, but with managing came other responsibilities and Alex could relate. He and Tom seemed to have a lot in common when it came to their work ethic. That put him high on Alex’s list of employees to keep, should Stu decide to buy the company. From all the overseeing and questions Stu had Alex asking, he felt like it was a done deal already.
“Good morning, Tom,” Alex said as he reached to shake his hand. “Sorry I’m a bit late. I missed the exit. What have you got for me today?”
“Well, I thought we’d set you up in the office over there,” he said pointing to the mobile trailer at the other end of the street. “Let the guys come in, one by one, and talk to you for a bit. I’ve already had a morning team meeting, so they know what to expect. I just thought it would make it easier on you and less ground for you to cover, since the site is so big.”
“Great idea. After that, I’d like look over the floor plans for this site and do a few walkthrough
s of the homes.”
“Oh sure, no problem; that could take a while though. There are a lot of blueprints to go through,” Tom said.
“Not a problem. I’ll be here next week too. I’m not too sure what Stu’s got me doing, but I’ll squeeze in the time if we need it.”
The sound of an approaching car made Alex turn around to see who had pulled into the driveway. With tinted windows, it was hard to make out who was behind the glass until he rolled it down. Alex was taken aback when he saw the young woman seated behind the steering wheel. For a moment, he saw a resemblance to Clair. She had big, bright eyes that lit up her face, although Clair’s were brown, not green like hers. Her hair was almost exactly the same, long and wavy brown, hanging past her shoulders. Strands flipped out in every direction, and short layers cupped her face.
Taking Chances Page 16