UNDER CONSTRUCTION, CHAPTER 15

           As it turned out, Charlie didn’t have time to have a talk with Adam. The very next morning, a new client in another state reached out and wanted to talk to Charlie or someone in the firm about the construction of an office building and home that would meet LEED requirements for a Platinum award. The design and construction of such buildings would bring additional recognition to the firm.

The only problem was the client didn’t want to get in line and wait for her firm’s attention. It also meant millions and millions of dollars in earnings as well as taking the company from being sought after within her own state to being pursued elsewhere if they landed the contract and did the work. Charlie told the client she would get back to her by the end of the day.

First, she called Terrance to establish his availability. She would need him there as well to provide input on the design. After talking to Terrance, she called Justin in to her office and asked if he would be available to travel out of state for a few days and explained why. He told her he’d be happy to join her and Terrance for the interview stage with the client.

All her ducks in a row, so to speak, Charlie asked Stephanie to make travel arrangements for the three of them. Once the arrangements were confirmed, Charlie shared the information with Terrance and Justin and asked them both to join her that afternoon to talk about the presentation they’d be making. Then, just after noon, Charlie called and told the client, a Jessie Flanagan, that she and her team would be there the following day and ready with a presentation the day after that. Ms. Flanagan seemed impressed by the immediacy of Charlie’s response.

The three of them met and talked about what each of them would say and present to Ms. Flanagan. Terrance would go first and talk about his ideas for a multi-story office building as well as the home. His presentation would include slides of homes and office buildings that were based on his architectural renderings. Justin would go next and talk about LEED certification, what was required and how Terrance and the Ridgeway Company would implement all the requirements to achieve the award once the buildings were completed. Justin indicated he had a presentation he’d prepared for one of his school projects and could update and make it useable for the interview. Charlie would make the final presentation, discuss how her company would come into Ms. Flanagan’s territory, hire local craftsmen and union workers to do the building. In the beginning, the three of them would be on hand, but once the projects were well underway, there was the potential of handing off the day-to-day supervision to a local company or expert. She would include some photos of the largest projects the Ridgeway Company had completed, especially the few that had received LEED gold awards. If they landed this contract, it would be the first Platinum award.

It was after 5:00 pm by the time the three of them had completed their discussions and plans. Charlie was so excited by the prospect she could hardly sit still. She spent some time sending emails and instructions to the various foremen for the jobs currently underway. She also made sure Stephanie had all the information she would need in her boss’ absence. It was going on 8:00 pm by the time she picked up her cell phone and checked for messages.

There were seven just from Adam. Charlie realized she hadn’t given Adam a single thought since she received Ms. Flanagan’s phone call that morning. She waited to feel bad about ignoring him, but there was no discomfort or guilt waiting to rise into her consciousness. So, before she headed home to pack, she called him back.

He answered on the first ring. “Hi Adam, it’s me. Sorry to have ignored you all day, but I’ve been so busy and I’m so excited I can hardly sit still.”

“What’s going on? I’d hoped we could have lunch or dinner for sure, but I got hungry and ate without you.”

“That’s okay. I had Stephanie order in for Terrance, Justin and me. Once we finished planning, I had to make sure everything would move along smoothly while I’m gone.”

“Gone? Where you going.”

Charlie laughed delightedly. “This morning I received a phone call from a Ms. Jessie Flanagan. She wanted the Ridgeway Company to make a presentation about the design and construction of a six-story building as well as her personal home. Both projects are to be designed and built to meet and earn a LEED Platinum award.”

“So, where is this woman located and what’s a LEED building?”

“She lives in Texas and started a company years ago that specializes in personal care products that are made from organic plant products. Not only that, but the production of these products is friendly to the environment. It’s her goal to be completely carbon-neutral by 2030, if not before.”

“So, what does that have to do with you and your company?”

“Ms. Flanagan went on the hunt for companies that are led by women as well as taking the environment into consideration. She wants a six-story building that will house all her company’s offices as well as the production side of the products. And, as long as she’s having that done, she wants a new home that follows all the LEED requirements.”

“I still don’t know what a LEED is. I’m not even sure if it’s spelled LEAD or LEED.”

“LEED is spelled with two e’s and stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a certification program for green buildings created by the U.S. Green Building Council. There are four categories of award, LEED Certified is the lowest, followed by LEED Gold and LEED Silver. The highest award is Platinum and that’s what Ms. Flanagan wants for her buildings. The building must meet certain criteria with regard to energy and water efficiency, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, the quality of the indoor environment, thoughtful selection of building materials and the building site must be sustainable. Under each of those additional criteria are lists of requirements which apply to each one. A truly LEED building will meet every single one of the lengthy list of standards.”

“Wow, that sounds quite demanding and you’re going to do a presentation with only one day of preparation?”

“Yes, but the company has slowly been adopting the various principles of LEED building and Dennis just graduated from school and his final project was the design of a building which met each and every single one of the requirements. He’s going to sell this deal for us.”

“You sound pretty positive about landing the contract.”

“I am. Between Terrance, Dennis and myself, we’ll be unstoppable no matter who else is interviewed.”

“So, if you get the contract, what will that mean for your company and for you?”

“Well, it’ll mean I’ll have to live in Texas for a while, or at least until the project is well underway and I’ve learned the local folks are completely trustworthy and knowledgeable about what we’ll be doing.”

“I really hate the thought of you being so far away, but I’m excited for you and the recognition you’re receiving for the work you’ve already done. Will I see you tonight?”

“No, Adam, I’m sorry. I’m still at the office and have to go home to pack. We’ll be picked up at 5:00 am at the office tomorrow morning and I seriously hope I’ll be tired enough after packing that I can go right to sleep. I’ll miss you though and hope we can have dinner the evening of my return. I’ll be back on Thursday afternoon, or at least that’s the plan now.”

“Well, good luck with Ms. Flanagan. Maybe I’ll get some research done on the novel for which I’ve been drafting an outline the last couple of weeks.”

“Good luck with that Adam. I’ll miss seeing you. I don’t think we’ve missed a day in the last couple of weeks. Maybe the time apart will allow us to think about the relationship we now have and what we might want in the future.”

“That sounds a bit ominous Charlie. You planning to send me on my way? I don’t think I’d like that idea very much.”

“No, not exactly, but I do think we need to talk about our relationship and what we each want and expect. I’ve pretty much followed your lead since you sort of told me off. It’s not something I’m used to and I don’t like it very much. So, we do need to talk. Anyway, don’t worry Adam. I really like you a lot and do want to see what the future might hold for us.”

“Hmmmm. Guess that will have to do until you get back.”

“Good night Adam. I’ll text or call while I’m gone. Take care and be good.”

Adam chucked a bit and responded with, “You know I am a very caring person and always good. Good night Charlie and best of luck.”

As Adam hit the off button on his cell, he heaved a huge sigh. Crap, he thought. Just when things seemed to be going well, she’s off to another state with the possibility of having to live there for who knows how long. I don’t like that idea at all. On the other hand, if she gets the contract, I cannot very well demand she turn it down just to stay next door. Hell, even if we were a genuine couple as in engaged or married, I’d still have to stand back and let her move forward. Knowing Charlie as I do now, there’s no way she’d choose to stay here and let another company have the job.

Adam got ready for bed, but his thoughts were a bit tumultuous. There you were, you fool, he told himself, acting like the yankee prude. Telling her you didn’t want to have a sexual relationship without some kind of a relationship based on getting to know each other. He turned over and hit his pillow a couple of times. What happens if she gets this job and decides she just doesn’t have time for a relationship with me. Or, what happens if she decides it’s sex or nothing. Well, you’d be a real fool if she said that and you walked away. Although, face it, you’ve already pretty much done that already. He soon came to the conclusion he wasn’t going to get much sleep that night as he turned over and hit his pillow again.

Meanwhile, Charlie had arrived home, pulled her carry-on suitcase from the closet and began to pack the various items she’d need. The carry-on and her briefcase would be all she was taking, so it didn’t take too long to fold and pack the items. She’d toss in her toiletries after her shower in the morning. She told herself she couldn’t wait for her dad to come back home. She didn’t want to jinx the potential contract, so even though she wanted to call him and rave about the phone call and the potential for a LEED Platinum job, she wouldn’t let herself do that. She’d tell him once she got the contract or if she didn’t, she could tell him about the possibility then.

           Charlie didn’t think she’d get much sleep that night either, but it had nothing to do with Adam. Her head was filled with ideas about what could be done and accomplished on this project. One idea was followed by another and finally, she sat up, turned on the light and began to make notes. If Adam had known what was keeping Charlie awake was diametrically opposed to what was keeping him awake, he’d have felt very let-down and perhaps a trifle hopeless.