Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) by Deanndra Hall Page A
Authors: Deanndra Hall
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Andrea Fowler?”
“Already done. Took care of it first thing this morning.”
“Ah, you’re a good one, Cheryl Brooks. Remind me of that on Secretary’s Day, would you please?” Tony laughed.
Cheryl called back, “Yeah, I’m on it!” She was still laughing when he closed his office door.
He made a note to himself to find out exactly when Secretary’s Day was. He owed it to Cheryl to treat her like the valuable employee she was. She’d gotten him out of more than a few jams over the six years she’d worked there, and she was always one step ahead of him. That was her greatest asset, as far as he was concerned.
Tony sat back down with his coffee and looked at the bid package for the hospital project. Getting the contract would be a plus, but definitely not their bread and butter. Underneath it was the bid package for the new runway and hangars in Lexington; now that would definitely be bread and butter. He’d have to hire more employees and buy more equipment if they won that one. Those were the kinds of jobs Walters Construction wanted to reel in. He’d have to see what the acquisitions department could do, have the numbers crunched, run it by Vic.
He glanced up at the clock. If he left in the next ten minutes and got to the gym, he could be home, showered, eating, and parked on the sofa in plenty of time for the tipoff. He rinsed out his coffee cup, grabbed his gym bag, and yelled goodbye to Cheryl as he headed to his truck.
Tony liked the gym. Chris, the manager, always kept it spotless. Tony had a well-appointed workout room in his home in Shelbyville, but the house in the Louisville township of Anchorage where he spent his work week was too small, so the gym was a necessity.
He didn’t know any of the others who frequented the gym, but they all seemed friendly. He did know a few of their names, like Todd, the young blond guy. And there was Alvin, who had the most incredibly large nose Tony had ever seen. There were also a couple of twins who came in and out, but he didn’t know their names.
As for women, there were only two there on a regular basis. There was Kelly, who had the largest breasts east of the Mississippi. They were fake, had to be. No one had real tits that big. Even in a sports bra, they were enormous. He’d been noticing her there for the last couple of years.
And there was another woman – probably not a lot younger than he was? – who was usually there in the evenings. She was small, fair, blond, and trim. He never spoke to her, even after seeing her there for at least four years, but lately he’d taken to smiling and nodding at her. She always smiled back, but then she’d look down, like she was shy. He’d love to talk to her or Kelly, but that was really frowned upon in gym etiquette – he only knew Kelly’s name because she’d been featured in an advertisement for the gym. He’d learned early on that guys who tried to pick up women at a gym were considered creepy. When it came to women, he was shaky enough already – he certainly didn’t need the “creepy” label.
Ah, women. They were impossible to figure out. Well, okay, it was probably a little easier when they weren’t completely nuts. Nuts like Dottie. Crazy. Certifiably insane. Mentally ill. Chronically mentally ill. How exactly did you describe someone like Dottie? Cunningly insane? Yeah, that was more like it – cunningly, irritatingly insane. Her illness would’ve been easier to take if she hadn’t been such a bitch on top of it. So good riddance.
But it still made him sad to think of all the precious years he’d wasted on her, continued to waste. She was the reason he couldn’t seem to bring himself to start over. It seemed like far too much work to try, and extraordinarily scary on top of that. Even if he did try, he was sure wherever he started would turn out to be the wrong spot.
He pulled up in the parking lot and grabbed his gym bag, hoping that maybe just one time when he got there the
“Already done. Took care of it first thing this morning.”
“Ah, you’re a good one, Cheryl Brooks. Remind me of that on Secretary’s Day, would you please?” Tony laughed.
Cheryl called back, “Yeah, I’m on it!” She was still laughing when he closed his office door.
He made a note to himself to find out exactly when Secretary’s Day was. He owed it to Cheryl to treat her like the valuable employee she was. She’d gotten him out of more than a few jams over the six years she’d worked there, and she was always one step ahead of him. That was her greatest asset, as far as he was concerned.
Tony sat back down with his coffee and looked at the bid package for the hospital project. Getting the contract would be a plus, but definitely not their bread and butter. Underneath it was the bid package for the new runway and hangars in Lexington; now that would definitely be bread and butter. He’d have to hire more employees and buy more equipment if they won that one. Those were the kinds of jobs Walters Construction wanted to reel in. He’d have to see what the acquisitions department could do, have the numbers crunched, run it by Vic.
He glanced up at the clock. If he left in the next ten minutes and got to the gym, he could be home, showered, eating, and parked on the sofa in plenty of time for the tipoff. He rinsed out his coffee cup, grabbed his gym bag, and yelled goodbye to Cheryl as he headed to his truck.
Tony liked the gym. Chris, the manager, always kept it spotless. Tony had a well-appointed workout room in his home in Shelbyville, but the house in the Louisville township of Anchorage where he spent his work week was too small, so the gym was a necessity.
He didn’t know any of the others who frequented the gym, but they all seemed friendly. He did know a few of their names, like Todd, the young blond guy. And there was Alvin, who had the most incredibly large nose Tony had ever seen. There were also a couple of twins who came in and out, but he didn’t know their names.
As for women, there were only two there on a regular basis. There was Kelly, who had the largest breasts east of the Mississippi. They were fake, had to be. No one had real tits that big. Even in a sports bra, they were enormous. He’d been noticing her there for the last couple of years.
And there was another woman – probably not a lot younger than he was? – who was usually there in the evenings. She was small, fair, blond, and trim. He never spoke to her, even after seeing her there for at least four years, but lately he’d taken to smiling and nodding at her. She always smiled back, but then she’d look down, like she was shy. He’d love to talk to her or Kelly, but that was really frowned upon in gym etiquette – he only knew Kelly’s name because she’d been featured in an advertisement for the gym. He’d learned early on that guys who tried to pick up women at a gym were considered creepy. When it came to women, he was shaky enough already – he certainly didn’t need the “creepy” label.
Ah, women. They were impossible to figure out. Well, okay, it was probably a little easier when they weren’t completely nuts. Nuts like Dottie. Crazy. Certifiably insane. Mentally ill. Chronically mentally ill. How exactly did you describe someone like Dottie? Cunningly insane? Yeah, that was more like it – cunningly, irritatingly insane. Her illness would’ve been easier to take if she hadn’t been such a bitch on top of it. So good riddance.
But it still made him sad to think of all the precious years he’d wasted on her, continued to waste. She was the reason he couldn’t seem to bring himself to start over. It seemed like far too much work to try, and extraordinarily scary on top of that. Even if he did try, he was sure wherever he started would turn out to be the wrong spot.
He pulled up in the parking lot and grabbed his gym bag, hoping that maybe just one time when he got there the
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