About Overtime

by M. Durango
10 pages / 3500 words
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc, epub, Sony-optimized pdf

Jerry loves his job as a real estate developer, loves it down to the sawdust and the nails. On weekends, when he's alone and the site is quiet, Jerry comes to wander the half-finished buildings, to marvel at the changes that occurred in the week, and to appreciate -- in his own way -- all the things he loves about the work. When a very attractive employee shows up unexpectedly, Jerry has to face facts: he's busted. Good thing for Jerry he might not be the only one interested in putting in a little overtime.

Sample

Jerry loved weekends at the construction site; half-finished buildings stood quiet, occasional bits of random debris that someone hadn't cleaned up. He hopped out of his truck and unlocked the gate, making sure to secure it once he was in. Jerry knew that people snuck in to drink -- empty beer bottles in the mornings attested to that -- but he wasn't stupid enough to risk liability by making it easy.

He parked the truck, found the key to the office trailer, and let himself in. There was always some bit of paperwork needing to be taken care of. After checking through some forms and making sure everything was on track for next week, Jerry grabbed the little bag of trash that someone had forgotten to take out on Friday and headed back outside.

The site was completely deserted and isolated enough to be totally silent. After dropping the trash in the dumpster, Jerry headed to the new building to take a first-hand look at the progress. He trusted the project manager, Mitch, to handle the day-to-day issues while he focused on the business end of things, but he didn't like to get too far from the nuts and bolts. Literally and figuratively.

He wandered through the ground floor, taking his time and looking over the quality of the work being done. Mitch always hired good people and didn't cut corners on him like some guys, but Jerry loved watching the buildings take shape, watching the frames become walls, watching the windows get installed, loved watching a once-vacant field become a home or a business.

Most of all, he loved that it was his.

Jerry walked up to the third storey, running his hand along the wooden beams framing the building as he went. Dry wood covered in the lightest layer of sawdust. His footsteps echoed softly; he didn’t like to make too much noise and spoil the atmosphere.

He walked passed sawhorses towards the opening in the north wall. They were building an office complex this time and plate glass windows would be installed for the executive offices. Right now, there was just a big framed-out hole starting about knee height and extending almost all the way to the ceiling. Jerry could see most of the site from where he was, including the trailers. Beyond that were the survey marks where the next building would go once this one was finished. If Jerry played his cards right, he would be able to develop this whole area into a thriving business and retail center; long-term, he hoped to add in condos or apartments.

The sound of footsteps behind him startled him from his reverie. He turned to see Mitch walking toward him, frowning.

"Hey, boss. What are you doing here on a weekend? There a problem?"

Jerry shrugged, trying for nonchalant and hoping Mitch wouldn't ask too many questions. "Just looking at how things are going, catching up on paperwork. What about you?"

Mitch held up a silver cell phone. "Left this on Friday. Figured I might need it."