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“Medium?”Reid guessed.“We hit a water line, and we can’t pour the pad until it dries.”
Harrison’s eyebrows drew down into a frown.“A water line?On pad four?”He looked northeast toward the site.“That’s not right.”
“It wasn’t marked, but it’s definitely there.”Reid started walking, and Harrison had no choice but to go with him.He’d deal with whatever he found at pad four, because he had to.These beach condos were paying his bills for the next several months, and he’d put in a bid for the newly-zoned rentals-allowed community out at Riverwalk Plantation.That would be a beautiful place to work—full of mature trees and lush, green grasses.He might actually have some shade if he got that job.
“Oh, it’s wet-wet,” Harrison said as they approached the area.The cement trucks sat waiting nearby, but they weren’t needed.Harrison sighed and ran his hands down his face.“Can we pour somewhere else?”
He didn’t want to lose the concrete.It.was hard to procure, and if he lost today’s pour, it would be at least a week until he could get more.Heck, he’d been waiting for this cement for over a week now.
“I had the guys prep six and seven,” Reid said.
“Let’s go see.”Harrison prayed those sites would be ready, and six very nearly was.“Here,” he said.“Maybe we can get seven ready by tomorrow.”
Several crew members worked on it, and he whistled through his teeth to get their attention.His phone chimed at the same time, but he ignored it.“Listen up,” he called as his men neared.“We need six cleaned and cleared so we can pour in…twenty minutes.”That might be pushing things, but he’d roll up his sleeves and help too.“And seven has to be ready for a morning pour.”
Everyone nodded, and then Harrison got to work.He stayed at the site later than normal, because they’d started pouring late and he couldn’t leave when he still had men there.
He remembered his phone when he finally waved goodnight to Reid, and he pulled it from his pocket as he took the last few steps to his truck.
Hey Harrison, this is Cassandra Haslam.I got your number from Grant, because I’m going to be moving quite a few things to Hilton Head next weekend, and my house won’t quite be ready.He said you have a large garage where I might be able to store my things for a week or two?Feel free to call or text at your convenience.Grant says you’re swamped.
His lungs screamed for air, because Harrison had forgotten to breathe while he read the text.He’d gone still at the first line—Hey, this is Cassandra Haslam—and he looked up, almost expecting someone to jump out from behind his truck and tell him the text was a prank.
Sweat ran down the side of his face, and he wiped it and got in the truck.With the air conditioner blowing and his phone connected to Blu-tooth, he dialed the number that supposedly belonged to Cass.
The line rang twice before Cass’s lovely voice said, “Harrison, you called back.”
“Yes.”The word sounded like he gargled with glass and then tried to speak, and he cleared his voice.“Yeah, sorry it’s been a few hours.Busy day on-site today.”
Cass emitted a sigh, and he could just imagine her pushing her hair out of her face.She’d done that often on the trip to the Everglades.“I understand busy.”She laughed lightly.“I put everything in my text, and you can absolutely say no.I’m having a moving company bring my bigger items, but I’m driving a truck full of things to the island next weekend.”
“Mm hm,” he said.He did have an oversized, three-car garage, and a wide driveway.Depending on what she had, he could probably house it.Then, he’d be helping her,andshe’d have to come back to his place to get it once her house was ready to move into.
“There’s a lot of activity at your place,” he said.“I’m surprised it won’t be ready.”
“Oh, I ordered this fancy bartop,” she said with another sigh.“And I’m leaving a lot of furniture here, because it doesn’t fit in a beach house.Apparently, I ordered a bed that’s on backorder, so I won’t have anything to sleep in until that comes in.”
“When’s that?”he asked, wondering what kind of furniture she had in Texas that wouldn’t fit here.
“They’ve promised me June thirtieth,” she said.“But my son and I are coming a few days before that.”
“Do you have somewhere to stay?”he asked.Because he had plenty of room.
“Bea said we could stay with her.”
“My house is big too,” he said, just wanting it out there.“Plenty of room.”
Cass hesitated, and Harrison swung his truck toward his favorite taco truck.This conversation required a lot of shredded chicken and guacamole.
“I’ll talk to Conrad,” she said.“He’d love a beach house, and he’s not very happy with me right now.”
“No?”
“He doesn’t think I should move to South Carolina.”Another sigh, and Harrison wished she was there so he could hold her hand and assure her that she could make her own decisions.
“I’m sorry,” he said.“Did your house sell?”
“I decided not to list it right away.”Her voice ebbed away from him at the end, and he felt her attention dividing.“I have to go, Harrison.”
