Chapter 6

On Monday morning I bolt the 6X6 beams onto the piers and triple check to makes sure it's all level. Now that the base is done, I can move ahead with assembling all the rest of the parts. Taking Dad's advice, I force myself to go slowly, checking and rechecking every joint and corner. If I do this thing right, it'll take a tornado to move it off its foundation.

By the time I knock off, Rose Ann is home and puttering about the kitchen. I see her standing at the sink in tight shorts and a tank top when I walk in to wash up and I just have to admire her shapely ass. Taking a glass from the cabinet, I reach over her shoulder to turn on the faucet, making a point of rubbing my expanding bulge against the small of her back.

She spins around and pushes me away, looking very pissed. "That's one of those liberties I was talking about, Randall. Uninvited touches and caresses like that will land us both in a world of shit. You do NOT touch me in that manner unless specifically invited to do so! Is that perfectly clear?"

I'm caught completely off guard and I can't hide the astonishment on my face. Or the embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Rose Ann. I should have known better. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't!" When she sees my shame, she relents a little. Laying her palm against my face, she says, "Look, Randy, I'm sorry to sound so harsh but if you feel free to make affectionate gestures like that, it's just a matter of time before you do it in the wrong place and in front of the wrong person. While it might cause you a red face, it could cost me my career. Don't you understand that?"

"I do now. Like I said, it won't ever happen again."

She kisses me on the cheek and hugs me tight for a moment before turning back to the sink. I take that as a message that it's time to go.

Before I get out the door, she says, "Randall, is your Dad going to be home tonight?"

"I'm pretty sure he will. Unless he has PT, it's hard for him to be anywhere else."

"Come sit at the table for a bit. I want your opinion about something."

I sit across from her, still smarting from the rebuke.

"I'm not too sure how Warren is going to take this so I'm asking you first. Tonight, a van is being delivered to your house. It's set up to be operated by a paraplegic. Since he's the project director for this pool thing, he's going to need to be able to get around to take care of business. Call it a company car. I found it online. The guy who owned it died a few weeks ago and the family wants to sell it. I asked if I could lease it on a one-year, renewable contract, at least for the duration of the job. I'm asking you how you think he'll take to the offer."

The smile on my face answers her question. "Jeez, Rose Ann, he'll go through the roof! I mean that in a good way. He scans the paper and the internet every day looking for a van like that, knowing there's no way he can afford it. I can't see why he'd have any objection at all."

"Well, that's a relief! It's going to arrive on a flatbed truck about seven. How about I order some pizza and we have dinner at your place while we wait for it?"