#HotAndHandy (Keeney Builds #1)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

V incent stepped inside Keeney Building Supply after taking a fortifying breath. It had only taken Iris a couple weeks to follow through on her idea. Now, for the first time since returning from jail, he entered KBS by the front doors. While working on Iris’s house, he’d used the loading dock to pick up supplies. The place still smelled the same, a combination of fresh lumber, a sharp metallic tang, and burnt popcorn. A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth when he spotted the old popcorn machine beside the customer service desk. A small bagful was handed out to customers, free for the asking. He couldn’t wait to help himself to a bag.

Angling toward the back of the store, he eyed the changes that had occurred over the years. The paint section was gone, replaced by a large selection of indoor and outdoor lighting. One aisle contained samples of doors, and another was dedicated to toilets and bidets. He snorted. Bidets in Keeney, go figure.

This early in the morning, the place was quiet. A couple of employees stocking shelves looked up at him as he passed, and he was glad to be wearing the T-shirt Iris had given him. It was gray, with Keeney Building Supply in large red letters on the back and KBS on the upper left side of the front. Beneath the letters, in smaller font, was his name—Vincent. He lifted his chin at the employees without speaking and moved confidently to the stairs centered in the rear wall.

Four doors opened off the small landing at the top of the stairs. The employee breakroom contained a utilitarian table and eight folding chairs and smelled like stale coffee. One wall was taken up by a small kitchen, complete with a dishwasher, sink, refrigerator, and microwave. A heavy-duty coffee maker sat on the counter, and KBS mugs were hung on hooks under the upper cupboards. Two rows of five small lockers covered another wall. Each had a combination lock and was labeled with an employee’s name. The one on the far-left side had his name. He walked over to the coffeemaker, found a mug labeled Vincent, and poured himself a cup. Taking it with him, he checked out the other rooms.

Next door to the breakroom was the restroom.

The third door opened to a small office, but it was empty. It held filing cabinets, a desk, and a desktop computer. Like the breakroom, the far wall was an expanse of windows overlooking the floor of the store.

The last door stood open. Unlike the other rooms, it was far from utilitarian. The floor was carpeted in a deep pile, the dark green color matching the drapes framing the windows. The desk was big, dark, and obviously expensive. Facing it were two club chairs upholstered in burgundy leather. Framed prints of local landmarks hung on the walls. He took everything in before locating Iris, dwarfed by the imposing office chair she occupied.

“Dammit!” She smacked her hand on the desk.

“Trouble?” he asked from the doorway.

She looked up, her frown disappearing as she stood.

“Look at you! Do you like the shirt?” She came around the desk to admire him. The soft cotton molded to his form, the sleeves clinging to his biceps.

“It beats the hell out of an orange jumpsuit. And I like the mug.” He held it up in a salute.

Laughing, Iris patted him on the arm. “What do you know about computer passwords?”

He pushed off from the door jamb and followed her behind the desk. “Some. What’s the problem?”

“Eddie was supposed to leave the new password for me before he went on vacation and forgot.”

Vincent managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes or snorting. Like Eddie forgot. “Did he leave it on a piece of paper somewhere?” he asked instead, eyes scanning the huge expanse of desk. “Maybe in his planner?”

“I didn’t look.” She picked up the leather portfolio sitting on the corner and turned to the first page. “Here it is. Can you read it out to me? His writing is tiny.”

He read out the password, then closed the book and placed it back on the desk.

“In. Thanks.” Iris smiled up at him. “I’m surprised it was that easy.”

“Most people have too many passwords to memorize, so they write them down.”

“I get that,” Iris said. “I’m surprised he left his planner here. It normally goes with him everywhere. He keeps track of everything in there.”

He made a noncommittal sound. Eddie McLeod had never been his favorite person. While their mothers were the best of friends, he and Eddie barely got along. They didn’t fight, but he felt Eddie looked down on him. After high school, he’d gone off to college and completed an MBA in California. It seemed he stayed away as long as possible, finally returning to Keeney when Darryl got sick. KBS became his domain, and he was quick to put his stamp on it, including an office that rivaled any hotshot CEO .

“Are you ready for your first solo job?” Iris asked from her perch on the imposing office chair.

With a quick nod, he pulled some papers from his back pocket and spread them on the desk. Iris and Marcia had accompanied him to each of the repair jobs. All three clients were reluctant at first but thrilled in the end, insisting that Marcia take a photo of them with him, which they posted on their Facebook pages.

Today’s client was a member of Iris’s church. Fiercely independent, Judy Crawford wanted modifications made to her home so she would not need to move into senior housing. She wanted drawers installed in her lower cabinets.

Kneeling to save Iris from craning her neck to look at him, he replied, “It shouldn’t take long. I took the measurements yesterday and will do the install today.”

“Oh, good. Bless her heart, she can barely bend with those arthritic knees of hers. Are the cabinets the same as the ones you did for me?” She followed the design with a finger.

“Yeah. I showed her the video Mom took, and she was excited.”

Iris nudged his arm. “Your mom is a marketing genius. I’m glad she took all those pictures and videos.”

He rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. “Don’t tell her that, her head is big enough already.”

Iris laughed and led the way out of the office.

“Do you want me to lock the door?”

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Just log me out of the computer.”

“Got it.” He did as requested, then clomped down the stairs after her, his heavy work boots loud in the narrow space.

“Do you have a shopping list?” she asked, heading for the front of the store.

With two long strides, he caught up with her before she reached the first aisle and gave her a handwritten list. “On the bottom are the tools I’m going to need, and I don’t already own myself.”

Stepping behind the customer service desk, she stopped next to a balding, pot-bellied man with Ali printed on his shirt. Ali smiled down at Iris and acknowledged Vincent’s presence with a nod. A KBS employee for more than twenty years, Ali worked his way up from stocking shelves to store manager. He thumped Vincent on the shoulder. “I knew you’d be working here eventually. You’re a builder with talent. Iris hiring you will be good for KBS and give you great experience.”

The praise from Ali felt good. He and Darryl were father figures when Vincent was younger. From them, he learned how to handle power tools, how to select wood for a project, and to never cut corners. Thrilled to work with the older man, he tipped his head in acknowledgment.

“From now on, I want you to email Ali your list in advance.” Iris switched her gaze between the two men. She was in her natural element, clearly pleased to have a new purpose at KBS. “He’ll enter it into the store’s computer, and when you get here, the items will be waiting for you on the loading dock as well as an invoice for you to give to the client. Soon, I’ll get you set up to access the store computer so you can enter the order yourself.”

Clearing his throat, Ali shot Vincent an apologetic look, pulled Iris aside, and spoke in a whisper still loud enough for him to hear. “Eddie didn’t tell me to give Vincent access to the computer.”

Tensing, Vincent turned and busied himself with his phone. He glanced up when Iris harrumphed.

She glared at Ali over her glasses and didn’t bother to lower her voice when she replied, “Vincent is a KBS employee. He will have the same access and privileges as all our employees. Do you have a problem with that?”

Ali shook his head. “No, ma’am, I’m just repeating instructions.” He cleared his throat again. “How ’bout I show Vincent how to enter an order?”

The ringtone from a cellphone came from Ali’s shirt pocket. Ali grabbed the phone and frowned. “It’s Eddie.” He turned away to take the call.

Iris motioned Vincent over and started to explain the computer program. Ali thrust the phone at her. “Eddie wants to talk to you.”

Stepping away from the computer, Iris took the proffered phone. “Hi Honey, how’s Vegas? Have a good flight? I can barely hear you; I’m putting you on speaker.” She fiddled with the phone and then laid it on the counter.

For the first time in four years, Vincent heard Eddie’s voice.

“Mom, you can’t send an ex-con to a client’s house. They’ll freak out.”

Vincent went stiff. He clenched his fists at his sides and stared at the floor.

Iris gasped. “How can you say that? You know Vincent didn’t—”

“He has a record for a reason! He’ll probably make off with the supplies and sell them.”

Glancing up, Vincent saw the look of horror on Iris’s face. Ali wasn’t as easy to read. His lips thinned, eyes narrowing, as they moved between Vincent and the phone.

“That is nonsense! Vincent is an honest man and a great employee.” Iris’s face was red when she glanced at Vincent.

“Please tell me you haven’t made him a full-time employee. We talked about this. I know Marcia has been crying on your shoulder, and your heart is in the right place. But he’s stringing you along. That greasy wetback will ruin KBS.”

At this point, Iris took the phone off speaker, pressed it against her ear, and scuttled away from the counter. Vincent’s shoulders slumped as he watched her. His father, Ray Ortiz, was the only child of apple farmers in eastern Washington. He’d fallen for the raven-haired Marcia Fraser, a member of the Chelan tribe, when they were college seniors, and they’d married shortly after graduation.

“I always knew Eddie was an entitled asshole, but I didn’t think he was a racist asshole.” Ali stepped closer, bumping Vincent’s elbow with his own.

Vincent looked at the older man in surprise.

Ali continued to watch Iris. “How the hell that piece of shit came from Iris and Darryl is beyond me.”

Vincent remained silent. If he trash-talked with Ali, would it get back to Eddie? He and the older man had had many conversations but never about the McLeod family.

“I’m glad Iris is back. I hope she can rein in Eddie ’cause God knows he needs it.”

Vincent frowned and turned toward Ali. “Why do you say that?”

“I can’t quite put my finger on it, but things aren’t quite right.” It was Ali’s turn to frown as he looked up at Vincent. “When Iris quit working to look after Darryl, Eddie changed the payroll system. Iris and I used to do payroll together, but Eddie’s taken me completely out of the loop. And you’ve seen the office, right? God, it’s like he thinks he’s the CEO of Home Depot or something. He also insisted on having his own parking space with a sign that says, Reserved for E. McLeod in big letters. What an ass.” Ali shook his head.

Iris’s return put an end to the conversation. Red-faced, her lips had all but disappeared. Her former confident demeanor had all but disappeared as well. She moved behind the counter and busied herself at the computer, not looking at Vincent.

“Eddie and I decided we would hire an assistant for you. The assistant will take care of materials and equipment so you can concentrate on the design and build. ”

Eyebrows drawing together, Vincent said, “I don’t need an assistant. They’ll just get in the way.”

“No, no,” Iris cut him off. “It will be better this way. Ali, there’s that new kid working part-time, see if he wants to work with Vincent.” Iris grabbed a bunch of papers, calling over her shoulder as she hurried to the back of the store, “I’ll call today’s client and reschedule for later this week.”

Vincent balled up a fist and banged it on the counter, swearing at Eddie under his breath.

Stepping forward, Ali grabbed his hand and squeezed. “It sucks that Eddie is in charge, but this is a golden opportunity for you. Don’t blow it. You need KBS, and KBS could use you.” He flicked his glance at Iris’s departing back.

Pulling back, he ran a hand through his hair and glowered at the older man. Ali was right, Vincent couldn’t afford to lose his temper. He saw concern and care in Ali’s eyes. Gusting out a sigh, he nodded. “Right. I’ll see you soon.”

“ W hat are you doing?”

Vincent answered his mother without looking up from the lawn mower, “I’m fixing the choke.”

“Why? And why aren’t you over at Judy Crawford’s house?”

Not getting an answer, she marched down the stairs from the back door of her house and pulled the screwdriver out of his hand.

“Hey, I need that.” He scowled up at her.

“And I need an answer,” she said, glaring at him.

He rose slowly from where he crouched beside the lawn mower and made to wipe his hands down the front of his jeans. She swatted them out of the way and handed him the tea towel from over her shoulder.

“Iris rescheduled it for later in the week,” he responded, concentrating on wiping his hands .

“Did something happen to Judy?” Marcia asked, crossing her arms and planting her feet wide as if preparing for a long conversation.

He regretted showing up at her house. He was too old to go crying to his mother, and wasn’t that exactly what he was doing? Shuffling his feet in the wet grass and knowing she would not let it go, he heaved a sigh and looked straight at her. “Eddie convinced Iris I can’t be trusted. Someone has to go with me so I don’t rob the client or steal supplies.” When would his time in jail no longer haunt him? When would he be seen for who he was, not where he’d been?

“Seriously?”

“Iris called it an assistant, but I know what a guard looks like.” Humiliation hummed through his being.

Marcia blew out a breath. They rarely talked about his time behind bars. She’d traveled two hours each way every Sunday to see him for three years, always cheerful, always optimistic. When he found out she had taken out a loan to finance his legal appeal, he was both thankful for her faith in him and furious she’d needed to do it in the first place. Her generosity and dogged determination meant an early release for him but a delayed retirement for her. Paying her back was his number one priority despite her insistence that it wasn’t necessary. To Vincent, it was. He’d do just about anything for her.

“Asshole.”

His mouth quirked up. His mother never swore.

Marcia took the towel out of his hand and replaced it with the screwdriver. “Come in and eat. We need to talk.”

Vincent trudged after her, not sure he liked the sounds of that.

When he returned from washing his hands, a plate heaped with empanadas sat on the table with a glass of milk beside it. His mouth quirked up again. God, he loved his mother. She busied herself at the sink as he made quick work of the first empanada.

“It’s no secret Eddie is Iris’s weak spot. The scrapes she’s bailed him out of...”

“What scrapes?” Eddie had always been a shit, but as far as Vincent knew, he’d never gotten into serious trouble.

Marcia glanced at him. “Don’t you remember the time he got arrested for possession of marijuana?”

Vincent’s eyes bugged out. “Seriously?”

Shaking her head, she explained, “That must have been when you were in Australia. The amount he had was just enough for him to be charged with intent to sell. He claimed he was innocent and that it wasn’t his marijuana, but Iris and Darryl had to hire a very expensive lawyer who managed to get him off.”

Vincent sat back in the kitchen chair and crossed his arms. “Why don’t I know about this?”

Marcia shrugged as she came to get Vincent’s empty plate. “It happened down in Portland. Most of Keeney didn’t know about it. And those of us who did, didn’t talk about it. We didn’t want to hurt Iris and Darryl.” That made sense. Both Iris and Darryl were loved and well-respected in the community.

Returning to the table, she sat down, running her finger along the table’s edge, teasing a small chip in the surface. Her gaze rested on Vincent, but he knew her eyes were really looking beyond him. “When you and Eddie were small, I wanted you to be close. But no matter how many times we got together, you two just didn’t click. Did he ever…hurt you?”

Vincent pulled back in surprise. What did that mean? As close as he and Marcia were, they didn’t go deep. Instead of giving a quick denial, he leaned forward and stilled his mother’s restless hands. “I knew he didn’t like me, hated having to share his toys with me, and ignored me at school. But I was okay with that, my world was bigger than Eddie McLeod. I wasn’t interested in hanging out with him and his friends in high school, and I think that pissed him off.” He stopped abruptly. His mother didn’t need to know about Eddie’s jeering remarks when Vincent ignored him. She also didn’t need to know Vincent threatened to turn Eddie in for shaking down students for their lunch money. There was a lot of history between them neither Marcia nor Iris needed to know.

“I know he taunted you with his toys. I saw the way you looked when he got that BMX bike.” She held up a hand when Vincent tried to protest. “I know you didn’t want me to see it. You never asked for anything because you knew we didn’t have the money. I think you wouldn’t give Eddie the satisfaction of being envious. I think that pissed him off.

“I believe this business will take off, and when it does, you won’t need KBS. You can have your own. But until it does, as much as it pains you, you have to keep your nose clean around Eddie. It will make it easier for Iris as well. Even though KBS is her business, she wants to prove to Eddie she makes valid contributions and is a vital part of its success.”

Vincent crossed his arms and glared at Marcia. She was right, but Christ, he hated having his past thrown into his face. He couldn’t hide his jail time, not in Keeney. He would just have to prove himself by his craftsmanship and work ethic. Getting up from the table, he kissed Marcia on the forehead and headed back outside. “Fine, I can do that. I sure hope they find me someone who knows their way around a hammer.”