Reality was having a hard time sinking in.  I still couldn’t believe that the Shore Rebuilding Foundation trusted me enough to be one of the two Project Managers just out of college. The job let me have the freedom that I wanted so I wasn’t going to second guess their judgment. It just meant I would have to work my butt off to impress them. 

    But in order to impress the company I had to impress the client I was scheduled to meet with in just an hour. The rough morning I had wasn’t going to help me out either. First I spilled my hot coffee all over myself so I had to change last minute. Then I got a last minute email changing the location of the meeting from my office to the client’s job site. 

    I looked rather nonsensical to go to a construction site but there was nothing I could do. The location changed happened after I left my house and I wasn’t about to be late to work just to change into a pair of pants and flats. I’d have to rock this meeting in a pencil skirt and heels. 

    I’ve been in worse situations in life. Dirt and heels was nothing. 

    Well that’s what I thought at least. I parked my Honda Civic in front of the house, that’s if you could even call it a house in its current state. There was a foundation but no walls to speak of, only studs. Men wandered around the lot working on various tasks. A small tent was set up in the yard where two men were hunched over a foldable table. 

    Those were probably the guys that had the nerve to change our meeting from a nice air conditioned office to a hot and humid job site. But I had to set my annoyance to the side. I had a job to do, to prove to myself that I deserved this job. No, I had to get a lovely couple a new house. 

    This meeting wasn’t for me at all. I was there to find a suitable contractor to donate their time to help build a house for a couple who lost everything to the hurricane. Their house was destroyed in the storm. If you walked along the boardwalk it was still there, looking like it was something out of Wizard of Oz.

    They would get a new house, but first I needed to find a contractor. 

    I turned my car off and braced myself to enter the humid summer air. As the car door opened all of the cool air escaped from my car. I climbed out, grabbing my purse on the way, and started my trek across the yard to the tent. Nails and boards were strewed across the yard, making my short walk into an obstacle course. I made a mental note to myself to put flats into my car just in case there was ever a change of location for a meeting again. 

        When I got to the tent my annoyance started to fade away as I got a good look at the two men behind the table. They were clearly brothers with the same brown eyes and facial structure. The one on my right looked a little taller and had on a light blue t-shirt that said On Point Remodeling on the front. Both had strong muscles and were swoon worthy. 

    But I couldn’t swoon, I was there on business. If only my hormones got that memo. 

    “Excuse me,” I squeaked out, my voice barely louder than a whisper.  It got their attention though. They both looked at me and seemed slightly confused with my sudden appearance in front of them. “I’m Rebecca Wharton from Shore Rebuilding Foundation.”

    “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Andrew,” the man on my right said. He held out his hand to me and I immediately shook it. His grasp was firm but gentle at the same time despite his rough hands. He then motioned to his presumed Brother, who was glaring at him. “And this is my Brother, Kevin.”

    “It’s nice to meet you both,” I trembled, already worried that his meeting was going to be a failure. Kevin looked rather angry at his brother about this meeting and from the looks of it he didn’t like to be surprised by meetings. 

    Well no one said my job was going to be an easy one. Not everyone wanted to donate their time when they had jobs to do that would get them a paycheck to keep on living. I couldn’t exactly blame them because I was in the same boat, except the time I volunteered was paid for in my salary. 

    “I’m sorry, but did I come at a bad time?” I asked, not wanting to waste my time if they were already set on not helping my company out. 

    “Ye…” 

    “No,” Andrew insisted, sending a warning glare back at his brother. “We’d be glad to hear about Shore Rebuilding Foundation.”

    I took two folders out of my purse, handing one to Andrew and the other to Kevin. My hand hung in the air holding onto the folder in a stand off with Kevin to take it from me. I held my ground, waiting for him to take it from me. Looking up at him, I raised my eyebrows and just waited. I wasn’t going to give up that easily. 

    With a huff, Kevin finally took the folder from my hand. This was quickly becoming a battle between me and him. He might not of thought of it that way, but I saw it as a challenge to get him to help out the company. 

    “I won’t bore you too much,” I started, looking directly at Kevin. “Inside on the right are flyers to our upcoming community builds. There’s one this weekend and a few more throughout the coming months.”

    Andrew at least looked interested in what I had to say. He had his folder open and was looking through everything inside it. Kevin didn’t seem interested at all. He was staring at me the entire time, as if he was sizing me up. I already knew that Kevin was going to say no to everything that I suggested. 

    I glanced up at him, meeting his gaze for just a few seconds. There was something more than annoyance in his eyes. A spark ran through me as I tore my gaze away from him. 

    “On the other side of the folder there are some plans for possible houses to be built. What we are really looking for right now are contractors to donate their time to take the lead on building them. All of the materials are paid for through donations and most of the building is ultimately done by volunteers.”

    “And what do we get out of it?” Kevin demanded, cutting me off. 

    “Kevin,” Andrew admonished. 

    “It’s fine. I understand that time is money and I’m sure you already have a lot of projects on your plate.” I looked up at Kevin, not backing down from his judging eyes. “But by donating your time, you get the satisfaction of helping a family in a need who lost their home to a storm. On the business side, you get some free advertising through our company. Your company name is on the house and all the flyers handed out for our volunteer days. If that’s not enough then don’t volunteer as a contractor, but at least consider coming out to the volunteer days. You have my information if you want to help out.”

    “Thank you Rebecca,” Andrew said apologetically. 

    I tried to smile as I nodded to both of them. “Have a good day.”

    Turning around, I stomped off toward my car. My annoyance was resurfacing, mostly toward Kevin. I could have spent my time doing something productive. If they knew that they weren’t going to volunteer, then why was I wasting my time trying to persuade them?

    Maybe my time didn’t go completely to waste. Andrew seemed interested in helping out, but I had a feeling he wasn’t the one in charge. The power in Kevin’s gaze made me think he was the owner of the company. He was the one who called all the shots. Definitely an alpha male, and definitely not someone that I needed in my life. 

    Too many alpha males ran my life from day one. I didn’t need another one trying to intimidate me. Although, that look we shared for a moment did send something through me. But it was probably nothing, just the adrenaline I felt from my fight or flight instincts from Kevin’s fierceness. 

    Men did that to me. With a screwed up past it was bound to happen. 

    I trudged along through the yard, trying to pay as much attention to where I was stepping so I didn’t get a nail in my foot. But my anger was my driving force so I was still walking a little to fast on the soft earth. My heel got stuck in the dirt as I stepped up onto the walkway leading to the door. 

    And then I was down. My heel hit the edge of the concrete, forcing me to tumble onto the hard hot pavers. I caught my fall with my hands, scraping my palms against the rough surface. My knees hit next, both scraping against the ground. 

    “Damn it,” I muttered to myself. My knees stung as I rolled myself over to asses the damage to my knees and palms. Blood was seeping from the cuts on my knees and burned every time I moved them. My hands just had small scratches on them with no blood. 

    “Are you okay?” Kevin asked from above me. I looked up at him to see concern written across his face. His eyes were softer and not as harsh as before. He bent down and picked up my purse, gathering my keys and wallet that went flying with my fall.

    “I’m fine,” I muttered, trying to get off the ground.

    Kevin held out his hand to me but I didn’t want him to help me. It was another stand off between us, that I didn’t want him to win, but I didn't have much of a choice. Either I was going to make a fool of myself trying to get up or I was going to suck it up and let him help me up. 

    “Thanks.” I took his hand and let him help me off the ground. My knees hurt even more as I put weight on them but I wasn’t about to let Kevin see that I hurt myself. I tried to grab my purse out of Kevin’s hands but he snatched it away from me. “I really need to be going.”

    “You got hurt on my jobsite. I’m not letting you leave until those cuts are bandaged up. I don’t need you suing me because they got infected.”

    With a huff I followed him down the path to the road where his large silver truck was parked. He lowered the tailgate and pulled a large first aid kit to the edge. 

    “Sit,” he instructed, pointing to the edge of the tailgate. 

    I did as he said and jumped up onto the tailgate. There was not fighting him since he still held my purse hostage which had my keys in it. Kevin fiddled around in the first aid kit, trying to find what he needed to bandage up my knees. 

    As he worked I took a better look at him, putting aside the anger I felt toward him in the moment. His jaw line was outlined by a beard that was neatly trimmed. Through his t-shirt I could see the faint outline of muscles that were well defined. He wasn’t overly muscular, but just enough to be fit and sexy as hell. His blue eyes looked softer than before when he was pushing my buttons before. 

    Some part of me wanted to run my hands through his short curly black hair as he worked. Another part of me wanted nothing to do with him. I actually wanted nothing to do with men in general. There was too much risk in pursuing a relationship. I just needed all my focus to be on work so I could live the life I wanted.

    “This is going to hurt a bit,” Kevin warned. He kneeled in front of me, holding my leg still with his left hand. With his other hand he cleaned my left knee with rubbing alcohol and I flinched under the stinging but tried not to move so he could work faster. He looked up at me as he saw me flinch. “You okay?”

    “I’m fine,” I urged, meeting his gaze yet again. This time there was no stand off or anger in his eyes. There was just concern and a hint of attraction. I tore my eyes away and watched his hand move across my skin. He worked quickly bandaging up my knee. 

    His touch was lighter as he worked on my right knee. The cuts looked slightly deeper on my right leg and would sting more than the left knee. Without a word he started cleaning the wound, but I jumped more than the last time nearly kicking him. 

    “Sorry,” I muttered, trying to get my leg under control. 

    “It’s okay.” Kevin quickly finished cleaning the wound and bandaged it with gauze and a piece of tape. His fingers lingered on my knee, smoothing over the tape with extra care. Warmth from his hands spread up my leg, sending sparks through my skin. 

    He took his hand off my leg and stood up in front of me. Reaching over me, he grabbed my purse that he placed inside the bed of the truck and handed it over to me. 

    “You’re all bandaged up and free to go.”

    “Thank you.” I jumped off the tailgate, landing firmly on my two feet. My arm brushed against him as I made my way to the driver’s side of my car. I could still feel Kevin looking at me as I rummaged through my bag to get my keys. 

    “Rebecca,” Kevin called out just as I unlocked my car. I turned my head toward him with my hand firmly on the door handle. “Just a piece of advice, you might not want to wear heels to a jobsite again.”

    “I’ll try to remember that,” I replied as I opened the door. Sliding into the car I tried not to look at Kevin again. There was definitely something extra in the way he looked at me, but I didn’t want to admit it. He wasn’t someone I wanted to get involved with. Hell, there wasn’t anyone I wanted to get involved with. 

    My past was still too raw to share with anyone. I needed to learn to deal with my own life before letting anyone in. It took me nearly ten years to overcome the first tragedy in my life, who knows how long it would take me to get over the most recent event. 

    Taking a deep breath, I started my car and threw it in reverse. I backed up just enough to give myself room to pull out without running Kevin over. He didn’t move from his spot behind his truck. As I put my car into drive and drove away, I glanced over at him.

    He was still watching me as I drove off. 

With coffee in hand I walked into the office the next morning. Sleep was the enemy at the moment, since it evaded me most of the night. At least I only had one meeting to get through and then I could spend the rest of the day in my office alone. 

    I passed the large wooden reception desk and made my way to the large circular conference room in the middle of the building. The room was still empty when I got there. I took a seat near the back of the room and put my coffee down on the table. I slid my purse off my arm and tore through it to find my cell phone, which always seemed to hide from me. 

    Checking the time, I saw that I was ten minutes early for the meeting. I took out my notebook and flipped through the pages to look over the one page of notes I had. It was only my first week, so I was only assigned one project so far but that would be changing soon. I’d be balancing at least five or six projects at one time pretty soon. 

    That was yet another reason why I couldn’t afford to get involved with anyone. Not that I was interested in anyone anyway. It was just that Kevin was still floating around my head and I couldn’t figure out why. That was probably just because he still annoyed me after he refused to help out. 

    That sounded good to me at least. 

    Shannon’s heels clicking against the hard wood floor pulled me out of the slight daze I fell into. She was wearing tan three inch heels that blended into her skin. Her tight black pencil skirt hugged her legs while her blue button up shirt flowed freely around her body. 

    “Hey Becky,” she said, taking a seat next to me. “How was your meeting yesterday?”

    “It could’ve been better,” I admitted, not wanting to share my failure just yet. When the meeting started I would have to give an update but I had to prepare myself for that. 

    “Well I’d say it just gets easier, but I would be lying.”

    I forced a smile as I stared at my notebook again. There wasn't much on the page except the information about the family who needed a house. Those were the real people I was failing by not finding a contractor for their house. Hopefully my next meeting would bode better and I would find someone to take on the job. 

    The worst case scenario would be I ask Shannon for help. She was the other Project Manager for the company. It was her third year at the company while it was my third day. If I really needed the help I would go to her, but I had to try on my own before I even contemplated going to someone for else. I guess you could call me stubborn. 

    A minute before the meeting was about to start three men entered the room. One I recognized as Rob the social media guru. I didn't know his technical title but I knew he was in charge of all the social media outlets and the website. The financial manager, Daniel, walked in behind him. He was the one that hired me. 

    The last man who walked in was a stranger to me, but he sure was handsome and looked important. He was slightly older than all of the people around the table, maybe in his mid to late thirties. His face was accentuated with a beard that was slowly starting to fill in. He was wearing a gray tweed suit that fit his body like a glove. 

    “That’s the CEO, Anthony Denton” Shannon whispered in my ear. I turned to her and nodded subtly. 

    That would definitely explain why he was so well dressed. We may have been a nonprofit but rumor had it that the CEO made a lot of money through investments from the business he owned in college. Supposedly he sold that company a long time ago, but still owned about half of the stock in the company. He did a lot for the non-profit financially, which made it so successful in times of hardship. 

    The three men took seats sporadically around the table, leaving at least one chair between each of them. It made sense that they needed their space. Rob and Daniel pulled out large folders that took up most of the space around them. Anthony only had his cellphone, which he placed in front of him on the table. 

    My nerves were slightly less jittery than the day before even though I should have been more nervous. Without any progress, I had no job security. It might have only been my first week but I had no idea what the CEO’s expectations were of his employees. I didn’t want to disappoint him the first time meeting him.

    “Well there’s no reason why we shouldn’t get started,” Anthony announced. His voice was demanding but soft at the same time. It was the type of voice you needed to run a business and make people trust you. “Daniel, why don’t you get us started.”

    “Yes sir,” he said, ruffling through his pile of papers. “We currently have enough funds at this location to fund our current projects plus the two planned projects. There isn’t much left after that. It would be wise to schedule some fundraisers for the coming months, but I think Shannon has a few in the works.”

    “Do we have enough money to host the fundraisers or will we have to have a charge at the door?” Anthony asked. 

    “We have enough to fund the event without making it a paid for event, however I think if we decide to host a higher class fundraiser with big hitters than we should either make it exclusive or have a fee attached to admission.”

    Anthony nodded, thinking it over. He tapped his hand on the table. “I like that idea. I think we should get some universities involved that have a big Greek life presence. That’s been successful in the southern states. If we get involved with their philanthropy, then we have a chance to make enough for at least one project with the earnings. Rebecca, could you help us out with that? You were involved with Rutgers Greek Life, right?”

    I looked up quickly, meeting the eyes of Anthony. My heart beat faster under the inspection of the CEO. There was no spark in the look we shared, only intimidation from him. It felt so different than the way Kevin looked at me yesterday. 

    Why was I even thinking about him? I had to get him out of my head and push him away. There was no reason for me to even think about him again. We would never work together since he was so vehemently against volunteering his time to build a house for people in need. I would never even need to see him again. 

    “I can try to help out. I have a few connections with some chapters at Rutgers.”

    “Weren’t you part of a sorority?” 

    “No,” I admitted. “Beta Gamma Sigma is an honor society, not a social fraternity.”

     “Well either way it will help out,” Anthony assured. “Would you like to give us your update, Rebecca?”

    “Of course.” I sat up higher in my chair to get a better look at my notebook so I could pretend that there was good information in it. “I had one meeting with a contractor, however there was no deal made. I have three more meetings lined up in the coming week with other contractors in the area. There will also be two more families coming in for interviews this week to see if they qualify for a house through our company.”

    “You’ve had a busy first week then. Make sure you ask for help if you need it. We don’t need anyone getting burnt out in their first month here.”

    “Of course, but I think I can handle it,” I muttered. One of the things I hated most was when anyone, but mostly men, gave me advice when it was uncalled for. Of course Anthony cared about his non-profit, but he had no idea what type of work load I could handle. 

    “Shannon, you can go next,” Anthony suggested. 

    I barely heard what Shannon had to say as I stewed in my new found annoyance. This was a different feeling than the day earlier though. The annoyance Kevin made me feel stemmed from him not wanting to help out needy people. The annoyance that Anthony made me feel came from his assumptions, mostly because I was a girl. 

    It didn’t take long to notice that not many women worked for the company. Shannon and I were the only two women in the New Jersey office. Even the tone of Anthony’s voice seemed to change as he talked to me. It was a tad harsher and more judgmental. I even heard it as he talked to Shannon, but she didn’t let it get to her. She just waved it off and kept on strong with her report. 

    Hopefully he wouldn’t be around all the time, or else I might not be able to stay with the company long. There was only so much of that attitude that I could handle. 

    Rob gave his report, but I still wasn’t listening. The only thing I really heard was that he was working on a new website. That would help, because a new website meant a better application for our services. That meant the less work that Shannon and I had to do when a new family applied for a house. 

    “Thank you all. Daniel, make sure you keep me updated on any progress,” Anthony said before getting up. His chair rolled back and he left the room in a hurry, answering his phone in the process. 

    I let out a sigh of relief and started to put my notebook away. Rob and Daniel were involved in an animated conversation on the other side of the room. It sounded like they were talking about finances with the new website. 

    “How did you like your first meeting?” Shannon asked, pulling me back to reality. 

    “It was okay, I wish I had more positive things to report though,” I admitted. 

    “It’s not always sunshine and flowers here, we have our bad months sometimes, especially in the summer. No one wants to work for free anymore so we need to figure out how to incentivize the contractors.”

    “And here I thought it was just me.”

    “Nope, it’s everyone.” Shannon and I laughed together. “Hey, how about you come out for drinks with Dan, Rob, and I tonight?”

    “I’m not really a drinkin’ type of girl.”

    “Then come to laugh at all the drunk people at the bar, that’s what I do half the time.”

    I thought about it in my head. It was dangerous going out and drinking. One too many drinks and I’d be on my ass because I was such a lightweight. Then again, I should start to make friends in this town if I was going to call it home for a while. There really wasn’t any harm in being friendly.

    “Fine, I’ll come, but I’m only going to have one beer and that’s it. No crazy shots or anything like that.’

    “That’s fine by me.” Shannon smiled at me and packed up her things. “it’s nice to have another girl working here again.”

    I let out a humph and looked at her as I slung my purse over my shoulder. “How do you deal with Mr. Denton anyway?”

    “You picked up on that huh?”

    “Well it wasn’t like he was trying to hide anything.”

    “I don’t take it personally,” Shannon started. “I know that I do my job well and I just do it. I keep my head down and avoid him when he comes into town. You’ll get used to and plus I’ve got your back as long as you’ve got mine. We’re going to be a team after all. We’ll have power in numbers when he comes around.”

    “That sounds good to me, at least I’ll be more prepared for next time when he rolls around.”

    “Don't worry, he only comes around once every six months. He has bigger fish to fry in the South.”

    I nodded and stood up. Shannon stood up behind me and followed me out of the conference room. Our offices were right next to each other near the reception desk. There was no need to have people walk through the entire building to get to our offices when they had to meet with us. Plus, is allowed the other staff to work in peace. Just the few days I’ve been here Shannon had at least five different people in her office each day. I was sure my schedule would be as filled as hers soon. 

    “Do you want to get started on the Rutgers fundraiser?” Shannon asked as we got to our offices. 

    “Sure, let’s get lunch together and talk it over,” I suggested. The more distractions the better. I was still put off by Anthony’s behavior before and for some reason Kevin kept popping into my head. Surely the more work I did the less I’d have to worry about him becoming a distraction. 

    “I can already tell we’re going to be a great team.”

I stared into my closet, trying to decide what I was going to wear to the bar that night. None of the clothes that I had constituted club clothes in any degree. Most of the clothes on hangers were suits or dress clothes for work. An occasional dress was thrown into the mix but they seemed too fancy for the bar. 

    Frustrated at my lack of progress, I picked up my phone and dialed my best friend Jules’ number. She could always help me pick out outfits since she helped me buy most of it while we were in college. 

    She picked up on the third ring and answered screaming, “Becky!”

    “Jules! How are you? I feel like we haven’t talked in forever.”

    “I’m doing good,” she answered. Her voice was something familiar to me and calmed me down. “I’ve been so busy with my new job. How’s your job going?”

    “It’s been great,” I lied, hoping that her lie detector skills weren’t as sharp on the phone. 

    “Well that sure doesn’t sound like it. What’s bugging you?”

    I let out a sigh and went over all the things I could tell her on my head. It was too risky to bring up Kevin so early. He was probably just a blip on my radar and soon enough he’d fade away. “My boss is kinda an ass to women. He was such a jerk at the meeting today.”

    “You’re not going to put up with that are you?”

    “I’m not going to quit my job, if that’s what your suggesting. He’s only around a few times a year so I can deal with him on those days. My partner, Shannon, is there to back me up anyway. We can handle it.”

    “You better not be replacing me with her,” Jules teased. 

    We laughed together as I sat down on the edge of my bed. My bedroom wasn’t big since I couldn’t afford a lavish apartment. The queen bed with a light blue comforter took up the middle of the room. I had two small side tables and a dresser around the edges of the room. Other than that, there wasn’t much space to move around, but I didn’t need space. 

    “You’re crazy if you think that you could be replaced. The reason I even called you was because I need your opinion on what I should wear out to the bar tonight. Since you know me so well I’m sure you can do that from hundreds of miles away.”
    “Well, of course I can help, but you aren’t planning on getting Halloween party drunk right?”

    “That was one time and it will never happen again.” 

    “It better not, because there won’t be anyone there to take your keys as soon as they get there and save you from grazing deer while they drive you home in the middle of the night.”

    “Hey, that was a well deserved night that I needed. Now back to helping me figure out an outfit for tonight. You never know if I’ll run into Mr. Right tonight.”

    “So just wear something simple. How about your tan shorts and your navy shirt? I’m sure you have a pair of sandals that can match that.”

    “I think that’ll work. It’s pretty cool out so I can wear the three-quarter sleeve shirt. See, this is why you’re the best!”

    “You know it,” she joked.

    I got off my bed, leaning the ear against my shoulder while I looked through my dresser to find the outfit. Checking the clock, I saw that I was already running late. I was supposed to be at the bar by nine and it was already eight-thirty. There was no way I would make it to the beach on time on a nice summer night. 

    “Thanks so much. I have to go though, I’m already running late and you know how much I hate to be late.”

    “Call me soon! We need to catch up since graduation. So much has happened already.”

    “Of course, I’ll call you next week!” We both said our quick goodbyes and hung up. 

    I stripped out of my clothes faster than I thought possible and put on the new outfit. The sandals I wanted were easy to find at the bottom of my closet and I put them on as I hobbled into the bathroom. Most of my make up was still flawless from work, so I just had to add some navy eye shadow in my eyes. 

    In ten minutes, I was dressed and ready to go out. I ran out of my apartment, grabbing my keys and wallet off the kitchen counter on my way out. My apartment was only a few blocks away from the beach, but Friday night summer traffic was unrelenting. It was the first nice weekend of the summer so all of the locals and tourists were out and about on the boardwalk. 

    After circling around the blocks for ten minutes, I managed to get lucky and took a spot from a family that was leaving after a long day. It took them nearly five minutes to pack up their van, but I was willing to wait that long so I didn’t have to walk five blocks to the boardwalk. 

    When I got up to the boardwalk, it was already 8:15. I was beyond late, but hopefully I could just blame the summer traffic. I didn’t imagine that there was going to be that much traffic so early in the summer, but I was wrong. I’d have to keep that in mind for the next time so I wasn’t late. 

    At least there wasn’t a line to get into the bar. I went right up to the bouncer, paid my ten-dollar cover charge, and went into the bar. Shannon, Rob, and Dan were standing around a table near the back of the room, by the windows. 

    “Sorry I’m late guys,” I announced when I got to the table. 

    “It’s fine,” Shannon replied. She was wearing a short yellow dress. Her hair was curled and flowed around her face perfectly. I wish I had that much patience to make my hair look somewhat decent. “We were all just complaining about Anthony’s visit today.”

    “I thought he just hated women,” I muttered to Shannon, trying to hide my disgust in front of the guys. 

    “Nope,” Rob replied. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt that matched his black rimmed glasses. “He came back after that phone call and gave us crap for not working hard enough. If only he knew how much work we put into that place. We have a community build almost every weekend that we all go to.”

    “That’s why we’re all at the bar tonight. Every time he comes into town we all make a point to get drunk after he leaves. It’s become sort of a tradition,” Daniel finished. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his khaki cargo pants and shook his head. “It’s amazing how he annoys us all so much but we all still work for him. I can’t imagine how the people down south do it.”

    “I can’t imagine dealing with him at all,” I whispered, thinking back to the meeting earlier. “How can you justify working so hard for a man who has so little respect for his employees?”

    “The people,” Rob answered simply. “The only reason I stay is because I know that I’m making a difference in people’s lives. After seeing the destruction of the super storm a few years ago, I wanted to help but didn’t know how. When Anthony came around and launched an office here I knew I wanted to be involved.”

    I nodded along with the other two around me. I was sure that Shannon and Daniel shared similar reasons for working for the company. The more I thought about it, that was the same reason I wanted to work for the company. I wanted to make a difference for people who needed it. I wanted to be the person that was there for others when they didn’t have anyone else. 

    “Anyway, Becky let’s go get some drinks,” Shannon suggested, brining the party back to the outing. 

    I followed her through the crowd of people to one of the three bars. The bar was full of people hoarding the bar stools. Most of the people in the bar were crowded around the stage in the corner. A band was setting up to play for the night. 

    “What do you want?” Shannon asked me, with one hit resting on the side of the bar. She wedged herself in between two groups of people that were sitting at the bar. 

    “You know I don’t really drink.”

    “Yeah, well I’m buying so what do you want? It doesn’t have to have alcohol in it.”

    I thought it over. Ever since that faithful night in college I stopped drinking. My last drink was on that night and I didn’t intend on drinking again, but I sure could use it. My mind was still racing miles a minute thinking about my asshole of a boss and then back to Kevin. Actually, I was mostly thinking about Kevin more than anything else. 

    That needed to go. 

    “I’ll have a Captain and Coke,” I answered, surprising even myself. That would have to be the only thing I drink all night or else I’d be flat on my ass and not able to get home. Jules wasn’t here to drive me home and she couldn’t rescue me from Wisconsin. I didn’t trust any of my coworkers enough yet to let them drive me home. I’d have to get home on my own somehow. 

    Shannon gave me a quick questioning look and then shrugged it off. She turned back to the bar and ordered our drinks. In about a minute she turned back around and handed me my drink. I took a sip of the drink and the Captain burned in my throat. They didn’t mess around with the drinks they made here like they did in college bars. 

    One drink would definitely be enough for one night. I had to be careful or else things would get out of hand. Without someone to lean on, I had to fend for myself. Ever since that night I’ve never been alone in a bar or a party. Jules was always at my side. Tonight I didn’t have anyone. Sure Shannon was here but I barely knew her and if she planned on drinking then I couldn’t depend on her either. 

    I followed Shannon back to our table, where the two men were having an animated conversation about the volunteer build the next day. That was another reason I couldn’t get too out of hand. There was no way I was about to trust myself with any type of tools hung over. 

    “Are you ready for your first volunteer build?” Daniel asked me as I sat down on one of the barstools they grabbed for around our table.

    “Well I wouldn’t say I’m an expert with tools so I’ll have to find another way to help out.”

    “You’ll be fine,” Rob said, patting me on my back. 

    I instantly tensed up under his touch. My grip on my drink tightened and I was tempted to run away, but I couldn’t do that. There was no way I was going to let my coworkers see that side of me. They didn’t need to know about any part of my past. I was in this town, at this job, to make a new start for myself. 

    “There’s plenty of stuff to do one a job site,” Shannon added.

    I turned toward her, forcing Rob to take his hand off my back because of my sudden motion. He had enough beer flowing through him that he didn’t notice any edge to the slight shove. Instead he took his cup over to the other side of the table and filled it with beer from the pitcher. 

    Taking a deep breath, I lifted my glass and took a generous sip from it. I knew I was drinking it way too fast but I couldn’t help it. My nerves were too on edge to be careful with alcohol. Maybe I would end up having a second drink. 

    I downed the rest of my drink and decided I needed a moment to myself. “I’ll be right back.”

    The bar was even more crowded than just minutes before. As I weaved through people, past the bars the band started to play up on stage. There was a sudden rush of people to be closest to the stage as the band started playing their music. 

    “Rebecca,” someone yelled with a drunken slur. 

    I turned and backed myself into the bar. My hands grabbed onto the edge as I searched the crowd for the source of the voice. All of the sudden warm arms were wrapped around me, with hands next to mine on the bar. My heart started to pound so hard I heard it in my ears.  

    Kevin’s profile came into focus in front of me and the smell of beer filled my lungs. Somehow I wasn’t freaking out, like I did with Rob. My heart still beat fast but my mind was calm. There was no flight or fight instinct kicking in. 

    His arms were resting against mine but he still stood a few inches away from me. There was a slight sway to his stance. He definitely had one too many beers that night. That was yet another reason why he wouldn’t be a good idea. Men and alcohol weren’t good alone and they sure as hell weren’t good together either. 

    “You’re so pretty,” he whispered, tilting his head slightly closer to my ear. 

    I took a deep breath and tried to figure a way out of this situation. Kevin wasn’t hard on the eyes and at another time in my life I might’ve considered him for a one-night stand. But my goal was to get out of the bar without any fiasco.  I wasn’t doing well on that goal. 

    “Thanks, Kevin,” I replied. I had to deflect this conversation away from me somehow, but I had a feeling once drunk Kevin was on a topic, it was hard for him to get away from it. “What are you doing here tonight?”

    “Just drinking with my Brother. Then you showed up and made it so much better.”

    “You’re really drunk, maybe we should find Andrew so he can take you home,” I suggested, moving my hands off the top of the bar. I put my hands on his shoulders and gave a small shove, but he didn’t move. Damn, he was strong drunk. 

    “But I don’t wanna go home, I wanna dance with you.”

    “I’m not a dancing girl, Kevin. I just want to go to the bathroom to freshen up a bit.” Something had to get his mind off of me. I looked around the bar, searching for his brother but he was nowhere to be found. Somehow I had to get away from Kevin before he tried anything either of us would regret. 

    “You don’t need to freshen up, just come on and dance.”

    Kevin’s hands strayed from the bar top to my hips. He swayed a little more from side to side, this time on purpose, as he tried to dance with me. I flinched a little as his hands touched my skin but alarm bells weren’t going off in my head. Maybe it was because he was being harmless as a drunk man, but usually drunk people set me off even more. 

    “Kevin, I really don’t want to dance.”

    “Just one dance, please.” He sounded like a lost puppy dog and my heart went out to him. Damn, cute faces and puppy dog sounds. They would always get to me. 

    Maybe this was my way out though. What was the real harm in one dance with a man? Maybe I could even find his brother on the dance floor and I could have him save me from drunk Kevin. 

    “Kevin,” a voice from the side said in a deep baritone. I turned to see Andrew coming up on us from the bathrooms. “What are you doing?”

    “I just wanted a dance from this pretty lady.”

    “And does she want to dance with you?”

    I shook my head from side to side and looked over at Andrew. At least I had someone on my side. 

    “Why don’t you let her go and maybe when you’re not so drunk you can dance with her.”

    “I’m not drunk through,” Kevin slurred, pulling his hands away from my hips. 

    I slid away from the bar and took a stance next to Andrew, far away from Kevin’s grasp. Even though he didn’t set my alarm bells off I really didn’t want to let him get any ideas. There would be nothing between us whether or not he was sober. 

    “You’re plenty drunk and I’m taking you home,” Andrew demanded. Before he reached out for his brother he leaned a little closer to me. “I’m sorry about him, he’s had a rough few days.”

    “It’s fine, no harm done,” I replied. “We all have our tough weeks.”

    Andrew smiled at me and pulled his brother toward the door. Kevin was staggering out the door and I was wondering what made him drink that much. It’s not that I necessarily cared about him, but I was still curious at what could make a man like him delve that far into the abyss of drunkenness. 

    I didn’t even bother trying to go to the bathroom. I just had to get out of the bar and go home. A nice relaxing shower was in order at this rate. Being alone was the only way to calm myself down since Jules wasn’t here. I had to start learning how to cope on my own without her. I never realized how much I really relied on her when things got out of hand until now. 

    When I got back to the table, I said quick goodbyes to everyone and told them that I would see them the next day. They didn’t even question my sudden departure. It seemed like they had enough to drink as well. A bar was definitely not a place I should have gone to. 

    My shower and bed were calling to me as I ran to the car and went home as fast as I could.