#HotAndHandy (Keeney Builds #1)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

S leeveless and patterned with bold, bright flowers on a black background, the blouse was made of a wrinkly fabric that looked chic rather than sloppy, and paired well with her gray slacks.

There was a shop on Main Street she’d passed a number of times, whose windows were filled with colorful clothing that called to her. She stopped in on an impulse and picked up the blouse. Now, she wasn’t so sure. It was too much.

Hilary headed back to her closet to find something else, turning her head to see her alarm clock. “Crap!” Too much time was wasted dawdling in front of the mirror; she’d be late for a meeting if she didn't leave now. Scooping up a light cardigan in passing, she grabbed her lunch and purse and headed out the door.

Iris and Vincent stood at the bottom of the stairs, and she tossed them a wave on her way to the car.

“I love that shirt,” Iris said, smiling brightly.

The compliment didn’t make her feel any better, but she mumbled a thank you.

“Hey.” Vincent stopped her before she closed the car door. “You dropped this. ”

“Thank you,” she said, accepting the sweater.

“Not a problem. You really do look nice.” He smiled and stepped back, allowing her to close the door.

His words warmed her all the way to work and through her morning meeting. His words and the memory of his kiss. Yes, it had been on the forehead, but he’d looked at her as if he wanted to do more. And she’d wanted it, too. Forty was too young to give up on life. Other people started over, why couldn’t she?

At lunch one day, a coworker regaled Hilary and others with her adventures—and misadventures in online dating. It would get her out of the house if nothing else.

T he prospective clients wanted to replace the flooring on their back deck. They’d emailed photos to Vincent, giving him an idea about the project’s scope. He mulled over the idea of Carl taking the lead on the project as he ascended the stairs at the back of the store. The kid was turning into a real asset, and could at least do the measurements.

Iris was on the phone in her office, voice raised with concern. “Three days ago? Why am I just hearing this now?”

In the breakroom, he pulled his personalized coffee mug off the hook, filled it up, and then scrolled through the supply list on his new phone, listening shamelessly to Iris’s side of the conversation. If she was upset, he wanted to know why.

“I’ll let you know when my flight gets in.”

Iris was in full mama bear mode and was determined to get to her cub.

“Of course, I should be there, I’m his mother. Fiona, I don’t doubt he is getting good care, but I want to see him.” Rising in volume, her voice bordered on a needy whine .

Drifting to the doorway, he saw Iris clutching the phone with both hands at the desk.

“I suppose you’re right, there isn’t much I could do there. But have Eddie call me as soon as he wakes up. Fine. Bye.” Iris cradled the desk phone and pulled a tissue out of a pocket to wipe her eyes.

He backed away and texted his mother, knowing he was a coward for not speaking with Iris directly, but Marcia was better equipped to deal with the situation. She would be sympathetic and not call Eddie a useless tool.

T hree pickups and an SUV were backed up to the loading dock behind KBS. Vincent filled his truck with supplies at one bay while customers waited for employees to load their purchases at the other bays. It was a carefully orchestrated ballet between moving forklifts and burly men as orders were filled.

“There you are!” Marcia called, coming through the door clearly marked Employees Only. Oblivious to the activity around her, she made a beeline for Vincent, causing more than one KBS employee to step hastily aside. Boxes were bobbled, and lumber was dropped, but no one challenged the feisty woman charging across the loading dock; however, exasperated looks were thrown at Vincent. He raised both hands in the air, calling out, “I’m buying a round for all of you tonight.”

He removed his gloves and tossed them into the bed of the pickup, grabbing a water bottle and drinking deeply. Beside him, Carl stood with a tablet. Vincent clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks. When I get done with this delivery, we’ll talk about the Martin project. In the meantime, Ali wants you working in the store this morning.”

“Okay,” he said before turning to Marcia. “Hi, Mrs. Ortiz. You’re a great cook. Thanks so much. ”

“Umm…you’re welcome?” Marcia furrowed her brow at Vincent.

“I share my lunch with him.” He draped his arm over his mother’s shoulders. “He especially likes your calzones.”

“Oh. Well, I guess I’ll have to make more,” she murmured, watching the younger man stop and chat with another employee.

Vincent smiled, knowing food was his mother’s love language.

“What’s wrong with Eddie?” he asked, raising the water bottle to his lips.

Marcia’s knuckles whitened as she gripped the straps of the large purse slung over her shoulder. “He and his wife Fiona are down in Vegas. Eddie went to a racetrack where you can drive high-end sports cars. He didn’t make a corner and crashed. He’s got a crushed pelvis and a cracked collar bone.”

Fumbling the bottle, Vincent wiped the resulting spill off his shirt. “Holy shit! How fast was he going?”

Marcia shook her head. “Don’t know. The worst part is that the accident happened three days ago, and Iris just found out today. Fiona let it slip that Eddie didn’t want her there.”

Vincent winced. “How’s Iris taking it?”

Rolling her eyes, Marcia’s lips flattened. “You know she thinks the sun shines out of his ass. She’s making excuses, as always.” Her shoulders sagged as she moved closer to lean against the side of Vincent’s truck. “I think Fiona called only to get some insurance information. Iris didn’t get to speak to Eddie. Apparently, he was asleep.”

It was Vincent’s turn to roll his eyes.

He smiled briefly at Marcia, sure she was thinking the same thing he was; Eddie was avoiding his mother. Wrapping his own mother in a quick hug, Vincent reached for his work gloves. “You gonna feed Iris tonight? ”

Marcia nodded. “Yeah. I’ll keep her company, let her talk.”

“Love you, Ma.”

She waved over her shoulder as she retraced her steps.

Climbing into the truck, he stuck the keys in the ignition. It wasn’t new but in good shape like all the KBS vehicles. About to pull out, he spotted Ali in the rearview mirror. He was waving as he jogged across the loading dock. Vincent turned off the engine and climbed out. He hopped up onto the raised platform, saving the older man from having to come down the stairs to meet him. Ali pulled a handkerchief out of a pocket and wiped the sweat off his balding head.

“Did I forget something?” Vincent glanced over the equipment and supplies in the back of the truck, mentally comparing them to the invoice form he had signed.

“No, no, you’re good. These came for you.” Ali thrust a small cardboard box at Vincent.

Stan, the forklift driver, saw the exchange and yelled from the moving vehicle, “Are you two getting engaged?”

“Bite me!” Ali yelled back. Stan laughed uproariously, and cut the forklift engine.

Vincent looked up from the box in his hand to see that he and Ali now had an audience. The other employees had ceased working, overcome with curiosity. Ali grabbed the box back irritably, opened it up, and displayed the contents for all to see. “Business cards! Are you happy now?”

“That’s boring.” Stan started up the forklift and trundled off, the other employees following in his wake.

Vincent laughed at the irritated look on Ali’s face. “I would have said yes if I was into older guys.”

“Asshole,” Ali replied with a grin.

Taking the box back, Vincent pulled out one of the cards. It wasn’t fancy. The KBS logo appeared in the left-hand corner, and in the middle of the card, in bold print, was his name, Vincent Ortiz, with his phone number and KBS email address underneath it. He beamed. “Thanks, man, this is seriously cool.”

Ali waved away the thanks. “Leave a couple of these with each of your customers for them to pass out. A cheap form of advertising.”

Vincent nodded as Ali continued, “Eddie thought hiring you was a stupid idea. But he’s wrong. Business has picked up; we get lots of calls for your work.” Ali crossed his arms and looked up at Vincent. “Having Carl sign off on you is wrong as well. That ceases as of today.”

His shoulders straightened, relieved from a weight he didn’t know he was carrying. “What about Eddie?”

Ali crossed his arms, tucking his hands in his armpits. “I’m glad he’s laid up. That will give Iris time to get on a firmer footing here. She’s much better at handling the employees than Eddie.”

“Can I keep Carl as an assistant? He’s pretty useful, and work goes faster with the two of us.”

“Yeah, if he’s working out for you. You’re a good contractor and a good mentor. It’s a damn shame you proved Eddie wrong.” Ali winked, slapped him on the shoulder, and headed to the stairs.

The box of business cards may have been a cheap advertising tool to Ali, but they meant the world to Vincent. He took a picture of one and texted it to his mom, knowing she’d be pleased. On impulse, he sent one to Hilary as well and then kicked himself. There was no reason for her to care. She’d probably think he’d sent it by mistake.

Instead, she replied with a heart and clapping hands emoji.

Eddie was out of commission for six weeks, work was going well, and Hilary answered his text right away. It was a good day .

I dling at a stop light, Vincent took in the development happening in Keeney. On his left was an office park broken up by green playing fields and winding paths. All but the walking paths were empty on a weekday morning, but on evenings and weekends, they teemed with kids and adults playing soccer, baseball, ultimate frisbee, and even cricket. Yep, Keeney was growing. On his left was Keeney Building Supply’s competition, a large chain hardware store. The parking lot was full of cars, and he wondered if that worried Iris. Was KBS able to compete with the megastore? At the entrance to the parking lot stood a group of Latino men. Day workers looking to pick up some income. Odd that he never saw the same line of men outside of KBS.

A jolt of recognition went through him, and he turned his truck into the parking lot. Finding a parking space, he put the truck in park and was pulling the key from the ignition when his glance caught the box of business cards. With a shrug, he grabbed a handful and shoved them into his shirt pocket. He strode across the asphalt toward the group of men who turned with hopeful smiles at his approach. He nodded in return and said, “Hola,” while his eyes remained focused on the man in the back.

“What the hell, when did you get into town?” He stopped a few feet before the man, hand extended, a warm smile on his face.

The man stiffened and stepped back.

Vincent’s smile froze. “What the hell, Tomas?”

Tomas Alvarado met his confused look with a glare. Not as tall as Vincent but equally as imposing, with straight dark brows covering brown eyes, the hard line of his mouth mirrored the hard line of his jaw. Muscled arms crossed his chest as he planted his feet wide.

The men circled them as Vincent crossed his own arms. He’d been in this position before, but at that time, Tomas was standing beside him as they faced a group of prisoners intent on breaking into the facility’s storage shed. New tools had been purchased for the training program, tools another prisoner thought he could steal, smuggle out of the prison, and sell. Words were exchanged, punches were thrown, but ultimately, Vincent and Tomas prevailed. They had been a solid force in prison, and Vincent had expected them to be a solid force when Tomas joined him after his release.

“Where’ve you been?”

Tomas shrugged. “Staying with my cousin in Woodinville.”

“You didn’t call.” He knew he sounded like a heartbroken teenager, but he was hurt. He’d emailed Tomas with details about working at KBS. He told him Ali would take him on and gave him the number for his cellphone.

Scowling, Tomas said, “What was the point? You lied.”

Vincent held his palms up. “About what?”

Tomas dropped his arms and stepped toward Vincent. “I went to KBS. I met Ali. I was filling out the paperwork when an asshat in pleated pants and a polo came over. I told him I was a friend you recommended, and he sniffed. The asshat sniffed at me! Then he told me KBS wasn’t hiring, took my paperwork, and walked off.”

“Where was Ali? He knew Iris approved your hire.” Vincent’s fists curled at his side. He knew how proud Tomas was.

Tomas waved a hand in dismissal. “He’d taken off to help a customer. I didn’t wait around. What was the point? The asshat was probably calling the cops.”

Vincent rubbed one hand over his face while the other settled on his hip. Goddamn Eddie had to stick his nose in. Then his lip curled. Eddie was out of commission, and out of state.

“We can fix this. Climb in the truck, and let’s go back to KBS. ”

Tomas shook his head. “Why? So I can be humiliated again? I don’t think so.”

“There’s been a mistake. The owner knows about you and is expecting you. You’ll be doing the same work I am. Small reno jobs and repairs so we can earn money and develop a solid reputation. Meanwhile, we can work on our business plan.”

Tomas pushed past him, hands curled into fists.

Vincent reached out as he turned away. “Please.”

Tomas glanced at Vincent’s hand on his arm. The forgotten men surrounding them looked back and forth between them like spectators at a soccer match.

“Fine,” Tomas muttered as he turned and headed toward the truck.

The trip to KBS was not long, just painfully quiet. Tomas answered Vincent’s questions with monosyllables. He’d been out for six weeks and couldn’t find work, so he’d joined the group of day laborers who hung around the hardware store.

Pulling into the parking lot behind KBS, Vincent frowned. “There aren’t any workers here.”

Tomas looked at the busy lot and then at Vincent. “What do you mean?”

Vincent waved at the entrance to the lot. “Day workers. There aren’t any here.” He turned to Tomas. “Why’s that?”

Tomas snorted. “They used to be here. I hear it used to be the place to find work. Up until about a year ago. Then some guy, I’m assuming the asshat, threatened them. Said if they continued to show up, he’d call ICE and report them as illegal immigrants.”

Vincent reared back. “Seriously?”

A muscle ticked in Tomas’s jaw. “Even if you have the papers to prove your status, no one wants to get caught up in an ICE raid. You don’t work, you don’t get paid.”

Fucking Eddie .

V incent entered Eddie’s office with a perfunctory knock, closely followed by Tomas. Iris and Ali were on either side of the desk, a mass of papers between them. Both looked up at the interruption, curiosity on their faces.

“Iris McCleod and Ali Haddad, this is Tomas Alvarado. He’s the friend I told you was coming in for a job.”

Iris nodded while Ali stood up to face them. “I remember you came in a few weeks ago. But you didn’t fill out the paperwork.”

Through gritted teeth, Vincent said, “That’s because Eddie told him KBS wasn’t hiring.”

Ali placed both hands on his hips and shook his head. All three men looked at Iris, who sat behind the big desk, eyes wide and mouth open. “There must be a mistake. Eddie wouldn’t—”

Vincent worked hard to keep the anger out of his voice, saying, “Yes, Iris, he did. As soon as Tomas mentioned my name and that I’d recommended him, Eddie took the paperwork and told him to take off.”

Iris stood and faced the window over the store’s floor. “I’m sure it was a misunderstanding. He must have…” She looked at Ali, but he didn’t say anything, didn’t back her up. Vincent placed a large hand gently on her shoulder. Being the bearer of bad news sucked, but Iris needed to take her rose-colored glasses off when it came to her son. He was hurting too many people.

“I’m sorry, Iris. I know you love him, but Eddie and I—”

She blinked rapidly, sniffed, and pulled away. “It doesn’t matter.” She stepped toward Tomas and extended her hand. “Welcome to KBS. Vincent has been extolling your praises. Can you start tomorrow?”

Tomas took her hand and nodded, returning her smile. Iris patted his arm and moved back to the desk. She settled into her chair, saying, “You two go with Ali to straighten out the paperwork. I’ve got to get back to this…this…” without looking at them.

Ali cleared his throat. “Right, we’ll leave you to the new regulations.” He followed the others out the door and turned. “Do you want the door open?”

Iris didn’t glance up, two bright dots of red on her cheeks. Her answer was barely audible. “Please close it.”