Page 19 of Pining for You

“You can’t fire me. You’re already shorthanded. You need me,” Kegan sneered.

“Don’t forget, your school sends us a report to fill out as to your behaviour on the job site. You’re gonna get a failing grade if you keep this up and then not only are you out of a job, but you’ll be kicked out of the program. Will your parents be happy to learn that you’ve flushed all the money they’ve invested in your education into the shitter two weeks into your first on-the-job semester?”

That earned me a two-handed middle finger salute along with a “Fuck. You” as he stomped toward the edge of the house on the driveway side. I was about to go after him but the newbie ran into John, who held up a hand.

“Don’t bother coming back. As Brad said, your behavior will be reported to your school. As for your employment here? You’re fired. Effective immediately.”

“Fuck you and the horse you rode in on too, you asswipe.”

We waited as he walked to the company truck, then realized that meant he’d have to ask one of us to drive him back to the work yard where he’d left his motorcycle. Flipping us both the bird again, he stomped up to the road and walked toward the highway, which was a mile away.

John heaved a sigh. “Guess I need to contact the school and see if they have any other students still looking for a job.”

Which meant he’d get Molly to phone the school for new candidates and take whoever they offered. We didn't have to pay the in-school trainees as much as a regular groundsman.

“What brought you by?” I asked.

“Mrs. Jones called me to complain. Mainly about Junior’s language, but her complaints were valid enough I figured it warranted a trip out here to see for myself.”

Shit. “Did she complain about me too?”

I’d been careful about not dropping any f-bombs, but who knew what else Mrs. Jones might complain about. I couldn’t deny if she had any concerns. She would probably be right. Not only did Junior have the potty mouth of a sailor, but even after I’d spent hours training him, he’d fucked up by mishandling the lines and potentially put her property, and my life, in jeopardy.

Boss held up his hand. “She didn’t complain about your language, which Molly was relieved to hear since they’re in the same women’s group at church.”

“Then what was her issue with me?” Why else would John still be on about it?

“She doesn’t believe you can get all this cleared up in time for her to host her grandson’s birthday party tomorrow afternoon.”

I opened my mouth to say something.

My team was down to me alone. I’d have no one to handle the lines from the ground. I glanced around the yard, stopping at the stack of branches and trunks still to be cut into size or tossed into the wood chipper.

F. M. L.

“I’ll get it done so she doesn’t have worry about cancelling tomorrow’s party. Even if I have to work until midnight. I promise.” It meant I’d have to cancel tonight’s date with Chloe, but she’d understand. I hoped.

My phone chimed and I automatically checked it. Mrs. B reminding me I’d promised to go over and cut her lawn after work. Making a mental promise that I’d phone her as soon as the boss left, I shoved my phone back in my pocket.

“I also got a call from Mr. Sinipoli thanking me for all the work you did over at his father’s place yesterday. Molly took one yesterday from Mrs. Preston over in Lakeview asking if you could do her lawn the way you did her neighbor’s last week. And from Mrs. Wallace thanking you for rescuing her cat from the top of her poplar. Again.” Boss folded his arms across his chest. “Son, it’s nice you to want to help people, but you’re wearing yourself ragged.”

“I’m not doing it on company time.” What the heck did John want? “And I’m not using company equipment.”

“Good to hear, but this job requires you to be well rested. Mentally and physically. It’s too easy to fuck things up. Once you hit forty, you’ll discover muscles you relied on are gonna hurt a heckuva lot more than they did when you were thirty.”

Shit on a shingle. John was more supervisor than climber these days because he’d pushed himself too hard and ended up breaking his leg in four places and had so many pins now, he set off metal detectors. His shoulders weren’t in much better shape.

“I’ve got a few years yet until I get to the big four-oh,” I grumbled. “I’m not the one whose wife keeps nagging him to retire.”

“If you’re still single when you’re my age, you’ll wish you had someone who worried about you the way my Molly worries about me. It’s too easy to fall into the mindset that we have to do all the things. Be all the things. Sometimes it means you’re setting yourself up for failure. Learn to give yourself a break too, son. Take a day off. Go out on the water and do nothing. Hell, park a chair by the side of the lake, close your eyes and take a break. You look like you’ve not had a good night’s sleep in too long.”

It was true, but I wasn’t about to admit that I was losing sleep having the best sex of my life with a beautiful woman I had fallen for. Hard.

John glanced at the branches and the half-finished tree I’d been felling and blew out a breath. “Guess I’m your groundsman today. Now let’s get this job finished and make Mrs. Jones happy so she won’t balk at paying the bill I’m going to be sending her.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “This is on the clock, right? You’re not doing this as a favor to her?”

“It’s on company time and I’ve already forwarded the signed agreement, to Molly.”

We’d nearly finished the job when John asked, “How’s your business proposal coming?”

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