Page 2 of Call It Home

“The question is, why me? We can’t be in the same room for more than five minutes before it becomes a cat-and-dog fight.”

Because I already entered your name.I was pretty sure I could come up with an excuse to the show and swap out names, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Besides, if there had been anyone else’s name to put forth, I wouldn’t have typed his name on the application.

I decided to stick with the truth, or at least a half-truth. “I want more exposure for our company. This is a good opportunity, and despite your growly disposition, you’re good at what you do.”And you’ll look good in front of the camera.But I kept that opinion to myself.

What I didn’t add was that the job opportunities that had once flooded our office were now only trickling in. We’d had several in the pipeline when my grandfather died suddenly. A few more came our way. He died seven years ago, but in the past three years, Sterling Construction wasn’t getting the number of jobs it would take to keep us afloat. Adding national recognition would be a legitimate bragging right, and it would hopefully draw attention to Sterling Construction, which had been in my family for generations, going back nearly one hundred years. And now, under my watch, it was losing ground. I couldn’t have that.

I knew I could keep Sterling Construction afloat, keep and create jobs, and maintain my family legacy until, hopefully, I produced someone to inherit it. But I wanted to expand on it, as well.

“Why not Will? He’s got more experience than me.”

“He’s also got a family who needs him at home.”

“So, I’m single and therefore expendable? Maybe I have people counting on me.”

My eyebrow arched. “Do you?”

His mouth snapped closed as those eyes grew as hard as emeralds.

His nonanswer made me wonder if he was hiding something. Despite getting along well with any crew he worked with, he still mostly kept to himself. Ironically, one of the people he seemed to have developed a friendship with was my twin brother, Chase. He also got along well with Zach, my cousin Emalee’s husband, even helping him with a surprise project for Emalee. Sometimes he hung out with them at Ferg’s, one of our local bars that my friends and family frequented. But even then, he remained fairly reserved.

In return, the guys liked him. I wondered if he was just uncomfortable around me, but I suspected it didn’t make a difference. He just seemed to be a very private person.

“Let me be clear, boss lady. I have no desire to be part of any contest. My work is solid.” He looked pointedly at me. “And I don’t need other people to tell me it is.”

I knew exactly what he was insinuating. He was wrong. “I know you’re good. I am, too. That’s what would make us so great together. I think we’d be unbeatable.”

For a big guy, he jumped to his feet with the agility of a cat. I guess that clearly made me the dog in his earlier analogy. That was fine. I’d fight him for the bone I wanted.

I stood, too, and came around the desk, cautiously maintaining a distance that allowed me to look him in the eye without craning my neck. “Think about it.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” I heard him mutter as he stomped out the door to my office, pulling the door closed with a loudclickthat echoed in the office.

When it was safe, I blew out a long, weary breath. I had anticipated he was going to be a hard sell, but I’d hoped he’d at least be open to a conversation. I had a week to get his—or someone’s—signature on the forms or I’d have to decline the offer.

Collapsing back into my chair, my eyes landed on the black-and-white photo of my grandfather and his father-in-law standing proudly in front of the brand-new building they’d designed and built decades earlier. It was the same building where I now sat. Each of them had managed the company, negotiated deals, and grew the business in the same office Mac had just vacated.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Gramps,” I said, quietly. “We were supposed to have years together to make our plan work. I’m so tired of trying to prove myself. But I won’t let you down. I promise.”

I could almost hear his answer in my head.“I know you won’t.”

We always had new guys signing on, but a couple of project managers had been with the company for years. One of them had even known me since I was a young girl who tagged along with my grandfather every chance I had. They were another reason it was important to prove myself.

Sue poked her head into my office, pulling me back to more immediate worries. Sue had been here for years. The bun she always wore her hair in was nearly solid gray, and she needed bifocals, but she was a wealth of experience I relied on, as had my grandfather. She was the only other woman who worked for Sterling Construction—not my choice, just how it was.

Her nose wrinkled, and her mouth puckered. “Bruce Montego called. He wanted to know if we were going to submit a bid,” she announced, her voice laced with disgust, a feeling I shared about the developer known for skimping on quality and allowing subpar materials for his houses in Marionville, a more bustling town in the foothills.

“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to work with him anymore and withdrew our bid,” I replied with a tinge of frustration.

“We did.” Sue sighed. “But Will thinks we should reconsider. He worked up a new proposal. It’s a little lower than the original. He thinks we need the work, and because it’s in a different location, it will get some new eyes on our company.”

Damn it.Bruce was the last person I wanted to work with. But Will had been here for nearly thirty years. The guys respected him and always looked to him—not me—for leadership. Will was always kind to me and had helped me ever since my grandfather passed, and I was dependent on him in more ways than I should be. But I always figured the guys would see that he trusted me and would follow his lead.

“Maybe he’s right.”

“You want to submit the bid?” Sue looked surprised—and maybe a little disappointed.

I shook my head. “Let me look at it again. This isn’t a limbo contest, and I don’t want to go lower than what we originally discussed.”

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