THE BUILDING WAS GIVEN final approval for occupancy, which meant all the regulations and standards of the county were met and they now had permission to move in. As contractors, they could hand the keys over to the owners.

The job shack was swiftly removed by the agency where it was rented from and Chris spent a week hauling all the tools and equipment, both big and small, back to CGC’s warehouse. There they stayed until the next job, while Chris coordinated the final work schedule and cleanup. He had to use the interior of the building or his truck for an office now. With little left for her to do, Julia began working on the next project, alongside Lloyd, and spent far less of her time with Chris.

True to his word, Lloyd kept it professional, remaining impersonal and always on the up-and-up. Chris didn’t comment on it although they talked daily or saw each other after work. If he asked her about it, he was always pleasant, concerned about how her day went as well as how the project was going.

Upon receipt of their Certificate of Occupancy from the county, Lloyd told Chris and Julia, “The owners want to celebrate with a new building reception. They plan to do it this weekend, before they move into their new offices with the furniture and equipment. Anyway, it’s on Saturday at six, and dinner is included. Please come, and bring your families. Really. You both were integral components to the success of this and you deserve to celebrate. It isn’t often that we, the contractors, get invited at the completion of a project, but especially rare to extend the invitation to the field and office workers who were directly involved in it. So when it happens, I am very pleased to have it occur. I hope to see you there.”

Julia glanced at Chris who nodded to Lloyd without looking at Julia for permission. “I can make it.”

“Me too,” Julia said. Then they continued working.

Later, she called her parents and they were thrilled to come and see the product of her hard work. She and Chris agreed to keep things low key and arrive separately.

A few days later, on the way home from work she had to swing by Tully’s first because Chris asked her to pick up a cake Tully made for him. The man loved his fresh baked goodies and Tully often made surprises for him. Conversation swung around to the weekend and Tully asked casually if they had any special plans. Julia glanced at her in utter shock. “Uh… yeah. The big reception? Remember?”

“What big reception?”

Julia nearly smacked her mouth shut. Crap. Had Chris not even told her? Or invited her? Why not? It seemed so unlike him not to. Crap. No.

“I’m sorry, I just assumed he invited you?”

“Invited me? To what?”

Julia bit her lip, looking confused but she couldn’t lie to Tully because it felt like she was betraying Chris. “It’s the opening of the new building he just finished as superintendent. We were all invited, and they told us to bring our families. Very rare, but—”

“Are your parents going?”

Hesitating, Julia nodded. “Yes. But they won’t let on about Chris and me. It isn’t any political advantage for us to advertise our relationship. Maybe that’s why he didn’t mention the reception.”

“I wouldn’t betray you two. That’s very odd.” She pressed her lips together, still puzzled.

Worried that she said too much, Julia hastily ducked out of there. She should have called Chris and told him but she worried she’d inadvertently interfered between Chris and his mom, creating some hard feelings. That would have killed her. She didn’t want to be that kind of girlfriend. When two days went by without a word from Chris, she tried to convince herself that nothing would come of it. She had to believe that. Tully wasn’t the kind of person to stick her nose somewhere that Chris didn’t want it. She’d most likely let it go, feeling a bit hurt perhaps, but probably would not corner Chris or demand to know more about it.

When they arrived at the gala event, Julia walked into the finished foyer and glanced around, her heart lifting with pride. She helped accomplish this. Sure, she was merely the paper-pusher, and didn’t pound a single nail or pour an inch of concrete into the project, but she was vital in getting all the materials there to the right people who knew how to use them, as well as scheduling all the inspections and ordering the appropriate paperwork and supplies. Now the front windows sparkled against the night sky and exterior lighting. The inside was all done up with balloons, flowers and linen-covered tables that were set up around the big foyer. Some held appetizers, others were filled with drinks and some were for general seating.

The dress wasn’t formal so Julia wore a simple sundress with sandals. Her mom wrapped her arm around her shoulder and kissed the side of her face. “This is very impressive, not only what you’ve done but what you are doing. I wasn’t so sure when your dad arranged the interview, but look at what you’ve achieved. I’m so proud of you, Julia.”

Julia cringed. Yeah, and look what she’d done with the boss who interviewed her. She shuddered. It would have killed her dad if he knew… Oh. No way could her dad ever find out about that.

She spotted Chris who was standing a head taller than most of the guests, and a half a body wider. His spotless dress shirt stretched over his massive chest, making him look well put together and far more preppy than he normally looked.

“Chris isn’t the kind of man I ever expected to be with you. I have to get used to this gentle giant thing. But he looks so handsome, Julia,” her mom said softly, addressing it only for Julia’s ears.

Julia beamed. “He does wear it well, huh? I like that innate confidence of his. He can be so casual in his construction clothes or formal—”

“But always with an edge.”

They shared a grin and then Julia glanced up when she saw a woman’s head bobbing in the crowd. It caught her attention and her heart froze. “Mom? Did you tell Vickie? About tonight? About this?”

“What? Vickie?” Tracy whipped around, following Julia’s gaze. Rising up on her tiptoes, she scanned all the heads, until she too saw her. Tracy groaned. “Oh, no…”

“Did you invite her here?”

“I’m sure I must have told everyone. Grandma and Grandpa, Gretchen and Tony, Kylie and Ally. Vickie always knows what’s going on, I mean, at least all the big stuff, Ju-Ju. You know that. You were the only one who refused to speak to her.”

“And Dad,” Julia grumbled.

Tracy nodded. “Yeah, he always tried pretty hard not to, but still…”

Julia cringed and scowled when Vickie spotted them and immediately swung around and started crossing through the immense crowd. She wore a short skirt and her blonde hair, so much like Julia’s, swung around her back in thick curls.

Tracy left Julia’s side and intercepted her. Vickie towered over Tracy and drew the attention of many onlookers. Not Tracy though. The wonderful, classy, and well-groomed woman was dwarfed by Vickie’s blaring beauty and brassiness. How could her mom stand it? She was ten times the woman Vickie could ever be. But then again, she knew her dad realized it and had for twenty years. And Tracy didn’t need the admiration or platitudes from outsiders. Not like Vickie, who seemed to require constant stroking. Much more than she needed a daughter.

Julia gritted her teeth, and her mom spoke quickly, using her hands to gesture towards Vickie. Vickie glanced at Tracy with a frown before shaking her head and looking at Julia. Julia could always count on her mom to run interference for her. Whether it was Vickie or a stranger. Julia sighed and set down the bottle of fizzy water in her hand.

It was time for her to freaking grow up.

Julia came up behind her mom who was startled at her sudden appearance. Tracy and Vickie separated and turned towards her.

“Julia?” Vickie spoke first. Her eyes sparkled as her gaze traveled over Julia. “I know I am the last person you wanted to see here.”

“Then why did you come?”

“Because I shamelessly hoped to steal a moment with you. A single moment after years—”

“You reap what you sow from life.”

She sighed. “I know. You look so lovely, and I can’t believe all this… you worked on this?”

“Yes, this was and still is my job.”

“Julia, I know you think I failed you. I now understand your refusal to see me for many years. Could you maybe just let me stay here? I promise I won’t interfere. I’ll be quiet. I’d just like to see you. It’s been so long. I’ve tried to respect your wishes all these years, but I wonder if you could find it in your heart to honor mine. Not because you owe me anything, but just out of human kindness. It would mean the world to me.”

Julia sighed. Vickie was always so good at twisting around situations until people felt sympathetic towards her. Always. She couldn’t help herself. But this time, instead of anger throbbing in her gut at Vickie’s repetitive behavior, Julia felt nothing. It was a vast improvement to the churning emotions Vickie used to create inside Julia. Anger, confusion, rage, sadness, and total frustration that no one else could evoke in her. But maybe now, Julia didn’t care as much as she used to. She glanced at her mom and Tracy smiled back, shrugging. Julia knew it was up to her. She nodded. “I guess, tonight is okay. But please don’t turn this into a regular thing, okay? I don’t want a reunion with you and there isn’t anything I want to discuss. Can you just stick to that?”

Vickie beamed and nodded, rocking forward a bit and almost trying to hug Julia, but she resisted the urge. Julia turned when she sensed a presence behind her. She knew right down to her toes that it had to be Chris. He stood directly behind her, beaming before his gaze grew more concerned. His jaw tightened with displeasure as his head bobbed towards Vickie and then back to Julia. His hand approached her, and she eagerly put hers in his as a protective gesture of support. Then they immediately dropped the quick touch of hands. He winced slightly and smiled with regret gleaming from his eyes.

“Hey,” he said softly and his smile was only for her. It seemed as if he blocked out the entire room. His lips barely lifted and no teeth showed but it seemed to Julia like a loving caress. A sensation of warmth bolted down her spine and caused goose bumps to rise on her arms.

“Hey,” she said back just as softly for his ears only.

“Can you believe how this place looks now? A bit different than that mucky field you first walked up through… wearing all white, I might add.”

She grinned wider. “Beige. It was beige, not white.”

“White is white is white,” he teased her.

“No, I can’t believe all this either. What developed is so unlike the first day.”

He nodded his head. “Yes, what developed is far beyond the first day.” His grin was tender. Then his gaze flickered to Vickie and back to Julia. “Why, um, why do you have two mothers here?”

Julia tightened her jaw, shaking her head. “I have one mother and Vickie. She just showed up.”

“And you’re allowing her to stay?”

She sighed. “I feel a little less angry than usual. So perhaps it’s easier to let her stay than insist that she leave.”

“That’s so mature.”

“I told you,” she said, leaning forward and wanting to touch his arm with her hand, but remembering herself and drawing backwards. “I have begun to mature.”

“Oh yeah, you sure have, Ju-Ju-Bee.” His gaze lowered but soon returned in an ogling stare.

She rolled her eyes and leaned towards him to say softly, “My dad’s here too, you know. Let him see you do that to his little girl.”

Chris’s head was lowered to hear her and he lifted it up as he whipped around. He saw her dad over by the bar getting drinks for her mom and him. Her dad noticed Chris and raised his hand up to greet him with a friendly, hey you, and a smile on his face.

“Well, now I feel kind of like pond scum. Stupid parents,” Chris mumbled as he stepped back. Moving around Julia, they both turned towards Tracy and Vickie.

Tracy greeted him and seemed so proper as if he weren’t her daughter’s boyfriend. Luckily, and stranger still, he was a boyfriend Tracy liked and approved of being with her daughter. She had genuine affection for Chris and usually greeted him with a hug or at least a familiar smile while asking him how he was. But with Vickie present, Tracy held back and acted far more formal than before, as if she didn’t know Chris at all.

“Oh, you were one of the guys I met that day,” Vickie said, tilting her head with a small smile as her gaze traveled over Chris. Julia wanted to grab his arm and insert herself between Vickie and him to let Vickie know that Chris was all hers. But she knew now it was better to stand still, putting some space between them and acting as normal and casual as she could.

Everyone turned when the loud screech of a microphone’s feedback echoed through the sound system. The owner gave a short but eloquent speech about the building and how it will improve the neighborhood with all the businesses it would soon house. Then he handed the microphone over to Lloyd so he could talk about the latest innovations that were included in the plans, which maximized the newest green technologies for commercial buildings. That was something Julia and Chris were no experts on, although they both researched much of it and provided instruction on how to utilize and install it as part of the basic construction.

Lloyd spoke articulately and wore a tailored suit. Then he shocked her, and judging by Chris’s facial expression, him also when he singled Chris out, saying, “A lot of credit is due to my eyes and ears on-site, Mr. Chris Vaughn. He brought this project in on time, and on budget, which as anyone in this business knows, is often impossible. I threw him into the deep end with minimal instructions and no floatation devices, pretty much saying, ‘sink or swim’ and Chris rose above it all.”

Chris’s entire face turned bright red. His eyes grew huge when Lloyd led a round of applause for him. Julia cheered too and probably clapped the loudest. He glanced down at her, and his expression was thunderstruck. He was brimming with pride, humiliation, and shock. The room quieted and Lloyd said his closing remarks to the owner regarding the future of the building and the usual schmoozing and bullshit.

After some polite clapping at the conclusion of his remarks, there were some more toasts and several more speakers addressed the room before everyone collected into smaller groups and mingled. Lloyd came up to them and shook Chris’s hand and Julia’s. “I didn’t expect you to single me out,” Chris said shaking his head, his surprise still evident.

Lloyd slapped his shoulder. “Well deserved. I’ve delegated work to a lot of new superintendents and many who have been doing it for years but very few can handle the pressure like you. You did excellent work on a tough project. I see nothing but a promising future for you in this business.” He turned, glancing at Julia, and included her. “I mean that to both of you. You two make a reliable, intelligent, and productive team. I hope to utilize you both again in the near future.”

Chris and Julia glanced at each other, their eyes widening along with their smiles although they were unsure how to react. Did Lloyd really just say that?

“Lloyd Cartwright. I told you my daughter was amazing, huh? Glad to see you got to realize it too.”

Julia glanced over his shoulder as her dad walked up. She shrank from embarrassment. Oh, God. Her dad was bragging to Lloyd about her.

Lloyd turned, shaking Donny’s hand. “Yes, you did. She is amazing,” he said, glancing at her, while the tiniest smile crossed his face. She could see it was full of longing, and conveyed a private message. It said much more than his words. Oh, no. He was demonstrating his feelings for her. She turned a brilliant scarlet under the scrutiny of both her father and Lloyd, but most of all, from Chris. He was standing just behind Lloyd, out of her dad’s view, but not Lloyd’s. Chris stared at her as she listened to the casual conversation between Lloyd and her dad about her.

She glanced up at Chris, wishing she could grip his hand and squeeze it, just to tell him not to let that get to him. They both promised Lloyd, of all freaking people, to keep their relationship discreet. They had an entirely new, lucrative, and important project that was due to begin soon. It would boost both their separate and collective careers if they could get experience from it. They could not suddenly jump out as a couple now though, and blatantly throw Lloyd’s request to keep their relationship private right in his face.

But damn. Was Julia tempted? Chris’s lips twitched and he twisted his neck back and forth in obvious annoyance.

“She’s been invaluable on-site,” Lloyd continued.

And it made Julia feel even worse when her dad beamed at her, throwing his arm around her shoulder and tugging her close to his side. His affection for her was no secret. “She is. I knew you’d find her perfect.”

“Oh, I did,” Lloyd said, his eyebrows rising. Julia glared back at Lloyd, safely ensconced under her dad’s arm and making sure her dad couldn’t see her anger. However, she thought her mom might have caught the look they exchanged.

“So I hear she’s helping with the next eco-friendly, green building. You starting a niche company with that?”

Thank God, her dad switched the subject from how wonderful she was. Chris’s mouth was tight as he glared at her and then at Lloyd. Lloyd asked Chris a question before he also entered the conversation with his mentor-turned-nemesis-turned-mentor again. Their current relationship was so odd and confusing.

But then, as Julia continued glancing around, she spotted Tully. Oh, crap. She came. But of course she did. She should have been there. If Julia’s parents and Vickie came, surely Chris’s mom deserved to be there too. She hoped Chris wouldn’t get angrier than he was right now, after her forgetful lapse in mentioning the event to his mother.

But Tully wasn’t staring at Chris. Or even at Julia. No, her gaze was riveted on Lloyd. She was flushed, her eyes were blazing and her mouth was drawn back in a sneer. What the hell? She paused several paces back from where the small group stood, but all of a sudden, she came charging forward.

Why? Why did she seem so perturbed and aggressive?

“Lloyd fucking Cartwright. Are you kidding me?”

Everyone whipped around to see who said that. Everyone except Julia who already had her head turned that way. Chris suddenly sprang up towards his mom as if he’d just been electrified with a cattle prod. Julia’s eyes bugged out. This was not the situation she pictured at all tonight. She feared she may have slipped up by telling Chris’s mom about the reception and then not warning Chris that she did, but Julia assumed it was due to his embarrassment or just not wanting to deal with Tully, since he seemed to think the celebration wasn’t such a big deal. Julia had no idea why Tully was all but screaming at Lloyd. It couldn’t have been over Julia. No. Even if Tully figured out he was her “boss,” she’d wouldn’t care this much. Why did she call him out by name as if Lloyd could know her?

Lloyd’s eyes were bulging and his neck jerked like he was having a mild seizure. “Tully? Tully V-V-Vaughn?” he stumbled over her last name and his bug-eyed gaze went from her to Chris before he slowly shut his eyes. Something weird flashed over his face. But then… something else changed his expression. With the snap of his fingers, Lloyd seemed to experience some kind of profound epiphany.

What was happening here? Lloyd’s hand came up and he gripped the back of his neck. His eyelids flipped open and he stared hard at Tully and visibly swallowed. “He… he’s my son. Chris is my son.”

The words were said very quietly. But they were strong. They stopped the conversation of the entire group surrounding them. Her parents. Chris. Tully. Julia. Julia stared open-mouthed at Tully. Chris was Lloyd’s son? What?! she screamed inside her head. What? NO! Oh, no. Her head whipped around, looking at all of them as Chris hung his head and Tully stared from her son to Lloyd, his father?

Julia let out a small squeak. But Tully unleashed her fury at Chris. “What are you doing here?” she hissed at her son.

Chris touched his mom’s shoulder gently and squeezed it in support. “I work for him.”

Tully’s eyes squeezed shut. But when she reopened them, her gaze shot up to Chris, whose eyes were flashing. “Him? You work for him? You knew then? You knew who he was?”

“I knew.”

“How?”

“You told me his full name, years ago. You probably don’t remember. I looked him up and—”

“And what?” Lloyd interjected, following the conversation. All the people involved seemed awestruck. Including Julia. She couldn’t make her tongue move. All the words she wanted to say could not be articulated by her.

“What were you doing all that time? It’s been four years. How could you not say something before now?” Tully remained focused on her son.

All eyes turned to Chris, who shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I was doing. I just wanted to… to meet him, you know? Just to tell him who I was and see what he did for a living and the kind of guy he was. I assumed he’d be a flaky asshole and deny my claim of being his son. But when I showed up at his office, he thought I was there for an interview. I went along with it, just to get an impression of him. I didn’t believe anything would come of it. But when he offered me a job, right then and there, I figured, why the hell not? It was better pay than what I was getting before. Lloyd was friendly and seemed likeable so I thought I’d stick around for a while, and see what he was like.”

“And?” Lloyd prompted him.

Chris’s gaze popped up to Lloyd’s softly worded question. “And what?”

“And what did you decide about me? Was I the real deal? Or a complete fraud and schmuck? I assume that’s what you were trying to determine.”

“Yeah, it was.” Chris held Lloyd’s gaze. Meanwhile, Julia’s ears buzzed and she could barely focus on their conversation, let alone, what it meant regarding her. “And no, you’re not a fraud or a schmuck. Not about work anyway. You treat everyone fairly. You’re tough, but fair. I never expected you to notice me, or take a shine to me, or talk and interact with me, until suddenly you were calling me over all the time and showing me things. You know. You were there. You know how things went. It all just kind of happened and propelled me forward and it seemed so natural. I didn’t mean to start working for you like this. It just snowballed and seemed—”

“Right?” Lloyd filled in. Chris nodded.

Shrugging, Chris sighed and said, “Yeah, it seemed right.”

“But why not tell me?”

“Because I didn’t know if I wanted you to know who I was. I still don’t know. I was worried about what it would mean. And that it would make things weird and awkward. I enjoyed our working mentor-apprentice relationship, at least until recently. That was enough for me. That worked. I was all grown up before I met you. I wasn’t looking for someone to play daddy with me. My mom,” Chris eyed Tully who was listening with huge, pain-filled eyes. “My mom raised me and gave me all I needed. So working with you was fine for a while. We got to know each other, and drew some boundaries and I thought I liked that until…”

Julia flinched when his words trailed off. She knew the “until” was where her name should be inserted between them—father and son. “Until me.”

Chris visibly flinched and his helpless gaze scanned all around, landing on her. He nodded, and she saw the regret in his eyes. “Yes,” he whispered.

“You what?” Tully’s head whipped around to her and then back to Chris. Julia recognized the exact moment all the pieces fit together in Tully’s mind. “You and your… oh, shit!”

“What? What more could there be?” Julia’s dad spoke behind her. She cringed, shaking her head frantically at the three family members standing in front of her. No! Please! No! They could not tell her parents what she did. Oh no. No. Her anxiety soon became panic as her breathing escalated and her pounding heart hit her chest painfully.

Then Lloyd seemed to realize where Julia fit into it all. His eyes rounded out. “Oh. You mean—”

Julia had no chance to process, react, or respond before her dad suddenly stepped around her and stood before Lloyd. Shock rooted her to the ground before she could realize what was about to happen.

“You slept with my daughter? My daughter! Who is thirty years younger than you? I sent her to you for a job, you disgusting, perverted, old asswipe!” The entire room was now turning towards them. People were staring, whispering, and tapping each other to watch the obvious drama now taking place.

“Dad, no!” Julia yelled after him, grabbing his shoulder, but she was too slow. He swung his arm and his fist connected to Lloyd’s chin, making his head jerk back at an odd angle. Julia heard the sickening thunk! of knuckles slamming against bone and saw the ensuing blood of the violent encounter, which made her nauseous.

Lloyd fell backwards to the ground, exclaiming his pain while grabbing his face. He leaned over, breathing heavily, and moaned. Her dad stood there, shaking his hand out, glaring while standing over Lloyd and daring him to stand up straight. Julia’s gaze scanned the room. Mom held her hand to her chest, her mouth hanging open and looking just as shocked as Julia. Tully just stared, and Chris and Vickie stared too. Then all their gazes traveled to her.

Humiliated beyond anything she could ever imagine, Julia retreated. Chris noticed her. “Julia…” he said, ignoring her dad’s sudden interference. His hand reached out towards her.

She shook her head at him and put her hand up, signaling for him to stay back. Tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her face. She spun on her heel to flee the room, and all of the stares, so many stares, from her parents, and even Vickie, and Chris’s parents… Worse still, from Chris. She wanted to get away from Chris perhaps most of all.

He knew the truth all along. Chris knew that Lloyd Cartwright was his father. And when she slept with Lloyd, he was well aware of the ugly circumstances. She scurried to the sidewalk and away from the building. Slipping her heels off, she ran barefoot to escape down the walkway. Chris knew she had slept with both father and son. Her stomach squeezed with horror and her head grew dizzy. Oh, God. Nothing could be so gross. Or so sordid. Or so wrong.

And all along, she had no idea that what she was doing was so wrong. Sure, sleeping with her boss was not acting in her best behavior, and maybe even bordered on bad behavior. But she would never have knowingly slept with a father and then with his son. How could Chris do that to her? How could he not tell her? And not tell Lloyd? He should have just not freaking slept with her.

There were plenty of details she still wanted to know. But her shock was too pervasive. All she could think was that she had to get out of there.