by Lynn Galli
I scanned the pretty woman before me. I’d always loved her hair, reddish blond, most would call it strawberry, but to me it looked either mostly red or mostly blond depending on how much sun she got. She had these blue eyes that weren’t too dark or too light, royal with layers. I’d never minded getting lost staring at her when she and my sister-in-law were yakking it up. She’d been a wistful distraction, too young, too laid back, too close to Cassie. All good reasons never to ask out one of the few single lesbians in town. Now that she was with Lena, I was happy those thoughts never came up anymore. Apparently, I was more honorable than I’d known.
“Hey, Glory. How ya been?”
“Good, thanks. Come on in. I’m so happy you agreed to this project. I know it’ll turn out beautiful for Lena’s grandparents.” She was über charming, too, always with the right thing to say at the right moment.
“Morning, Viv.” Lena stepped up and wrapped her arms around Glory’s middle. She dropped a kiss on her girlfriend’s head and stepped back. “Your dog is misbehaving again.”
Glory snorted. “He’s not my dog, sweetheart. He’s yours.”
“He only listens to you.”
Glory winked at me. “That’s her way of telling me to get him out of here before the work starts and his overexcitement tears up the rest of the house.”
“A mind reader,” Lena told me.
As far as matches went, they worked well. They seemed quite different, but their attitudes meshed. I really was happy for them, jealous that I didn’t have it for myself, but happy for them.
Before we reached the kitchen where they were finishing breakfast, the doorbell rang. I told them I’d grab it, knowing it would be Natalie and Cal. When I opened the door, I wasn’t surprised to see only Natalie standing on the stoop in work beaten jeans, work boots, and a too big, long sleeved shirt with Cal’s logo on it.
“Good morning,” she greeted, her eyes smiling more than her mouth. I knew I was right about them being the tell for her emotions.
“Hello, Natalie. Thank you for being on time. I was just about to sit down with the homeowner.”
“Okay.”
“Are we expecting Cal to join us?”
She blinked three times before gathering whatever thoughts she wanted. “No. He may stop off from time to time, but I’ll be onsite every day.”
I nodded, thankful considering Cal was getting less and less reliable every time I brought him onto a job. If he wanted to leave the whole thing to Natalie, I’d be fine with that. Especially after I watched her reach into her pocket and pull out shoe booties to slip over her boots. Cal never did that.
“Nat?” Glory spoke up when we cleared the foyer. “You’re back? That’s so great. I thought you were in Glenwood Springs.”
Natalie smiled broadly, using both her mouth and her eyes. “Hi, Glory. It’s good to see you again.”
“Nat built my place,” Glory explained to Lena as she rose from the stool and went to Natalie for a hug.
“With lots of help,” Natalie supplied, letting Glory squeeze her tight for a moment.
“Sure, yeah, that’s why you were there every day and Cal flittered in and out. He’s coaxed you back to Aspen?”
“I was in Basalt on a townhouse complex.”
“You’re going to be running the show here?” Glory waited for Natalie’s nod. “You’re in good hands, sweetheart,” she told Lena.
Natalie’s eyes widened for a moment. Not only had she clearly not known about Glory and Lena, but it looked like she hadn’t known Glory was a lesbian. Not that I found that surprising. As friendly, easygoing, and popular as she was, Glory wasn’t open with everyone. She had her circle of friends and unless you were in it, you didn’t know much about her. In this small town, I often envied that about her.
“Shall we get started?” Natalie asked.
“Honey,” Lena prompted Glory.
“All right, jeez, uptight,” Glory muttered with a huge smile before tilting forward and grabbing a goodbye kiss from Lena. “She won’t let me see the upstairs bathroom. She wants to do a surprise reveal when you’re done.”
“Sounds fun.” Natalie gave her another genuine smile.
“Sideless, again,” Glory declared, not at all bothered that three people in the room knew what would be going on upstairs but she, who spent many nights over here, didn’t. “The dogs and I will wait for the surprise.”
She headed toward the laundry room to get the dogs. They came bounding out as soon as she opened the door, excited and sniffing each of us. She introduced the dogs to Natalie, who bent to pet them. “If you have time today, stop by my place when you’re done. You haven’t seen the house in years.”
“Sure,” Natalie said easily.
“See you then. Bye, Viv.” Glory wrangled the dogs toward the door. “Call me if you get free for lunch, honey.”
“Will do,” Lena called out, her eyes glued to Glory’s retreating form. She noticed my knowing smirk and shook her head. “Can you blame me?”
I held up my hands. “You’re both lucky.”
Natalie’s head nodded once before she realized that I’d caught it. I glanced at her ring finger. Bare, but that didn’t tell me anything. Many construction workers didn’t wear rings when they worked. I shouldn’t be wondering if one of the construction crew was married or not, but she was so interesting with looks, quiet nature, and talent. Her clothes screamed lesbian, but it was the norm for construction workers. She might be ultra-feminine away from the job and wrapped all around some dude after work.
Lena bounced her eyes between Natalie and me, a slight smile playing on her lips. Before I could question the smile, she said, “I’ve got another half hour before I need to leave for work.”
Natalie nodded and went into action. She took us into the guestroom first. “Would you like us to work both areas at the same time or one then the other?”
Lena looked at me, but I sent the question back to Natalie.
“Working both areas cuts a week off the timeline. It’s less expensive during demo and easier to schedule the trades, but it is construction in two different areas in a home you’re trying to live in. Not many homeowners can live with one.”
She impressed me by asking Lena’s preference. I assumed we’d be working one area at a time, but she made a good case for doing both projects at the same time. I’d be in for more shopping and planning, but Lena’s suffering would be shorter.
“It makes more sense to do both, doesn’t it?” Lena looked at both of us.
Natalie and I nodded, not wanting to make the decision for her. “We’ll use dust barriers, but for the weeks that we’re working it will feel like you’re boxed in by construction.”
“It will be worth it.”
With that Natalie took Lena through a stage by stage description of the construction process. It was far more thorough than anything Cal had ever done for my clients and far more realistic. I couldn’t believe this woman wasn’t running her own company. What the hell did she need Cal for?
We walked Lena to the door when they’d finished. I assured her we’d take care of everything, but the house would look different when she got back tonight. Natalie had already warned her not to jump to conclusions until the job was done.
“Are you that thorough with all clients?”
Natalie glanced up at me. “Normally I’m just the worker bee. Cal handles the client relations. This is my first time from start to finish.”
“You’re doing a great job so far.”
She smiled at my compliment, her mouth a touch wide for her face. Without a visor, I could study her face. Those three moles varied in diameter from the size of a pinhead to a pea. All marked the left side of her face like someone dipped three small fingers in brown paint, spread them wide, and pressed them to her face. Fascinating. I itched for my sketch pad again.
“How long have you worked for him?”
“Eight years. I was in Boulder before that.”
“That’s
a long time. You must like working for him.” This was none of my business, but I was curious why this woman who seemed better at the job than Cal would stay with him.
“He’s like any other boss,” she commented prudently. She pointed toward the door and said, “I’ll bring in the tools. My guys should be here soon.”
“All right. I’ll stick around for the start of the job before I begin shopping.”
“It’s going to take at least an hour to prep both areas. You may want to make yourself comfortable.”
I looked for any sign of sarcasm or resentment, but she didn’t seem to mind that a designer would be on her back for the entire project. Yet another benefit to having Natalie here instead of Cal. This might be my first trouble free project.
7 Vivian
I’d spoken too soon. Two weeks into the thus far effortless project, Cal started throwing a hissy fit over the payment schedule. I’d handed over his first check, representing the work Natalie’s crew had done so far. Rather than thank me for a prompt payment, he demanded payment in advance for the rest of the project.
“We’ve never worked that way, Cal,” I reminded him.
“Things have changed. I’ve let too many designers and clients push me around in these tough times. I’ve got to get paid up front before I dedicate manpower and supplies.”
I glanced at his crew working hard on the guest bedroom suite. They were the best crew I’d ever worked with. Their craftsmanship was impeccable, and they didn’t disappear or take unscheduled breaks or drag their heels to hold the job hostage. I’d started resenting Cal more and more because every other crew he’d assigned to me hadn’t done half the work in twice the time.
“I understand your predicament, but we have a working relationship. I’ve never stiffed you. You can count on your bill being paid in full.”
He held up his beefy hands. He’d gained fifty pounds since I last saw him. The weight sat on his stomach, aging him ten years. It was evident he no longer picked up a hammer. “Sorry, Viv. Change in policy. Payment up front from now on.”
I sized him up. Like most builders, he’d had a rough few years. Taking orders after being the boss so long couldn’t be easy, but that didn’t excuse his sudden loss of trust in our established work relationship. “We agreed to this payment schedule in the contract. We won’t deviate from that.”
“The contract allows for alternative pay schedules if the job requires it.”
I swallowed a scream of frustration. “We’re not altering the schedule. You’ll get your next check in two weeks.”
He stared at me, his tired eyes showing no other emotion. He didn’t seem to care if he ruined our working relationship. The other three contractors in the area weren’t great, but I could always try working directly with the subcontractors if I had to.
He cleared his throat and tilted back to look at his hard working crew. He made a waving motion with his arm. “Wrap it up, guys. We’re done here.”
“What?” I asked in a high pitched almost panicked screech. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to pull out, would he? What was he trying to prove? We had a signed contract. “We have a signed contract.”
“With a clause that allows for payment up front, which you won’t provide.” He had a smirk on his face now. He knew exactly what he was doing.
I glanced over his shoulder at Natalie. Her eyes were glaring at Cal’s back. They flicked to mine and softened with guilt. She had stopped working, but she hadn’t packed anything up. Her crew, Miguel, Ramón, and Tyler, were waiting for her instruction, not Cal’s.
“Want to check with the homeowner before we pull out of here?” Cal asked with a know-it-all tilt to his mug.
Dickhead.
Power trips were the problem I had with the other builders in the area. Cal had always been reliable and never demanded payment up front. I refused to pay for services not yet delivered, especially when it came to construction. Payment up front made it difficult to hold the contractors to a high standard.
“No, I don’t,” I answered. Calling Lena wouldn’t produce a different outcome.
“Suit yourself,” he gloated, glancing back at his still frozen crew.
“If you walk out of here, this will be the last project we work on together.” It was the only ammunition I had. Other than his spec building, I knew I was responsible for a lot of his billables over the last four years.
“You’ll call me to finish the work before the end of the week, Viv. No other crew will take this on.”
I scoffed at his smug declaration. He couldn’t know that. As much as I didn’t want to work with the other major contractors, there were smaller crews I could call to get the work done. I’d just liked working with Natalie’s so much.
Double dickhead.
He waited for me to ask him to stay. When I remained silent, he looked back at Natalie and barked out an order for her to pack up.
“Cal,” she warned.
“No,” he shot back. “Pack up everything. We’re done here until the decorator comes to her senses.”
Natalie shook her head then shot sorrow filled eyes at me. She didn’t have a choice. He was her boss and wasn’t leaving until they all left.
“This is a mistake,” I told him while we both watched the crew pack up all their tools.
“You’re the one making it. We can finish this in two weeks if you authorize payment.”
“Shady, Cal, shady,” I muttered. Even pulling a rotten move like this, he still had to add a lie to the mix. This project was five weeks from being done and that’s if all went smoothly.
“Take down everything,” Cal said, pointing to the dust barriers.
There was no way I’d leave these project rooms exposed. “They stay. They’re paid for. Get your stuff and go.”
“When you can’t get another crew in here to finish up, give me a call. We’ll renegotiate the contract.”
I’d hire my own crew and train them myself before I’d let that happen. Being stubborn rarely helped my cause, but Cal wasn’t getting another dime from me.
I watched them walk out of the house. Natalie was the last in line. Before she slipped through the door, she said, “I’m sorry. This isn’t how he normally does business.”
“It’s not your fault. You do great work.” It was too damn bad that her talent was wasted working for a dickhead like Cal.
By the time Lena got home, I’d managed to pack my anger away. Calls to other contractors hadn’t gone well. None were able to come look at the project for at least a month. I found that hard to believe because I knew that Burt’s crew wasn’t working right now at all.
“Wrapped up early today?” Lena asked when she walked through the door to a silent house.
“Come have a seat.”
She glanced at me, eyes narrowing. She took a seat at the island and waited for me to speak.
“Cal demanded payment up front for the rest of the project before he’d finish.” I watched her nod twice. “He’d already tried overcharging us for that first supply purchase. I wasn’t going to authorize payment for work he might not have to do.”
“Sensible.”
“I get the feeling he’s overextended and needs the money from this project to pay for his other projects. That always leads to trouble.”
Her head pushed back, eyes growing wide. “Does that mean he wouldn’t finish this project?”
“I don’t know, but when he runs out of money to pay his crew here because he’s already used the money from this project elsewhere, yeah, I think it’s possible.”
Lena nodded again. “Sounds like you made the right decision. Where are we on getting another contractor in here?”
I felt the stress knot between my shoulder blades flare up. Normally I didn’t need a massage until the end of a project. “They’re all claiming that they’re too busy right now.”
“But you don’t buy it?”
“I think Cal might have called them all. He’s trying to make us go back to him.”
<
br /> “Solutions?”
It impressed me that she didn’t get irritated when it wouldn’t help matters. “I’ll start calling subcontractors to piece out the work.”
“And if Cal has called them, too?”
“I’ll call a crew I worked with in Glenwood Springs a few times. I’ll rent a house for them to stay in if necessary.”
Her eyes widened and a smile played on her lips. “You think of everything.”
“I wish I’d thought to go with someone other than Cal for this job.”
“You couldn’t know. Besides, Natalie was excellent. I bet she didn’t take being called off the job well.”
No she hadn’t. “She apologized for having to leave.”
“Too bad she’s not the boss.”
I’d been thinking that myself.
“Wonder why she isn’t,” Lena mused. “Bet Glory’s talked to her about it. Wanna see?”
I laughed. “You just want to get Glory over here.”
“True.” She laughed and picked up the phone.
Fifteen minutes later, we were sitting in Glory’s living room. Lena decided she couldn’t wait for her to come to us, which would have been cute if I weren’t feeling so much pressure.
“I can’t believe he pulled out of the job,” Glory said, filling coffee cups for us and setting out a scrumptious smelling coffeecake. It would ruin my dinner, but I never turned down anything Glory baked.
“I couldn’t either.”
“Nat told me about the townhouse complex she was working on in Basalt. It sounded like Cal’s been having money trouble for a while now.”
“Does she seem like the type to strike out on her own?” I wished we’d had the time to talk about more than progress reports over the past two weeks.
“I don’t know that it’s ever crossed her mind. Want me to call her and ask?”
Yes, I did, but I wouldn’t want to feed Natalie’s guilt and force her to make a huge decision. Starting my business had been very hard and scary. I couldn’t pressure someone else into that.
The phone rang, and Glory excused herself to answer it. A sparkling smile came over her face when she turned back. “Hey, Nat, we were just talking about you. We’re all over at my place. Come by.” She waited for Natalie’s reply before hanging up. “Natalie was knocking on your door, honey.”