Page 80 of Indecent Ventures

Before Collin can answer, the littlest, sweetest voice yells, “Uncle Collin!” as a little girl that looks like a mini-Ashleigh comes flying into his arms. He catches her and engulfs her in a big hug.

She pulls her head back and runs her hands through his hair. “Can I braid your hair?”

Collin smiles. “Of course. My friend Jade wanted to braid it before we came, but I told her that only one girl is allowed to braid my hair.”

The little girl giggles.

Collin turns to me. “Lucy, this is my friend, Jade. Jade, this is the love of my life, Lucy Fitz.”

Lucy smiles at me. “You’re very pretty.”

“Thank you, Lucy. So are you.”

“Can I braid your hair too?”

“Of course you can. Uncle Collin told me that you’re the best hair braider around. I need to see if it’s true.”

Lucy’s eyes widen. She turns back to Collin and grabs his face. “Thanks, Uncle Collin.” She kisses his cheek. It may actually be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

We’re taken to the playroom where Lucy spends some time braiding our hair. She and Collin chat like old friends. It’s adorable. They’re obviously close. At some point, Lucy’s brother, Liam, walks in and introduces himself. He’s very polite.

About thirty minutes later, we’re all called in for dinner. The dining room table is set nicely.

Their family dinner can best be described as a company meeting. Their father drills each of them on their respective projects. When it’s Collin’s turn, his father asks, “How’s da Wander project?”

Collin lights up. His eyes sparkle and he has a huge smile. “It’s great. We already have the framing up.”

His father looks shocked. “How did ya get through permitting so quickly?”

Collin proudly wraps his arm around me. “Because of Jade. She does the best virtual modeling I’ve ever seen. It got us through permitting so quickly.”

“How much did dat cost ya?”

“She works for Carter and Reagan. She normally does it for bigger projects but was able to quickly do this one for us.”

I mumble to Mac, “Not bad for a stripper.”

I see Ashleigh silently shaking in laughter.

Collin nods at his father. “Da, this is the exact kind of change I’ve been trying to talk to you guys about. We need this type of technology to take things to the next level.”

Mac shakes his head. “We can’t afford that. We need to stick with what we know. We have a specific core competency, Collin. It doesn’t make sense to change things. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?”

I can’t help but interrupt. “It’s a matter of software and then training someone on how to use it. For single-family homes, it’s quite simple once you know what you’re doing.”

Mac looks pissed. “You manage your business, Jade, and let us manage ours.”

Collin snaps his head to Mac. “Watch how you talk to her.”

“I’m sorry, Collin, but your flavor of the week isn’t going to change my opinion on our business strategy. This company has existed for forty years without her.”

Collin shakes his head. “What strategy? To bury our heads in the sand? To build boring shit?”

His father smacks him on the back of the head. “Watch ya mouth. Collin, we’ve discussed dis. We build a certain type of home. Da same type we’ve been building for forty years. It’s put food on dis family’s table since da very beginning. We’re not rockin’ da boat.”

Collin is silent.

His father stands and places his napkin on the table. “Boys, shall we?”

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