Mixed Connection (Cypress Lake Reunion #1)

8. Chapter 8

8

Anders

You can’t still be mad about the handshake?

How do you have a secret handshake with my girl but not me, your best friend since for too damn long.

Anders

Mannnn, we will come up with one. *eye roll emoji*

It’s too late now… Your loss. *hands up emoji*

Walking down these damn stairs, away from her, is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be. I would much rather be watching the chaos of her curls bounce as she throws her head back in that laugh I loved hearing during our date. Listening to her talk about her passions, watching her run around her bar all damn night—maybe… just maybe hear a few more of those lovely moans of hers—I can’t get enough of her.

Images of her bent over the bar top with that dress pushed high up and around her waist flit through my mind. My hands tingle with heat as I imagine ripping her panties away and running my tongue up her pussy from the back. My hands holding her open for my tongue to fully explore, letting her juices moisten my beard. I’d untie the bow that kept her dress closed around her waist, pulling it off her and tossing it to the floor. It looks incredible on her but it would be so much better puddled in the corner. Fuck . The image of that dress is burned into my mind, the satin looked as though it was poured over her curves, like it was made only for her. A chuffed laugh leaves my chest as I breathe through my nose imagining what she would taste like. I bet she tastes as sweet as she smells, that vanilla scent clings to my clothes from having her in my arms.

The leftover blackberry and plum flavor of the wine was all I could taste when I kissed her and I knew I needed more. More of what I imagined and would now be replaying in my dreams. More of her than she would be willing to give me so soon. I won’t pretend that I’m a selfless man… I fully plan on being selfish with her. But I know if I don’t take my time with her, I’ll live to regret it. She’s more than something or someone to possess, but I want to; I want her in every way she’ll allow me—heart, mind, and body. All of her. The crush may have started nearly fourteen years ago, during freshman year of highschool, but tonight it was clear it’s even more present. She made me welcome the thought of what it could be like spending everyday together. Our conversation was easy and moved along without all the awkward newness which can sometimes abound during first dates. I want to explore all of what we are starting together.

Sliding into the driver’s side of my SUV, I turn my key in the ignition and press my foot on the gas before I change my mind about leaving. I roll the window down, allowing the cool air to calm my racing heart.

This isn’t another serial date. Spending time with Cassidy tonight was amazing and I almost feel foolish given my grin won’t seem to leave my face. Hearing her speak about making her dreams a reality by opening Shaken Tropes reminds me of the same joy I felt when I opened the consulting division with Triple C. There was only a small moment when she mentioned her parents that I watched a sadness wash over her, but it was quickly removed by a soft smile lighting up her face as she talked about the plans she has with her best friend. She spoke about wanting to build a full library within Shaken Tropes, and one day turning her apartment into an event space once she buys her forever home. Her visions of her future only increase my excitement because I realize I can’t wait to help her make her dreams come true.

My eyes search the cloudless sky for stars I know are out there, and I send a silent thank you into the universe. Love at first date is a thing, right?

Pulling into the driveway of the fixer almost dampens my mood, it’s a reminder I’m not in Cypress Lake forever. We’ve already gotten a week and change under our belt with this project and I’m already finding myself wishing I had more to work on, maybe finding another project here in Cypress Lake is exactly what I need to do. Tonight was the reminder I needed to make a choice on what exactly I’m doing. I think it’s time for me to find another house here in town. I need more time here. More time with Cassidy. My heart lurches in my chest at the mere thought of leaving here, of leaving her, and I decide right here in this moment that I’m not leaving unless she tells me to.

As if on cue, my phone chirps. The screen has a notification of my flight information and a goodnight text from Cassidy. Quickly I reply back, wishing her sweet dreams. I push my key into the deadbolt of the house and walk in, leaving my shoes at the door before locking it. A yawn works its way out but I make it to the shower anyway. I may have an early flight in the morning but after the kiss I shared with the most stunning woman I’ve laid eyes on, I have a cold shower calling my name.

Managing multiple job sites is difficult, but damn, having them this far apart was a fool’s gamble. One that I hope pays off. I checked in with the property manager yesterday, letting him know I would be on-site today. He replied almost immediately and let on that everything was in line to finish on time, but it doesn’t look like work has even started. I caught an early flight in, hoping I could be of assistance at least during the latter part of the demo. But as my eyes scan the shared kitchen and living room area, it looks like nothing has been done. There are two full garbage bags sitting in the corner of the room and the opposite corner of the carpet is pulled up, but just the corner and nothing more. As I make my way further into the house, I set down my duffle bag and squint my eyes in an attempt to peer into the backyard.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I shout, assuming I’m alone and the manager is using the lack of progress as their final notice. The yard is terrible, worse even. “What in the actual fuck.” I heave a sigh from somewhere deep in my lungs and I swear my eye is starting to twitch.

“Hey, boss. Did you pick up breakfast?” Loren, the soon-to-be fired property manager, asks from behind me, his voice happy and clearly unaffected by my soured mood. Slowly, I turn around to face him but my words are silenced as I take in his bare feet. My eye twitches again. It takes a lot to work me up but this is a red flag. Man feet. Not that I ever need to be around another man’s feet. Come to think of it, I don’t even remember the last time I saw Ander’s. I’ve really lost it now, I’m having a full blown conversation with myself. Nope. He can’t possibly have his naked ass feet out. On a job site. My job site . My eyes trail up from his hairy toes to the Christmas-themed plaid pajama pants. The sides of his torso are on display because his red shirt is cut open on the sides. I close my eyes and count backwards from five and against my will, my eyes snap back down to his feet. Hell no. Internally I feel like I’m being punked and tilt my head to look for a camera. Not finding any, I turn my attention back to Pajama Jo, while I silently thank my father for teaching me how to maintain a poker face.

“Loren. How are you? Please explain to me why you are standing in the middle of my property barefoot.” I watch his eyes grow a bit wider as he takes a gulp. If there was any work being done in the house, his lack of footwear would be a serious hazard for his safety.

“Oh, I’m fine, boss. I just figured it was easier to stay overnight so I could get started early. I wasn’t expecting you here so soon.” He rubs the back of his head and my fingers twitch wanting to slap him up the side of it. He has clearly lost his marbles.

I watch him, waiting for him to continue with something that makes sense. Truly, I try to give everyone a chance to explain themselves but we’ve had issues with Loren in the past. He’d been making great progress and I foolishly thought he could handle this with a little oversight.

“The team I hired didn’t show, so I’ve been trying to get it done on my own,” he says, and I can tell that he’s just as confused as I am.

“Why would you need to hire a team? Crews should have been here last week.”

“When you gave me control of the project, I figured I would save the company some money and hire workers who were a bit cheaper.” His nervous chuckle is even more frustrating. I can only focus on this man’s toes wiggling into the carpet beneath our shoes. Well, my shoes.

At this point I am almost fuming. “Loren. Why would it make more sense to hire others when we are a construction and consulting company? Also, I never gave you the authority to do that .” As I am speaking, I’m pulling out my phone and dialing Anderson’s number. “I would like you to gather your things and meet me in the front of the house in ten minutes. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” he says and scuttles off.

The moment he is out of sight, I press send and wait for my call to connect. It rings three times before he answers.

“Hey J, how’s the property?” His voice comes through the line.

“Bro. This fool has lost his rabbit-ass mind,” I gruffly speak into the phone as Anders chuckles. I’m never going to hear the end of this, I can already tell.

“What did he do this time? I keep telling you to stop giving him chances. I’m taking this as you finally agree.”

“He hasn’t done a damn thing. I may have to stay here for a couple weeks and fuck man, I don’t want to do that,” I say, my frustration rising. My eye twitches again. “This man got his toes out, wiggling them in the carpet like we’re at his home. His toes!” My voice raises an octave. I’m laying it on thick now, trying to hold back my own laugh.

“I can’t tell if you’re upset about needing to stay or about his bare feet more. Why the fuck are his feet out at a job site? That’s a hazard.” He laughs, though he sobers himself quickly as he realizes how bad this could be.

“He wasn’t working. Loren was in his pajamas, Anders. He somehow forgot to do the one thing I told him to do, which was put the order in. He said he found a cheaper one… they didn’t show.”

There’s no reason for me to have to see the hair on his toes. I’m calling the police.” I chuckle. “We need to send out an email to everyone reminding them that they only take direct orders from you or me. This could have been a non-issue if he was even a little bit competent.”

“I’ll write it up and get it out. Good idea. Bigger question is, how did you and I miss this?” he says, agreeing with me but pushing back.

“This is my fault too. I shouldn’t have believed he could take on a project this big solo. I didn’t want to be out of Cypress Lake for longer than this weekend,” I reply. I’m really enjoying getting to know Cassidy and spending time with her. I worry if I’m gone too long we will be over before we even get a chance to begin.

“You know what? Call Keya. She’s just getting started but I have worked with her for multiple properties in the area and she just finished up her most recent project. She’s a self-starter and quick, she knows what she’s doing. I trust her. Actually, I will just call her and give her your location. Cool?” I was going to ask him why he didn’t tell me about her sooner until he finished the last part of his thought.

“Yeah, it’s cool. Thanks, Anders.” We end the call and I already feel better, I’m hoping she’s as great as he says because I would love to catch my confirmed flight tomorrow night.

Now to go fire someone I have indeed given too many chances to, and then wait for Keya to get here. I run my hands through my hair gathering it up; I wrap a single loc around the rest and knot it to tie my hair back in a low ponytail. Firing people is my least favorite thing of owning a business but as I make it outside I know it’s the right choice.

During the past few hours, Keya has met me at the house and we’ve gone over plans to do a simple flip, one a new family could fall in love with.

“Thank you both for this opportunity. I worked on houses with my dad when I was a kid, this is a dream. I’ve really enjoyed all the projects Anderson has given me and this one will be the second flip I manage from start to finish.” Her excitement for the project energizes me after what I walked into this morning. She reminds me a lot of Anders and me when we first started.

“I know you’ll do great work. Anderson speaks highly of you and seeing your work on the last few remodels, I know you have the eye this house needs. I want to keep it simple and homey for new families. Think, just married, or one to two kids. Add in some modern touches like those pocket baby gates and a great backyard.

“Keep it simple with a few modern luxuries that young families need. Say less!” I already feel better about this project. After the lack of work that was done, I will need to add two more weeks to this house’s timeline, but it’ll get done.

I watch as Keya gives a debrief of the needs of the house to her small team. She then discusses design with the few folks who will go out to purchase materials.

I told Keya I will be here today and tomorrow to assist in getting the demo done inside the house. Landscaping the backyard is going to be easy, I want to design something really nice for a potential family. I am already envisioning a play space for kids: a rocking swing for parents to watch their littles play and maybe a few garden beds near the small patio, one I can see needs some tending to, now that I’m standing on it.

With the team busy working, I jump in with them and dream a little bit more about what this house will become for a family.