Page 8 of Love Under Construction

“We’ll break ground on Wednesday. There will be a lot of publicity surrounding this. I’ll need everyone to work well together and smile, can you two handle that?” Mr. Eastman eyes us both.

“Absolutely.” I answer at the same time that Liv replies with, “Probably not.”

A worry line crinkles on Mr. Eastman’s forehead.

“What she means, is that therewillnot be any problems. Olivia and I are old friends, and wewillmake this work,” I immediately defend.

Leo nods and dismisses us. Liv is out of there like there’s fire on her tail. Trying not to look too desperate, I slow my stride until we’re out of the trailer then I rush after her.

“Liv, wait,” I call out, thankful when she stops and turns around.

“What else could you possibly want Jameson? You’re invading my life as it is.”

“You’re right. And I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional,”...mostly,“But I wanted to tell you, I’m impressed. And proud of you for going after this.”

I don’t miss the shocked look on her face, even though she tries to hide it.Don’t worry sweetheart; I shocked myself with that one too.

“Yeah, well. You’re not the only one who knows how to chase a dream and make things happen,” Liv quickly rolls her eyes. “Now, if you’re done pretending to be friends, I need to get back to school, and my students.”

“Not so fast. I think you and I need to talk about how this project is going to work.”

“Really, Jameson. Really? We need to talk? No, I don’t think we do. You do your job, and I’ll do mine. It’s that simple.”

“It’s not. I know you, Liv. You like to be in control. I can’t have you trying to micromanage me and my crew. I need to be in charge of this one.”

“We’ll see about that. Stick to the plans, and we shouldn’t have a problem. But I’ll be watching you.”

I’m not sure what I expected when I showed up here. I mean, as kids I had a shit way of showing her that I cared, outside of looking after her in public. Hell, I tore the heads off her Barbie dolls, hid frogs in her bathroom, you name it, at home, I tortured the hell out of her. So perhaps expecting Liv to roll out the red carpet was a little bit much on my end.

Chapter 5

Olivia

“No.You cannot make that doorway two inches smaller. It has to be that size to accommodate wheelchairs. We’ve discussed this.” There’s no mistaking the bite in my tone as I argue Elijah, one of the foremen on the job. “Where’s Jameson?” I demand.

“Jay left for the day. Had something personal to take care of.”

My irritation only grows. Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped by the construction site on my way home. Then again, I’m glad I did, otherwise - they would be wasting time tearing down framing on every classroom. This is ridiculous. “Widen the damn doorway, Elijah or I promise you; I’ll make your life a living hell.”

He has the audacity to laugh at me.

“You have no clue who you’re dealing with. I’ll speak with Jameson personally. It will be your head on a platter if you don’t fix this.” I don’t wait for a response. Instead, I storm off and make a beeline for my apartment. Once I get home, I’ll hunt down Jameson and get this straight.

It’s been mere weeks, and already Jameson’s team is straying from the plan. And the fact that he’s in charge butnotat the job site? My blood is boiling, right now. He’s supposed to be overseeing all of this. And he asked me to trust him to do his job? More like fucking this job up.

Too caught up in my anger I’m oblivious to the rest of the world, and just how far I’ve already walked. I’ve almost made it to 425 Madison when my phone starts ringing - pulling me from my head.

My mom’s number flashes on the screen, and I let out a sigh.

I’ve been so busy with teaching and following the progress of the new school build for the past few weeks that I haven’t had a lot of time to check in at home. I can only put off my mom’s calls for so long. I’m sure she’s calling to guilt trip me for not being in touch.

Knowing I can’t ignore this call, I give in and press ‘accept.’ “Hey, Mom.”

“You need to come home now. Enough of this playing in the big city. Your father needs you.” She says as soon as I greet her, see what I mean about the drama and guilt tripping?

“That’s not how this works. What’s going on?” I press the phone closer to my ear and try to cover my other ear to hear her better over the hustle and bustle of the noisy city street. “Mom, calm down. What do you mean Daddy’s in the hospital and I need to come home?”

At the thought of my dad being sick or hurt, my heart drops, and that guilt kicks up a notch. Now I feel like an ass for not being a better daughter the last few weeks.

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