Page 60 of A Perfect Pairing
He folded his arms and glared at her. “I have nevermetyou anywhere for a date, and I won’t be starting now. So let me know when you’re at your office, and I’ll come down.”
She held up her hands in mock surrender. “Okay, you win. See you later, baby.”
His heart flipped at the endearment, and his smile was still in place minutes after she left. Now that things were straightened out between them, he turned his full concentration to his to-do list. First up: reaching out to a friend about the memory care center.
Antonio took a seat behind his desk and found the number he wanted.
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Finance. It’s been a while. How’s life in the Big Apple?”
He chuckled. “Hey, Zo. I wouldn’t know, since I’m no longer there. How’s Sactown treating you and Ced?” Antonio had met Lorenzo and Cedric Hunter at an engineering conference several years ago and had developed a friendship with the cousins, who now owned their family’s construction company in the Sacramento area.
“Wait. You left New York?” Lorenzo asked with surprise. “The last time we talked, you’d just been promoted to senior investment manager. I thought you liked it there and would for sure be a partner or something by now.”
“Yeah, same. But things changed. I’ve been divorced for two years and moved back home.”
“Oh, man. Sorry to hear that. Hey, Ced, you won’t believe who’s on the phone. Let me put you on speaker.” There was a pause, then Lorenzo said, “Okay, you’re on.”
“What’s up, Ced?”
“Antonio Hayes?” Cedric asked after a brief hesitation.
“The one and only. How’s life treating you two?”
Cedric laughed. “Good. Married with a baby girl who’s my heart. Zo’s got a little boy who’s going to be running the company in the near future.”
Lorenzo took up the tale. “My little man is barely three but is already trying to draw and help me build whatever project I’m doing. My wife is amazing and doing well with her bath and body shop.”
Both men spoke with such passion about their families that a pang of envy hit Antonio. “Sounds like you two are pretty busy. Congrats on the wives and babies.”
“Tony’s back in Cali now, Ced,” Lorenzo said.
“Really. You should come up for a visit. We can show you around, and you can hang out for the weekend. Are you still in finance?”
“Actually, no. On my second day home, I went to visit my godfather—the one I mentioned who owned the town’s construction company.”
“Yeah, I recall you saying you worked with him in the summers,” Cedric said.
“Well, he decided he wanted to retire, asked me if I wanted to run the business, and turned it over to me when I said yes. My head is still spinning.” He told them about the upcoming condo project. “So I’m finally using that engineering degree.”
Lorenzo laughed. “About time. That baptism by fire sounds a little familiar. I don’t know if we told you, but our fathers did the same thing. They called us into the office and said they were retiring.”
“Effectiveimmediately,” Cedric finished.
“Glad to know I’m not the only one. What’s up with this older generation with their ‘I’m out’ mentality? No transition, nothing.” The three men howled with laughter. “With that said, I know you guys have your hands full, but I wanted to talk to you about something. You know Firefly Lake is a small town. We have a hospital with a small rehab center, but nothing for the older folks who are suffering from dementia or need round-the-clock care. My grandfather has Alzheimer’s, and we have to drive a good thirty minutes to get to the facility, and my grandmother is having a hard time because she can only see him once or twice a week, when one of us can drive her out there.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that, Tony,” Lorenzo said. “I completely understand because my mother-in-law has the same thing. It was hard on my wife because she lived in Chicago, and her sisters are the siblings from hell. We were finally able to move her out here to a really good place near our house.”
“What do you need, Tony?”
“We need to build a small facility in town, but the condos are going to take up most of my time for the next year to year and a half, not to mention the other smaller projects. I don’t have a big crew, and there’s no way we can do both. I have no idea how long Grandpa has. I know you guys are busy, but I wanted to see if you knew any other companies I can check with who might be available to do something within the next month or two.” Antonio hadn’t talked to the mayor or city council yet because he wanted to have as much information as he could and make it hard for them to say no.
“Nah, my brother. We got this,” Cedric said. “If you’re not busy the weekend after next, come on up, and we can figure out what you need.”
“Ced is right. And after we meet, he and I will take a trip down there to check out the land.”
Antonio felt as if a boulder were lifted off his chest. “Thanks, Zo. You too, Ced. I appreciate this. Do you mind if I bring someone with me?” He thought it might be a good opportunity for him and Tasha to get away.
“Ah… someone, as in a woman? Your wife?” Ced asked.
