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Chapter Nine
Josephine
It’s four weeks ‘till the wedding and I’m feeling the crunch.
Work on Lloyd Martinez’s new barbershop is moving along swimmingly. The historical building he bought is located in Old Town Fort Collins, an artsy area of downtown. The building is gorgeous from the outside, giving off an Art Deco vibe. My plans to incorporate some of the outside elements into the inside design synced with what Lloyd was hoping for.
Lloyd is a former SEAL and good friend to Maceo, making it important he’s beyond satisfied with my work. His business will be on the first floor and his home on the second. I’m kind of jealous of his trendy, industrial urban home, but I’m more excited about my own.
I brought in both crews to gut the building, top to bottom, but once the debris was cleared, I sent my second crew back to mine and Maceo’s build site to work on framing our forever home. My dad is managing the second crew at my house while Jared and I manage the barbershop project with our first crew.
I got a pleasant surprise from my realtor, informing me my condo sold and the new owner was in a pinch to close on the deal pronto.
That, of course, meant Maceo and his men had to quickly empty the remainder of my items and put them into one of the storage garages at headquarters. It also meant my parents were kicked out and would be moving into headquarters with us—lucky me.
My parents were thrilled to be closer to Maceo and me, so I brushed off the negative vibes and decided to be happy.
It’s Friday morning, and Maceo and I have finished our run with Hades. I’m stretching out before going inside. He grins, watching my butt as I bend over. “Let’s get some water. I want to work on some more hand-to-hand defensive tactics with you,” Maceo says.
We walk into headquarters to a racket going on in the kitchen. I peak my head into the industrial size kitchen and find my mother going to town, pulling out dish after dish of quiche from the double-stacked ovens.
“What the...mom, what are you doing?”
My mom looks up from her work. “Oh, hi, dears. How was your run?”
Hades scurries over to her, wagging his nubby tail. Smiling, she hands him the ham bone she dried out for him from the night before. He snags the bone from her hand and runs off to enjoy his treat.
“Mom, what is all this?”
She cocks her head at me. “Egg bakes, of course, silly.”
“No. I mean, why are you doing this?”
Mom wipes her hands on her apron before grabbing a knife to cut through the breakfast casseroles. “Well, with your dad and I staying here until we move into the cottage, I decided I should make myself useful and make everyone breakfast from now on.”
Maceo grins. “Thank you, Stella. The crew will appreciate it.”
“Mom, you really shouldn’t have gone through the trouble. The whole crew eats at a local diner downtown each morning. The old diner kind of relies on us being there to keep their doors open.”
My mom looks crestfallen. “Well, I don’t want to put someone’s business in jeopardy. Maybe I can take over lunches or dinners?”
Maceo is about to open his mouth, but I speak first. “Mom, you don’t need to do anything. You’re a guest. Please don’t feel like you have to cook meals as a form of payment.”
My mom puts her hands on her hips. “I need something to do. This is the longest I’ve gone without working, and I’m getting a little restless. I want to help.”
My shoulders sag. I definitely don’t want to assign my mom any wedding tasks without me being present. Plus, there’s not enough left to do. Mom made sure I checked off one thing a day on the to-do list. Bringing her into my design business is completely out of the question—we’d be at each other’s throats with our clashing opinions. I decide a meal wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep her hands busy.
“You know, the men are coming and going for jobs at the drop of a hat, they sometimes skip meals. Maybe you can plan some sort of paper bag grab-meal plan, where food is already prepared, and they can pull it from the fridge to take with them,” I suggest.
Maceo looks a little taken aback. “What a great idea.”
My mom’s face looks hopeful. “Would it be helpful to the crew?”
“Absolutely. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t come up with the idea myself. I can give you grocery money from all the men and you can set the menu,” Maceo encourages.
Mom sparks to life. “Are there any diet restrictions or allergies I should be made aware of?”
“None at all, but the more protein you add, the better,” Maceo says with a smile. “I can pay you for your time.”
