Bucky and Andrew were a lot like her. On the clock, they worked. No small talk or pleasantries. Put a hammer in their hands and they hammered until break time, lunchtime, or quitting time. Either way, they’d work a man to death who wasn’t used to keeping pace. Brian would have a hard day, but it would do him good.
“Send him in here at lunch to sign all his paperwork with Paula. He’ll need his pay and benefits set up.”
“You sure about putting him on the crew? You don’t usually hire guys who have a history of drinking. He’s your brother and all, but he could be a problem.”
“I’ll see to it personally that he’s not. If you catch him drinking on the job, or he shows up half in the bag, I want to know about it immediately. Then, I’ll put him on my work detail.”
“Oh, God. You make Bucky and Andrew look lazy.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
“How can I? I’ve worked with you a few times when you’ve been pissed off about something. You’re ruthless.”
She didn’t think she acted that bad, but she could have a single-minded determination at times that some of the guys found hard to handle.
“I guess I can be a little demanding.”
“Yeah, and sugar is just a little sweet. Kind of like you, J.T. You’re a little sweet and a little sassy.”
“Are you flirting with me, James?” She smiled at the big man. In his fifties, her right-hand man on the jobsite, he oversaw every aspect of the larger jobs she took on. If she had a question about where a crew was, if they were running on time, and how the supplies were holding up, bet on James to know. She trusted his judgment and his opinion. If he’d had the business skill and the money, she had no doubt he’d own his own construction company. A hands-on kind of guy, James liked to do the job. Although he coordinated things for her, more often than not she found him swinging a hammer or sawing a board.
A hard worker, who took no guff from anyone on the site, he was also married to a petite woman who could put him in his place with a look. Whenever his three daughters smiled at their daddy, he melted. She loved those things about him.
James’s flirting with her was his way of coaxing her to stop being so hard-core into her work and have fun. In his opinion, she didn’t have any fun in her life. Maybe he was right. At twenty-four, she didn’t go out with friends; she didn’t really have any but Greg. She didn’t have a fun hobby, unless you counted making furniture, and that was more work than fun. Only when she completed a piece and stood back and admired the finished product did she feel any kind of satisfaction.
“I wish I weren’t the only one flirting with you. Have you ever been out on a date?”
He’d been working for her for the last four years and knew she didn’t go out with any men. If one of the guys on the crew asked her out, she politely told him she didn’t date people who worked with her. She’d change the subject, so as not to make them uncomfortable, and go on with business. For Jessie, it was all about business. Maybe too much.
“You asking me out on a date, James? You know that pretty wife of yours will tan your hide if you start stepping out on her. Not to mention, I’m not taking the chance she doesn’t sneak up behind me and fill me full of buckshot.”
“Trudy loves you, J.T. She’d love to set you up with some friend of hers.”
“Just what I need, your wife playing matchmaker. No way. Not going to happen.”
“The last few days have been rough for you. Everyone’s heard by now why you left Fallbrook. Most of us have known you for years, and we never knew the terrible circumstances.”
“Is that the polite way of saying you guys didn’t know my old man liked to knock me around for kicks?”
Jessie had seen James many times with his girls. A kind and caring man, he’d never think of raising his hand to one of them. For any reason.
“I’ve been in the construction business a long time. I knew Buddy Thompson by reputation. The kind of man you never dared cross. To think he’d unleash his explosive temper on you, Jessie, makes me furious.”
She wanted to get up and hug the big bear of a man. But that wasn’t her style, and she held herself back. Like she always did.
“I wondered how you’re doing this morning.” James waited for her answer, but she remained silent. “It occurred to me, no one looks after you.”
She couldn’t help it. It made her feel good to have this man come to check on her. Made her feel like one of his daughters. Unable to look right at her, shifting on his feet, completely out of his element, he cared enough to leave the crews to their work and come see her.