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He points to some electrical wiring that’s hanging from the ceiling and frowns. “Does this look off to you?”
I scrub a hand over my face and stare at him. “Is that not something you should know? You’re the contractor; how do you not know if the wiring is put in there incorrectly? Come to think of it, weren’t you the one who did the wiring in the first place?”
My frustration is clearly evident, which I blame on the beautiful redhead back home. I can’t stop thinking about her and it’s messing with my head. I need to focus on the job at hand, not on how Autumn felt as she came apart underneath me.
I glance up at the wiring and shake my head. “It looks fine to me, but I’m not an electrician. I’ll call someone local and have them come take a look.”
When I get back to my hotel which is located only a few blocks from the jobsite, I take a deep breath and research electricians in the area before giving one with the highest rating a call. The call goes to voicemail so I leave a message.
“Hi, my name’s Easton Gentry. I’m the foreman working on a jobsite for Kinzer Contracting and we’re in need of your services. It’s just a simple wiring check if you can spare the time. Give me a call back at this number when you get the chance, thank you.”
I end the call and my thoughts turn once again to home and whether this promotion is worth all the time I have to spend away from Bethany. Some days I’m not sure it is.
These projects usually take a few months, but the owner of the company has four different men in my position and we swap each other out. That’s how I end up back home for some time before being on the move again.
The only reason I’m here this time is because one of the other guys had to call off after getting the flu. I was asked to fill in for him since the other two guys were already on other job sites.
I’ve always loved working with homes, but could never get into the building aspect, so I went with the planning process instead. After years of working with the same company, they finally granted me the promotion I’d been looking for and I’m now able to watch the process. Whilst it’s been fun seeing it go from nothing to this beautiful masterpiece, the time away from home sucks. Incompetent contractors don’t help either.
I groan in frustration and head into the bathroom, thinking a shower would feel amazing right about now.
When I get out, I notice I have a missed call from my boss and I immediately call him back.
“Easton,” his gruff voice says from the other end. “You’ll be heading back to Maple Creek tomorrow. I’ve managed to get someone to relieve you in the morning.”
Thank God. I don’t know how much longer I could take these guys. “Sounds good. Do you have any idea when I’ll be heading out of town again?”
“Probably next week, but I’ll keep you updated and give you as much notice as I can”
“Okay, talk to you later.”
When I hang up, I get dressed in sweats and a long sleeve tee and then pack my bag, my rumbling stomach reminding me I haven’t had dinner yet. A quick call to room service and a plate of carbonara is on the way so I lie back on the bed, switching on the tv as I wait.
Later as I lay in bed attempting to sleep, I remind myself to call Dawson and Elijah when I get home. I’m going to need a night out as soon as I get back. I need to avoid seeing Autumn for as long as I can because there’s no way I’m going to be able to look at her without wanting her naked, a thought that has my dick hardening in my pants.
The house is quiet when I walk through the front door, except for the sound of the television coming from the living room where Bethany and Autumn have taken up residence. I watch them for a few minutes before clearing my throat and laughing loudly. “Wow, I love the warm welcome.”
Bethany jumps at the sound of my voice, then rushes over to me with a bright smile. At least it seems she’s missed me as much as I’ve missed her, although it adds to the guilt I feel for being away from her so much. Autumn lifts from the couch and nods before heading into the kitchen to give me a minute alone with Bethany.
“How was everything while I was gone?”
She shrugs. “Good. Autumn made sure I got my homework done so don’t get on her about that.”
“That’s good. And practice?”
“It’s all good, Dad. I told you I’m not a little girl anymore, I can handle it on my own.” She glances around the room and bites her bottom lip. “When will you be gone again?”
“I’m not sure right now. Possibly next week.” My phone pings and I glance at it, seeing a message from my mom. “Grandma wants to know if you’d like to have a sleepover tonight,” I tell her.
She nods excitedly. “Can I? I mean, I know you just got home and I missed you like crazy, but it’s always so much fun at Grandma’s house!”
I smile at her even though I’d much rather she stay home tonight seeing as I just got back, but I’d never deny her spending time with my parents. “Of course you can,” I tell her.
“Thanks, Dad! You’re the best! I’m going to get my things together now!”
I’ve already got tomorrow planned out for us since I’ve been gone a lot, so I’ll let her have tonight with my mom and dad while I go out with Elijah. Muffled voices are coming from down the hall, but I choose to ignore them and head into the kitchen. It only takes a few minutes for Bethany to come rushing back downstairs with her overnight bag slung over her shoulder.
“Ready,” she says breathlessly while running to the front door.
