Rescue Me (11 page)

“What happened to taking it easy? You’re still recovering from major surgery.”

“I’m supervising, E, that’s all.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?” Eli muttered.

“I’m hanging up,” Alex said, and pressed the end button on the phone. He immediately dialed his mother’s number.

She picked up on the fourth ring with a groggy “Hello?”

“Mama? What’s wrong? You sound sick.”

“I’m sleeping,” she said. “And I think I have a hangover.”

Alex took the receiver from his ear and stared at it, certain he hadn’t heard what he thought he’d just heard.

“Mama, what’s going on with you? Eli said he’s been calling you since last night about the hot water heater, which I could have fixed, by the way.”

“Alex, please. I can’t think about the hot water heater. I’m going back to bed.”

The line went dead.

Alex listened to the dial tone for a full ten seconds, until the recorded voice came through the line telling him to try his call again.

What had happened to his neat little world? First he nearly got killed on the job; then his daughter decided to turn into a demon child. And now his fifty nine year old, upstanding, churchgoing mother had just hung up in his face after admitting she had a hangover?

Alex didn’t know what to make of his mother’s behavior these days. Ever since that weekend she’d mysteriously taken off about six months ago, she’d been acting strange.

He noticed the time illuminated on the microwave. He had to be over at Renee’s house in twenty minutes. Not enough time to go over to Mama’s this morning, but he
would
be there later today. It was time for whatever was going on with Mama to come to an end.

Alex showered as quickly as he could. With the help of the plastic covering Eli had brought him, he’d finally mastered the art of not getting his bandages wet. Putting on his clothes was a little more difficult, but he still managed to dress himself in under six minutes. He filled his travel coffee mug and left the house.

When Alex pulled up to Lorna Davis’s home, his crew was already there, surveying the outside of the structure. Even though it shouldn’t have mattered, relief rushed through his veins when he spotted Renee’s car parked next to the trailer. Sure, she could still have spent the night with Richards and just come home early this morning, but Alex wouldn’t know either way. He’d rather believe she’d slept the night away in the tiny little FEMA trailer.

Alex walked along the outer fence to the back of the property.

“Boss.” Jason Deering waved and started toward Alex. He shoved out his right hand, but took it back as if he thought Alex couldn’t return the handshake. “How’s the recovery going?”

“According to the doctor’s schedule,” Alex answered, stretching out his hand. It hurt like hell, and stung even more when Jason pumped their clasped fists two times. “I’d hoped the recovery wouldn’t take as long as predicted, but it looks like the doc knew what he was talking about.”

“But you will recover, right?”

“It’ll take a while, but with physical therapy, I’ll eventually get back to normal.”

“You don’t have to worry about the business while you’re out, Alex. It’s going to do just fine.”

“I know it will,” Alex answered. “That’s why I put you in charge.”

Jason had worked for Holmes Construction since its inception nearly twelve years ago. If Alex could not be there himself, Jason was the only man he would trust in running his business.

“What do you think about the house?” Alex asked. He and Jason started a slow perusal of the perimeter of the property.

“It isn’t as bad as it could have been,” Jason said. “The house was solidly built. Did you see that cedar?”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Man.” Jason shook his head. “What I wouldn’t give to have a steady supply of that wood.”

“Hey, boss, you’re looking good,” Cory Williams, one of his best carpenters, called as he strode up to where Jason and Alex stood. “We’re ready to get started,” he said.

Alex flipped him the key. Cory let out a loud whistle, and the rest of the crew descended on the house, carrying sledgehammers, crowbars, and hammer drills. In a matter of minutes, they were in full work mode.

“Are they rebuilding the interior as is, or are they looking to do a little redesign?” Jason asked.

“I’m not sure,” Alex answered. “I haven’t discussed anything other than demo with the owner’s niece. We’re going to go over the house plans a little later today. I promised I
would come up with a ballpark figure of what this is going to cost them.”

“How’s it going, boss?” a worker called as he carried a load of mold laden ceiling tiles and dumped them into a waiting wheelbarrow.

Alex patted the guy’s back when he passed on his way back to the house.

“Too bad Lance couldn’t make it,” Jason said. “He would have a better idea of what the materials would run for a house this size.”

“I’ll get with him later. His daughter’s volleyball team is in the state semifinals, and I wouldn’t let him miss her match.”

Lance Poche was another who had been with Alex since the early years. After Hurricane Katrina, he had put Lance in charge of the special volunteer rebuilding project.

The storm had been a financial windfall for his company, and it didn’t sit well with Alex to reap benefits from something that had been so devastating for so many. The crews that worked on the weekends helping to rebuild homes did so on a volunteer basis, but Alex provided as much incentive as he could to get his workers to give a little of their time. A raffle for a pair of New Orleans Saints tickets would be given away on Monday for the guys who’d showed up to help today. Alex had wanted to make sure he had a good turnout.

“Hi there.”

Alex turned to find Renee in running shorts and a workout shirt made of a meshed, breathable material. She had an iPod strapped to her upper arm, her skin covered in a fine sheen of moisture.

“Look at all of this,” she said, turning in a full circle. Exertion lent a breathy quality to her voice that set Alex’s heart on a familiar, accelerated pace. It happened whenever he was around her. “Sorry I wasn’t here when the crew arrived,” Renee continued. “I hadn’t expected so much activity so soon.”

“I asked the guys to show up a bit earlier than usual this morning. I wanted to get a head start on the interior demo,” Alex answered.

“You have a great house,” Jason said. “They don’t build them like this anymore.”

“Well, it’s my aunt’s house, but thanks on her behalf. She loves this place. I love it, too.”

“Is your aunt here?” Alex asked.

“No. She left early this morning to head on over to the West Bank. She’s teaching an acting class at a community center out there. She’s picking up a set of plans from the architect and should be back here around noon.”

“Once your aunt returns we can go over exactly what she’s looking to do with the house. After going over the house plans I can possibly give an estimate on what the materials will cost for the rebuild,” Alex said.

“Is she looking at just renovating?” Jason asked.

“She wanted to change a few things about the inside,” Renee said. “But since being ripped off by that contractor, she’s convinced she won’t be able to afford it.”

“What did she have in mind?” Alex asked.

“It was just a few things here and there, like making the living room a little bigger, and adding a walk in pantry to the kitchen. She’s going to tell you those things aren’t important, but don’t listen to her,” Renee said. “I’ll cover the extra cost.”

“It may not be as expensive as you think,” Jason said. “It’ll depend on how much has to be revamped.”

“Aunt Lorna just wants her house back. That’s the most important thing, to get her back in the house.”

“Yeah, that trailer can get pretty cramped,” Jason said. “My family and I were in one for eleven months while we rebuilt the house.”

“The trailer is a bit cozy,” Renee answered with a light little laugh that had Alex’s skin getting hot. “It’s not bad with just the two of us,” she continued, “but I know how
much Lorna loves that house. The sooner she gets back in it, the happier she’ll be. I’m going to shower; then I’ll be back out to help,” she said.

“No.” Alex stopped her.

“Excuse me?”

“There’s nothing for you to help with,” Alex said. “My guys have it under control.”

“I can’t expect you all to come in and help us and not even lend a hand.”

“That’s what we do,” Jason said with a happy go lucky shrug. “Listen to the boss man.” He patted Alex on his good shoulder. “Let us take care of this.”

Jason headed toward where the crew was mixing the solution to wash down the interior of the house.

Renee captured Alex’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you,” she said. “When you said you would have a few of your workers come by to help out, I never expected this.” She didn’t let go of his hand, and Alex wasn’t sure he would be able to speak.

“I’ve got some good guys.” Good. His voice was still in operational mode. “They know how much work still needs to be done in the city. They’re happy to help.”

“They are very much needed, and appreciated. Thank you, Alex. If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”

If only this was a different time and he at a different place in his life, he would have had a very perverse answer to her offer.

“It’s our pleasure,” he said, and she granted him one of those smiles as she let his hand go and headed for the trailer.

It would be pathetic to smell his hand.

So he was pathetic, Alex thought as he discreetly brought his hand up to his nose and inhaled her scent deep into his lungs. God, she smelled good, even after running.

“Hey, boss, come take a look at this,” Jason called from the porch.

Alex looked over one last time as the door to the trailer
closed behind Renee; then he headed over to hear what his foreman had to say.

A loud crash caused Renee to jerk up from the sofa. She checked the time on the DVD player, and realized she’d been asleep for nearly an hour and a half, still wearing the sticky clothes she’d worn rock climbing and on her run.

“That’ll teach you to push yourself to exhaustion,” she said.

As she waited for the propane that heated the water for the trailer’s shower to do its thing, Renee grabbed a handful of pistachios and settled in to watch the show taking place outside the small kitchen window. The construction crew worked with amazing precision. As two guys pulled insulation from the house, another waited with a wheelbarrow to haul it away. Another set of workers used those industrial size brooms to push debris from the house, onto the porch, and from the porch into plastic catch bins they had brought with them.

The crew Alex had provided had done more this morning than she and her aunt had been able to accomplish in months. The insistence that she not help didn’t sit well with Renee. The least she could do was offer them some water. But just as that thought occurred, the guy Alex had introduced as Jason wheeled a cooler to the edge of the porch and started passing out bottled water to the crew. She really didn’t have anything else she could do to offer help.

Renee capped the can of pistachios and returned it to the cabinet. She drew her shirt over her head, but a knock on the trailer’s door halted her progress. She pulled the shirt back on and opened the door.

“I knocked this time,” Alex said with a slight grin that bordered on adorable. This man was dangerous, especially since he seemed to have this sixth sense about when she was in a state of undress.

“Knocking is good,” she returned his grin. “Come in.” She stepped out of the doorway to make room for him, but he declined with a shake of his head.

“That’s okay. I just wanted to let you know the guys will be wrapping up in a few minutes. They’ll come back early tomorrow morning to finish up demo and start the wash down process.”

“Of course,” Renee answered. “You all are helping us out. Aunt Lorna and I will take whatever you’re willing to give. Will you still be able to meet with us to go over the plans, or do you want to wait until tomorrow?”

“We can still meet today. Jason gave me the price list from the last job we did, so as we go through what your aunt is looking to include in the house, we can come up with a rough estimate.”

“That sounds great,” Renee said. “She’s going to make herself sick worrying about what all of this is going to cost, but we both know it has to get done.”

“Don’t worry too much about the cost,” Alex said. “It won’t be as bad as you’re probably expecting. We have a good relationship with our supplier; they give us a decent discount.”

“Which you’re going to pass on to us?”

“Of course,” he answered.

Renee shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re doing all of this.”

“Look, Renee, I’ll be honest. Katrina has brought a lot of work to my company. I’m just giving back a little. Your aunt is just as worthy as any of the other families we’ve volunteered to help.” He gestured toward the house where the work crew was gathering up the array of tools they’d brought in for demolition. “I would have rather the guys finish up the scope of work we’d laid out for today, but they volunteer on their off time and there are some pretty big college football matchups on TV today.”

Renee pointed to the chips, dip, and the bag of oatmeal raisin cookies on the counter. “I’ve got my mini party ready for the Florida/Tennessee game.” Alex peered through the door, his big frame filling the entire space. “I’m a Gator,” Renee explained. “I’ve got my blue and orange face paint in the back.”

His grin widened and Renee’s breath hitched in her throat. Lord, this man was fine.

“Well, I’ll make sure I’m done before the game starts. I need to be home for kickoff, though I’m waiting for the LSU game myself.”

“That should be a good one.” Renee nodded. He continued smiling, and Renee decided to throw caution to the wind. The worst he could do was turn her down. “You know, if you want to join me, I’ve got enough snacks here for an entire army.”

A blanket of surprise crowded his face. He looked from the snacks, to her, and back to the snacks.

Renee knew she was taking a risk extending the invitation, but something about this just felt right. Alex was attracted to her. He was trying hard not to show it, but he’d done a poor job of hiding his interest, especially after he’d walked in on her yesterday. Still, there was no mistaking his discomfort at her suggestion.