The first half of day two on the job ends up being a breeze pared to the first. I was still ‘new boy’ to a couple of the uys but most of the crew had already begun to use my name. Not only that but the work floace was far more manageable as they didn’t yahis way and that to do every little thing, instead choosing to let me focus in on being the helper of a framing crew. Irospect I now realized that yesterday had been my hazing day. They were pushio see if I had what it took to stick around. Evidently I’d passed the test.

  The hours pass swiftly and along the way I discover that I absolutely LOVED framing. Though I was only holding things, passing things, and learning oh so much as I watched the pros it was so cool to watch the skeleton of the structure slowly e together before my eyes. Through pnning and bor what would start as a bnk ste would end with the foundation of what would be. It was almost magical to stand there looking over a room we’d made ahrough my mind’s eye the finished home and imagine who might live here. I always imagined a young couple raising children and creating the memories of a life well lived right here inside of this space that I helped to create. It gave me a satisfa I’d never even gotten close to in my old dead end job. For the first time ever I could feel my feet, ihese fy new work boots, firmly pnted on ‘the right path’.

  The work was hard, no question about it, but there was something about the knowledge that I was making money for her that gave me a tireless energy. I wao help. I wao show my worth. I wao pay Heather for all her kindness and ease her burden. Most of all I just wao be her worker bee so that she would pet me and hug me and call me her good boy. Thank goodness for all these heart lifting wants because simmering just below them…was my want to go punch Myles in the fug face. I was trying real hard to be mature about this but the more that I thought about him as Heather’s honey boy the more I loathed the man, even though he hadn’t dohing to deserve it.

  I was already having a good day when the foreman brightens it even more just as we were breaking for lunch.

  “Elliot!”

  “Right here, boss.” I jog up to him, my packed lun my hands.

  With a shake of his head he thumbs for the fence. “You got a visitain.” He says in annoyance. “I’m not gonna keep pying messenger. Arrange your lunch dates on your own time, kay?”

  “Yes, Sir.” I say as I break into a big grin, knowing the visitor could only be one person.

  He chuckles at my silly smile and waves me away. “Get outta here.”

  With hoots and whistles the guys are once more Neahals when it es to weling my curvaceous female guest.

  “Shaddap!” I shout as I trot forward.

  “What’s this, Elliot?” Diego ughs. “Colleg them by the dozen? Damn man! DAMN! Save a few for the rest of us!”

  “Dozen?” I mutter.

  Waiting for me oher side of the fence I see the wele figure of Heather, as I’d expected, but she wasn’t alone. A dozen was an exaggeration but the group was spicuous standing there in a close huddle out here in this quiet residential neighborhood. There were five in total, all of them women and all of them absolutely geous.

  To Heather’s right stood a person I’d not seen in years. Fuller of figure than st I saw her, especially in the bust and hips, Lily had matured into her natural good looks gracefully. She’d been hot ba high school but now she possessed a fuller beauty that nearly rivaled her mother. Had she not been wearing a sour scowl she would have been eveier. She was a few inches shorter thaher with much darker and shorter hair. Her eyes were the same shade of brown but her facial features leaned more toward Alexander’s side of the gene pool. She wore a red sweater over a colred shirt with roomy, fortable looking scks. Knowing what I now knew I realized that she had to have been tucked down below so as not to give away her bulge.

  To Heather’s left was a woman around the same age as her and with a striking family resembnce. With simir hair, eyes, height aures the dy simply had to be Heather’s sister. The only major differeween them was that she was more slender and not quite as voluptuous. Though physically alike their demeanors were night and day. With Heather everything was soft and warm but this woman’s tight bun, cold glower, and rigid stah feet apart and arms crossed gave her the energy of a bitchy vice-principle. Her wearing heels, a crisp white colred shirt and a charcoal gray pleated skirt only added to that vibe.

  Beside her was a study in trast. With disheveled dirty blond hair and bleary, baggy, bloodshot blue eyes I wondered if she’d just rolled out of bed in the past five minutes. I up sneakers, torn baggy jeans, frumpy t shirt, over-sized fnnel over shirt, and a faded and fraying ball cap she looked like she’d stepped straight out of the grunge se of the 90’s. She looked to be in her mid to te thirties with an average height and build. Despite her scruffy attire and more humble physical traits pared to the others there was a certain undefinable ‘cool’ factor that radiated off of her.

  And finally, peeking out from behind Lily, etite woman maybe just past twenty with huge green eyes behind thick round lenses. Her tawny skin tone, slender build, and curly bck hair held back by a hair band already made her stand out from the rest, but she also stood apart by a ck of the on familial features shared by the rest. She wore a simple yet fetg tartahat covered her from o ahe way she stood, closed up and her head bowed, exuded shyness and the moment my eyes make tact with her she blushes and fades pletely behind Lily.

  As much as I looked at them they were looking at me, each of them studying me from head to foot.

  “I am SO sorry, Elliot.” Heather says as I exit the fence. “But they would not let it rest until they met you.”

  “A matriarch taking a honey boy is worthy of our attention as it effects us all.” The stern looking woman says, her voice as hard as her steely expression. “I ot say that I am impressed. You disappoint me, sister.”

  “Rebecca, please.” Heather says. “I told you it’s not like that.”

  “I told Mom to text you first. But she always insists on the personal touch.” Lily steps forward and offers me a hand, her energy is frosty but cordial. “How you doing, Elliot?”

  “Lily.” I say as we shake. “What’s going on?”

  “Lily told the family about you.” Heather says. “They insisted oing you today. If this is a bad time we do this ter. Or not at all.”

  “No. It’s fine.” I say. “Happy to meet you all.”

  “HEY BOYS!” Just then the shaggy one calls to my hooting coworkers as she does a ‘bring it on’ motion with her hands. “I’ll show ya mine if you show me yours! No? Ah, ya pussies!”

  “Julie!” Rebecaps. “You are embarrassing us!” Julie was too busy mog the men to notice the daggers being stared into the back of her head.

  “We should go somewhere more private.” Heather says.

  “There’s a cafe dowreet.” Lily suggests.

  “Oh!” The shy one peeks back around Lily’s arm. “ we go to the cafe?”

  “Mia!” Rebecca’s sharp voice cracks like whip. “Nobody asked you, child.”

  “Sorry Mother!” Mia wilts and disappears again.

  “Julie!” Stepping forward Rebecca grabs Julie by the ear and drags her back.

  “OW! Geez!” Julie gripes as she rubs her sore ear. “Take it easy, Cuz.”

  “I am NOT your ‘cuz’!” Damn this Rebecca was wound tight!

  “Cafe is fine.” Heather says as she corrals her family away from the job site. “Let’s go!” They turn and start walking, though not before Julie fshes the mob a tit then shoots the middle fihe men are raucous and ughing in our wake.

  “I swear, Julie.” Rebecca grumble. “I do not know how you and I could be reted.”

  “That makes two of us, Cuz.”

  “Do not…!”

  “Enough.” Heather says firmly, to which they both settle. “It’s just a couple blocks. We walk it.” She slips her arm into mine and pulls me tight to her side.

  To my left Lily is giving my lunch the side eye. “She pack that for you?”

  “He overslept this m.” Heather answers for me. “I wasn’t going to let him go hungry.”

  “Those new boots? They look expensive.”

  “Um…”

  “He’s paying me back for them! Mind your business.”

  From behihere is suddenly a nose against my neck. “Mmm. Yep, he’s nice. I say we keep him.”

  “Keep me!?”

  “He’s just a on boy. I say no.”

  “on boy!?”

  “Do I get a vote?”

  “No!”

  “Sorry Mother!”

  “Julie! Rebecca! Mia! Please.” Heather says in exasperation, pulling me even closer. “Nobody’s keeping him. I told you that this one flies free. I’ve already found him a nice regur girl.”

  “B!”

  “Julie!”

  “You’re running his love life now?”

  “Lily, shush.” Nodding to Rebecca Heather says. “Elliot, this is my sister Rebecca.”

  “Ma’am.” I nod respectfully.

  She cocks a brow, possibly appreciating my tone or possibly just curious, and gives a cool nod iurn. “Elliot.”

  “You know Lily of course. That’s cousin Julie.”

  “Ey, cutie.” She winks.

  I chuckle. “Hello.”

  “And behind her is Mia, Rebecca’s daughter.”

  “Hello, Sir.” Mia peeps softly as she dares to actually peer around Lily to look at me.

  “Sir!? You debase yourself for a man in work boots and a safety vest? Have I taught you nothing?”

  “Sorry Mother.”

  “Take it eaaasy, Beckie.”

  “Beckie!?” Rebecca bristles. “Pbbrt!”

  Julie throws an arm around Mia and plops her cap onto her head. “Give the girl a break. You know Heather’s honey boys hit different.”

  “Pah!”

  Giving Mia a shake she whispers oo quietly. “Your mom’s still bitter that she wasn’t borriarch.”

  “You crude…rude…zy…slovenly…unbearable…!”

  “Love you too, Cuz.”

  “PAH!”

  “ENOUGH! This was a mistake.” Heather says. “I knew I shouldn’t have brought you all.”

  “It was going to happen sooner or ter.” Lily says. “Might as well get it over with now.” Gng over at me she sighs and shakes her head. “I ’t believe it’s you.”