The next morning…
Zach listened to the hammers pounding as he looked over the blueprints for the house, which were laid over the hood of his pickup. He felt a tug at his elbow and turned to see a woman standing before him, a cup of coffee in one hand and an irate look crossing her face.
“How long’s this racket going to last?”
“Good morning,” he said with a smile. It wasn’t his first run in with nosy, irritated neighbors. “We hope to be done as quickly as possible. Two to three months.”
“Two to three months?” she sighed. “You woke my husband with all this noise this morning. He works nights and sleeps during the day.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience. Perhaps he could get a good pair of earplugs,” he said as he spied Jax’s truck pull up across the street.
“Earplugs?” she spat. “That’s the best you can do?”
“Ma’am, I’m not sure what else to tell you,” he said, watching the sexiest man in the world cross the street.
“Good morning,” Jax said as he sidled up to the truck.
“What’s so good about it?” the woman shrieked.
Jax eyed him, one eyebrow rising.
“One of the neighbors is voicing her concerns about the noise,” Zach said, tilting his head toward the woman.
“My husband sleeps during the day… he works nights. You woke him up this morning,” she repeated, as if Jax could do something about it.
“Well, we’re putting the brakes on this job,” Jax said before turning to Zach. “We need to tackle a different project first.”
“Hallelujah,” the woman spat.
Jax turned back to her. “We’ll be returning, but it likely won’t be for a few months. In that time, I’d invest in a good pair of earplugs for your husband before we come back.”
“So, it’s just going to sit empty and ruining our property value for a few months?”
Jax smiled, but there was no mirth in it. “Either we fix it and make noise, or it sits. Doesn’t sound like we can win, no matter what we do.”
The woman sniffed haughtily before turning away and walking back toward wherever she’d come from without another word.
Zach couldn’t recall ever seeing Jax speak to someone like that. Something was definitely up. Recalling Golden’s comments from the night before, he got the same tightness in his gut making him wonder if he was about to be jobless.
“What’s going on?” Zach asked. “You alright?”
“Let the guys finish up whatever they’re working on today… make sure they secure everything before they go. We need them to work the Kent Street project—and I need you supervising. Is that going to be a problem?”
“No.” Zach had heard a little about Kent Street. Two towns over in Abington, there was a gay-friendly commercial district springing up. Restaurants, cafes, shops, and the like were opening and welcoming open-minded folks to spend time in a safe space. He loved the idea of it and had planned to go check it out. “I didn’t know you guys were a part of those renovations.”
“We’ve invested, but my brother’s been the one spearheading that project for us, along with his crews.”
“Your brother?”
Jax nodded. “I’m sending you and your guys to help Jason.”
And push me far, far away from you. “Is he behind?”
“No, quite the opposite. He’s ahead, but we need to be a lot more ahead than we are now,” Jax said, his jaw clenching.
The feeling in his gut grew. “I know this isn’t my place, but I have to ask. Am I going to have a job in a week or two?”
Jax’s head spun and the man faced him. “What makes you think you wouldn’t?”
The odd feeling in his gut only got worse. “I know Damien’s your money man… and you and Golden left yesterday because you had an issue with him. And now you’re pushing a project into a higher gear… it makes me wonder if something’s amiss. The kind of amiss that closes doors.”
“You don’t have to worry about your job,” Jax said. “The Kent Street project was a huge investment—our first huge investment—and we’d just like to push it forward a little faster than originally planned.”
“Okay,” Zach said. “If you say we’re good, then… we’re good.”
The feeling wasn’t exactly gone, but he liked Jax and had no reason not to trust the guy so far. He’d keep his fingers crossed and his ear out, just in case.
“I know we typically don’t work you guys on Saturdays… but I was hoping you could meet us on Kent Street tomorrow morning? I’d like you to meet Jason and see where we are in the project.”
Zach nodded. “Of course. Are you coming to work the project as well?”
He shook his head. “No, not at first. I’ll be staying here in San Alicia to oversee all the other projects we’ve got going. Linc and then Colt and their teams will head over as we wrap up a few more houses here.”
“Ahh,” Zach said. “Gotcha.”
“Tell your guys to be ready to head out of town early Monday morning,” Jax said as he fished his ringing phone from one pocket. “I’ll need you to arrange the trucks to transport your team, if needed.”
“Will do.”
Jax smiled and nodded his way as he answered the phone with a cheery “morning, baby.”
Kick me while I’m down, why dontcha? Logically, he knew Jax was an impossibility. Yet it didn’t make it easier to ignore the attraction he felt, or the guilt, for that matter.
Or the tinge of jealousy he felt when Jax talked to Golden. The man’s whole demeanor changed.
“Hold on,” Jax said into his phone before turning his attention on Zach. “How about nine tomorrow morning? There’s a bakery called the Blueberry Éclair across from the old Kent Theater.”
“Yeah, sure,” Zach answered. “I know where the theater is.”
Jax gave a quick wave before turning in the opposite direction and restarting his phone conversation. Zach watched as he headed back to his truck, ear glued to the cell, and climbed in, a broad smile on his face.
At least I keep my job… in Timbuktu.
Of course, Abington wasn’t that far, but it might as well have been when he wouldn’t be able to see Jax every day. Zach sighed before rolling up the plans and depositing them in the cab of his truck. Heading back into the jobsite, he knew his campers weren’t gonna be happy.
* * * *
“You know, I signed up to be a silent partner,” Jason said as he helped assemble sandwiches, clad in an apron and plastic gloves. Kent Street’s new bakery café, The Blueberry Éclair, had recently opened its doors to impressive business—it was a commercial investment he’d decided to take a chance on a few months before.
He loved everything about the Kent Street area—which is why he’d jumped on the project. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had the capital for such a large purchase, especially as his own business had struggled with a setback. He’d urged his brother and the guys at JLC to buy up several crumbling blocks parallel to Kent Street, which they’d excitedly done—except one lone house. Jason had scooped up a large, aging corner Victorian on the second street over for himself and had already started renovating it on his days off. Living in the LGBT-friendly neighborhood, and investing in its future—he loved the prospect.
But if he didn’t get back to the business at hand, the renovation of the properties, his brother and friends were going to kill him. He’d convinced the guys to let him spearhead the Kent Street project and use his own team to work the project so they could continue to focus on their work in San Alicia and building the business there.
“You look good in an apron,” Henri, the Blueberry Éclair’s co-owner and pastry chef, called over with a smile, his French accent somehow making the words sound just a wee bit better.
Jason scowled. “We need to hire more people. I’ve got houses to rebuild.”
The front door opened, and Jason saw his twin and Golden walk in. He cringed, knowing this wasn’t the way he wanted to be caught. Glancing over, he saw his brother’s eyebrow rising.
“You two must be desperate if you’ve got my brother making food,” Jax said with a smile as he reached the counter.
“A man’s gotta do what he’s gotta do,” Jason said to his brother before turning to Tate. “But seriously, you need to hire help.”
“I know, I know,” Tate said. “I’ve barely had time to stop long enough to put in an ad.”
“Well, I got you some help,” Jax said to Jason. “We hired a new foreman a couple of months ago, and he just finished up on one of our properties at home... so I told him to wrap up and come help you.”
“Perfect,” Jason said as he placed the last of the greens down. He wiped his hands and glanced at Tate. “I need a second.”
“We’re almost done,” Tate said. “Go ahead.”
Jason walked over to the counter, peeling off his gloves. “I’ve definitely bit off more than I can chew here.”
“I told you buying all those houses was too much for you and your crew. And then you become a silent partner here?” Jax said.
“We’ve made a mint, and we haven’t even finished half of those houses,” Jason said. “I couldn’t ignore the potential in this neighborhood. If we didn’t snatch them up, somebody else would’ve.”
“Oh, I’m not saying your idea was wrong. I’m saying you should’ve let me come up here and help.”
Jason shrugged. “I’m mule-headed. Like my brother.”
“Yeah, well, Damien’s getting antsy and reeling things in,” Golden said.
“The stipulation in the contract was that we had two years to renovate and we’d pay him back once all the houses were complete,” Jason said. “We’re already ahead of schedule, and we’ve already paid him some of the money back.”
“You’ve heard about that crimelord who died... Gino some-such?” Jax asked.
“Yeah.”
“Well, it appears some of Damien’s cousins were a part of that organization and a couple of them are talking about moving out to L.A. to get out of the limelight.”
“Lovely,” Jason said. “But what does that have to do with this job and our contract with him?”
“He’s been jumpy. Looks like he might be ready to get out of town,” Golden said. “He’s already sold off a couple of buildings he’d bought the last couple of years and talked to Lucas and Chance about putting his house on the market.”
“Are his cousins really that scary?” Jason asked.
“Apparently,” Golden said. “And to be honest, we don’t need that kind of affiliation with our company, so if he wants to leave the area, perhaps it’s for the best.”
Jason nodded. “So the sooner we get these houses done, the better.”
“Yep,” Jax said. “We’ve got a few projects to wrap up, but once we do, we’ll head down here, too. For now, Zach and his team can get the ball rolling on another house.” Jax cast a look over his shoulder. “I told him to meet us here, so we could get introductions done... and then I figured we could head over and see where you guys were in the timeline.”
“Absolutely,” Jason said, peeling off the apron. He peeked over at the kitchen and saw them boxing everything up. “Hey guys, I’ve got something I have to take care of.”
“No problem,” Henri said. “Thanks for the help.”
As Jason turned back toward his brother, the door opened to another customer. His stare landed on the man walking in.
A gorgeous man.
Jason couldn’t stop staring and realization hit him when the guy walked up to Jax and shook his hand and then Golden’s.
“This is Zach,” Jax said. “Your new foreman.”