“How do you like Heartwood so far?” I ask, making small talk as I sit on a white plastic lawn chair facing the desk, and Shelley digs around behind it.
“It’s great. Lovely, actually. We’re hoping to retire here in a few years. It feels like the perfect place to settle down.”
“Well, I’m thrilled to have the chance to work together. I’m so passionate about this project. You must have a lot ofother firms to meet with, so perhaps I can show you what VanTek can offer.” As I say this, Shelley holds up her hand to stop me.
“Maybe I wasn’t clear. We love VanTek—the price is right with the deal you were able to cut, and we think you’ll be perfect for the project.”
My eyebrows furrow as I process this information. Here I was, preparing for battle, preparing to convince her she needs me, and the competition is already over? My shoulders sag with of disappointment. If there’s one thing I live for, it’s a fairly won fight. I decide to recalibrate. This is a good thing. One step closer to the promotion.
“Oh. I see. Well, thank you so much, Shelley. Again, I’m thrilled,” I repeat, crossing and uncrossing my legs, unsure of what to do with them.
“So, I want your input on the design, but we’re still waiting on one other person to join us before I get started. He was supposed to be here by now,” Shelley mutters. “I guess we can do the tour of the lot first and then come back to talk specifics.”
She stands and walks around the desk to pluck a couple of safety vests off some hooks on the wall. Handing me one, she reaches for two of the hard hats hanging beside them.
I hesitate when I take it from her, wrinkling my nose as I think about what this dirty old hard hat is going to do to my blowout. My hair is perfectly styled, which has been hard to achieve lately. It seems to thin out every time I take a brush to it.
“Do we have to wear these?” I ask, and Shelley’s mouthforms a tight line as she nods. “We haven’t even broken ground yet.”
“I’m afraid we do, yes. It’s regulation for walking around on any build site. It’s policy.” I kick myself internally for not having thought of it. As a principal engineer, I didn’t often have to visit the build sites. My role was to sit behind a desk in a sterile corporate office, looking over blueprints day in and day out. But now that I want project management experience, this is starting to feel out of my wheelhouse. “And since this is a municipal project, it’s even more imperative we follow the rules.”
She puts on her own hard hat and vest, and I turn mine over in my hands to inspect it before I place it on my head. I grimace when I see what’s written across the front of my hat and Shelley matches my expression as she reads it.
My hat isn’t the only thing that’s hard.
“Sorry about that,” she apologizes. “It was intended as a prank because the boss-man had his brother helping here last summer. At least it’ll just be us on the tour. No one will see it.”
Weird, I think.I don’t remember Joe McCall having a brother. Then again, it’s been years. My memory might be faulty.
I sigh and put it on, reluctantly accepting that I’m going to spend the next half an hour wearing this ridiculous get-up.
So much for picking out the perfect outfit. I had carefully chosen my nicest dress pants that are slim through the leg but flared slightly around the bottom, and a long white collared shirt. I finished the outfit off with my favouriteblack heels, the ones with a bow on the toe, and my best red lipstick.
But all that hardly matters because much of my outfit is obscured by this heinous fluorescent vest and this immature innuendo hat. I’m thankful for the secluded location of the lot, and that we’ll be wandering the perimeter, far enough away from the road for me not to be seen.
My calves are already burning as we set out, from walking on the balls of my feet the entire time, trying to prevent my heels from sinking into the ground. I try not to let it show that I’m struggling as Shelley guides me around and points out elements of the natural landscape that will have to be taken into consideration when designing the building. But any time I let my stance slip and put my heels down, they disappear into the earth, causing me to stumble. Shelley, however, is trekking along like a mountain goat in her very work-appropriate hiking boots.
We’re at the very far end of the lot, overlooking a small creek behind the property, talking about the kinds of permits we’ll need to ensure we aren’t polluting the water systems, when Shelley’s head snaps up at a sound behind us.
Her face lights up when her gaze lands on whoever is approaching us, and time moves in slow motion as I turn my head and spot the person she’s looking at.
“You’re here! You made it earlier than I thought. Just in time to catch the end of the tour.”
“Hi, Shelley.” Hudson greets her as if they’re old friends, and my gaze darts between them, trying to make sense of what he’s even doing here. He was just at the boot drive, and now he’s standing in front of me, fully clothed in a slim-fitting T-shirt, jeans, and the steel-toe work boots I spotted in the trailer. “Sorry I’m late.”
Apologizing and taking responsibility? That’s new.
“Not a problem, you’re already familiar with the project by now.” My mind races trying to connect the dots, but Shelley turns towards me and gives me the answers I’m looking for. “Wren, this is Hudson Landry. He’s been at McCall Contracting for a long time, and he’ll be overseeing the project from their end. Wren is here on behalf of VanTek,” she says, looking back at Hudson. As a newcomer to Heartwood, she doesn’t know that an introduction is far from necessary.
My face drops and my stomach lurches. I resume the scowl I was sporting earlier and Hudson’s mouth lifts into a cheeky, boyish smirk as he comes to the realization that hits us both at the same time.
We’re going to be coworkers.
CHAPTER 4
HUDSON
God,she is stunning.
