AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bryce was walking from the double-wide trailer that served as the construction office toward the construction site when he nearly collided with Lizzy. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt and was removing her hard hat. She had been dressing more casually ever since their conversation.
“Hey Lizzy. I kept forgetting to ask you something,” he said before she walked past him. Hopefully, she didn’t notice he was lying. He hadn’t forgotten, he was just dragging his feet.
“What is it?”
“Are you around this weekend?” he asked.
She rearranged her thick hair back into a ponytail before she responded. “Yeah. Is there something you need me to do? I’ll do whatever. Just pretend I’m my dad.”
Bryce put his hands up to stop her rambling. “No, it’s nothing like that. I was just wondering if you wanted to come for dinner. My girlfriend will be here visiting. It was her idea.”
Lizzy frowned at his explanation. “Why does your girlfriend want me to come over for dinner?”
Bryce clearly hadn’t thought through his explanation. He never told Lizzy that it was Samantha’s idea that he share how uncomfortable he felt around her. Kicking at a stone, he hoped a better explanation would come to him.
“You told her about me, didn’t you?” she asked.
He opened his mouth to respond but quickly closed it without saying anything. What could he say that wouldn’t dig his hole deeper?
“Oh my god. You told her about our conversation. She must hate me!”
Bryce placed a hand on her shoulder. “No. It isn’t like that,” he reassured her. “She wants us to all be friends since I’ll be stuck working down here for a while. She thinks we should make the best of it. Her words, not mine.”
She looked from his hand on her shoulder and back to his face. “What’s the story with her and her ex?”
“That’s for her to tell, not me. You can ask her all about it when you come over,” he answered carefully. He didn’t correct her, and he certainly didn’t want to explain that Samantha’s asshole husband was his dead brother.
“I just want to make sure I’m not walking into an ambush.”
“No. She isn’t like that. She just knows how much I hate working out of town and is trying to do what she can to help.”
She turned toward the construction site for a long moment before turning back around to face Bryce. Her brown eyes searched his face as if trying to detect a lie.
“Okay,” she finally agreed. “What time? And what should I bring?”
Bryce breathed a sigh of relief as he finished making his way to the construction site. Lizzy agreed to come over at six on Saturday and would bring dessert. Samantha had asked him every day if Lizzy would be over for dinner. Finally, he could tell her yes.
Walking through the job site reminded him just how much work was left to do. On paper, the progress looked more impressive. It didn’t take him long to do a quick walk-through to make sure everything was going according to plan. He wasn’t one to micromanage. As long as the job was done right and on time, he didn’t worry about much. He only asked that the lobby get completed last, so they didn’t cause any damage as they went in and out with tools and equipment.
Taking a moment, he stopped to appreciate his favorite things about a new job site. The smell of fresh-cut lumber lingered in the air. Voices shouting over power tools nearly drowned out the sound of music playing, but all the sounds combined to form what Bryce found comforting. He was in his element at work. When he was working, he never second-guessed himself.
His footsteps echoed in the corridors of the empty third level. Demo of the entire building had been completed already, and crews were working from the top floor down. All he’d needed was a quick reference of the blueprints and he was able to visualize the new apartment building in all its glory.
He used his phone to snap pictures and make a few notes along the way. Things were actually coming along. After taking an objective look, it was obvious things were on track. He could afford to take days or weekends off every now and then, but Samantha making her way to him made things easier for him. He wouldn’t complain.
Chapter 15
“Are you sure you’re okay? You look like shit,” Brittney asked Samantha once she returned to the dressing room.
“Yes,” Samantha lied. “I’m fine.”
Samantha barely made it to the lunch break before she ran to the restroom. Her stomach had been upset since the night before, and she really hoped it was something she ate. She couldn’t afford to be sick when she had dinner plans in two days. She hadn’t actually gotten sick once she got to the restroom, but she felt terrible.
“You should go home. I’m sure they’ll understand,” Brittney suggested.
Going home and getting in bed sounded amazing, but she couldn’t. Chances were, she was just feeling run down due to the busy schedule. Opening night would be just one week after the Christmas break, so they were rehearsing with the minimum amount of stopping.
“I can’t. We only have one full day and then half day Saturday. I can stick it out. I’ve been eating clean since rehearsals began, but I had a few cheat meals over the weekend. I’ll get to bed early tonight and be fine,” Samantha insisted. She was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince her friend.
