Taking Chances (18 page)

Alex just looked at her, stunned that she knew more about him than he thought. Weren’t those the kind of things you come to know after you’ve been with someone for a long time? Alex thought. He didn’t know what to say, “Wow, I’d say you’re pretty observant.”

“Nah, not really, “Clair said, waving her hand in the air. “If someone came in to rob the place, I wouldn’t even remember what color shirt they had on. I only pay attention to the things that interest me.”

“It’s good to know I’m so interesting,” Alex looked up at the clock again--five-fifty. Ten more minutes and Clair had to be working. She sighed when she looked at the clock, and reached for the door handle.

“I know,” she said. “You don’t even have to say it. Stay here and I’ll be right back with your coffees.”

Two minutes later, Clair was walking across the street with two cups in her hands. Alex stepped out of the car and took them from her, placing them in the cup holders. When he turned back around, she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly and burying her face in his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head as he brushed his fingers through her hair. “It’s only two weeks, remember?”

Clair pulled back to look at him. “I know. You’ll call me, right?”

“Every day,” he said, brushing his thumb across her cheek. “It doesn’t matter what time it is, whatever time you get off, call me. That is, if you feel up to it.”

Clair smiled, “Are you kidding? It’ll be the highlight of my day, I’m sure. Call or text me when you get there. Just so I know you made it there safely, okay?”

“Of course.”
Alex paused; there was nothing left to say but the obvious. “Well, you better get in there. It looks like they’re getting busy. Stu’s going to give me dirty looks when I get there if I don’t hurry up.”

At the sound of the bell on the door, Clair turned toward the diner to see more customers filing in. She sighed and looked down at the ground. Alex placed his finger under her chin and gently tipped her head up. Her eyes were shiny, water pooling along her lids as she searched his face.  Seeing her like this upset him but made him happy at the same time. He felt horrible having to leave her, especially after the beautiful night they shared together, but thrilled that someone finally cared enough about him to be so upset at his departure. Who wouldn’t want a person to care for them like that?

Tenderly, his thumb brushed over her lips before kissing her. Clair responded, pressing her body against his and wrapping her arms around his neck, raking her fingers through his wavy hair. Twisting their bodies slightly, Alex leaned her against the side of the car, placing his hand on the side of her neck. He deepened his kiss, playing with her tongue, savoring the taste of her sweet lips one last time until he could kiss her again. Not wanting to stop, but knowing he couldn’t start something he wasn’t prepared to finish, without having to avoid the wrath of Stu or Roz, Alex pulled away from Clair. But she grabbed at the back of his neck, pulling him down to meet her lips and kissed him again. Her kiss was desperate, as if it were her last and she’d never see him again. Alex could taste the salt from her tears as they ran down her face onto their lips. Slowly, he pulled away and rested his forehead on hers before wiping the tears away with his fingers.

“It’ll get easier;” he said softly, “Roz will have you busy doing who knows what and we’ll talk every night. It won’t even feel like we’ve been apart that long. Fourteen days and counting, doesn’t that sound better than saying weeks?”

Clair nodded and took a deep breath. “Yeah, it does.” She paused, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t be such a cry baby. I seem to cry every time we’re together.”

“No. If anything, it shows me how much you care, and even though I hate to see you cry
, you have no idea how good it makes me feel that you care as much as you do.”

“I do care,” she sniffled. “I… I… I’ll see you soon,” she
said, before looking back at the diner. “I better go before Theresa comes out and drags me in there.  Be safe, okay?” Clair leaned forward and kissed him quickly one last time.  She gave him a half-hearted smile before walking across the street.

He watched her walk away and into the diner. Alex knew he had feelings for her but he never expected to feel this way so soon after meeting her. And he certainly never imagined leaving her would be so hard, even if it were only for two weeks.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Alex

“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty,” Stu said as he slapped Alex on the shoulder to wake him up.

Alex sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe away the sleep deprivation he still felt. How long have I been asleep? A few hours? he thought as he looked around. “Where are we? You ready for me to drive now?” he asked Stu.

“We’re here, in Pittsburgh, at the condo.” Stu pointed to the building in front of them.

“What do you mean we’re here? I haven’t been asleep that long, have I? I feel like I just nodded off.”

“Uh yeah, you were asleep before we even got on the
interstate. Which is pretty bad, considering the exit isn’t far from the house.” Stu smirked, “How much sleep did you get last night?”

“Not much, maybe an hour.” Alex thought back to his sleepless night and wondered how Clair was holding up. Had her six hours working at the diner gone by as quickly as his
had? He doubted it.

Stu started laughing and took the keys out of the ignition, dropping them in Alex’s lap. “Did you know you snore in your sleep? You do this little gurgling, whining thing.
Scared the shit out of me at first. I couldn’t tell if you were drowning or whistling at me. I started to stick a wad of napkins in your mouth.”

“Ha-ha, you’re so funny,” he said sarcastically. “If it was that bad, you could have just
woken me up. Why didn’t you anyway? I would have at least driven halfway.”

Stu waved his hand, “Nah, its fine. You looked like shit anyway and I didn’t feel like getting in an accident.” Stu dug into his front pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Let’s get our bags
and check this place out.”

The week slowly dragged on. The condo was almost like home, as far as all the major necessities went. The bed was nice and the fridge was stocked when they arrived, which Alex found a little strange. He knew Stu had money, but he had to pay a pretty penny to get the condo rented out for only two weeks, when most people rented in monthly increments. To Alex, the condo was only missing one thing, or rather, person--Clair. He had talked to her the last two nights, though their conversations felt too short. He knew she was busy at work, but he couldn’t help but think she wasn’t interested anymore. He knew it was a stupid, but it didn’t stop the idea from popping up in his head.

Stu was interested in buying Mr. Jacobson’s company and needed to see what it would take to keep it running in Pittsburgh. He had rented a car and spent the week going over paper work and contract details but left the actual construction sites up to Alex. Apparently, Stu wanted him not only to learn more about his business, but also to evaluate the employees and
the work being done on all five of Mr. Jacobson’s jobsites. Alex was shocked that Stu trusted him with that kind of responsibility, but also wondered who was going to run this new branch if he did decide to buy this business.

Alex had spent the whole week visiting the worksites with the project manager, Tom. They went over all the blueprints used for builds and discussed their plans for future development. Alex was able to talk with the employees individually, though they weren’t forced to answer any questions they didn’t feel comfortable with.  He only cared about their work ethic anyway. Were they building homes because they enjoyed it? Or were they just in it for the money? Bottom line--Alex knew everyone worked for a paycheck. But if you didn’t take the job seriously, you were useless to him and Stu’s company. After all, these were people’s dreams they were building and they deserved the very best that Stu’s company had to offer. If they couldn’t observe that philosophy, then they weren’t right for the company, so it was up to Alex to screen out the hopeless ones.

Alex drove down Interstate 279 North toward the last jobsite on his checklist for the week. He grimaced when he passed a billboard advertising a local golf course. He was forced to play with Stu and Mr. Jacobson the weekend they arrived and Alex thought it was possibly the worst day of his life. Walking eighteen holes wasn’t his idea of a good time. Stu didn’t really want to go either, but figured it was a nice way to get on Mr. Jacobson’s good side since he liked the sport. Alex’s whole body still ached and he knew he wouldn’t be setting foot on another golf course, ever, if he could help it.

He followed the directions given to him but because he missed the exit, he knew he was going to be late meeting Tom at the jobsite. It was the last one Alex needed to look over for the week, and according to Tom, their biggest. Raven Wood subdivision would have close to one hundred homes by the time they finished building the neighborhood. Because it was located in a quaint little part of town, right on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Alex knew the homes would sell fast. The city was expanding, becoming more and more congested every year. Families were looking for a place that offered a rural feel with access to the
local mall within a few minutes time, which made Raven Wood the perfect location.

Alex drove into the subdivision and found the first few homes on each side of the street near completion. He pulled over where he saw Tom’s truck and parked behind it. Tom was a big, burly guy in his late thirties. After the first days of meeting with him, Alex had been quite impressed. Tom was the lead foreman over all five jobsites and seemed to run them smoothly, effectively managing the individual team leads for each site. He said he liked to get out there with his men and help, but with managing came other responsibilities and Alex could relate. He and Tom seemed to have a lot in common when it came to their work ethic. That put him high on Alex’s list of employees to keep, should Stu decide to buy the company. From all the overseeing and questions Stu had Alex asking, he felt like it was a done deal already.

“Good morning, Tom,” Alex said as he reached to shake his hand. “Sorry I’m a bit late. I missed the exit. What have you got for me today?”

“Well, I thought we’d set you up in the office over there,” he said pointing to the mobile trailer at the other end of the street. “Let the guys come in, one by one, and talk to you for a bit. I’ve already had a morning team meeting, so they know what to expect. I just thought it would make it easier on you and less ground for you to cover, since the site is so big.”

“Great idea. After that, I’d like look over the floor plans for this site and do a few walkthroughs of the homes.”

“Oh sure, no problem; that could take a
while though. There are a lot of blueprints to go through,” Tom said.

“Not a problem. I’ll be here next week too. I’m not too sure what Stu’s got me doing, but I’ll squeeze in the time if we need it.”

The sound of an approaching car made Alex turn around to see who had pulled into the driveway. With tinted windows, it was hard to make out who was behind the glass until he rolled it down.  Alex was taken aback when he saw the young woman seated behind the steering wheel. For a moment, he saw a resemblance to Clair. She had big, bright eyes that lit up her face, although Clair’s were brown, not green like hers. Her hair was almost exactly the same, long and wavy brown, hanging past her shoulders. Strands flipped out in every direction, and short layers cupped her face.

“Oh good morning, Mrs. Miller,” Tom said. “I see you’re back again. What can we help you with today?”

The woman looked back at the house and smiled. “Morning, Tom, I just came by to see what’s new. This is the first chance I’ve had to stop by in a couple weeks. Is it okay if I take a little peek?”

“Oh sure… no problem.
I was wondering when you’d be stopping by again. Mr. Miller’s not with you this time?”

“Oh he’s already at work. I just thought I’d stop by before I headed into the office.” She opened the door and stepped out of the car.

“Wow, you’re coming right along,” Tom smiled, as he looked down at her round belly. “Not much longer now is it?”

Alex couldn’t move. All he could think about was Clair.
That could be her! That’s what Clair would look like, glowing and happy. The woman looked similar enough to Clair that he didn’t have a problem imagining her pregnant--with his child. He hadn’t thought about having a family with someone since Mia, and he didn’t think he ever would again. But Clair brought new feelings out in him. Alex knew he wanted a family and hadn’t thought about it until now. He could very easily have that family with Clair. Does she even want kids? he thought. Suddenly seeing her in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be with Clair, to touch her, hold her, and kiss her.

Mrs. Miller patted her belly, “Nope three more months to go. We were hoping we’d be able to move in soon, because you know, moving sucks when you’re nine months pregnant. But it’s better than trying to do it with a newborn.”

Tom laughed, “I can imagine it is.”

Half listening, half stuck in thought, Alex heard his name but it didn’t register until Tom shouted, “Hey Alex! Are you coming?”

Alex walked in behind them and watched Mrs. Miller survey the rooms. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. From behind, she looked just like Clair. Her hair hung just at the right length down her back and she stood at nearly the same height.

She turned toward Alex. “So how much longer do you think it will take before everything’s finished?”

Alex glanced at Tom for an answer. By the looks of the house, he didn’t think it would be that long, but he didn’t know what their time frames were and he wasn’t about to offer up an answer.

Tom looked back over his notes on his clipboard. “We’re just finishing up a couple of things, but for the most part, it’s almost ready to go. I’d say by the end of next week we’ll be ready for the landscapers. And according to how fast the closing goes on your house, you could be moving in within a few weeks.”

“Oh! That’s great news!” she shrieked. “Can I go up to the bedrooms real quick? Then I’ll let you get back to work.”

“Sure, let me help you up the steps,” Tom said as he held his hand out to her. She took it and carefully walked up the steps.

Alex followed her up the staircase and watched as she walked into each room, giving it the once over before going to the next. When she went into the last room, she turned slowly, taking in the whole room before going to the window and looking out. Tom glanced at Alex and shrugged his shoulders. She had been through the entire house so fast up until she got to this room and now she stood silent, staring out the window.

Alex spoke up, “So, what do you think of this room?”

When she turned to look at him, his stomach dropped. Tears fell from her face and for a split second, he was seeing the image of Clair on the night he left for the business trip.       

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, as she wiped her eyes. “Look at me, I’m a mess. It’s just… this is it. This will be our little girl’s room. It’s perfect. We’ve waited so long for this and it’s finally here.” She paused as her eyes roamed around the room. “It’s going to be so fun to decorate!”

Alex had to find a way to get her out or he was going to drop everything and go back home. He didn’t know if he’d be able to stand one more week without seeing Clair. He cleared his throat, “I imagine planning everything for your little one can be fun. We should be able to work on quite a bit today as soon as the guys can get started.” Alex looked at his watch as if to signal he was ready to begin anytime now.

“Oh right, absolutely. I better let your men get back to work. Thank you two for letting me look around. I can’t wait for my husband to see.” She giggled, “I’m not sure who’s more excited about the baby… me or him.”

Running his fingers through his hair, Alex was glad this woman was happy, but all her cheerfulness had started to aggravate him. Damn it! This woman is killing me, he thought, as he started walking toward the door to encourage her to join him.

“You’ll be moving in before you know it,” he said. “If you’re ready, we’ll walk you out.”

Mrs. Miller took the hint and left. Though she was a very sweet woman, Alex was glad to see her go. He already felt like he’d go crazy before he could see Clair again and that woman wasn’t helping. She was a constant reminder of what he was missing at home and what the possibilities of the future could look like. Alex usually waited to talk to Clair before bed, but he needed to tell her he missed her, so he pulled out his phone and texted her.

It had been a long, drawn-out day. After Mrs. Miller left, Alex talked with each one of the employees at the site and was pleasantly surprised to discover that they all seemed very skilled and grateful for their jobs. He had no doubt some had been laying it on a little thick, trying to kiss his ass, but he knew that came with every company. Alex was sure they had a few workers like that back home, too. If Stu decided to buy the company, he had no problem weeding out the bad apples from the bunch, if he had to. It was all part of the job and there was no room for errors when working in construction. After lunch, Tom walked him through the neighborhood blueprints, sales contracts for individual homes already under contract, and every floor plan they used. He was efficient and detailed and they spent the remainder of the day going over everything.

Finally calling it a day, Alex headed back to the condo to meet Stu for dinner and tell him what he thought about the jobsite. All he really wanted to do was take a shower, lie across his bed and talk to Clair, but that wasn’t an option. When Alex walked in the house, Stu was sitting at the table, papers spread everywhere.