Sheridan smiled and held out his hand. “I thought I recognised you the other day. Andrew Fitzroy, right? Worked for us a couple of years back?”
Shaking the offered hand, Andrew said, “Eighteen months ago, yeah. I, ah, wasn’t there long.”
Ron’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “You’re an architect?”
“Yes,” Sheridan said just as Andrew muttered, “No.”
Sheridan frowned. “I thought you left Green Life for another job. Aren’t you qualified yet?”
Andrew shook his head. “I left . . . for personal reasons. Never did get qualified.”
“Why not?” Sheridan clasped his shoulder. “Of all the applications I looked over for that position, yours was far and away the best. It’s not often we get graduates with real world building experience like you. That sort of practical knowledge is priceless. And the work you did while with us showed genuine talent and promise. I was incredibly sorry when I learned you’d left us.”
Two years ago, Andrew would have welcomed the praise, especially from someone he respected. Now, all he wanted to do was get away from this moment and not have to answer the inevitable questions about why he’d given up his dream job for this. Getting away from the narrow-eyed speculation from Ron would be good too.
“Guess it’s just not what I want to do anymore.” Andrew inched backwards.
Hand dropping away, Sheridan nodded. “I would love to be able to change your mind, but if you’re sure.”
“Yeah.” Relief eased some of the tension from Andrew’s shoulders. He hadn’t realised how clenched he’d become. “I’m sure. This is good enough.” He waved at the construction site.
Sheridan’s easy smile returned. “Well, it was good to meet you again, Andrew. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again during this project. I should get on my way to a meeting in Brisbane. That’ll teach me for deciding to stay on the Coast last night.” He turned to Ron and while the smile remained on his lips, it no longer reached his eyes. “I hope to see the correct ducts here by the end of the week.”
While Ron reluctantly agreed, Andrew escaped. He’d been dreading Sheridan recognising him from the moment he learned this job was one of his. It could have gone worse, but it would have been better if Ron hadn’t witnessed it.
“What was that about?” Terri asked when he joined her.
“Nothing. The architect thought he knew me or something.”
Terri’s right eyebrow arched impressively high. She looked between him, Ron, and the Tesla that was pulling out onto the road. “Right. I’d probably believe Ron asked your advice on something more than that bullshit.”
Andrew snorted and climbed the scaffolding to the third and top floor, Terri just behind him. “Ron barely follows the plans, let alone asks advice from us.”
“True, and I’d still believe that over this architect knowing you.”
“What does that mean?”
Terri laughed as they stepped off the scaffolding and into the growing framework. “I’ve worked on Sheridan’s projects before. He’s definitely not a hands-on architect. Usually if he shows up at a site, it’s only because he’s got wind of something not being done right.”
Which worked with what Andrew had witnessed between Ron and Sheridan.
Thankfully, Terri dropped the subject as they got to work. Andrew didn’t mind heights and liked working the top of a build, but today he was extra grateful. Concentrating on his footing and balance helped keep his mind off the night before. Anger still simmered when he thought about Elle and James asking him to be the best man. Which it shouldn’t. He was happy Elle had found someone else after they broke up. He was happy that James was happy, too. It was just that some days, it was hard seeing them happy because of each other. Hard to see them happy when Andrew had been miserable for so long. Miserable and confused and scared.
But he focused entirely on his work and refused to think of Brian. Refused to think about how he might have ruined the one good thing left in his life all because of Elle and James and their happiness. Refused to take a moment, as he did every day when he worked the top floor, to look between the tall buildings across the road and watch the narrow strip of ocean that was visible. The water was blue-green, the same as Brian’s eyes first thing in the morning, when he was still sleepy and blinking and stumbling around their small kitchen.
Banishing that rogue thought, Andrew fixated on his hands and tools and just worked. They were assembling the front walls today, laying the planks out and securing them together before lifting the framework into place. This was what he’d liked about coming back to construction after his illness. There was no guessing, no questioning. Everything here had its set purpose and place. They worked from the plans with predetermined motions. There was no “waiting and seeing,” no “ninety percent success rate.” This was real and solid, something he could count on. It was work that let him forget, that numbed his emotions, and at the end of it was a beautiful home for a family. This he could do.
By lunch he was sweaty and thirsty. Only October and already the middle of the day was getting up towards thirty on the thermometer. Andrew and Terri descended to the ground with the rest of the crew and they all settled into the shade beside the site office—a mobile shed parked on the front of the property. Andrew grabbed one of his Gatorades and drank it all in a couple of big gulps before pulling out his lunch. Beside him, Terri settled in with a container of pasta that even cold looked amazing. Better than Andrew’s chicken and salad on a wheat roll. He hadn’t gotten back into shape by indulging in creamy pastas, and even though he was now working full time at a very physical job he didn’t want to backslide so soon.
On Andrew’s other side, Sam opened a container of big slices of what looked like a super supreme pizza. He took a massive bite of the cold wedge, chewed and spoke around the mouthful. “Saw you chatting with the boss and architect earlier. What was that all about?” His tone was just this side of sneering. Andrew had never met anyone with a bigger grudge against management and authority than Sam.
The general level of lunchtime chatter amongst the crew dropped off and several sun-bronzed and sweaty faces turned to Andrew.
Shrugging, Andrew took a bite of his roll, hoping any interest would get waylaid by something else by the time he’d finished chewing and swallowing. It worked partially and only Sam and Damo were still looking at him expectantly when his mouth was clear.
“It wasn’t anything important.”
“Yeah? It’s just that Ron’s been muttering about bloody architects all morning. I mean, more than usual. Thought maybe you were privy to something.”
“Well, apparently Ron got the wrong type of ducts for the heat shifting system in, so that didn’t go down well.”
Sam snorted. “Told him they were wrong when they showed up the other day. Did he listen to me?”
“No,” Damo, Terri and Andrew chorused.
“I don’t know why Green Life keeps contracting us for their builds,” Terri mused. “Ron’s not exactly on board with eco friendly. He only thought Sheridan’s car was cool until he found out it was electric.”
“Bloody wanker in his electric car,” Sam muttered but was largely ignored as the talk turned to the usual disgruntlement with management and working conditions. Andrew stayed out of most of it. McGregor Construction wasn’t a bad mob to work for, as far as he could tell, but no workplace was ever perfect.