The Step Sister Read online

  She might have started as Lloyd’s token hire, but she proved she was just as capable at what she was hired to do as Chris had been for what he’d been hired to do. Chris had needed as much instruction and on-the-job training as Julia needed, but the ability and desire to learn and work hard was the same.

  However, there was more than one assumption about her that traveled around the crews. He corrected any gossip he heard. But they still persisted. He had no idea if she heard the rumblings. If she did, she didn’t let on. Other than Margaret’s disdain, which she believed she’d cut off at the knees, Julia didn’t seem to think there was much scuttle going around about her.

  He didn’t have the heart to correct her. Margaret believed what he first had about Julia’s hiring. Like him, Margaret must have realized Julia had no idea of Lloyd’s intent or how he’d use the position in the past. Margaret had shut her mouth and given Julia a real chance when she realized Julia wasn’t complicit in anything.

  Lloyd should be sued for sexual harassment after this stunt. By making a fake position and then hiring someone who could do the job, he’d made it harder than necessary for her to get a fair shake at things.

  One night, working on her plan reading training particularly late, his stomach growled. She paused, eyebrows raised, and glanced towards his stomach. He shrugged, embarrassed, when she laughed aloud. “Hungry?”

  “Well… yeah.”

  She reached for her cellphone and then clicked on a number to order them a pizza and drinks. It was delivered twenty minutes later and she insisted on paying. They soon dived in. They leaned back away from the paper work and ate the loaded pizza and drank soda. He was impressed she’d eaten it without complaint.

  “How do you eat like that?” she’d asked when he’d polished off half the pizza.

  He all but blushed. Shrugging, he chewed his bite, careful to swallow before answering, “I don’t know, fast metabolism? Plus I lift a lot of weights. Muscle—”

  “Burns fat. However, don’t bodybuilders usually watch what they eat? Treat their bodies as temples? Use protein shakes and all that?”

  He shuddered. “I’m not a bodybuilder. I lift weights at home. It’s not a hobby or lifestyle. I was always naturally big, tall and beefy or whatever. I lift because I like it. It’s not a thing with me.”

  She pressed her lips together and then she smiled. It was a big deal to glimpse on Julia’s face. She often gave a reserved, gentle lift of her mouth as way of recognition of what people said. She rarely smiled at or for anyone. When she did, her dark eyes crinkled and lit up and his heart seemed to be clenched in a vice, squeezing too tight to circulate blood. It was that good.

  “Okay, so not a body builder. So you eat terrible but work out a lot?”

  “Yes.”

  She then laughed out loud and it made him feel like throwing his shoulders back in pride. He’d made Julia smile and laugh, even if it wasn’t very funny. Hey, whatever worked.

  “I didn’t expect you to be so self-conscious about it.”

  “I’m not. I just get a lot of assumptions and comments. I get sick of it sometimes.”

  Her expression wilted. He sighed. He didn’t mean to make her engaging smile fade. “I get that. I hate assumptions too.”

  Because she was so beautiful, men couldn’t speak around her? They all hit on her? Fell to her feet with gifts and romance?

  She continued, “I don’t smile and bubble with laughter, like many think I should. I often get asked what’s wrong or am told if I just smiled… what? What would happen for me? I should run around with Vaseline on my teeth and my pearly whites always out? No, thank you. I’ve been told on more than one occasion I have a bitchy resting face. I don’t appreciate it.”

  “What is that?”

  “You know, when someone looks mad, when they’re just… there. Being. Feeling nothing. Engaging in nothing but they look upset or mad so people take offense to them and tell them they’d be so much prettier if they’d smile more.”

  “That’s stupid. I don’t run around with a smile on my face.”

  “I try not to especially around the other superintendents and subcontractors. I don’t need to add more to me being a woman.”

  “It’s especially highlighted in this industry, huh? Probably why Margaret gave you such a hard time at first. It’s something she’d encountered in ways you probably can’t imagine. Even from what I’ve seen, it can be pretty terrible on a woman.”

  “I wouldn’t let anyone get away with saying anything or acting in ways I don’t like. No matter what.”

  He smiled. “Well, I’m glad to hear that.”

  “You know what it does?”

  “What?”

  “Makes me want to succeed even more in this job and industry then.”

  His lips lifted up. “A challenge. Well, if anyone can, I believe it’s you, Julia Lindstrom.” He lifted his soda can up in a toast. She responded in kind and beamed her smile at him again. Twice! While tapping her can to his.

  And damn if his heart didn’t skip. Then he turned away, downing the liquid to give him something to do. Damn. No. She had just finished making a commitment to succeeding in an industry notorious for sexual harassment. The last thing she’d want would be a come-on from him.

  He withheld a sigh. Especially when she was relying on him to teach her. And what? If he said anything, the only conclusion she could come to was he’d tried to keep her here all alone, pretending to help her in order to get her to go out with him. Whatever. If he said anything, it would appear as nothing more than he’d pretended to want to help her.

  Of course he’d been attracted to her the first time he saw her and spoke with her. His attraction had only deepened as he spent more time with her. She was cool and calm. She held her composure in any situation he’d seen her in, even ones where she had no idea what she was doing.

  He respected her. Liked her. But more fairly, he would have trained, guided, and helped her even if not one of those things were true because he considered it part of his job.

  But if he spoke up now, there would never be a day she’d think that of him. She’d believe he’d tricked her into spending time with him. Or that he’d been doing it solely to get something from her.

  Sighing inside, he knew the only answer was keeping these other feelings to himself and trying to squash them. The last thing he wanted to be was some version, even a mild one, of whatever Lloyd was to women he worked with. No. No, he could not be like that. Even if he was working with Julia after hours and helping her all alone in a job shack.

  When they finished up it was dark. He had to restrain the natural urge to walk her to her car, but instead he waved as she turned the opposite direction and crossed the small gravel lot. She waved back and he settled on watching her slip into her car and make sure she pulled away safely before he jumped in his own truck.

  Trying to ignore that the pizza dinner was the nicest he’d had with anyone in a long time. Maybe ever.

  Chapter Four

  SHE QUICKLY DROVE TO Chris’s job site, taking with her the electrical submittals he’d been waiting on. Boots were no longer needed now just to cross the lot. She didn’t hesitate either, waiting to see if she were “allowed” there. She never felt odd or shy or unsure anymore. Nope. No more. Not on Chris’s job. She marched in, her knowledge exponentially increased as to all the parts of the construction process and what was going on at the site compared to the day she started. She also had a purpose now, a real part in all this. And her final perk? She’d grown increasingly proud of and interested in her work and she was glad of it.

  She entered without knocking. Chris was on the phone, but turned towards her and smiled, waving his arm towards the tabletop to let her know to set his inbox contents there. She did. He got off the phone and sighed. A pencil was stuck behind his left ear that almost made him look scholarly. Almost. The roughness in Chris’s looks belied his intelligence as well as his courteous and kind personality, capped off by a kille
r sense of humor. She smirked and said, “How’s it going, Professor?”

  “What?” He stared at her blankly. She tapped on her ear.

  He patted his ear and then laughed. “Oh, forgot about that. I was about to start the lumber take-off when I got slammed with four phone calls in a row, which was… let’s see, an hour-and-a-half ago. Looks like I’ll be working late. I need to check these numbers. Lumber order is due soon and I have to make sure it’s correct.”

  She wandered closer. “You always double-check the materials?”

  “Always. To make sure the lumber company quoted the correct amount per the plan, and then I recheck it right down to the last bucket of nails and screws. I have to be sure that the framers have the right materials to start, along with the right numbers to handle so much material.”

  He tapped the pencil against his opposite hand. “You want to learn how? Watch me do it?”

  She smiled. He always included her if she were around to observe whatever task he was doing, and each time, it was different. She was already counting on it and hoping he’d ask her. “I do. Who else can teach me?” She approached him and her gaze drifted towards the drafting table. “Lloyd even told me I was helpful today. He should give you a raise because I wouldn’t be half so ‘helpful’ if you hadn’t taught me like a mentor.”

  Chris’s massive shoulders fell forward as he rested his weight on his hands and the table surface. “You’re a quick study. He’d have been wasting your talents then. And it’s a rare thing indeed I can show anyone anything. Mentor? Me?” He shook his head. “That’s why I do it, Julia. Not for you so much, but because it strokes my ego to have something I can finally show someone else.”

  She nodded and replied, “You’re humble too. You show the laborers how to do things all the time. I’ve witnessed it. And I know you stop and learn things from almost every single subcontractor or their workers that you’ve had on-site. There is no ego-stroking about this for you. You try to learn as much as you teach.”

  He turned his head away. “Ah, hell. That’s just good business. The more I know, the better I can work and the more job security and chance for advancement I can create for myself. I can bring these projects in on time and budget, but it only happens if I know and understand what I’m doing. I’m a lot like you, Julia, and half of what I do is stuff I still don’t have any mastery of. And if I need help and guidance, why wouldn’t other workers?”

  “Most men, especially the men in this industry, are driven or controlled by an outdated and crazy macho ego. So yeah, it’s pretty rare. Don’t think I didn’t notice and don’t think I’m not right. Trust me, I would know.”

  He frowned, pushing off from the table. His appearance and personality hadn’t meshed on her first impression of him. His kindness, intelligence, and ability to remain patient and answer any and all questions still amazed her even after three months of being around him. “Who’s giving you trouble?”

  She laughed, almost patting his shoulder. But she probably couldn’t have reached it if she tried. “No one specifically and nothing in particular. You know how it is.”

  “Unfortunately I do. But I don’t do that, right?” he asked. He often checked in with her about his treatment of her. As if he believed he’d suddenly flipped into being a chauvinist jerk. He didn’t and hadn’t. However, she appreciated the way he kept check on himself. His gaze showed genuine concern, as if her answer mattered to him. She reached over and patted his hand, which he set back on the table. He glanced up sharply, wondering if she did it as reassurance.

  “You don’t. Not once. Neither does Lloyd. That’s what makes all of this tolerable.”

  “Well, let’s get to work here.”

  She smiled as he brought over the plans, a yellow legal pad, some pens and pencils, a ruler and a few other gizmos. He explained which one was called a “plan wheel” and used it to scroll along the lines of the plans for measurement. The one Chris used interfaced with his laptop. He carefully started at the very beginning, showing her how to get set up and how to keep track of what he was checking. He told her never to hurry or skip a step. He often paused to make sure that what he explained was clear. But he never dumbed it down.

  “You should have been a teacher, Chris,” she said when he set his pencil down. He leaned back in his chair to stretch his arms over his head and realign his spine. She straightened her own spine. They had been leaning over the plans for almost two hours.

  “It has to interest me. If it were just general subjects, I wouldn’t care to talk about them. But I like this stuff so it’s fulfilling for me to show others. Plus, this is about the maximum of how long I can sit at a desk working. I’m ready to go hammer in some nails or jackhammer out some concrete. Got to do that yesterday. They poured a concrete curbing wrong and I got to bust it out of there. Total waste of time and money, but damn, it was fun.”

  She shook her head, her laugh pealing out like a song. He grinned too. “You’re such a contradiction. Fun to jackhammer? Yuck. But I suppose muscles like those are wasted just teaching me how to do lumber take-offs.”

  His head tilted. “Watch the sexual harassment, Ms. Lindstrom.”

  She chuckled and rolled her eyes at him. “Forgive me, Mr. Vaughn. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Besides, I didn’t say I admired them, I merely stated that you do have them. And you and I occupy equal positions, so there is no clash of unequal power here.”

  He cringed. “Okay. Damn. You sure get a point across.”

  She glanced up at the clock hung over the doorway. “Oh, crap. I have to go. I’m late.” There was a large family gathering at her parents’ house tonight. Her cousin, Olivia Salazar, and her husband, Derek, were the guests of honor. Olivia played the flute for a living, and was a valued member of the San Francisco Symphony. She had played at many venues from local dives to the White House. Recently, she was chosen to join a core group of instrumentalists to record the music for an upcoming movie.

  He waved at her as she rushed out of there with barely a small smile, running across the lot to her car before racing home.

  Home for Julia was the L-shaped rambler that her mom and dad bought years ago in Calliston. It was only a few miles from downtown where her dad, and now, she too, worked. She was only minutes from pulling in. She flung her car door open before rushing inside. The living room, which was open to the dining room and kitchen, was full of people. Food was appetizingly displayed on the dining room table and people were browsing through the various dishes.

  “Julia!” She turned towards the first voice that caught her, her aunt, Gretchen. Close to sixty now, she was a tall, blonde, well-proportioned, and stylish woman. She looked as classy and sophisticated as she had decades before. Julia smiled with real pleasure when her aunt swooped her up in an embrace. Gretchen let her go, still clasping her hands. “I’ve heard almost daily reports of your journey into the construction world. Congrats, darling. I am so proud of you.” Her eyes glimmered with love. Julia smiled back. Gretchen had witnessed so much of her younger, more troubled years. Gretchen often came over to help her with her junior and senior homeschooling assignments. Gretchen also directed her mom into finding the help she needed.

  She chatted for several minutes with her aunt and Tony, her uncle, who came up and wrapped his only arm around Gretchen’s waist as he kissed the side of her face. He lost his other arm over thirty years ago while serving in Afghanistan. Julia was the youngest of all the cousins on the Moore side of the family, which included Ally, Kylie, Olivia, and her. Her cousins and stepsisters, Kylie and Ally, were in their early thirties. Olivia, who was Gretchen and Tony’s daughter, was thirty-two, and then there was Julia. At age twenty-four, she arrived after everyone else. Like the afterthought. The baby. Shielded and protected. But also loved and adored by all. Gretchen often took care of her, claiming she needed a baby fix, and as Julia grew up, a young adult fix. Whatever age she was, Julia got special attention from all the family members, or so it seemed. She be
came their mascot in a loving, sweet, and often irritating way.

  Nate was married to Ally and they shared a law practice together. Strangely enough, Nate entered the family as Julia’s stepbrother. His dad was married to Vickie before she dumped him, ending her fifth marriage. Nate had no siblings and Julia had no brother so they simply adopted each other and had considered themselves brother and sister for more than fifteen years now. He slung his arm over her shoulder. “Hey Ju-Ju-Bee, why are you so late?”

  “I was doing a lumber take-off.”

  He blinked. “Are you for real?”

  “For real. I was learning how to figure out how much lumber was needed for the framing strictly off the plans and specs. Time got away from me.”

  “So the rumors are true? You’re really working in construction now?”

  “Yes.” She smiled with unmasked pride. It might have been the first time at one of these events when she had something impressive to talk about. Her job was keeping her very busy and certainly was not trivial or pointless.

  Two kids suddenly dodged behind Julia, each grabbing a leg and squealing as they hid behind her. She glanced down. They both had their eyes shut, as if they believed that would make them invisible. She laughed and saw Ally coming after them. Her expression was scowling as she shouted, “You little demons. What were you thinking?”

  Nate smiled and his white teeth flashed against his dark skin. His mom’s family was from India and his strong genes of dark hair and olive skin were dominant in his and Ally’s twin boys, who were not quite three years old. “What have you two done to your mother now?” Nate asked as he leaned down and managed to scoop both of them up. With one in each arm, he slung them over his shoulders, letting their heads hang down his back as they laughed and squealed in excitement.

  Ally paused in her chase to kiss Julia as she rolled her eyes. “He never told me that twins ran on his mother’s side.” Turning towards her husband and kids, she rested her hands on her hips as she stormed after them. Nate backed up, challenging her to come and get them all while both boys chanted him on.