Page 60 of Hard Hat Hottie

“Ha, now you need to go after her, and you’re all set.” Gus chuckles.

Little does he know…

With a huge grin on my face that might blind everyone walking in my direction, I make my way toward her. She stops dead in her tracks, her nurse friends continuing toward the ER with shocked expressions on their faces.

“Hi,” I greet.

“Hi.” She giggles.

Pulling her into me with my free arm, I plant a huge kiss on her lips. There are hoots and howls not only from the guys behind me, but also from a few of the nurses who stand and gawk at us before venturing inside.

“Have a good day.”

She beams, a beautiful blush staining her cheeks that matches her now swollen lips. “Oh, it already is.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

HARRISON

“Hi.”

Her sweet giggle comes through the line like a virtual salve, instantly allowing my shoulders to ease. “Hi.” Even just hearing her voice makes me smile. Good thing, given it’s all I seem to have time for anymore.

“How are things going?”

“Busy.” Yet I’m sure it’ll get worse once the planning stages are behind us.

Since signing on with Outer Banks, life has definitely moved into the fast lane. Between meetings, planning, and collaborating with Gus to ensure the other projects Hightower Construction are committed to are proceeding as planned… well, it feels like I’m living in a tornado.

Attempting to juggle work, life with Mom, and a social life were tough before. Yet this is nearly impossible. However, each piece of this complex puzzle is incredibly important to me. I’m not willing to let any of them go. And as long as things continue as they have, I’ll keep the tightrope walk going.

“I’m excited about it.” I sigh. “These plans are amazing. I can’t wait to see it all come together.”

“It’s cool to hear you so excited about your work.” The line grows quiet, and I can’t help wonder what she’s thinking. “What’s on your mind, Harlow?” The silent tension is so prevalent, I can almost feel it through the phone. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” There’s a brief pause. “I guess I just wondered why you didn’t move to Miami. Seems like it would’ve been much easier for you to cancel your lease and bring your mother and Joyce with you.”

My lease?Why does she assume I don’t own my place? Is she fishing for me to share how much money I have? My muscles tense as memories of Stephanie start to war within me. Or is this merely a ploy for me to admit how I feel about her? I know we haven’t been dating long, but she has to know I wouldn’t want to move away from her. “My mom does much better if she’s in surroundings she’s familiar with. It’s not easy flying back and forth, but it’s a short trip. And there’s a little extra motivation for me to get back to Candy Cane Key,” I add, hoping she’ll take the hint.

Yet, before I can tell her the house is all mine, I sense commotion on the other end of the line.

“Okay, okay. Alec wants to say hi.”

“Put us on speaker.”

“Hi, Harry. It’s me, Alec. When can we come back over?”

I chuckle. There’s nothing like a conversation with a kid. They’re direct in what they want. And why wouldn’t they be? No sense fussing around about it if you can simply ask for what you want. Us adults should really take a page from their playbook. “Soon. Your mom said baseball games have started up. I want to come watch.”

I’ve managed to keep the routine going. For now, I leave early Monday morning, fly back Wednesday after work, then head back the following morning and return home for the weekendon Friday afternoon. I really lucked out finding a private biplane pilot who can cut the four-hour commute to about an hour and who’s been able to take me back and forth. While construction hasn’t begun, there are a lot of meetings and permits to be filed. We’ll make adjustments with each new restaurant that’s built, but they’ll be erected one right after the other. So, I need to stay focused.

Joyce has been a godsend. She attempts to keep Mom busier on the evenings I’m away. Yet, even though she tries to reassure me that everything is smooth sailing, I can still feel Mom backsliding a bit. But that could happen whether I’m at home or not.

“Harlow, can you send me your schedule? For the hospital and drill?” It’s hard enough to find quality time to spend with her around her work commitments, add mine, and it’s nearly impossible. The last two weekends, she was either working or with the National Guard. The next she may have off, but then there’s the boys’ schedule. But I’m certain she attends all of their games, whether they’re with their dads or not.

“Okay, I will.”

I hold off on extending an open invitation to come to the pool after their game until I know if they’re with their dads for the weekend. I know it’s odd, spending time with her exes. But they aren’t bad guys, just a little rough and tumble around the edges. And Harlow doesn’t mind having them around if it means keeping her boys closer. While the whole gang is welcome, I don’t want to put Jimmy and Rob in a bad place by having the boys ask to spend time with someone else on their weekend. And to be honest, I miss having time alone with their mother.

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