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"Something to do with Jess, I take it. What happened? Did you two have a falling out?"
I hadn't told my sister I had been spending time with Jess off the job. She hadn't known about the kiss—or kisses. She hadn't known about me spending nights there after Kendrick had been killed. I'd kept it all under wraps for one reason, and that was the fact that she had warned me not to get involved.
"I slept with Jess."
"You did what???" She leaned forward, raising her voice to a pitch only dogs should be able to hear."What part of don't push her did you not understand?"
"It wasn't like that."
"It sure sounds like it was like that. Jesus, Ben, you've been hired to dowork in her apartment, not to sleep with her. What the fuck are you doing?"
I took a mouthful of the hot coffee, which burned on the way down, but I didn't care because somehow I figured I probably deserved it.
Jules sat there staring at me, waiting for a response, but before I could say anything, she cleared her throat. "Or have you been seeing her all along and just not telling me."
She hit that nail right on the head, I thought to myself. I ignored her and just began telling her my side. "We returned from watching the band last night and got caught in the storm. She was the one who had wanted to go to unwind, so I took her. Anyway, when I got her home, I walked her up to her apartment. I was planning to go home, but the power went out as soon as we exited the elevator. We went into her apartment and, sparing you the details, one thing led to another."
"Yes, please, spare me the details," she said, running her hands over her face. "So what, you slept together. How did you fuck up?"
"Well, it wasn't something I did per se."
"Ben, what are you talking about?" Jules asked, getting rather irritated.
"She woke before me and found the ring I carry with me," I mumbled.
Jules closed her eyes as the words fell from my mouth and blew out a breath. "Oh, Ben."
The image of her sitting there staring down at the ring in her hand and her harsh words were running through my mind.
"She was so harsh."
"I can't say I blame her, Ben. Really I can't."
"What am I going to do. I want her back, Jules."
* * *
Monday morning,I arrived alone at Jess's apartment. I had wanted to smooth things over with her before the guys arrived. I knocked, but when no one answered, I used my key to enter. The apartment was quiet, and as I rounded the corner to the kitchen where I would normally find Jess, I found a note addressed to me on the counter instead.
Jess wanted the apartment completed as soon as possible, and during the renovation she would stay with her friend Kate. She had given me until next week to get the place finished. I wasted no time and called Jules immediately. I had her send over a second crew, calling them off another job. We'd worked hard, putting in long hours to finish the rest of the job over the coming week.
Realizing she no longer wanted to see me, I didn’t want to be there any longer than I had to be. Even though it hurt, I packed those emotions up and shoved them into the back of my mind and focused on the task at hand, as I had done once before because of her.
I'd put in late nights after the crew had left and worked until the wee hours of the morning of Thursday night just to get the job complete. Friday afternoon, the guys carried down the last of the tools and cleaning supplies, while I went through the apartment and checked over all the final touches. Once I was satisfied, I pulled out my phone and called Jules.
"Sunset Builders, Jules speaking."
"Hey, it's me. Jessica's place is finished. Can you please call her and have her stop by the office to sign off on everything?"
"Has she seen it? What did she say?"
I let out a breath. "No, Jules, she hasn't. At least not to my knowledge."
"Come on, Ben, you know the rules. The client has to be shown the finished product. It's your rule, not to mention you are the one who walks each client through their renovation."
I rolled my eyes at her brief lecture.She was getting on my nerves and was on the path to being fired. I didn't care if that was my cardinal rule, a rule that my father had built his company on, which he had practically ingrained into me, but still, this job was different.
"Can you just do as I ask?" I barked.
