AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And it wasn’t just his immediate family who would suffer. He’d also found work for his cousins and friends looking for stable jobs. Half of his neighborhood depended on Valenti Brothers for some part of their income. His fear must’ve shown on his face, because Enzo was quick to reassure him.
“Don’t panic. It’s just a big change. He’s on his way here now, so you can ask him for yourself.” Enzo bent to sift through the rubble for his precious bits of bricks.
“Thanks, man. Sorry about the bricks.”
Adrian handed off the sledge and strode around the edge of the house, tugging off his leather work gloves and safety glasses as he went. Perfect timing. Dom’s truck pulled into the drive and the boss man himself honked jauntily. He climbed down from the cab of his Ford F-150 and clapped his hand into Adrian’s for a hearty handshake.
Passing Adrian a steaming cup of takeout coffee, Dom Valenti stood beside him, surveying the work site while having a no-eye-contact conversation in the manner of busy men.
“This yard is gonna be a showpiece.”
“Yes, sir. Enzo has the touch.”
“All cleared up on the Chu tiles?”
“Yep. We’ll get them grouted today and the toilets installed this afternoon. Might need a little overtime, so we don’t fall behind.”
“Sounds good. We can afford a little overhead to keep the customer happy. Keep your two best guys late if you need to. No more than four hours though.”
“Shouldn’t even need that many, but sounds good.”
A silence descended between them as a noisy backhoe trundled past. The yard was a well-organized hive of activity, a thing of beauty. Adrian was the first to break the peace. He had too much riding on this conversation to let the opportunity slide.
“So…is there anything else?”
“Enzo talk to you?” Dom’s face revealed nothing.
“He said I should hear it from you.”
Adrian turned, forcing the older man to face him or be rude. Even though at six feet two inches Adrian was taller than him, Dom Valenti was a man he looked up to. If he was getting the axe, he wanted to hear it face to face.
“You know Jojo’s been after me to retire ever since…she stepped back from the business.”
Adrian had been around long enough to hear what hadn’t been said.Since Gabe died.Since everything had changed. Since the Valenti clan had lost their eldest son to the war in Iraq.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that.” Adrian gathered his words carefully around his fledgling dream. He had a feeling it was now or never. “I want in.”
“How so?” Dom locked eyes with him. He definitely had the old man’s attention now.
“I want to buy in. I’ve worked my entire adult life for this company, and you couldn’t leave it in better hands.”
“We’ll see how you feel after you hear my announcement.”
“It’s not that you’re retiring?”
“Not yet. I wanted to give the company one last boost before I step down. Your idea has merit though. I’ll have to think about it.”
“That’s fair. What’s this boost?”
“We’re doing a TV show, and I need you on board. We’re gonna have film crews crawling all over the Shah project when we break ground, to film the pilot and a sizzle reel, whatever the hell that is.”
“TV? What the hell do I know about TV?”
“Probably as much as I do, but you know good construction, and you’re good at explaining things to our younger guys. Just talk to the cameraman like he’s a grunt, and it’ll be fine. The idea is to explain how we do renos that look good without going over budget.”
“Jesus, Dom. I thought you were going to shut down the business or lay me off. This is making my head spin.”
“Let it spin awhile. You think about my idea, and I’ll think about yours. Fi should be done going through the contracts soon. I’ll tell her to walk you through it. If this takes off, it could be a big win for everyone.”
