it all restored, from tile work to crown moldings. First of all, there’s nothing like that in the contract. Second, how are we supposed to know what the hell is original in this place? It was built in 1902. Look, Tony, I’m sorry to put this on you on your first day as boss, man, but you know the schedule we’re running here, and there’s a list of jobs a mile long waiting for me. So what do you want me to do?”
Tony opened his eyes. He hadn’t even realized he’d been cringing. The Fox contract had been one of the last his father had done. He’d started making mistakes a couple months before that, and while Tony had caught most of them, he hadn’t paid much attention to the Fox job because he trusted Sal. But this was a big project, a complete remodel from foundation to roof, and not something he could fix over the phone.
“Look, just keep working in the areas that aren’t in question. I’ll contact Catherine Fox and find out what she’s talking about and get back to you, okay?”
“Okay. But, Tony, this needs to be settled by tomorrow. I have another job right in back of this one, and we’re supposed to be taking down walls as soon as we get the nod from the inspectors.”
“I know. I’ll handle it.”
“Yeah. And, Tony. I’m sorry about your dad.”
“Thanks, Sal. He’ll be okay.” When Tony hung up, Gina stood at the edge of his door. “What about the whiteboard?”
The huge board was in the main office. It listed every job, its current stage and who was in charge of the operation. Joe hadn’t been big on tech. He’d done things the way his father and grandfather had. Those methods had taken them through a lot of rocky financial years, kept them, their relatives, employees and all the regular subcontractors working when a lot of other companies had gone belly-up. Tony wasn’t going to make too many changes at once.
“Why don’t we leave it for now.”
“So your dad will feel better when he sneaks back to visit?” Gina said, her fondness not hidden by the teasing words.
“Actually, yeah.”
“Good thinking,” she said.
“Hey, were my brothers here?”
Gina nodded.
“See if you can reschedule our meeting for tomorrow.”
“Already done. Luca will be here for sure. Dom hasn’t texted me back, but he’ll make time. They were disappointed you weren’t here, so they couldn’t make a fuss out of you moving over to your dad’s office. Dom brought doughnuts.”
“Don’t tell me he actually paid for them.”
Gina laughed. “He got them from that silly Carveccio girl.”
“Of course he did,” Tony said, more to himself than Gina. He looked down at the other pink slips on the desk. The top message was from Angie, his ex-wife. He could put that off, but not for long. Better to get the last of the financial settlement over with, even if things would be tight until they got more caught up with their receivables. The Paladinos had always adjusted the family salaries to make their payments, and never thought of touching the money in the trust. Tony wasn’t going to change that now.
The remaining five messages, everything from job snafus to a request for a radio interview, didn’t need his attention today. He still had to call Alex, but first he had to get in touch with Catherine Fox and make sure they met ASAP. He had one chance to see Rita tonight, and he wasn’t going to miss it.
* * *
“LITTLE ITALY, PLEASE, Grand and Lafayette.” Catherine settled in the backseat of the yellow cab, reminding herself she had no control over the heavy New York traffic. To go from the United Nations building to her new home was exactly 5.3 miles, but it took at least twenty-five minutes to get there. If she was lucky.
She wasn’t lucky today.
The whole construction debacle had come as a shock. Not just that the project manager had acted as if he knew nothing about her revised restoration plans, but that she’d accepted a verbal agreement in the first place.
It had been completely out of character, but there’d been something about Joseph Paladino that she’d trusted immediately. At the same time, she wasn’t naive enough to think she didn’t need the amendment in writing. This home meant everything to her. What had she been thinking?
God, she could just scream.
Now, instead of hashing things out with Joseph, she had to deal with his son. Everything about it smelled rotten. This major snafu had caused her to be late returning from lunch, which meant she’d need to go back to work later. Worse than that, it felt like a bait and switch, which she was going to nip right in the bud. Despite all the recommendations and exceptional reviews of Paladino & Sons, they were not going to play her for a fool.
There were other contractors, though she really hoped this was a mix-up and she hadn’t been taken in by the very sincere-seeming Paladino, Sr. She of all people should be able to spot a con artist. Her job was dependent on her ability to read nuance and body language. But just in case, she’d already started to compile a list of alternatives.
They turned on Grand and she spotted Tony Paladino right away. Tall, dark haired and trim, he carried a black satchel and wore dark jeans and a white oxford shirt with no tie.
After paying the cabbie, she straightened her skirt as she approached where Tony stood facing her front door. The outside of the three-story town house was redbrick and beautiful, although there was definitely work to be done on her front stoop. Whether it would be done by this guy’s company remained to be seen.
He turned upon hearing her heels on the uneven sidewalk. “Hello,” he said, holding out his hand. “Tony Paladino.”
She met his chestnut-brown eyes and her heart started beating harder. “Catherine Fox,” she said, noting the strength of his handshake. “I must admit, I’m disappointed that your father couldn’t be here.”
“He would have been if he’d been able, I assure you.”
She took out her key and slid it into the lock. It gave her the moment she needed to think about something other than the fact that Tony was an unexpectedly good-looking man. Catherine turned the key just as a distasteful thought occurred to her. This might be exactly what she’d feared. Was Mr. Charm here supposed to distract her long enough for them to renege and have her sign off?
The hell with that. They would finish the job, all right. Exactly to her specifications. Just as Joseph Paladino had promised.
A moment later they were inside. The ground floor was where most of the building supplies were spread out, so they had to make their way past scaffolds, tarps and exposed pipes. The focus so far had been on the foundation, electrical and plumbing, basic work about which she wasn’t concerned. She led Tony up to the small suite she’d made her home base. It took up only a quarter of the second floor—which would eventually become her master suite and one guest room—but it was large enough for now.
Even though the work was loud and messy during the week, she hadn’t been around for most of it, leaving her to get used to the old place on the nights and weekends. She had a makeshift bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and small sitting area where she could watch television.
