Page 62 of Perfect Guy
Madelyn
Theprogressonthe house has been immense in the last few weeks. The structure is almost complete, and they’ll move to the lock-up stage, which means they start closing it up.
Each time I see it, pride and indescribable emotions sweep over me. I did this. I designed it. Not just that, it was good enough for me to get paid for my work and that the family loves it, especially when they were counting on another architect’s design in the first place.
When I saw it today, I got teary-eyed and had to swallow thickly before Oscar realized it. I didn’t want to make things awkward.
My phone rings as I’m changing out of my clothes after a long day of walking the site and hearing about the updates. I had to answer a few questions, but thankfully nothing major has come up after the balcony addition.
“Hello?” I furrow my brows when it’s a number I don’t recognize.
“Hello, Madelyn. This is Bill.” Weariness fills me. I haven’t had to deal much with him recently since Oscar is the project manager.
“Oh, hey.” I sit on the edge of the bed and tuck my bottom lip between my teeth, nervous about what he has to say.
“How are you? Is this a good time?”
“Yeah, of course. I’m great, thanks. I went to the construction site today, and it looks amazing.” I smile to myself despite my nerves.
“I’m glad to hear that. Oscar has been updating me. It seems to be a seamless project so far.”
“It does,” I agree.
“Anyway, I won’t take much of your time. I called to schedule a meeting with you tomorrow morning. Would you be able to meet with me at the office at ten?” I hear papers shuffling in the background.
“Yes, of course. Is everything okay?” I can’t help myself from asking.
“It is. I’d like to talk about a future opportunity.” This eases my mind, and I take a deep breath.
“Wow, that’d be wonderful. I’ll see you in the morning.” Excitement replaces doubt, and my heart pounds to a different beat.
“Great, thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a nice evening.”
“You, too.” I hang up, smiling to myself. Standing, I dance like a crazy teen, shaking my entire body and squeezing my eyes shut.
Maybe, just maybe, moving to Mason Creek was more than avoiding the ugliness in the world. I can have the life I’ve always loved and the career I’ve always dreamed about without it being stained by nasty people who abuse their power.
It’s all thanks to Canaan. I’m sure he didn’t even think into it too much when he recommended me for the job. He was being a friend, knowing I was out of college and fit the job description they were looking for.
I’ll have to personally thank him, and I have a few ideas about how I can do that. A devilish smirk covers my face. I didn’t see him today on the site since he’s already working on the kitchen carpentry off-site.
Before I decide to shower, I change into jeans and a t-shirt, sliding my feet into my boots. I head down the stairs, say a quick hello to my mom, and run out to the barn where Dakota is. My brothers and Caleb are pretty much done for the day.
“Hey,” I say to Caleb, who’s looking down at his phone, a shovel leaning against his shoulder. He startles a little and looks up with wide eyes.
Laughing, I wave him off. “You’re off the clock. I don’t care if you’re looking at your phone.”
“It’s not that,” he shakes his head, pocketing his phone.
“Oh?” I lift my brows and smirk. We’ve known Caleb for years. He’s practically part of the family since he moved to Mason Creek and started working on the ranch for my dad.
When he doesn’t say anything else, I press. “Do tell, then? What’s got you all jittery?”
“Madelyn,” he tilts his head, saying my name in a way that sounds somewhere between boredom and a warning.
“Caleb,” I imitate his voice, which makes him chuckle.
“It’s nothing, just a friend.”