Page 64 of Someone to Watch Over Me

Ryan waves as he walks toward the building under construction.

“So I thought you did homes. Thus the name Hammett Homes.”

“Ninety percent of our business is houses, but we’ve taken on some commercial projects in recent years. I’ve been thinking about getting out of that sector, though. It’s nonstop challenges from start to finish. I’ve grown to hate it.”

“Then you should quit doing it. Maybe that’s why your heart revolted.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me. The stress level on this one has been off the charts.”

“That’s not good for you.”

“I know, and I’d been thinking about making some changes before the ticker incident. I have this one and two others in the works. After that, I’m stepping away from the commercial sector.”

“Sounds like the right call.”

“It is. I don’t enjoy it the way I do the home building. That’s much more fun, working with clients to pick out all the finishes to create their dream house.”

“That would be fun. I love watching design shows and mulling over what I’d choose from among the various options. Most of the time, I wouldn’t go with any of the things those designers like.”

“I’m not much good with making those choices, but we have an awesome design team that walks our clients through the process.”

“That would be a dream job.”

He glances over at me. “They’re always looking for help in that department if you’re interested.”

“What? No. I couldn’t do something like that. I have zero training or skills.”

“They would train the right person.”

“I’m not the right person. I’ve never done anything like that in my life.”

“But you know what you like, right?”

“I do, but I’d have no idea how to advise someone else on what they want.”

“That’s the thing. Most of them are looking for someone else’s opinion to get them started, and then they take it from there.”

“I’m sure the professional designers would be thrilled to have someone who knows nothing about their field working with them.”

“You could have a conversation with them. That wouldn’t hurt anything.”

“I get what you’re trying to do, Tom, and I appreciate it. But they’d hate having to hire the boss’s friend.”

“I still say it’s worth a conversation.”

“And I still say thank you for caring, but no. I’m not doing that. I’ll find something that works for me, and this time, I won’t settle for the first thing that comes along. Now that I know how soul-crushing it is to be in the wrong job, I’m going to hold out for the right fit.”

“That’s the way to be.”

“After Jim died, I was so frantic about the enormous debt that I took the first job I was offered. I’ve learned since then that debt isn’t going anywhere, so it doesn’t matter if it takes a minute to find a fulfilling job rather than one that simply pays the bills.”

“I’m sorry you were left with that burden. I’m not sure if I’ve ever said how much I admire what you did for him.”

“Don’t make me the hero of that story. He was. I did what anyone would do for someone they loved.”

“Not anyone. I know people who put ill relatives in facilities the first second it gets to be too much for them. Hell, we did that with my mom when she started showing signs of dementia. None of us could give her the care—and supervision—she needed because of work and family demands. We felt sick about it but needed her to be safe.”

“I’ve learned that people generally do the best they can in situations like that. You did the right thing for your mom, even if it felt terrible.”

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