Connections

by Amelia C. Adams

  “Thank you,” Rob replied. “They’re still drying, so we can’t touch them, but I think this is all going to look really nice when it’s done.”

  “I want to make Mr. Andrew proud.” Jimmy rocked back on his heels. “I have a job, but lots of other people like me don’t have jobs. I want him to be glad he hired me.”

  “I’m sure he’s already proud, and I think this project will make him even more proud.” Rob glanced around, but didn’t see Jimmy’s mom anywhere. “How did you get here today?”

  Jimmy grinned. “I rode the bus. All by myself.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes. My mom showed me how. I get on the bus by my house and then I ride it for fifteen minutes, and then I walk one block to get here.”

  “Wow. That’s awesome, Jimmy.” Rob smiled at the look on Jimmy’s face. This young man was making significant strides toward becoming more independent, and Rob could tell that it meant a lot. “Let me know if you need any more concrete, okay?”

  “Okay, Mr. Rob! I will!”

  Rob checked in to make sure that Mack would be finished with the floor in the second downstairs bedroom soon, then headed home to shower and change so he could go meet up with Griffin.

  It felt good to get the sawdust out of his hair—he’d spent two hours at least at the circular saw that afternoon, and his eardrums felt it. He stood in the hot spray of water and let it massage his scalp before reaching for the shampoo. Fifteen minutes later, dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt and feeling worlds better, he climbed in his car and drove over to Griffin’s apartment.

  His friend answered the door with a grin on his face. “Come in. Tabs offered to cook us dinner tonight, and I decided I couldn’t turn her down. Hope that’s all right.”

  “Fine by me.”

  “You can’t call what I did cooking,” Tabs said, coming out of the kitchen with a dishtowel in her hand. “It’s very complicated. I stopped by the store, bought a meal from the deli, and put it in the oven.”

  “That’s a lot closer to cooking than I would have gotten at my house,” Rob replied. He took a seat at the table, where a nice-looking green salad was already waiting.

  “And just so you know, I’m just here for dinner—I’m not going to eavesdrop or meddle in any of your business planning. I’m not going to be that kind of girlfriend.”

  Rob grinned. “You’re not going to meddle? Since when?”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to have opinions. That’s an entirely different thing, and a lot more accurate to who I actually am.”

  “True, true.”

  Tabs set a tray of enchiladas on the table, and they dished up their plates and began to eat.

  “So, no news yet about the search for your parents,” Rob said. He knew the answer—he’d been right there when Matt had told Griffin that he didn’t have anything to report—but he wanted to check out Griffin’s feelings about it. It hadn’t been easy for Griffin to open up this investigation.

  “Yeah. That’s okay, though—he told me it would take a while and that it was a long shot anyway. I’m not in a rush. I mean, I’m kind of eager to get it over with, but not a rush. If that makes sense.”

  Rob nodded. “It does. If he does find them, do you know yet if you want to contact them?”

  Griffin chewed and swallowed his next bite before answering. “A lot of it’s going to depend on where they are, if they’re doing healthy things with their lives, stuff like that. I’m really not going to know until he finds them. Every day, I go back and forth in my head with what I want. Never felt so wishy-washy in my life.”

  “It’s not an easy choice. I think you’re doing a brave thing, trying to find them.”

  “That’s what I keep telling him, but he’s not so sure,” Tabs said.

  “There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and I think I’m dipping my toe in stupidity,” Griffin explained. “I’ve got a great career, a fantastic girlfriend, money in the bank—my life is awesome. Why can’t I just be happy with that?”

  Rob didn’t know how to answer that. He’d never experienced the loss of a family the way Griffin had.

  Thankfully, Griffin kept talking, and wasn’t really looking for a reply. “I’ve just got this question mark right in the middle of my chest that I can ignore most of the time, but I can’t all the time. This might help resolve that for me.”

  “And it’s not going to change who you are, no matter what you find out,” Tabs reminded him. “You made Griffin Baker. No one can take that away from you.”

  Griffin reached over and squeezed her hand.

  “So, now that I see that you two are still madly in love with each other, that takes care of my second question of the night,” Rob said.

  “Sorry. Well, not sorry.” Griffin chuckled. “What’s your third question?”

  “Tell me more about this opportunity in Vegas.”

  Over the rest of the meal, Griffin filled Rob in on everything he’d found out. The more he talked, the more it sounded like this client was the real deal—not that Rob had really doubted, but every additional bit of information was helpful. This would be such a huge undertaking that he didn’t want to get into it without all the confidence he could gather.

  “The biggest thing we need to consider is this,” Griffin said, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward. “This project is going to take at least two years. We’d have to move to Vegas.”

  Rob didn’t have any immediate objections to that. He didn’t have a lot tying him down to Topeka. Sure, he had family in Kansas, but they were spread all over and he didn’t see them all the time as it was, and visits wouldn’t be hard. But then he glanced over at Tabs and saw that she was studying the table. Oh. This wasn’t a big thing for Rob to consider—it was a big thing for Griffin.

  “Would we take our guys with us, or hire new in Vegas?” Rob asked. He’d change the subject for just now—Griffin and Tabs would have to work the other issue out on their own.

  “We’d take our main guys, and hire the rest. At least, those are my thoughts. What are yours?”

  Rob nodded. “I’d definitely take Mack and Danny. And you’ll want Will. Bringing in any more than that from out of town might drive the costs up too high.”

  “That would be something to research—how many skilled workers are available in Vegas at any given time, and what construction will be going on in town,” Tabs said. “You might need to bring some people in if there are too many jobs for the available number of people.”

  “Good point,” Rob told her. “I have a buddy in construction down there. I’ll call him and see what he can tell me.”

  “We might even want to subcontract with him for some of this work,” Griffin suggested. “If he’s got guys and they’re local, we should talk it over.”

  Tabs finished up her meal, then gave Griffin a kiss on the cheek and told him she’d see him the next day. She was quiet as she left, which was surprising for the redheaded spitfire.

  “So, what’s going on there?” Rob asked once he was sure Tabs was gone. “Are you going to ask her to go with you? I mean, as your significant other and not just as the interior decorator on the project?”

  Griffin leaned back and exhaled. “You’re full of tough questions tonight, you know that?”

  “Just keeping you on your toes.”

  “Well, here’s the thing.” Griffin pointed toward the front door. “That’s the woman I’m going to marry. I have no doubt of it. But asking her to move to Vegas . . . we’ve only been a couple for a short time, and our history getting to this point was pretty rocky. I had it in my head that we’d take things a little slower and get some of the bumps smoothed out before we took it to the next level.”

  Rob shook his head. “Listen—take it from me, the guy who recently had a relationship end because he wasn’t being clear about his feelings. You know you love her, and you know you want to be with her. She’s part of this company—she and Marissa are the designers we want
on this project. What sense does it make to move to Vegas, leave her here, and only fly her in when you want wallpaper or carpet? Take her with you, man. And talk to her about it soon so she knows where she stands with you. Don’t keep her guessing. Don’t sit there talking about your future plans without saying how you’d like her to be a part of them.”

  Griffin nodded, raking his hand through his hair. “You’re right. I’m being a dork—I can’t make any plans about my future without consulting her because she is my future. I just didn’t want to scare her away after how long it took us to get together.”

  “That’s exactly why you need to move a little faster. You’ve wasted how much time apart? How much more time do you want to spend apart?”

  Griffin stared at Rob like that thought had never crossed his mind. Then he threw his napkin to the side and stood up. “Excuse me. I think I need to go catch up to her. Is that all right?”

  Rob laughed. “It’s more than all right. I’ll lock up after myself.”

  Griffin was already on the move. “Thanks,” he called out over his shoulder. “We’ll talk more later.”

  Rob shook his head as he pushed back from the table. Tabs didn’t deserve to be left in the dark—if Griffin wanted to marry her, she should know it, if she didn’t already. And if there was a possibility that she’d be moving to Vegas, she’d want to know that as soon as possible too. Of course, nothing was set in stone yet. They’d been given an offer and some specs, and that was it. But this kind of change was major, and they couldn’t leave it to chance or to the last minute.

  He gathered up the dishes and decided he could do something nice by starting the dishwasher. He wiped down the table, then left, pulling the door snug like he’d promised. He just hoped Griffin had been able to catch up with Tabs before she got too far. She needed to know how he felt—the sooner the better.

  As he drove home, Maggie flickered through his mind. He’d definitely miss her when he went to Vegas—there wouldn’t be anyone else like her in the whole state of Nevada.

  Chapter Five

  Maggie pulled on her new black dress pants, then stood in front of her closet, trying to decide which of four blouses to wear. The clothing allotment she’d been given had been a blessing, and the things she got would keep her going as she added a new piece or two with every paycheck. She wished she had access to her things from her old apartment, but until the police were through with it, she planned to stay far away.

  She settled on a forest green blouse, then added a hint of green eyeshadow to the taupe she’d already used. She’d blended everything together to look subtle and professional, and as she looked in the mirror, she was happy with what she saw. This was a Maggie who was ready for the next phase. Even if she wasn’t entirely sure what that phase was.

  Her phone chimed with a text, and she picked it up from the counter.

  Good luck today.

  Well, that was sweet, but there was no signature.

  Who is this?

  Oh, sorry. This is Rob. I stole your number from Andrew.

  She smiled. You stole it? You could have just asked me.

  Where’s the fun in that?

  So … stealing is fun?

  Most of the time, yes. When it involves jail time, no.

  She laughed out loud. Agreed.

  So, anyway, you’ve got those interviews today. Just wanted to wish you luck.

  Now that I know who this is, thank you.

  He didn’t reply, and that was just as well because she needed to get going. She stepped into some black flats, grabbed her bag, and headed out. Her apartment was working out really well for her—it was closer to the hotel, and the furniture was super comfortable. Looking down at her outfit while she descended in the elevator, she shook her head, wondering for the millionth time if this was really her life.

  Florence was waiting for her in the lobby when she arrived. “The dining room still isn’t quite finished, so we’ll do interviews in the parlor, if that’s all right with you.”

  “Of course,” Maggie replied. Did she really have a say in it? That was kind of a wild thought.

  The first lady had actually applied for the head of housekeeping position, but when she found out that post had gone to someone else, she’d asked to be considered for the regular staff. She seemed a little surprised when she was introduced to Maggie.

  “You’re . . . so young,” she said as she took her seat across from Maggie and Florence. “Not that it’s a bad thing—youth is great. I’m just . . . never mind.”

  “You’re worried that I won’t be a good manager because I’m younger than you are?” Maggie glanced at the sheet of paper in front of her. “Alice, I can’t say that I have all the experience in the world, but I do have plenty, and we’re pulling together a great team.”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Alice was quick to say.

  She still seemed doubtful, and Maggie had plenty of doubts too—but not about herself. Alice seemed skeptical about everything, but maybe she was just nervous. After she left, Maggie turned to Florence. “I’m willing to give her a trial, but I don’t think she’ll last.”

  “That’s very fair of you, and I agree.”

  The other three applicants—Cady, Wren, and Laura—were much easier to get along with, and Maggie had no problem approving them all on the spot. They were all about her same age, but none of them commented on it or even seemed to notice it.

  “So, let’s have all four come back tomorrow and we’ll finish the upstairs bedrooms, and if they’ve got the downstairs rooms done by then, we can do those as well,” Maggie said, going over the checklist they’d made of everything that needed to be done before opening. “And just when is that dining room going to be done?”

  “The construction crew keeps running into snags in there,” Florence replied.

  “Well, they’d better stop running into snags or we’re not going to open on time.”

  “You might ask them to see what they can do about that,” Florence suggested. “They might have a better answer for you than they would for me.”

  “Why would they have a better answer for me?” Maggie asked before she realized what she was saying. “Oh, because Rob . . .”

  “Yes, because our construction foreman seems to have developed a soft spot for you.” Florence smiled. “I’m not saying that he’s withholding information from me—I’m just saying that he might pull a few more strings or whatnot if you explained how much you’d like to be able to finish up your work.”

  “Are you suggesting that I use some influence in the situation?” Maggie asked, teasing the older woman.

  “I’m suggesting that you certainly have more influence than I do,” Florence rejoined.

  Maggie stood up, laughing. “Well, we are having lunch together today. I’ll see what I can find out.”

  The front door of the hotel flew open and Tabs came running in, sliding to a halt in the doorway of the parlor. “Guess what? No, seriously. Guess what?”

  Maggie shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  Florence grinned. “Where’s the ring?”

  Tabs pointed at Florence. “We’re going shopping for it tomorrow. Can you believe it?”

  Florence wrapped Tabs up in a hug. “I’m so happy for you, my dear.”

  Tabs rocked Florence back and forth before she let her go. “I can’t believe it, actually. At first, when he asked, I thought it was too fast and that we shouldn’t be rushing into it. But then I realized that we’ve known this was coming for a long time, and what was the purpose in waiting? We’re not going to have the actual ceremony for a little while yet, so it’s not like we’re running down to the courthouse right this second.” She paused. “You don’t think it’s too soon, do you, Florence?”

  Florence shook her head. “I think it’s just right.”

  “Me too!” Tabs bounced up and down a little bit. “Okay. I’ve gotta calm down. I need to check the color on the varnish in the dining room—it’s work time.”

/>   “Um, the dining room?” Maggie asked. “Is something wrong?”

  “Rob thinks they might have applied the wrong color. He texted me this morning.”

  Just great. If it was the wrong color, they’d have to redo it, and that meant housekeeping couldn’t get in there for a while. That was frustrating. “Congratulations,” Maggie said instead of showing her irritation with the situation. Much better to stay focused on the positive.

  “Thank you! Okay, work time. I’ll see you later.” Tabs disappeared down the hall, and Maggie turned to Florence.

  “Have you looked in the dining room at all? Any idea what color the floor is?”

  Florence shook her head. “I’ve just been trying to stay out of everyone’s way.”

  “Let’s keep all our fingers crossed. And I’ll see what I can get out of Rob over lunch.”

  ***

  Rob’s phone chimed as he walked up to the back door of the hotel. It was a text from Griffin.

  Thanks for the advice. She said yes. Date TBD.

  Rob grinned. Good job, dog.

  When he entered the kitchen, he took note that they were only missing the countertops and the trim before the place would be ready. Then he went into the dining room and saw Tabs standing in the middle of the floor, her hands on her hips.

  “Hey, Tabs. I just heard the good news.”

  She turned to him, her eyes wide. “You heard that this floor is orange? Because that’s not good news, Rob. That’s not good at all.”

  “I meant about the engagement, but yeah, the floor.” He’d hoped it was just his imagination or maybe the way the light was playing through the windows, but the floor had taken on a definite coral tint, and that wasn’t at all what Marissa had come up with for the concept of the room.

  “Thank you. About the engagement. But Marissa’s going to lose her mind.” Tabs pulled out her phone and sent a quick text. “I just don’t know what we’re going to do. How long does it take to order in new varnish? We’re supposed to be opening soon! How did this happen?”