Page 24 of Trusting the Fall
A hint of the florist next door to Liv’s bakery is just in frame, but in full view is the trendy little cocktail bar, Chord and Coupe.
God fucking dammit, the bastard was definitely right.Again.
“Looks good, hey?” West stands in the doorway, looking around with a smile before fixing his gaze on me.
He chuckles. “Don’t look like that.”
Huh, guess the eye twitch wasn’t just in my head.
“Like what?” I ask, moving past him to head back to the salon floor.
“Like it physically hurts you that Lee suggested switching the rooms. I know the salon is your business, but construction is his. It only helps you to take on his suggestions.” I pin West with a skeptical glare, raising my eyebrows.
“Look at it this way,” he continues. “If we kept the layout how you wanted, and at the end of this you realised it wasn’t the right move, you might have blamed us for not pointing it out. People very rarely blame themselves when they have an equal hand in things, and that could have reflected badly on Lee as a business. He wants people to walk away loving what we’ve done for them, and that includes making suggestions where he sees them.”
I fold my arms over my chest, blowing out a breath. “I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am. Now, let me show you these paint samples.”
I smile and follow him over to the front windows.
There are six big boards lined up against the window with writing along the top. I can see the two colours I picked out, a pale pink called Face Powder for the walls and a darker pink called Sorbet for the doors.
Britt, my interior design consultant, told me the colours would look different on the wall compared to the website and paint chips we were looking at, and she was definitely right. They have a grey undertone in the natural light that has me scrunching my nose.
When I look at the boards beside them, there are two other pale pinks and two more bright pinks.
I step closer to them, taking in one that’s a light, classic shade called Cadillac Pink, but the one next to it reminds me of soft petals and sweet, sticky marshmallows. Unspoken Love.
It doesn’t look too bright for the space but still exhibits enough pink power for what I envisioned.
The next board is darker with a playful tone that throws a retro vibe called Full Bloom, but it's a bit too purple when it’s next to the Unspoken Love I’m drawn to. I pick up the very last board and place it next to the lighter one. Romance. It’s not too loud. It has a perfect balance of peach and rose.
With the gold accents I’ll have around the space, the warmer shade would work so much better. I take another glance at the original colours I picked, then back at the ones Lee picked before I look back at a waiting Westley.
“I changed my mind.” Taking a deep breath, I turn around, taking in the salon, envisioning all the things I want for this place. “I want Unspoken Love and Romance.”
11
Ireachintomytoolbelt, feeling for my pencil to mark out where I’m cutting into the timber next.
“Is that the last one?” Dad calls out.
I move over to the jigsaw, set up on the trestle beside me and lower my safety glasses. “Yeah, this is it,” I say as I start to cut along the curve.
Dad, my cousin Tristan, and I have spent the weekend building my mother a gazebo. Of course, she wanted planter boxes and fancy arches. But what my mother wants, my mother gets. There isn’t anything my dad or I wouldn’t do for her. Tristan, as well. Including spending hours in the boiling sun building another new fixture for her garden.
I’m glad the hardware store is open late most days. I was able to pick up all the supplies we needed Friday night, plus order things I needed for projects at work. Like Claire’s paint. She hasn’t been quite so disagreeable lately, actually taking on my suggestions. I feel like I’ve learnt how to handle her over the last few weeks. Rather than outright question her decisions, I simply show her a second option. Perhaps it makes her feel like the ball is still in her court.
I wasn’t trying to suggest she was wrong in her first choices. So often, clients come to us unsure of what they want. I’m used to providing guidance, and my endgame is to make sure everyone walks away with exactly what they were hoping for. Quality work and a reputation for supporting our clients through every aspect of their project are what’s going to help Connors Construction grow.
We’re still a baby company. This is only my third year operating as the boss. The idea for my own business grew because the guy I worked for during my apprenticeship retired. He mostly did renovations, and I always admired the way he developed personal relationships with his clients. He built up a level of trust and respected the sentimental value that people carried with them when it came to the space they called home. I liked the way John did business, so when he decided to put down his tools, I asked to buy him out. Mum and Dad helped me, and I was able to take over his warehouse and office.
When I renamed Hardy Homes to Connors Construction, he made it a point to tell all his previous clients that I was taking over. Westley used to work for John as well. He stayed with me, and I was glad to not only keep his friendship but his expertise and support in growing my own company. Especially when it came to working with clients like Claire.
I like to manage the biggest jobs myself and do a majority of the budgeting and ordering materials for most of our projects. It means my supervisors can focus on building relationships with their clients and being available on site instead of being bogged down with admin and paperwork.
John’s daughter, Britt, stayed on as our pre-start coordinator, helping clients to be confident with their colour and material selections. Especially if they were the ones who truly didn’t know what they wanted. She helps with keeping all of us boys organised with our schedules as well. As long as we don’t ask anything of her before her morning dark roast has hit and we don’t interrupt her Kindle time at lunch, we end up with a happy Britt and a smooth sailing day.
