Page 33 of Blue Collar Billionaire
“That must be a mistake.”
“We sent it through twice. Maybe an accounting mix-up?”
“I sure as hell hope not. I never want to hear about people not getting paid, especially someone who’s working as hard as you are.”
“What you would like me to do? It’s a quarter of a million dollars.”
“I’ll cut you a check myself. I’ll talk to Billy and get it straightened out on our end. I’ll have a courier bring it to your office first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds great. Thank you, Rusty, for taking care of this for me.”
“I trust you’re going to be at the cocktail party to celebrate the completion of the construction?”
As if he needed more pressure on him, Rusty had scheduled a postconstruction event for Wednesday night. That meant Jackhadto hit the deadline. “As long as we finish on time, I’ll be there. I might show up in work boots, but hopefully you’ll still let me in the door.”
Rusty managed a quiet laugh. “Bring a date. Lexi Alderidge if that’s still going on.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“I look forward to construction wrapping up so I can put a drink in your hand on Wednesday night.”
That was only a few days away, but it seemed like a lifetime. Jack had so much work to do before then. So many things to accomplish. “Thanks, Rusty. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Jack ended the call and pulled up to the Alderidge’s personal gate and entered the code. The light flashed red at him, so he punched it in again. “Dammit,” he muttered to himself, calling Lexi’s cell. Before she had a chance to answer, the gate rolled open. Jack ended the call, looking for Lexi on the other side of the entrance. But when he drove into their driveway, he saw Winston Alderidge standing there.
Okay then.I guess we’re doing this right now. He put the car in Park and climbed out. Lexi was running down the driveway from her house. Jack really wished she wouldn’t interfere. He wanted to have this conversation with Winston one-on-one.
“Mr. Alderidge.” He extended his hand. “I’m sorry you had to open the gate for me. I couldn’t get the code to work.”
“The visitor codes automatically change every two weeks.” To his credit, Winstondidshake Jack’s hand. Still, it wasn’t a warm greeting.
Lexi arrived, breathless, barefoot and wearing one of her many dresses. “I wasn’t thinking. The codes changed over.”
Jack smiled at her. “It’s no problem. If it’s okay, I’d like to speak to your dad for a few minutes.”
Lexi looked back and forth between him and her dad. Surely she sensed the tension between them. All the more reason to excuse herself. “Okay. I’ll be home whenever you want to come over. I’m just going through some boxes.” She took a few more steps over to him, popped up on to her tiptoes and went to kiss his cheek, but Jack had to lean down to let her do it. He appreciated the sentiment, and he had to admit it made him happy that she was willing to do that in front of her father.
With that, Lexi walked back down the driveway.
“Would you like to come in?” Winston asked.
“Really?” Jack didn’t want to sound so surprised, but he was. “I mean, yes. Thank you.”
“For a minute. My daughter doesn’t like to wait for anyone or anything, but I’d also rather not have this conversation in the driveway.”
“Perfectly understandable.” He trailed behind Winston, filled with trepidation, but also a tiny glimmer of hope. Surely the man wouldn’t invite him in just to yell at him.
When they walked inside, it occurred to Jack that this was a glimpse into Lexi’s life that he hadn’t been privy to before. This was the original ivory tower his favorite princess had grown up in. It was pure luxury, of course, with an added edge of stuffiness that came as no surprise. There were formal settees in the marble-floored foyer and crystal chandeliers overhead. Winston led Jack down a long hallway lined with dark wallpaper and dozens of family portraits. He caught a glimpse of one of Lexi as a teenager and had to pause to look. She had a mouth full of metal.
Winston stopped and laughed when he saw the picture Jack was looking at. “She hated those braces. Couldn’t wait for them to come off.”
Jack was a bit shell-shocked. He hadn’t known Winston was capable of expressing humor. “She’s still cute.” Jack dared to make direct eye contact with the older man, and it felt as though they had an entire conversation, acknowledging that Winston loved his daughter deeply and would protect her at any cost, and that Jack was her unwavering admirer who would not back down, even when faced with her dad’s wrath.
“Indeed.” Winston continued down the hall, and through a door at the very end.
Jack stepped into Winston’s study. It practically looked like a museum dedicated to Alderidge family history in Royal. The walls were covered with framed awards and photos of the man with local dignitaries, the shelves lined with golf trophies. As he took survey of it all, he realized that perhaps the reason Winston was so stuck in Royal was because he’d been immersed in it for so long. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Jack had once felt that way about San Antonio and his circle of friends there. Hell, he’d dragged Rich and his sister here just so he could feel connected to someone and something. Although he didn’t agree with snobbery, especially when it came to money, he might be understanding Winston a bit better.
“You play golf, Jack?” Winston asked.
