CHRIS SHOWED UP PROMPTLY at seven. Having showered and shaved, he wore a button-up white shirt with thin gray stripes and matching gray slacks. They showed off his muscular butt and hugged his powerful legs. His torso was thick as a tree stump and his chest widened from there, but the snug-fitting shirt accented his size and sinewy muscles. Her heart somersaulted in her chest when she beheld him holding a single rose in his hand. Of course, it was for her. Chris Vaughn, holding a rose.

For her.

Julia didn’t change her clothes. She didn’t expect to find Chris in nice slacks and all the fanfare. She thought, it was just Chris.

Taking the rose with a smile, she said, “Hi,” but suddenly felt shy.

“Hey.” His tone was deep and sincere, and flowed over her nerve endings like warm water.

They didn’t speak again, but stared at each other for too long. She cleared her throat and turned, saying, “Let me put this into some water.” Julia put the flower in a single bud vase, adding water as she spoke. “So I didn’t change…”

“You look lovely, Julia. As you always do.”

She glanced his way. “So do you.”

He smiled, and his eyes crinkled up in the same warm, kind way she never failed to notice. They were the first features that defied his bulk, strength, and sheer power of intimidation if you only judged him by his tall height and body mass. “Not as always, however, so it was sorely needed on my end. Had to clean up a bit.”

She struck the sink handle too hard when she turned the water off. His gaze darted up to hers. “Did I say something wrong?” he asked.

Setting the vase carefully beside the sink on the counter, she began shaking her head to the negative. “No. I did. I must’ve made you feel less than acceptable. Like you weren’t good enough for me.” She snorted. “If you could only see how wrong that is. I’m the one who isn’t good enough for you. How can you not see that?”

He frowned, a cloud of confusion glazing over his eyes. “Why should I see that?”

“I never treated you with all the support, kindness, caring and… and I can’t even list all of the wonderful things you’ve shown me… and then I crassly ignore it all and pick…” She bit her lip, staring down at her still bare feet.

Coming closer, Chris touched a finger under her chin, raising her face to his. “I thought we went over that before? We already aired that stuffy room out, so let’s not talk about it. It’s all about today. Moving forward. Not today and yesterday or the day before…”

“Chris,” she shook her head, “all I do is obsess over the past. Remember Vickie? Do you see me dealing with her from this day forward? It would be so much healthier, and better for all, including my real mother. I keep driving a wedge through my family because I can’t let it go. How do you turn what I did with Lloyd around and let it go?”

“I can do it easily because it had nothing to do with me.”

“That’s not what you said… twice that I can think of.”

He winced. “I know. But that was jealousy. I was not in the right. I shouldn’t have said anything to you either time. It had nothing to do with me.”

“It does though.” She gripped his hand in hers. “It does. I think I did it to… to, I don’t know, to get your attention. I know I could have said something—”

“So could I,” he interrupted.

She shook her head. “But I chose to go on a power trip with an older guy with whom I never had any intention of staying with in any capacity. I hurt him, I know I did, but even worse than that, I hurt you… which makes me exactly like her.”

“Her?” Chris scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion.

“Vickie. Her. That’s what she does. She manipulates men. First, she controls them. Then she hurts them. This is my first time out with men and look what I did.”

“Your first time out?”

“Yes. I wasn’t a virgin when I came here but I’ve barely dated. Although it was nothing like the drama of the last six months. I think I got sucked in by all the attention.”

He stared into her eyes and his face was solemn. He shrugged. “I don’t think you’re like Vickie.”

“I do.”

He shrugged. “Well, then, try to never do it again.”

She stared up at him. Her face contorting with puzzlement. “Don’t do what again?”

He nodded. “Seems only reasonable. If you don’t like doing something or you think you might have done it for the wrong reasons, and you don’t want to be like Vickie, then don’t do it again.”

Julia pressed her lips together, unsure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. Chris was so right. And also sweet, easy-going, strong, kind, and decent. She suddenly threw her arms around him. He was so huge, it was hard for her to hug him. Like hugging a giant tree trunk. But he wasn’t any tree trunk. No. Chris was alive, aware, and very complicated. And he was there for her. She leaned back. “I’ll change.”

“You don’t have to. You already know how much I like you.”

Chris was funny when he was serious. She grinned. “No. I meant my clothes. Let me change my clothes. I want to. I want to do this date right. Maybe I haven’t done anything right yet, but I want to start. So let me change.” Her eyes lit up. “The beige dress. Let’s use it for something that can finally be appropriate.”

He let her go and she slid her arms free. He grinned. “I love that dress on you.”

“Then I want to wear it for you. Wait here, okay?” she asked, still holding his hand in hers, and slightly reluctant to let him go. As if he could get away from her. As if she were afraid it would go all wrong or slip away from her now that she managed to do something right.

He grinned as she stood there, staring at him. “Ju-Ju-Bee? Don’t you need to… go somewhere to do that? So we can go out?”

She smiled. He hadn’t called her that since the night at the hotel. “I do. Don’t leave.”

His eyebrows scrunched down. “Why do you keep saying that? Why would I? This is what I came for. Why would I leave?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I just feel you might. I feel anxious over you, where I didn’t care what Lloyd thought of me. Or if he stayed with me or not.”

“I’m staying with you. Now go get ready, so we can go. On our first date.”

Her smile released into a huge grin. “Okay. I’ll go get ready for our first date.”

He released her fingertips and she quickly scooted around him, refusing to get neurotic. Her worst fear was that she would scare him away. She hadn’t flipped into that mode for a long time. Never with Lloyd, because she hadn’t cared about what happened. She stopped dead as she realized how much she cared about what happened with Chris. She told herself to move forward and stop being weird. She couldn’t scare him off before their first official date. Flying into her bedroom, she stripped off her clothes and put on the beige dress with a brown belt and matching heels. She brushed her long hair straight before she came back out.

He waited in the dining room, looking at the family pictures. He turned when she re-entered and his grin lit up his craggy face. Chiseled with asymmetrical creases and lines, he looked more interesting than classically handsome. How did she manage to ignore her pounding heart before? Was it beating as fast as it did now? How did her nerves not make her palms clammy as they were doing now? How did she miss that?

“You look just like you did when we first met.”

“And I hope that’s a good thing?”

“Yeah. I saw you across the job site and my heart flopped around. It felt all weird. You were so pretty. And seemed so unsure, quiet, reserved. So you. Utterly unreadable.”

“You think I’m unreadable?” She jerked back in surprise. It was not something she ever considered about herself.

“You’re a pretty cool customer. Why do you think I failed to ask you out so many times? I wasn’t sure of how you felt. I didn’t know. Thought maybe you would… and then I thought, nah, that’s crazy. You don’t feel anything towards me.”

“Maybe… maybe I just wasn’t ready then,” she said softly.

He held her gaze and put his elbow out for her to take. It was an exaggeratedly slow movement that held her eyes, which were already locked on his. “Ready now?” The suggestive undertones and his slow smile were magnetic.

“Ready.” She smiled, her thoughts on cloud nine as she stepped forward and took his arm.

Chris was a gentleman from the start to the finish. He opened doors, pushed chairs in and out, and said plenty of polite pleases and thank yous. He took her to a small, quaint but excellent seafood restaurant and they ate scallops with pasta and vegetables. They discussed work, the people they worked with, and the many similar views and opinions they shared. They both enjoyed making fun of the quirks some people had.

Towards the end of dinner, Chris got a text and glanced at his phone discreetly. He blew out a breath in visible annoyance, or perhaps it was distress. She wasn’t sure. “What?”

“Uh… just… work.”

Her eyes studied him. That could change things for a long while. She straightened her back. “Lloyd, then. Who else could it be?”

He held her gaze before he quietly answered, “He’s back and says he wants to meet with me first thing in his office, tomorrow morning.”

Stricken, Julia stared at him. All the implications of what she did or could have done to Chris’s career, his profession, and his means of supporting himself kicked in. She shut her eyes but her mouth stayed open for a long moment until she said, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s completely expected. I knew we’d have to, you know, get it all out and clear the air at some point. Don’t worry, I can handle it, Julia.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I didn’t… I never considered what could happen to you when I did all this. Not even when I saw you at the airport and you were virtually giving up your job, your living, your profession. All for me. You shouldn’t have risked so much. I’m not worth it. I certainly wasn’t worth it at that point.”

His large shoulders bumped up and down, distracting her. “I disagree since I chose to do what I did. You didn’t ask me to. I knew what I was risking.” He stared right at her. “I still stand by my first decision.”

“And you think I was worth that?”

“I still do.” He spoke softly and her heart swelled so much, she feared it could cut off her breathing.

“Let me see Lloyd with you.”

He shook his head, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. “That would make it even more awkward.”

“I’ll sue him. If he fires you or tries to take out his revenge on you, I already told him I’d sue him for sexual harassment.”

Chris laughed but it was hollow. “Oh, I guarantee he’ll have some sort of revenge on me. It won’t be blatant, but something more subtle. More refined. By giving me the crappiest jobs, or even throwing me back out in the field.”

“Not as a superintendent.” The reality dawned on Julia.

He scooted forward, leaning his elbows on the table to grasp her hand in his. “Yeah. It’s… it’s what I’d do too, Julia. If things were reversed. If, after that night at the hotel, I’d had any power over Lloyd, I would have used it to somehow get back at him. So…” he shrugged. “Yeah, I expect the worst. But I’ll make it work.”

“How?”

“I know a lot of people now, thanks to Lloyd. I’ll put my feelers out.”

“For a new job?”

“That’s the only solution to this. I knew that the moment I made this date with you.”

“I should quit then. So you can stay.”

“You should do whatever you choose to do. Lloyd won’t take it out on you. Like you said, you have lots of leverage. I don’t have any. He’ll direct all the grunt work my way. Besides, I think he does care about you.”

“Something that could easily turn to hate. Too easily. That doesn’t protect me.”

“I won’t let him come after you.”

“No. I don’t want you to protect me, either. I did this. I caused this situation. I chose this. Promise me to protect yourself and don’t worry about me. Let me take care of myself with Lloyd. Whatever happens between him and me is my battle, not yours. Okay?”

Chris nodded. His eyes glinting. “Okay. But I don’t like it.”

“You shouldn’t like any of it. But here we are since I caused it. I set it up, so let me bear the brunt of it. Whatever happens.”

“Let’s put it away for tonight. Remember? From today forward.”

She smiled. But she didn’t know if she could start living from this day forward. Not with his job in jeopardy. Not with so many unknowns how their relationship would hurt him. She couldn’t stand that she was going to be the cause of loss for him.

 They went to a movie after dinner, sharing popcorn and soda with lots of handholding in between. He drove her back home, and walked her to the door, kissing her on the mouth. It was soft and sensuous, but most of all, promising. And it stopped there. He pressed his mouth to her forehead.

She stared up at him. “Thank you. For… this.”

“Dinner and movie? Not exactly a unique date, Ju-Ju-Bee.”

She smiled and touched his cheek. “It is, at least for me. And… no, it’s more than that. I like how you treat me.”

“Really? How is that?” His expression revealed his puzzlement at her statement.

“Like I’m your friend, an equal, important… but also like I’m precious, soft, and feminine. I don’t know. It’s a perfect combination and something I’ve never encountered before.”

“It’s not magic, Julia. It’s common courtesy.”

“It’s not really, Chris. But whatever it is, I like it.” She still held his hand in hers and looked up at him as she added, “No, I love it.”

The big, bald man blushed. The light shown on his pink skin and Julia stared up at him as her heart flipped over. She might have solidified right then and there that she was going to fall in love with him. She was as close to falling over that ledge as she’d ever been or could ever imagine. He blushed. He was so sweet and capable. So kind and strong. So magnanimous and confident. He was filled with the qualities that made him fascinating and interesting. She must have been a complete fool for not seeing it sooner.

A complete and total fool. And the worst part was that he might have to pay for her actions.

Letting go of her hand, he stepped away and left.

****

First thing on Friday morning, at eight o’clock sharp, per Lloyd’s request, Chris entered the front door of Cartwright Construction. His boots clunked on the clean tile floor as he stepped into the empty foyer. He paused a moment, sure that Lloyd must have heard his entrance, then he crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Of course, Lloyd would make him stew in his own juices. Chris simply leaned his butt against the edge of the secretary’s desk. He refused to be intimidated by his boss… or his dad.

He was prepared to walk and let Lloyd finish up the project. Let’s see how smoothly that goes for the old man. Chris had plenty of little details, important details, locked up in his head. He was indispensable, at least for the moment. Sure, after they passed final inspection with the city, all that was locked in his brain would have already been executed and finished so it wouldn’t matter anymore. He’d become dispensable upon completion of the project. But right now, and today? He wasn’t.

Things had gotten personal.

He believed all along it would eventually become personal between Lloyd and him, he just didn’t foresee how. Not at all. Not because of a woman. Who could imagine a woman would be the factor that stood between them? And only he knew everything. All the pieces that made it an even worse scenario than Julia or Lloyd could imagine. Something he had to take to his grave now. He might have been wrong for lying by omission but what good could come of that information now? Julia and Lloyd had already slept together. Chris had already fallen in love with her. After last night, there was no more doubt. So what good could come of revealing facts that could hurt everyone? Chris struggled long enough with it, but eventually made his peace, mostly because of Julia and his undeniable feelings for her.

Lloyd walked out and he didn’t smile. Dressed in a blue suit and a white shirt with no tie, Chris figured he was bringing out the big guns. He intended to intimidate his grubby worker, Chris, who wore ripped-up jeans, a t-shirt, and boots. There was no contest as to the better dresser nor the man with more sophistication, polish, and class. It was Lloyd naturally, and not Chris. But somehow, Chris reached Julia in a way that Lloyd couldn’t. Emotionally. Chris realized that was the hard way to get Julia. She wasn’t easy or slutty, because she reserved herself, refusing to open up very often. Was that a result of her flaky, wayward mother? Chris wasn’t sure, but after last night, and their date, their very, very good date, he deduced that once she gave herself willingly, it might be forever. It might be so deep and unusual that she never gave it away. She had to be all in first. All of her.

They stood there for a good thirty seconds in a silent standoff. Chris would have been the one rolling his eyes at all the masculine preening he observed. They were like two bodybuilders preening before each other to figure out who had bigger muscles. Lloyd said in a cool, crisp tone, “Chris.”

“Lloyd.” Chris’s tone mimicked Lloyd’s.

“Why don’t you come over here and sit down?” Lloyd invited Chris into his office. It was his company and his money, wealth, power and success seemed to stare at Chris. Sure. No problem.

Chris followed Lloyd inside. Predictably, Lloyd sat behind his desk, which was big and long and full of papers. His clout literally oozed from his position and placement with relation to Chris. The man was brilliant at marketing his brand and right now he was the embodiment of Lloyd Marketing.

Chris sat in the chair before his desk, one leg crossed over his knee, leaning back. He was purposefully striking a casual, very much at ease pose and refusing to cower. He would not appear contrite, sorry or weak. He denied Lloyd any power over his personal life.

“So… I just wanted to clear the air. Because there seems to be a huge elephant standing between us—”

“I’m sure Julia will appreciate that analogy.” Chris threw her name out and his run through the gauntlet began. Lloyd’s cheeks tightened as his mouth twisted in a scowl. Chris merely raised his eyebrows. The challenge was on and dutifully accepted.

“Yes. Julia. So, we both obviously share the same thoughts about her.”

“Yes, I have my own thoughts about her.”

Lloyd sighed and threw up his hands. “Look, I’m trying to stay professional here. Not turn this into a juvenile, mudslinging contest. Could you work with me a little here?”

Chris leaned forward, the silence lingering. He set his elbows on his knees. “Depends. Are you going to fire me?”

“I can’t pull you off the Cobalt building right now. You must realize that.”

“Job security for a month. After that, are you throwing me back to being a laborer? Or just clean out of the company?”

Lloyd shut his eyes and sighed. “Neither. I hoped to put you on this…” Leaning forward, Lloyd tossed a book at Chris. Chris stared into Lloyd’s eyes for a long moment, which seemed both surprised and contrite. Lloyd held his gaze until his eyes lowered, indicating to Chris that he should look at the book. Chris scooted forward and took it. It was the specification book for a new building. A city library, of all things.

“Bidding goes out next month. I was going to ask you to work with me on it. It’s a complicated job because it’s being funded by the state and the prevailing wages apply. It makes for a lot more paperwork too and filings and extra costs, but I thought you could handle it. The thing is, it’s just you and me, Chris. For eight to ten hours a day. Side-by-side.”

“Working.” It was the chance of a lifetime that anyone his age, in his employment, and with his ambitions would have jumped through hoops to get. He could accumulate some more estimating experience, and state work, which meant more responsibility and power and trust. He pushed the book toward Lloyd. “Let me guess, first I have to give up Julia. No more working with her?”

Lloyd scoffed. “No. That wasn’t what I was saying at all. This would entail a close working basis between you and me… and…”

“Julia,” he finished for Lloyd.

“Yes. I think I can handle it. I haven’t been in this exact… situation before, but my personal life has overlapped my professional life before. I can stay focused and I can manage it. The thing I have to know right now is, can you?”

Chris stared Lloyd down. His eyes glittered as he asked, “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why ask me to do this? You have superintendents who have been longer in your employ than I have. You could hire new ones too, from outside the company. Why would you put yourself through this? Do you think it’s fun to see me squirm? Or to make Julia uncomfortable? What?”

“Because, Chris, in short, you are the best we’ve got. You have the best potential. I think you could make me and this company a lot of money in the next decade, that is, if I continue training you and keep you at CGC. Your talents are too valuable to waste. I regret what happened and this personal situation. But I’ll deal with my hurt feelings outside of here, if you think you can deal with your… what I must assume are happy feelings, outside of here too. You won the contest. Congratulations. Now do you want to do more business?”

“Is this a trick question?”

“How do you figure?”

“Get me doing this so you can lord it over Julia? Make her feel like shit about it? I don’t know, so you can extract some guilt from her over what you perceive she did and who she picked?”

He sighed. “So, I guess you can’t keep it professional?”

“I wouldn’t say that. But I’m not your trained puppy and I won’t do tricks for your praise and treats, especially if you intend to use it against Julia and me. Whether you’re subtle or blatant about it.”

Lloyd leaned forward, folding his arms on his desk. “To my knowledge, no one has a clue about her and me. We kept it out of the office and the company and the job sites. No friendly pats or words of endearment or any other cute stuff. You were the only one who knew, am I correct to say that?”

He evil-eyed Lloyd, but nodded. “So what’s your point?”

“My point is, I expect the same behavior from you two. I have no company policy about co-workers sharing personal relationships—”

“Well, if there were one, it would probably concern a boss and his subordinate, not two people who are relatively at the same level on the corporate ladder.”

Lloyd bowed his head. “True. Let me finish my point. I am expecting you two to act professionally at all times during work. And if both of you can handle that, then so can I.”

“I can.”

“Then why aren’t you jumping at this opportunity? I’ll bet you would have nine months ago, before Julia got involved.”

“Yeah,” Chris acknowledged. “You’re telling me about it after Julia, so I have to ask, are you offering this to me with no strings attached? Professional and all business?”

“Yes.” Lloyd’s gaze darted off. “However, personally speaking, it’s not so easy for me, but professionally it’s the right decision. And my life has always been geared toward being professional. That’s my main concern and source of integrity. That’s why I’ve been married three times but have no kids.”

“Even your feelings for Julia don’t supersede the business? Money? Your need to succeed?”

“Yes.” Lloyd winced. “And probably why she chose you over me.”

He glanced at his computer screen. “She’ll be here in a few minutes. I’d like an answer from you on this. Then I’d like you to leave so I can have a similar discussion with her. I don’t need you getting all protective and blustering around her. You have to trust her with me if we intend to work together. Can you do that?”

Chris’s left eye twitched. “You are so good at this, Lloyd.”

“What?”

“Putting me in a place I didn’t think you could.”

“Can you trust her? Or better still, will you? Once we start this project, and we all have to work together, sometimes with the three of us and sometimes in pairs, will you be able to handle that?”

“Why should I trust you?”

“I think my history of sleeping with my assistants and not letting it affect my work here should answer any doubts you might have.”

“You’re a real asshole with women.”

“Yes.”

“But not with Julia. And you’re not an asshole with me. At least, not yet.”

Lloyd put his hands up. “I won’t be. Not here.”

Chris slowly rose to his feet and Lloyd put his hand out. “Deal?”

“All right. Deal. But only if Julia agrees. On her own. Without any pressure from me or you.”

“All right. Depending on that, I’d like us to get started on Monday. Can you come here about one o’clock? You’ll have time to work the site and start reviewing the project with me.”

“And Julia?”

“Yep. Nature of the beast. As my direct assistant in the office, but you are the closest thing I have to an assistant in the field. I could change that. Or we all could learn to live with it.”

Chris left with Lloyd’s words ringing in his ears. The man was good. Chris was expecting a macho, man-to-man, blustering, pissing contest, but instead he was offered a promotion. The only prerequisite was that he be willing to work with his present girlfriend’s ex. The real kicker of the whole thing, and he was sure Lloyd secretly loved this part, was he could watch the two of them interacting, working and collaborating together. A lot. And if Chris said no? He would look like the dick.

Chris won the girl. The contest. Lloyd lost. So if Chris acted jealous or unprofessional about any of it, he would be the asshole and make Lloyd look good. If he objected to Julia and Lloyd working together, he was again the asshole. A chauvinist. If Lloyd could tolerate Chris, he would have to tolerate them.

Brilliant. What a punishment. Yet he would go along with it and work. He would also learn from the man who once competed for the woman he wanted. He would let Lloyd mentor him. It was still confusing and not what Chris expected. Yet there they were.

He went to the job site, hunkering down to work when he already spotted a delivery and a mound of paperwork to tackle. Julia was expected to be there at three. When she showed up, she and Chris hung back from the others, not touching, and awkwardly looking at each other and then quickly away. He cleared his throat. “You talk with Lloyd?”

“Yes.”

“Did you accept his terms?” asked Chris. He felt odd, like he was asking whether she agreed to an indecent proposal from an older man. It wasn’t that way. Not at all. But crazily enough, the circumstances made it feel like that.

“Yes. Did you? He wouldn’t say what your answer was.”

“I did.”

They fidgeted, both of them as awkward as the silence between them. He cleared his throat. “It’s a good opportunity for both of us. And for Lloyd. And I don’t want anyone to lose their job. Not because of something unforeseen that wasn’t meant to happen. We didn’t do anything wrong, and neither did Lloyd and you… so…”

“Are you okay with this? I mean, us working so closely with him? Do you trust me?”

“I trust you.”

“Do you trust Lloyd?”

Chris sighed, rubbing his neck. That was the one thing he didn’t know. “I don’t know. But I know I have to. If I quit, you’ll feel bad. If you quit, I’ll feel bad. So there’s no perfect solution, so we have to try our best. Like he said, be professional, which means you and me. We keep ‘us’ out of this.” He swept his hand around to encompass the jobsite.

She nodded, biting her lower lip. “Okay. Yes. I think I can do that.”

“And for the record, I don’t actually trust Lloyd. I think if you gave him the signal, he’d be right back with you in a heartbeat. So I have to invest all of my trust in you.”

“He’s doing this on purpose, you know. Putting us in this unique situation. Trying to make you jealous. Making you deal with him and me right in your face.”

“Yes. I’m sure he is. But he also has a library that needs to be built and I know I can do it. I could learn a lot too and he’s offering me a chance no one else will give me.”

“Or me,” she said glumly.

“So it’s a yes? From both of us?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

He lifted his lips into a crooked smile. “I’d kiss you right now, but…”

She straightened up. “But we have a three-man audience right over there.”

“Exactly.”

They shared a tentative, nervous smile before quickly proceeding to their work. None of this was what Chris expected or wanted but he had to trust that it would work out. It was like an ultimatum: get over yourself and slay the green-eyed jealous monster, right here and now, or else. He hoped he was up to the test, and the job, and the girl. Of course, he wanted the last two items equally as much.