I had to go check in on a jobsite and make sure things were progressing all right. The string of storms that had drenched San Diego about a week ago left some of the jobsites needing to be dried out before we could work on them again. I got into my truck that morning and was ecstatic when I saw the crew out there getting stuff done. The homeless man I’d employed for this project looked to have cleaned himself up a bit as well, and that put a smile on my face.
I parked my truck and got out to see if they needed anything. I had a few jobsites I needed to hit today before I could get over to the gallery, and I was secretly hoping no one needed anything today. The homeless man came over and gave me a hug, thanking me for pulling him from his corner a couple months ago. He talked to me briefly about how the money we were paying him helped put a roof over him and his family, and my heart filled with joy.
The man kept going o
n about how thankful he was and how he wouldn’t have been able to get clean had it not been for the classes I was sending him to. I listened to his story intently as he spoke, and with each word that poured from his mouth, I was reminded of John. My brother could’ve benefitted from something like this if he had just been willing to take the help. But that was the thing about community outreach. You could give them all the tools they needed to succeed, but if they didn’t want to follow the rules or accept your help, there was nothing else you could do.
I was elated this man who had a family to provide for was accepting the tools I was giving him.
I walked around the jobsite when he was called back to work. I charted the progress and talked with a few of the workers. Then, I set off for the next one. I checked them all off one by one before I headed back to the office. I needed to drop this information off with Drew, so he could enter it into the system before he went home for the day.
Then, it was time for me to head on over to the art gallery.
As I got into my truck and began my trek over there, I couldn’t stop thinking about last week. The evening I’d spent with Hailey had been spectacular. She was easy to talk to, wonderful to look at, and warm to the touch. She was inviting and intense but in a fruitful way. She was passionate to her core and had such a giving soul.
Waking up with her in my arms had been magnificent, and I’d thought about that many times since it happened.
Hailey and I were seeing one another more frequently. We went out and had breakfast after waking up together, only for us to turn around and fall into bed again that night. I was officially seeing her more outside of the gallery than within it, and every single time we were around one another, our bodies gravitated toward each other. Never had a woman trembled in my arms the way she did. Never had a woman felt so soft and supple underneath my grasp. When I closed my eyes at night, she sank into my dreams. Every time I saw something pink catch my eye, I wondered if it was her.
Last week had changed a great deal about our working relationship, and I was enjoying as much of it as I could.
I got to the gallery and was disappointed when I didn’t see Hailey’s car there. She was probably busy with something in town, or maybe she had been struck with her muse and was furiously painting something in her apartment. Whatever the reason, I was seeing her tonight anyway, and the thought alone made me smile.
“Round it up, boys. The boss is back!”
“If you’re trying to make me feel good about this project, Duke, that isn’t how you do it,” I said, grinning.
“Well, I wasn’t sure if you’d make it out here to check on things, so I figured I’d drop by,” he said.
“Thanks. How’s everything going over here?” I asked.
“It looks to be going well. The floor’s completely laid, and I gotta say, the black’s a nice touch. All the stuff for the outside of the building came in this morning, so we piled it up in a little back room right over there.”
“That’s fine. We still on track for finishing this up by the end of July?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah. If we keep having decent weather, we could probably wrap this up mid-July,” he said.
“I don’t want to rush it if we don’t have to. So long as we’re wrapped up by the end of July, I’m good with elongating projects to make sure we do it right.”
“Fine by me. These artsy types can be picky anyway. Gives us room for the client to change their mind,” he said.
“Eh, not this client. She’s been with us every step of the way. So long as we paint her vision, she’ll be good.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
“How’s the homeless crew coming? It’s the first time we’ve employed this many on one jobsite at once,” I said.
“Actually, not so bad. We haven’t had a hiccup since that one you experienced your first day on the job. They’re all lookin’ really good.”
“No problems? They’re all attending their meetings?”
“Yep. I see their paperwork crossing my desk like it should.”
“Wonderful. Well, I’ve got to head back to the office and punch some shit into the system. Call me if you need anything,” I said.
“Will do, boss. Catch ya later.”
I hopped back into my truck when my phone rang. I groaned when I saw my mother’s name scrolling across the screen, and then it hit me.