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Before I could finish, a petite blonde bounced over to him and leaned over to show him what she had to offer down the front of her shirt. He looked at her and said something. She backed up a little and seemed to frown, but then he spoke again, she leaned back in and giggled. Just like that, I wanted to knock her teeth out. And his. And probably everyone else’s in the bar. I couldn’t look away. I was riveted by the spectacle of some cute blonde coming onto him at the bar, and how he was flirting with her.
Noah said something. The blonde turned and walked straight out of the bar. A few seconds later, he threw money on the bar, got up and followed her out. Where she’d be waiting for him. They’d get in his truck, go to his house, or maybe do it right there in the front seat. Had he even showered since we were together? I felt sick. It wasn’t just a flash of anger. That would’ve been easier. This was a sickening, crushing blow. I felt destroyed. I reminded myself to breathe out because I was holding my breath.
“Shit,” Michelle said, “I guess that answers my question about a future with him.”
19
Noah
The next couple of weeks flew by. We made great progress on the community center. No more accidents or thefts plagued us, although I felt like I was always looking over my shoulder. I got in the habit of photographing the work site before I left in the evenings and comparing the shots to what I found in the morning to make sure nothing had been tampered with or changed. Maybe that accounted for the tension in my neck, the irritation I felt about almost everything. Even when I saw that we were ahead of schedule, that satisfaction was tempered with some annoyance. Once it was with the guy on my crew who hadn’t quit smoking despite promising he would—it was just too risky on a work site. I made him go clear out to the city hall parking lot across the street for his smoke break to avoid any potential fire hazard near the center. Another time, my foreman was on a personal call both times I needed to talk to him.
“Jeff,” I said, “find me when you get a minute.”
When he caught up to me, I glared at him. “You too busy to be here today?” I asked.
“No. ‘Course not. I didn’t want to say anything, because we’re so covered up right now, but I was talking to my lawyer. Katie left me ten days ago, and I got the papers day before yesterday. She’s not coming back this time.”
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Jeff. When you need to take some time, let me know. Do you need to take off early?”
“No. I’m sorry it interfered with my work, man,” he said, looking miserable.
“I’m sorry. Want to grab a beer after work?” I offered. He shook his head. Not that I could blame him after I jumped his ass for taking a phone call.
“Maybe another time, Noah. Tonight’s my chance to see Remi. It’s been over a week since I saw him, and my lawyer’s fixed it so I can see my son tonight.”
“Jesus. I’m sorry,” I said. I felt like such an ass. “If there’s anything I can do, give me a call.”
He walked off, and I was kicking myself. I love my crew. They were a great bunch of guys and we worked well as a team. Maybe I needed some caffeine. I hadn’t slept too great the night before. Really, I hadn’t slept well for the past week.
I had barely seen Nicole since that day in her office. She’d been avoiding me. It was pretty obvious. Anytime she was on site, she had a specific reason and usually handled it by talking to Jeff if she could. She’d spoken directly to me maybe twice since then. She’d been at a conference in Charleston for the last week, so there was at least the relief that I wouldn’t run into her. When I had to run into city hall for something, I didn’t want to come face to face with her.
I’d been carried away. Passions had flared up. We should never have done the things we did. And I sure as hell regretted a lot of what I said to her. Not because it wasn’t true, but because I was embarrassed that I admitted—in detail—how much I wanted her, how fiercely I reacted to her all the time. It would’ve been ideal if she could’ve just stayed in Charleston until this job was done, so I didn’t have to think about her or see her or speak to her. It was awkward.
I should’ve been in a good mood with her gone for the week. Weird how that wasn’t the case.
