Awaken Me

by Farrah Rochon

  “What about the daughter?”

  “She’s worked as the bookkeeper, site coordinator, HR and everything else outside of the field at LeBlanc & Sons. She’ll be a good addition to the team, Reid. Trust me on this. However,” Alex said, sitting up from his reclined position and bringing his elbows up on his desk, “now that you’ve brought this up, it reminds me of something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Reid raised his brow.

  “I owe Warren LeBlanc a lot. I doubt Holmes Construction would exist if not for him teaching me in those early years.”

  “Okay,” Reid said, unsure where his cousin was going with this.

  “I don’t want to bring his daughter here and have something happen to her,” Alex said.

  “What do you think will happen to her?”

  “It’s been a while since I’ve been out in the field, but it hasn’t been that long,” Alex said. “I know what happens out there. And as much as I try to keep this place on the up and up, I also know I can’t police everything that goes on. I’d feel better knowing you were watching out for Brooklyn.”

  “So I’m a babysitter now?” Reid asked incredulously.

  “Think of it more as a big brother watching out for his kid sister. You’ve always been the baby of the family. Now you get to see what it’s been like for us older Holmeses all these years.”

  How he refrained from rolling his eyes, Reid would never know.

  “Are we done here?” he asked Alex.

  “Do you need me to justify any more of my hiring decisions?”

  “Nope.” Reid shook his head, and then headed for the door. Alex stopped him just as he reached for the door handle.

  “Before you start your work, I need you to do a round for me,” Alex said. “The HVAC team is installing the duct work in the front area today. Let me know how it looks.”

  Reid lifted his fingers to his forehead in a salute before opening the door.

  Alex stopped him. Again.

  “Hey, Reid,” he called.

  He turned.

  “I thought long and hard about this before giving Brooklyn the job,” Alex said. “I know Donte’s a good worker, but she’s a better fit. I don’t want you to think I went into this lightly.”

  “I know you didn’t,” Reid said. “You never do.”

  It wasn’t as if Alex owed him an explanation at all. And if anyone else were standing here, they wouldn’t have gotten one. But his cousin respected his opinion, and always took what Reid said into consideration. The fact that he’d chosen this new person over Donte told him just how much Alex believed in Brooklyn LeBlanc’s abilities.

  That didn’t mean Reid wanted to babysit her.

  He left the trailer and headed for the other side of the worksite so that he could do the cursory walk-around.

  When his cousin first hired him, Reid had been the runt of the construction site, lending a hand wherever one was needed. It had been the best on-the-job training he could have asked for. He’d learned everything, from bricklaying to drywalling, but he’d settled on plumbing, because the plumbers made the most money. It was as simple as that.

  He was also damn good at his job. And he made a good living at it. In a family with one cousin who was a doctor, an older brother who was a lawyer, and everyone but him with a college degree, it would be easy to feel intimidated. But Reid had no reason to feel anything but pride over what he’d been able to accomplish.

  Yet…

  In these last few months, he’d started to feel as if something was missing. As if there should be more. He just wasn’t sure exactly what that more was yet.

  He blamed his rapidly approaching thirtieth birthday. For some reason, the milestone had him thinking about his life in ways he never had before.

  A thunderous clang rang out from the area where the cement mixer and backhoe stood. He turned to find a bunch of workers trying to lift the machine’s front loader bucket out of the cement mixer’s cylindrical drum.

  What the hell?

  Reid took off, heading toward the commotion. He didn’t have time to stand around contemplating life. He had work to do.

  * * *

  His arms crossed over his chest, Reid stood next to the orange cement mixer, whose drum now sported two six-inch gashes courtesy of the teeth on the backhoe’s front loader. He directed his attention to the three men staring at the dripping cement, as if it would give them the answer to the meaning of life.

  “What happened?” Reid asked again.

  LeVar Daniels, who’d started with Holmes Construction just a few months ago, lifted his shoulders. “I was just trying to roll the cement over there.” He pointed to where the masonry crew would be working today. “I didn’t realize the backhoe was so close.”

  “We have safety protocols in place for a reason,” Reid reminded the three of them. “Any idea the kind of shit we’d be in if one of you got hurt and OSHA was called out to the site?” He gestured to the globs of cement collecting on the ground. “Get this cleaned up. I’ll see about getting a new mixer in here.” He looked over at LeVar. “Next time follow the correct procedure for moving heavy equipment from one area to another.”

  They all just stood there staring at him.

  “What’re you looking at? Get moving,” he barked, and the three quickly got to work cleaning up the mess. Reid turned to find Alex observing him from a few feet away. His cousin lifted a brow.

  “We need to get another cement mixer out here asap,” Reid said.

  Alex held up his phone. “Already on the way.” He tipped his head toward where the mishap with the backhoe had just happened. “That was impressive. I thought I’d have to step in, but you handled it pretty well.”

  Reid shrugged. “I know what a pain in the ass it would be if someone got hurt. I was here for the last major accident, remember?” Reid looked pointedly at Alex’s shoulder.

  “Yeah, me too.” His cousin huffed, rolling said shoulder.

  Six years ago, Alex had fallen victim to an on-the-job injury that had required surgery and months of rehabilitation. It had been devastating at the time, but in the end Alex had come out on top. During those months while his body healed, he’d started volunteering in his daughter, Jasmine’s, kindergarten class. It was there that he met his wife, Renee, who taught at the school.

  It was also during those months while Alex recovered that Reid had stepped up here at Holmes Construction. He’d just completed his apprenticeship and hadn’t even earned his plumber’s license yet, but that hadn’t stopped him from taking command, along with Holmes Construction’s longtime head foreman, Jason Deering. Alex had a team of loyal employees who believed in the work they were doing, but they didn’t have the same family connection. For Reid, it was personal. This company was his cousin’s life work. Its success meant almost as much to him as it did to Alex.

  Yet another reason for the inner battle his mind continued to wage over joining Anthony in this new venture. After all these years—after all Alex had done for him—how could he just up and leave Holmes Construction?

  But could he see himself staying here forever? Was this really it for him?

  Reid shut his eyes in an attempt to block out the intruding thoughts that continued to prod at his conscience.

  “You okay?” Alex asked. “You don’t have whatever flu Myron has, do you?”

  “No, I’m good,” Reid said. “I didn’t have enough beers last night to catch Myron’s flu.”

  Alex grunted. “I knew it,” he said. Just then, his cousin’s phone blasted Rihanna’s latest song.

  Reid raised a skeptical brow.

  “Jasmine had my phone this weekend,” Alex explained. He glanced at the screen, declared he had to go, and headed back for the trailer, giving Reid the chance to finally get started on today’s work. He made his way to the area that would eventually house several exam rooms. The plumbing job on this particular worksite was more involved than most, seeing as nearly every room in the urgent care clinic woul
d require access to water.

  Not even twenty minutes after he’d settled in to work, Anthony Hernandez sidled up alongside him. Anthony had started as a general laborer at Holmes Construction around the same time Reid had. They’d become quick friends, and other than his brothers and cousins, Reid couldn’t think of anyone else he was closer to.

  “Hey,” Anthony said in a voice that was just loud enough to be heard over the noise around the site. “You talk to your guy yet?”

  Reid looked over his shoulder, even though he knew Alex had gone back to the trailer. “Not yet,” he answered.

  Anthony let out an impatient groan. “What’s the hold up? We gotta get going on this, Reid.”

  “I told you, Jonathan’s a busy man. He and my brother just took on a huge case. They’re working around the clock.”

  “I’m sure he’d spare ten minutes to answer a couple of questions,” Anthony said. “We’ve wasted too much time already. If we’re going to do this, we need to get the ball rolling before someone else swoops in with this idea.”

  “I know,” he said. “Just…give me a couple of days.”

  “You said that two weeks ago. Look, Reid—” Anthony started, but stopped when Jarvis Collins, one of the welders, came up to them.

  “Hey, have y’all seen the new hire?” Jarvis asked.

  Reid and Anthony both shook their heads.

  “She’s pretty cute. The bossman said he wants to introduce—”

  A loud whistle cut off Jarvis’s words.

  “Gather ’round,” called Alex’s booming voice.

  Before Reid could move, Anthony stopped him, catching him by the forearm. “We need to talk about the project. What are you doing after we clock off?”

  Reid considered coming up with an excuse, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge Anthony forever.

  “I’m free,” Reid said. “Let’s grab a beer at Pal’s.”

  Anthony nodded and they both started for the front of the worksite where most of the workers had gathered. Alex stood on the short dais made of scaffolding that surrounded the temporary trailer, dwarfing the woman standing next to him.

  Reid stopped short.

  This is who Alex hired to be his surrogate on the job site?

  The woman, who couldn’t be more than a few years out of high school, barely reached Alex’s shoulder. She stood with her hands in the back pockets of her worn blue jeans. He recognized the symbol on her T-shirt to be that of the Green Lantern, only because his nephew, Athens, was really into DC Comics these days and roped Reid into watching the movie a few weeks ago.

  The Green Lantern’s signature emblem stretched across what Reid had to admit was a fine set of breasts, possibly even nicer than the set he’d woken up to this morning. She wore her mess of thick, curly hair in an untamed style. A tiny streak of green that perfectly matched her shirt ran through it.

  Okay, so Jarvis wasn’t lying, she was pretty cute. She was more than just pretty cute. Those high cheekbones and full lips teetered along the edge of gorgeous territory. And as his perusal shifted downward, Reid couldn’t deny that the combination of a slim waist and curvy hips were having a definite affect on him.

  But having a cute face and a fine ass meant nothing when it came to the site coordinator position at Holmes Construction. From where he stood, this girl looked way too young to handle the job she’d been hired for. And she was tiny. Reid doubted she reached five feet. What was Alex thinking, bringing in this little pixie to work on a construction site?

  “I won’t keep you long,” Alex started. “But I want everyone to meet Holmes Construction’s new site coordinator, Brooklyn LeBlanc. Although she’s filling the position Claude Morris vacated, Brooklyn’s duties will be slightly different from what Claude did.”

  The moment Alex began his explanation of what their newest employee’s role would be, Reid’s phone trilled with a text message. It was from his sister, Indina.

  Working late. Will have 2 push mtg 4 the party 2 Thurs.

  Reid frowned. He had no idea what Indina was talking about. No one had mentioned anything about a meeting to him.

  He replied to Indina’s text: ???

  Almost immediately Indina replied: sorry wrong group text

  Wrong group text? What the hell?

  Reid tapped on his screen. WTF? Y’all got a secret group text I’m not included in? And what meeting?

  Me, H, and E are taking care of it. Don’t worry about it.

  Like hell, Reid texted back. Is this for Mama’s foundation? Y’all planning the kickoff party without me?

  FCOL, don’t be so dramatic! Gotta go.

  Where’s the meeting? Reid texted. Harrison’s?

  Yes, Indina replied, followed by the rolling eyes emoji.

  I’m coming to the meeting.

  Fine. Whatever. Bye.

  He typed his own flippant reply, but erased it before hitting SEND. He wasn’t about to get into a texting war with Indina. Instead, Reid stuffed the phone in his pocket and tried his best to curb his irritation. He was damn tired of being left out of the loop by his older siblings, especially when it came to his mom’s foundation.

  He, his brothers, Harrison and Ezra, and his sister, Indina, had come up with the idea to start the foundation in their mother’s honor after losing her to heart disease earlier this year. As usual, the two oldest had taken the lead, which is how things usually operated in his family. But both Harrison and Indina had agreed to include Ezra and Reid in all aspects of the foundation.

  Last week it had been apparent to Reid that his older siblings were just paying him lip service after they’d shot down an idea he’d suggested regarding the scholarship they planned to offer through the foundation. Not even twenty minutes after Harrison disregarded the idea Reid had put forth, Ezra was lauded for suggesting the same thing. It was in that moment that Reid realized no one in his family took him seriously.

  The fault didn’t lie entirely with his siblings. Over the years, Reid had been more than happy to play the role of the charming slacker who shrugged off responsibility. But he didn’t want to be that guy anymore. He wanted his family’s respect, especially when it came to this foundation. This would be his mother’s legacy. Even if his ideas were shot down, Reid at least wanted them to be heard.

  He would be at Harrison’s for their secret meeting on Thursday. He would not allow them to cut him out.

  Reid returned his attention to the dais, where Alex was still speaking to the workers.

  “We’re breaking ground on the new library annex this week, so I’ll be back and forth between this site and the one on the Westbank,” Alex continued. “Brooklyn will handle everything, from scheduling to inventory, so if you’re running late, you call her. And if we’re running low on something, get word to her as soon as possible so she can put in an order. Let her know if you have any questions or concerns. She’s basically me when I’m not here. Except she has a better personality,” Alex said, tacking on a rare dose of humor.

  “And a better ass,” someone called out.

  A second asshole, just over Reid’s shoulder, let out a loud whistle.

  Alex’s face turned to stone. He leaned over and said something to Brooklyn, who had visibly stiffened at the whistle. She nodded at whatever Alex had just said, gave a slight wave to the crowd, then went into the trailer.

  When his cousin turned his attention back to the workers assembled before him, Reid knew what followed would not be pretty.

  Chapter Two

  Brooklyn LeBlanc stood just inside the door of the trailer that, as of today, served as her new place of employment. She eased closer, straining to hear Alexander Holmes’s deep voice as he chewed out whichever poor soul had made the mistake of commenting about her nice ass after he’d introduced her as the company’s new site coordinator. Of course, she did have a nice ass, but the workplace was not the appropriate venue for anyone to comment on said niceness, especially someone who didn’t even know her.

  Relief and
admiration mingled within Brooklyn’s chest as Alex continued his tirade, reminding his workers that Holmes Construction did not tolerate harassment of any kind. She immediately felt safer. She was sure the handful of women she’d noticed out there in hardhats also felt reassured, hearing those words from their boss.

  Given that she’d worked on construction sites since the age of fifteen, one would expect having lewd comments tossed her way was a common occurrence. One would be wrong. Brooklyn had been afforded the added protection of being the boss’s daughter at her previous job. She couldn’t think of a single worker who would have dared get caught commenting on any part of her anatomy on a LeBlanc & Sons site. Not having that security shield had been just one of the unsettling realizations she’d faced once she’d finally accepted that she would have to find work outside of the family business.

  Brooklyn allowed herself a moment to pretend she was back in the little corrugated trailer that her dad hitched to the back of his quad cab and drove around to different worksites. It was a shanty compared to the structure she currently stood in, but that didn’t matter. She’d loved that rickety old trailer. She would sell her soul and her pristine copy of Justice League Apokolips Now to be sitting within the familiar confines of its warped paneled walls.

  Okay, maybe just her soul. Selling one of her most prized comics would just be stupid. But there was not much Brooklyn wouldn’t give to have her family’s business operational again.

  Stop it.

  She would not allow herself to get caught up in nostalgia. LeBlanc & Sons Construction no longer existed. It was an achingly difficult fact to face, but one she needed to come to terms with. Instead of waxing nostalgic, she should be thanking God or kismet or whatever force had brought Alexander Holmes to the granite yard the same day Leroy “Smitty” Keller, who’d worked as a bricklayer for LeBlanc & Sons for years, had been there.

  Smitty, who’d decided to retire right along with her dad, had told Alex about LeBlanc & Sons having to close up shop, and explained what Brooklyn’s role had been for her family’s company. A few days later, she’d received a call from Alex, asking if she would consider joining the team at Holmes Construction. Brooklyn had accepted the job offer without hesitation, because when it came to earning a living, this was pretty much all she knew.