Page 39 of Roads Behind Us
So why was I already trying to find reasons to see him again?
But I had a job to do, so, gathering up all my girl power, I tried to forget the warm, chestnutty smell of Bax’s skin and bellowed into the morning, “Listen up!”
Some of the guys kept talking amongst themselves. There were always a few in every crew, guys who didn’t automatically defer to a woman in charge. But they were about to.
Lifting two fingers to my lips, the earsplitting whistle I let out seemed to bounce off the trunks of the trees surrounding the clearing we were congregating in. All eyes finally landed on me standing on the bed of my truck. It was the only way they’d all see me.
“Mornin’. I’m Bea. If you work for Brand Lee and Lee Construction, you work for me.” A couple men snickered, but there were a few women in the sea of faces beneath me, and they nodded in solidarity. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m a woman. I’m short, and maybe you think I don’t look like I know what I’m doin’. You’d be wrong. I do. I can do any job on this site, and probably faster than you. So don’t fuck around. Let’s get these jobs done and quick, before winter hits and we all have to go home underpaid.”
More nods. People were starting to gear up. They were ready to work. Good.
“Alright, house crews, you should already know your jobs since you’ve been at this a while, but the new assignments are in your inboxes.
“Also, Brand wanted me to apologize again for the delay, and you should’ve received the bonus he set up for y’all. If you have any questions about the new crew configurations, my number’s in the email. You can call, but I probably won’t answer unless you blow up my phone. Text is better.
“And cabin crew”—I pointed to the southwest, to a small, unfinished structure Bax and his family would be using as a picnic area and community building for guests—“meet me by the rec building. We’ve got a few things to go over before I let you loose. I’ll be there in five.
“Giddyup, people,” I said, clutching my clipboard under my arm. “Let’s get to work.”
Everybody milled around for a minute, saying hello to their coworkers, but they all headed to their assignments quickly. In construction, the faster you got on the job, the faster you got off. If the sun was still up and high in the sky when your day was done, then it was a good day.
A stocky guy with a bushy mustache and a beer belly hung back by himself, away from the groups getting in the parked trucks on their way to their designations. He had a clipboard in one hand, too, and a huge Thermos tucked under his arm.
“You must be Clay Marveaux.”
“Yup, in the flesh.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, jumping down from my perch and extending my hand for a shake. “I’m glad to have you here to help me rein in the chaos.”
“You were pretty good with the guys. They respond to a firm hand.”
Whoa. Could it be true that Brand had found a nice guy for me to work with, one who didn’t try to step all over me and prove his manly dominance? Still, history would keep me appropriately skeptical until Clay proved me wrong.
“Thanks. Yeah, I’m used to it. It’s kinda my superpower. Should we head to the rec hall? We’ve got a lot to get to.”
“Lead the way, miss Bea,” he said. “By the by, you got a crew name?”
“A nickname?” I tried not to laugh. “Nope, sure don’t.”
With his black cowboy hat, brown suede jacket, rodeo belt buckle, and the toothpick stuck out the side of his mouth, I had a feeling this cowboy-turned-builder, Clay, and I had about zero things in common in our personal lives, but on the job, we’d get along just fine.
By the time lunch rolled around, a symphony filled my ears: hammers hitting wood, saws buzzing, people lifting and hauling and climbing. The cabin crew called out to each other, asking for help, acknowledging the help given, checking measurements and dimensions, their voices singing lyrics to a song that sounded like home. I was in my happy place.
“Bea!”
I turned to the sound of my name from one voice that didn’t belong and saw Athena running toward me.
“Athena, what are you doin’ out here? You can’t be here. Not without a hard hat and your dad’s permission.”
She stopped in front of me, and her face fell. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“No, you haven’t done anything wrong, but this isn’t the safest place for a kid.”
“I’m almost fourteen, Bea.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a kid.”
I laughed. Oh, the naivety of children. “Still, Athena, just to be safe.”
“Okay, I hear you.” She shrugged. “I like your outfit.”
