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Chapter 1
Ian
Six Weeks Earlier
There was nothing more satisfying than slamming a phone into the cradle on my desk. Nothing. The people around me took notice, but I waved it off. My frustration level has hit a ten and if I don’t take a minute to compose the asshole inside, I may alienate my entire crew.
“What has your boxers in a twist?” Mack, my best friend, foreman, and all-around pain in my ass, asked with a smirk. I really wanted to punch him right now. He’d heard that entire call, so why ask what’s bothering me? To get under my skin, of course.
“That was Mr. Marcello,” I said loud enough for the others as they came in to see what the noise was about. “Apparently, he expected the changes his aide sent over, not even an hour ago, to be made so he can view them with his contractor tomorrow morning.”
The grumble that followed was just a way to release the stress ball in my gut. Why, oh why couldn’t these I-have-more-money-than-Jesus-kind of people get it through their thick heads, I was no miracle worker, despite my outstanding reputation in the industry.
“Can you not…”
My gaze cut to Mack. “Sure. I can add the changes he wants to his plans. But not by tomorrow. I need to redraw and rescale everything else to make the changes work. Adding a balcony sounds great, but only if you have a damn structure under it to accommodate the weight. Moving one load bearing wall out ten feet isn’t as easy as one thinks. He will get it in a week just like anyone else.”
Save me from people with no damn common sense. Some days, especially ones like today, I wondered why I’d left Rock Cove Architecture. I’d worked my butt off, going into college right after high school. I had planned on doing landscape design then changed after a year. And yes, it added another year to my time in college, but in the end, it was worth it.
After five years, I’d earned my Bachelor’s degree. Then I went for a three-year program where I earned my Master’s degree. That set me up to be an intern and let me gain footing into this world. Once I was officially a licensed architect, then the real game became apparent. I spent so much time kissing ass, making friends, and trying to make myself fit into this field that I let some things slide. It got to a point where I could no longer overlook charges or undercut supplies and demand more of the clients we worked with. They had enough money to do anything they wanted, but that was no reason to take advantage of them.
This change speared me into moving in a new direction—starting my own business. Thankfully, I’d built a name for myself while at Rock Cove. I wouldn’t be where I was now, heading my own company, without the previous fourteen years. Without the sleepless nights, headaches, and everything else I’d had to deal with.
“You can make that work, Ian. I know you can.”
I flinched, coming back to the here and now, at the feel of her hand on my shoulder. Chastity was the Office Manager, a job I was sure she would be good at if she could keep her hands to herself. She also happened to be a ‘friend’ from college. However, she wasn’t this handsy back then.
“Stop doing that. Don’t you have a desk full of files to work on?” I barked, irritated at her, at everything.
“Don’t be such a grouch, Ian.” Her huff of annoyance followed her out of my office.
Sighing, I rubbed the back of my neck. I hated to be a dick, but for fucks sake! That woman couldn’t buy a clue if she had all the money under the sun.
“Have Anthony rework that new addition. You know he’s more than capable. That way it can get done, and all you will need to do is check over everything before the original deadline,” Mack suggested.
I took a minute to roll that over in my head and nodded. That was a fair assessment of Anthony’s skills. I could relinquish the reins this one time; let the kid have a chance to show us what he was made of. His internship so far had been going well. He was smart, driven, and honestly, I could see the passion I had for this job in him.
“All right, I need to file the plans with the county for that new addition they want at the courthouse,” Loren said, standing. The man had always been a sharp dresser, but today I raised a brow at his double-breasted suit, tie, and a matching pocket square.
Mack caught the look and chuckled. “He’s got the hots for the new young lady in the records area. He thinks he has a chance.”
“Oh, the brunette with the glasses? She’s cute,” I offered. “Reminds me a little of Velma from Scooby Doo.”
Loren’s cheeks reddened as he straightened his tie. “She’s quite lovely. Very helpful; without her, we wouldn’t have found those land records we needed for that last job.”
“Well, please thank her for me.” I smiled up at him.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll see you guys later.” He walked out of the office to our chuckles. Loren was Mack’s younger brother, and let’s just say, as kids, he was always the butt of our jokes. Kids will be kids and all. Now though, that boy could wrap you up in so much red tape and lawyer-speak that it made my head hurt. I was oh-so-glad he was on our team. He really was an asset. They all were. I could not do what I needed to do without any one of them.
I used the intercom on my desk to buzz the reception desk. “What time is my meeting, Chas?”
“Two-thirty. I’ve sent you the address. It’s up in the woods of West Jefferson; it’s pretty up there.”
“Thanks. Can you call Carlos to come in? He can ride up with me and Mack. I want to leave in a half hour.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
I ignored her snark and pulled the file from the cabinet behind me. This contract was a huge job. One that I knew we could do and make it magazine-worthy. Not only were we renovating and adding an addition onto an already established, beautiful home, but we were going to re-landscape the property around the main house.
