“Good. I’m very glad it’s all going well. But you didn’t answer my question.” She presses.
I shake my head and reply, “Yes, I’m still in town.”
“Wonderful. I was thinking we could grab dinner tonight around seven. My treat?”
If I say no, she’ll pester the shit out of me until I cave anyway.
“You know I can’t say no, Mom.”
She says her goodbyes and hangs up just as one of the cranes lifts a steel beam up to the second level, metal groaning as it locks into place.
I hang up and head back over to where Derek is standing.
“The boss checking in?”
“If you consider my mother our boss, then yes.” I reply as I place my phone down on the table. “Now, these load-bearing walls.”
I point at the blueprint again, tracing the lines as I explain where everything needs to go, what needs to be adjusted, and how long it’ll take to get it right.
This part has always been easy for me.
Understanding structure.
Pressure.
Weak points.
Where things tend to break.
My phone lights up again.
My pulse raises slightly, but I don’t let it show as I pick up my phone, reading the Discord message.
BloodLust2:
We need to talk.
I press the side of my phone, killing the screen.
“Everything good?” Derek asks.
“Supplier update,” I reply, sliding my phone into my back pocket. “Let’s finish this.”
I leave the site later than I wanted.
By the time I’m on my way to meet my mother for dinner, the sun is already starting to set.
The drive to the restaurant is easy due to the weekday traffic, nothing like the chaos of the weekend.
I stop at a red light and glance at my reflection in the rearview mirror.
I don’t look as bad as I was expecting.
A little dust still clings to my shirt, a faint layer of it settled onto the fabric, but nothing noticeable. My dark hair’s still decently in place, and my face is clean enough to not draw too much attention.
Mom shouldn’t complain too much, but I adjust my collar slightly anyway, just in case.
The light turns green.