by Lynn Galli
My suspicions were confirmed a week later. Vivian’s realtor friend, Tessa, needed some work done on a client’s home before it could go into escrow. Miguel and I left the Eiben site to accomplish this, but only because I’d called and asked Owen if he’d mind being on the payroll for a day to oversee the crew back at the construction site. He’d spent many days managing projects as a civil engineer before he retired. He seemed happy to help.
His phone call two hours into the day was a surprise, though. “We have an OSHA inspector here. I can tell him to start, wait for you, or turn him away.”
It wasn’t a good idea to turn away an inspector. He could come back with the warrant and a whole team to go over every inch of the site. “Let him get started. If you see him taking pictures or making diagrams, have Luis use his camera to take the same pictures. I’ll be there shortly.”
I let Miguel know what was going on. He seemed as surprised as I was about having OSHA out so soon. I left for the Eiben site as soon as we worked out what he could handle on his own.
My crew was standing around Owen when I pulled up. Luis had his camera ready but wasn’t glued to the man in the white jacket walking the site. I hoped that was a good sign. I turned off the engine and put a smile on my face, grabbing my hard hat and safety glasses before going to meet with an inspector who might consider it a violation not to be wearing either on an uncovered worksite.
I walked up to Owen first. “Anything?”
“He’s almost done. Been over every inch. He hasn’t taken any pictures yet.”
“Okay, thanks.” I headed over to the guy and introduced myself.
After he did the same, he said, “So far, no violations. You’re running a clean site here, Ms. Harper.”
“Thank you. We want to avoid injuries at all costs.” I glanced down at the clipboard he was holding but couldn’t make out anything. My eyes wandered over the site, making sure the guys hadn’t added any construction debris since our cleanup last night. We lost fifteen to twenty minutes every day, but we avoided safety hazards and violations. “What brings you by today?”
“Just a standard inspection.”
Quick response, but a lie. I wondered if there’d been another anonymous call.
“Your signage is good and clear. Distance to the porta is good. How often is it serviced?”
“Twice a week.”
His eyebrows rose. Most sites only have the portable toilet emptied once a week. It wasn’t much of an increased cost to step it up to twice a week and the area smelled a lot better because of it.
After a few more questions, the man and his assistant headed back to their car. Ramón let out a loud breath and swore. It was probably the first time he’d been through an inspection that didn’t result in the site being shut down.
“That’s the second spot inspection I’ve had in two weeks,” I said to Owen.
His wise face looked down at me. “Lena said you left another contractor to start your own firm?” At my nod, he continued, “That can cause a lot of bad feelings, especially if your guys left with you.”
My brow furrowed. That was months ago. Why would Cal start having a problem now? Yeah, it would be a hassle to replace Ramón, Luis, and Tyler, but he could find day laborers easily. He never took someone leaving his crew personally.
“Let’s hope these inspections were just happenstance,” I told him.
“You can always hope that.”
“How are we doing otherwise?”
“You’ve got a good crew. They needed a little encouragement to get back to work after the morning break, but no pushback. David’s good for a guy who doesn’t do this normally.”
I glanced over at the tented carpentry area. “You’ve been doing some work.”
He smiled and shrugged. “Saw Vivian’s design for the mantelpiece. I took one of your timber beams and started working that down.”
“I’m sure it will be beautiful. Remember to charge me for it.”
“I might as well be busy while I’m here.”
I shook my head. We were a lot alike, despite our generation gap. Had he called me for any help he might need, I would offer at the drop of a hat. I could allow this since the house was for Glory’s parents’ benefit, and they were an extended family.
An hour lost, I pulled into the local building supply store to pick up the windows for Tessa’s job. Edna, one of the owners, waved at me as she helped her son load a customer’s truck. She and her husband, Elliot, were grateful that I chose to buy my tools, equipment, and supplies through them instead of making the trip into Glenwood Springs to hit a big box store. I could have saved ten percent or more by making that trip, but the decision had paid me back twofold so far with the referrals they’d given.
“Got the windows set aside at the register, Nat. Head in and Elliot will take care of you. I’ll have one of the boys load them in your truck.”
“Thanks, Edna.”
Two steps through the door a voice stopped me. “If it isn’t the lone wolf. How goes it, Harpy? Keeping up with the big boys?”
“Cal.” I’d run into him at the grocery store twice since I’d quit. The first time, he bragged about his extra projects. The second time, he was a lot more bitter. Ramón told me he’d lost all those extra projects because his crews stopped running efficiently.
“How’s business? Got enough work to keep you and my poached guys paid?”
My jaw popped open. “I didn’t poach anyone. They came to me.”
“Yeah, right.”
Confrontation wasn’t my thing, so I stepped around him toward the counter.
“Have any problems on your sites lately? Wouldn’t like seeing you get written up for any violations.”
I turned back and looked at him. Owen had been right about Cal being the anonymous caller. What an asshole. “No problems.”
“What?” He seemed genuinely surprised. Probably because he’d never had a clean inspection in his life.
“Everything okay, Natalie?” Edna asked from behind him.
“Of course she is,” Cal said dismissively. He turned back to me. “You passed all your inspections?”
“Even the spot ones.” I nodded and looked at Edna waiting for me. “Hope the same doesn’t happen to you, Cal. Good seeing you.”
I followed Edna up to the register. Elliot came around and hugged me. Their business had been slower during the building recession, but their attitudes never showed it. I was glad to have the custom home now because the orders were going to be massive compared to the smaller jobs I’d been doing.
Elliot swiped my card and listened to Edna talk about her dislike of Cal. He’d been one of the contractors who stopped buying the bulk of what he needed from them and shopped the big box store instead. The other major builders in town had done the same.
“I was so happy to hear you’d struck out on your own, honey,” Edna said to me. “That man has lost his honor.”
“I sure appreciate your references, Edna.”
“It’s our pleasure to have someone reliable we can send our customers to.”
I tried not to think of all the years I’d put in with Cal, dealing with his bipolar tendencies and shady practices. I was surprised I hadn’t developed an ulcer. To know that I could have started this business years ago and probably been successful just by building up this relationship here, was a little depressing. But I was glad I was free now, and having Vivian’s support helped me feel like I could make a lasting go of this business.
I wouldn’t bother worrying about Cal being underhanded. As long as I ran my jobsites the way I’d always wanted to run them for Cal, I shouldn’t have any problems.
23 Natalie
The site was quiet as Owen and I pulled up. A month into the project and I was still arriving early, happy to go to work every day. Owen had been coming with me every Tuesday and some Fridays while his wife volunteered at the hospital. She thanked me every time I swung by to pick him up. I’d gotten the impression that having somethi
ng active to do made them both happy. I felt lucky to have his woodworking skills on my site.
I swung the trailer around and backed into my usual spot. I was concentrating on the placement when Owen made a disturbing noise. I glanced over as I shut off the truck. His eyes were glued to his side mirror.
Before I could ask what was wrong, his hand tapped my arm and indicated the door. He slipped out of the truck as fast as someone in his eighties could, and I followed. When I faced the house, now completely enclosed with plywood and a roof, I saw what had disturbed him.
Graffiti. Lots of it, covering pretty much every surface except the roof. Thankfully the windows weren’t in yet or I’d be looking at glass everywhere, too.
“Let’s call the police,” Owen advised.
That wouldn’t do any good. The culprits were long gone. The damage wasn’t permanent. Only the exposed timber beams would need to be sanded down since the house wrap and siding would cover the graffiti on the plywood. If the open beams on the ceiling inside were sprayed, we’d lose more than a day’s work. I guess I should be happy that we weren’t in the finishing stages. The damage could have been a lot worse.
“Natalie, we need to call the police.”
“I guess having a report would be good for insurance.”
“This was personal,” Owen said as Miguel’s truck drove up to join us.
“What?” I looked back at him and heard Miguel start swearing while climbing out of his truck.
Owen pointed to the site rules sign. Scrawled across the sign were the words, Get out, Bitch.
“That prick,” Miguel said after his swearing had petered out.
I shook my head. It was possible that one of the electricians or plumbers I’d asked for bids got upset when I didn’t hire them, but it seemed more likely that Cal would do this. Without proof, though, I couldn’t do anything about it, and we were already losing time today.
I expected the next car we heard to be Luis’s van, but it was a bland sedan with a familiar logo on the doors. Great. Just what we needed.
“Same guy,” Owen confirmed of the OSHA inspector as he stepped out of the car.
The guy looked at the graffiti for three seconds, then came straight for me. “We got another call about your site.”
“We haven’t had the opportunity to go inside yet, but I’m guessing all the safety rails and other measures we’ve installed will be vandalized.”
His eyes flicked to the rules sign. “That wouldn’t be surprising.”
“You won’t write her up for violations that she didn’t cause, right?” Miguel asked.
He glanced again at the house. “I won’t, but I am required to revisit to make sure you’ve reinstalled all the necessary safety features.” He consulted his clipboard. “I’m not allowed to tell you when, but if you were to get them all done by Friday morning, it would be a quick trip on my part.”
Owen gave him a proud nod as Miguel shook his hand. I thanked him and watched him drive away, passing David on the way in.
“Damn,” David said, getting out of his car.
“Can you put on your graphics hat this morning?” I indicated the sign that would need redoing.
“I can send the order from here.” David pulled out his smart phone and tapped out the order to his print shop contact.
“That was easy,” Owen said, letting Goblin out of the truck to stretch her legs.
“The rest of it won’t be.” I grabbed the two sanders I had. I’d need to rent more from Edna to get the job done.
“I ran into the Sweeney brothers yesterday,” Miguel told me. “Bet they’d be willing to stay out here at night to add security.”
The brothers usually spent the summers working construction to save up for the ski season. They liked to mess around on jobsites but put in mostly good work. “We were going to need some extra guys on the crew for the rest of the job anyway. I could rent a trailer for them.”
“Add a few motion lights and security cameras.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I waited for Goblin to finish her business then put her safely onto the bed of the truck. I wouldn’t put it past Cal to spread nails and staples around the ground to make it appear more dangerous. I doubted he knew I had a dog here, but I wouldn’t chance an injury to her. “Let’s start with the safety rails first. We can get those back up then sand the beams.”
“I’ll call the brothers and ask if they want on with us.” Miguel headed back to his truck while I led the guys into the house to see what kind of damage we’d find.
Late morning, I heard Vivian’s car drive up. The Eibens had already been out to the site and helped with filling out the police report. I hadn’t wanted to hide the vandalism from the property owners. They seemed more disturbed by the message than the damage to their property. My insurance guy had come by as well. What I’d thought wouldn’t cover my deductible actually turned into a reimbursement of wages for the time it would take to fix the vandalism. That had been one positive turn of events.
“Oh, Natalie,” Vivian said as she passed the now prone rules sign. That would be the next project as soon as David’s order arrived.
“Ticked someone off.”
“Someone?” she asked, coming to a stop in front of me. “Could it be anyone else?”
She thought it was Cal, too. How petty could he be? I guess I should be thankful that he hadn’t punched through the plywood siding or taken down the beams. That would have been expensive and time consuming.
I didn’t know how to reply, still taken aback by what had been done to the house. She looked at me with compassionate eyes and reached forward to pull me into her arms. My breath left me. I hadn’t known I needed this. Comfort wasn’t something I was used to. Owen had given my shoulders a quick squeeze before he joined the crew, but this felt different. Vivian had taken one look at the site and decided I needed a hug. If I weren’t already hugging her, I would hug her for it. Damn, she felt good, and she was right. I did need this.
“C’mon, take an extra-long lunch with me.” She pulled back and grabbed my hand. “I have to pick up my nephew from a half day at kindergarten. I promised him pizza and ice cream before I deliver him to his mom. It’ll be a nice break before you have to come back and deal with this again.”
I glanced down at my clothes. I should change into the dressier shirt I had in my truck.
“You look great,” Vivian said without prompting. I could see she meant it. Me? In my company t-shirt and work jeans? “Let’s take your truck so Goblin can help entertain Mason.”
She transferred Mason’s booster seat to the backseat of my truck and got in, reaching back to pat Goblin. When we got out onto the highway, she filled me in on her other client. I was glad I didn’t have to talk about what went on at the site. There really wasn’t anything I could say.
Parked at the elementary school, we only had to wait a few minutes before Mason came skipping out with several friends. Vivian went to meet him, hugging the small boy and pointing toward me. He waved and smiled like I was the best thing he’d seen all day. It reminded me of when Seth was a little boy.
“Hi, Ms. Nat,” Mason said when he got close enough not to yell.
I greeted him with equal enthusiasm and opened the back door. He climbed up like he’d been scaling walls his entire life. He screeched at Goblin’s surprise lick attack as he was turning to settle into his booster seat.
“Hiya, Gobly Gobbers.” His hands went around her for a hug while Vivian snapped his belt into place.
We laughed at their little love fest. I’d seen him visiting the recovering animals in his dad’s clinic when I went to check on Goblin during her recuperation. He was very proud of his goal to become a vet like his parents. The obvious love he had for animals would help.
“Pizza, Gobly. Maybe we can sneak you in,” he told her and received another lick.
When everyone was buckled in, we made our way to the best pizza place in town. The entire trip was filled with Mason’s chatter. He could
talk about anything, it seemed, and had extra energy from the half day at school. By the time we were seated, we’d heard about every second of his day.
Lunch was fun, exactly as Vivian told me it would be. Nothing like listening to a five-year-old’s account of daily life to take your mind off of petty jealous acts by former employers.
“Your mom’s still at the farm, Mase. More sick horses,” Vivian told him when she checked her texts. “You’re stuck with me for a while.”
“And Ms. Nat?”
“Ms. Nat has to get back to her site.”
I smiled and said, “Ms. Nat actually needs to rent a trailer. Know any place I can do that?”
Vivian turned curious eyes at me. “What kind of trailer?”
“The kind two guys can sleep in and keep an eye on the property.”
She nodded and raised a finger, bringing out her phone again and punching in a number. “Hey, Mitch, you still renting some of those trailers on your lot?” After a response, she said, “Natalie needs one for her site. We’ll be by in a few minutes.”
My head shook on its own. She really did have connections for everything. I gave her a grateful look, knowing I didn’t need to voice it. She’d become that kind of friend, which made me happier than her offer to help and her compliment on my appearance.
“Check out her socks, Mase,” Vivian told her nephew when she hung up.
I smiled again and raised my foot, lifting my pant leg. Mason’s eyes widened.
“Clowns, lots and lots of clowns,” he yelped, clapping his hands.
Vivian waggled her eyebrows at me. “He loves clowns.”
Mason pointed out every different clown on my blue socks. Vivian rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm, but she didn’t fool me. She was tickled by his excitement. When he started to wind down, we herded him back into the truck. He greeted Goblin like he hadn’t just seen her a half hour before. What a sweet boy.
Mitch came through the doors as soon as we pulled onto the lot. “Ahh, I see I’ve won over another lifetime customer with my charm again.”
“Yeah, it’s your charm that did it,” Vivian responded with enough sarcasm even her little nephew knew she wasn’t serious.