Page 21 of Secret Billionaire

8

Jesse made a call to enlist the help of Joe, one of his younger and stronger men on the crew. He explained his predicament and Joe agreed to help. “Hey, could you do me a favor and not mention how busy we are?”

Joe couldn’t hide his curiosity. “Why not?”

“Long story. Somehow, she’s under the impression that the reason I have so much time on my hands to help her is because I’m a down-on-his-luck contractor. I haven’t had time to correct her assumption.”

“That’s a good one. Your secret is safe with me bro.”

“It’s no secret, it’s a misunderstanding. I’m not sure how it even happened. Nothing I ever said to give her that idea.”

He chuckled, then said, “The longer it goes on the harder it is to fix. But hey, it shouldn’t matter anyway. It will just be a bonus when she finds out what a catch you really are.”

“I just want her to hear it from me.”

“I understand. Women are from a different planet. Ya never know what’s going to set them off.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Island’s small, I wouldn’t wait too long.”

“I won’t, I just won’t have time to talk before you get here to help with this statue.”

“I’ll be there in about an hour.”

“Thanks, see you then.”

He scratched his head as he surveyed the amount of work in front of him. This secret compartment was an interesting distraction, but he had a shit-ton of work to do. He picked up his crowbar and began pulling up more decking.

* * *

Faye loaded her supplies into the basket attached to the handlebars of her bicycle. Her two gallons of paint were stowed in the plastic milk crate attached at the back. She had one more stop before heading back to her bar. The bank. She hated to do it, but she was going to have to dip into her trust fund again. It couldn’t be helped.

She had wanted to pay Jesse a percentage up front, but he’d insisted that he could wait until the job was complete. He probably didn’t make a whole lot as a contractor. She was shocked at how low his estimate had been. He seemed to be charging her next to nothing. She was going to make him accept a deposit; after all, she was the boss.

She was also going to tell him that he should raise his rates. Hell, she’d be paying her bar help more than he was charging her, and they mostly relied on tips. But what did she know? It was his business not hers. She’d give him a bonus when the work was done.

She entered the small hometown bank, and the manager came out of her office to personally greet Faye.

“Hello Faye! How’s the bar coming along?”

“That’s what I’m coming to talk to you about. I need to transfer a chunk of change from my trust account into my checking.”

“No problem. I’ll handle it personally. Come on back to my office.” Turning, she motioned Faye to follow her. “Now how much are you thinking?”

Faye chewed on her lip. “I was thinking around ten thousand dollars. That should cover it for now. I’ve hired a local contractor and I thought I should advance him a little, to at least cover materials.”

“You’re lucky you found someone. Everyone is booked out for months. The building and remodeling business is booming. Who’d you hire?”

“Jesse Carlisle.”

Her eyebrows rose, “The Jesse Carlisle? How’d you manage that at the last minute? He owns one the most sought-after construction companies in the area. In fact, he’s usually booked out a year ahead.”

Faye’s eyes went wide. “He is?”

She responded as she continued to enter the information into her computer. “Yes, Carlisle Premier Construction. He’s built many of those expensive condo and townhouse subdivisions in the bay area. Not to mention those million-dollar homes on the north end. Local small-town boy makes good. He went away to school then his dad, Big Hank, had a heart attack, so he quit school and came back to run the family’s’ construction business. Took it from a small remodeling enterprise to the successful business that it is now.”

She managed to squeak out, “Million-dollar homes? Are you sure we’re talking about the same guy?”

---