The Fix (Carolina Connections #1) Read Online Free

But on the days that you remember, there’s no feeling like it.
    There
was no reluctance in me to adopt the actual construction aspect of the company
– never had been – but as I’d seen with my dad, the guy who runs the show
doesn’t wield a hammer. He spends half of his time in meetings and the other
half putting out fires. This holds little interest for me, and was the main
reason I left town a few years back. I didn’t want to get sucked into the
business of doing construction. I wanted to do my job, do it well, and at the
end of the day just leave it there and get on with whatever the rest of evening
held for me. Taking his work home with him and strategizing to grow a company
is what landed my dad in open heart surgery at the age of sixty. No thanks. But
what choice did I have?
    It
all came down to one thing – family. And worse yet, fucking Irish family.
    ***
    “Come
on in,” I beckoned to the kid.
    It
was the following Monday and I was starting my day at an apartment building we
were putting up on the north side of town. I’d spent the weekend at the office
and at the company’s various worksites with Bailey, still trying to get up to
speed. We had a few new crew members starting this week and it looked like the
first one had arrived.
    So
maybe “kid” wasn’t exactly the right word for the guy standing at the open
doorway. He was probably early twenties and I had only just turned thirty one
myself. But from the looks of his work history that Bailey had passed on to me,
I couldn’t think of what else to call him. There was hardly a thing there. What
in the hell had this guy been doing since high school?
    He
stepped toward me in the site trailer, hands in the front pockets of his jeans,
a tentative look on his face. He was fairly tall, probably only an inch or two
shorter than my 6’2” and I suppose he looked strong enough. Bailey did mention
the stellar character references she’d gotten from a couple of the guy’s former
baseball coaches, I think. At any rate, something made her give him a shot so I’d
just go with it. The kid didn’t know shit about construction, that was clear, but
that didn’t bother me per se. At this point I just needed all the extra hands I
could get, and as long as we kept a close eye on him, he could learn a lot of
what he needed to know on the job. Nothing like trial by fire.
    “Monroe,
right?” I asked him.
    “Yeah,
that’s me. Gavin Monroe.”
    “Nate
Murphy.” I stuck out my hand.
    He
took it and gave it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you. And, uh, thanks for the
job. You won’t be disappointed.”
    “Well,
I guess that remains to be seen, Gavin.” His Adam’s apple bobbed but he held my
eyes. This could work out fine after all. “Follow me and I’ll show you around.
You’ll have to pardon me – I’m still trying to get up to speed on all of these
open projects but I’m assuming my sister told you all about that when she
interviewed you?”
    “Yeah,
she did. I hope your dad’s doing better.”
    “He’s
hanging in there, thanks.” I handed the kid a hard hat as I donned my own by
the door of the trailer. “You bring a pair of work gloves with you?”
    “No,
sir.” The uncertain look was back.
    “We’ll
find you a pair.” I took a step down the stairs. “I’m assuming those boots are
steel-toed.” It wasn’t a question.
    “Yes,
sir.”
    “Alright,
come on, I’ll introduce you to Mark. He’s the foreman on this job and he’ll get
you squared away. Not sure if you’ll stay on this site or not but we’ll play it
by ear.” He nodded back at me. “And cut the ‘sir’ crap. You work hard and do
your job and save the manners for your mom.”

 
     
     
    Chapter Three
    The But Sandwich
     
    Laney
    “Soooo
hungry,” Gavin whined like the little baby he is. He was stretched out on the
sofa with his hands cradling his stomach and his sweaty shirt sullying the
upholstery.
    “Why
didn’t you eat any lunch?” I asked from the kitchen