Shaking his head at his own personal humor, he reheated some leftover pizza, opened up his laptop, and concentrated on work. He’d only been at it about an hour when his phone rang. He glanced at the ID and hesitated. Then picked it up.
“Hey, Jerry. What’s up?”
The slight slur of words told him his best friend was on his way to feeling really good. “Connor, my man! Where the hell you been? Fancy college boy now and can’t come out and have a few beers?”
A flare of guilt hit. When was the last time he’d seen him? Weeks. They’d been really tight working construction for a number of years and had each other’s backs. Until Connor had begun wanting more. More than getting drunk every weekend. More than seducing some new woman into bed. More than blaming management for all their trouble on sites and pretending they were better than anyone else because they got their hands dirty.
The fun had begun to turn bitter. Especially when he’d made the decision to get his degree and apply for a management position.
Connor forced a laugh. “I’ve missed you, dude. Been dying to get out and share a pint, but I’m slammed with schoolwork.”
“Didn’t think you’d try and become one of them. What happened to you, man? Those books get to your brain and make you think you’re something you’re not?”
The words cut deep, but he kept his tone easy. “Nah, I just got a few more months and this will all be behind me. Keep my chair warm, okay?”
“Fuck the classes, man. Come and have a drink with me. There’s a pretty young blonde serving me that’s dying to meet you.”
Half of him wanted to go. It would be so easy because it was the routine he’d followed for the majority of his life. He’d get a good buzz, bed the blonde, and be happy for a few hours.
The problem was the next morning when reality hit. When the blonde left and he had a sick stomach, lighter pockets, and the faint tang of failure in his gut. Not this time. Not anymore.
“I’ll catch you next time, dude.”
Jerry cursed. Then hung up.
Connor clicked off and rubbed his forehead. He felt like a traitor. Jerry and him went way back, and his friend was old school. He believed in working hard on the site and partying harder when he was done. Unfortunately, times were changing and management wanted more from their crew as things became more technological and architecturally modern. They wanted team members to grow with them, not just show up to put in time.
Connor wanted one thing: secure the lead foreman job for Bilkins Construction. He’d been lucky enough to be included on the subcontractor team for the huge project with Tappan Zee Construction, which was building the new bridge over the Hudson River, but he needed more. It was the only reason he’d spent the last two years breaking his ass to stuff four years of school into two and still make an impression at the firm. Bilkins only hired college graduates for upper management. Connor was determined to transform himself into a businessman who could straddle both worlds—the one on a working site and the one behind a fancy desk.
Finally, his efforts were working. The higher-ups noticed him and respected his work ethic and his leadership role with the crew. He’d changed his life radically to become the man he’d always wanted to be but never thought he’d deserve.
Was he betraying his friend by wanting more out of his life? An emptiness clawed up from deep within him he’d never experienced before. He wasn’t sure how to feed it, so he concentrated on the only thing he could control right now.
Graduate. Get a promotion. Make more of a difference. Then maybe, the hunger would go away.
He sat at his desk for a while, then got back to work.
Chapter Six
“I don't know if I should care for a man who made life easy; I should want someone who made it interesting.”—Edith Wharton
“Mom? I’m bored.”
Ella slipped off her glasses and rubbed her tired eyes. Glancing at the clock, she noted it was already past five p.m., and darkness had slipped over to blanket her most precious Saturday. Not that she’d done anything great. Food shopping, cleaning, a few rounds of the Wii with her son, and then grading papers.
Now, Luke stood in front of her desk with puppy dog eyes and a young boy’s leashed excess energy. Winter sucked. Sports were nonexistent, the holidays were over, and he was already bored with his new video games and stuff from Christmas. She kept waiting for him to invite some friends over, but he hadn’t seemed to make any connections yet. A few times, she spotted a small bunch of boys out front talking to Luke while he waited for the bus. She didn’t want to ruin anything by being his pushy, overbearing mother, so Ella kept quiet and hoped he’d make his own way.