Page 5 of My Never
“Shut the fuck up.”
I love my friends.
2
Mark
Sitting at my desk looking over blueprints Monday morning, I pick up the latest batch of invoices for Marcketti & Ellis Construction that need to be signed off on so that they can be sent out. My phone shimmies on my desk as it vibrates. It’s Trystan.
“What’s the word on the cast? You get to bust out of it soon? Please tell me nothing is wrong. It’s not even lunch time yet.”
“It’s good. The cast comes off mid-March. That’s the good news. Bad news is I just got to the site. The plumbers fucked something up on the Johnson project. It’s going to put us behind a couple of days.”
I let out an exasperated breath. Just another Monday. We gave the Johnsons a list of plumbers that we personally vouch for when they asked for ideas of who to use for their build. They went with somebody not even on the list, which is completely their choice, but when I saw the name, I knew they had a historyof screwing things up. I tried to nicely hint at it, but the wife was dead set, and that was that.
“How bad of a fuck up?” I lean back in my chair, resting my elbow on the arm while rubbing my forehead in a nervous gesture.
“Like, put it in a completely different place than it was supposed to be.”
I curse under my breath. This is just fantastic.
“Yup. You gonna make the call or am I?” Trystan asks, voice full of dread. This is honestly one of the worst parts of the job.
“I’ll call the husband.”
“Probably smart.”
I huff at his remark.
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll get back to you.”
Hanging up the phone, I pull up my big boy drawers and dial Mr. Johnson.
After I’m done with the phone call that goes exactly as expected, I finish signing off on the invoices and check over orders to see what is expected to come in for our current projects. With that list in hand, I drop off the invoices with Trish, our secretary, to be mailed then walk to the back of our building which connects to the company’s storage warehouse.
Opening the door, I’m hit with the comforting scents of lumber. This is my happy place. I waltz from aisle to aisle checking off everything that has come in since yesterday. We’re only missing two shipments, which I remember seeing would be here sometime tomorrow according to the tracking info in my email this morning. Sweet. Most of the time there’s at least one shipment up in the air that we are unsure of its whereabouts.
I text Trystan with the little bit of good news. We needed something good after the plumbing debacle. I’d originally started this company on my own seven years ago, but afterTrystan got out of the service three years ago, he joined the company after Colin vouched for him. Within a few months, I knew I wanted him as my partner. He is a beast of a foreman, and with his leadership skills, runs a tight ship. He doesn’t put up with bullshit, and all the guys like him. I was more than happy to give him a place at my side. The load it took off my back was such a relief, and I knew he was worried about finding his place back in civilian life. The extra money he brought to the table helped immensely with taking our company to the next level.
My phone buzzes again. It’s my dad. Happy mood gone again. I pick up.
“Hey, Dad, what’s up?”
“Have you met this guy that Bryn’s dating yet?”
I sigh…Hello to you too.
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“So, you agree he’s bad news?”
“Yeah, I’m not a fan. I don’t think it’ll last long from the looks of it.”
“I hope not. I always pictured her with someone more stable. More attentive. He just doesn’t look at her like he should. His eyes wander too much.”
“Agree on all counts.”
“How’s business going?”
