Trevor
adjusted his goggles and jumped. He might as well have dived into liquid ice.
The bone chilling water enveloped him, slicing through his flesh with numbing
clarity. The painful cold caused every hair on his body to stand on end and set
his teeth to chattering. His breath effectively stolen by the freezing water,
he managed to fight to the surface of the pool.
He
stared at his work crew in shock, unable to think of a single cuss word.
"Cold,
ain't it hombre?" Rufus, the only Mexican on the crew asked. Rufus stood a
mere five feet four inches tall, with jet black hair in careless disarray, his
typical work uniform of jeans and baggy tee shirt threadbare, but clean. He
held Trevor's towel in a crumpled wad of disheveled terry cloth. Trevor eyed
the towel, anxious to wrap himself in its warmth.
He
tried to glare at each of his three employees in turn. Was his face frozen solid? His eyes seemed the only organs still
responding to brain impulses. No wonder the guys refused to inspect the pools. What had he been thinking? He'd been
thinking of how to get a jump on the competition and save his floundering
company at the same time. The company, his legacy and inheritance upon his
father's passing, or rather forty-nine percent of it. His mother, in
conjunction with the stockholders, owned the other fifty-one percent.
Trevor
had shown a propensity for designing pools early in his life and over the years
his father had made Trevor's drawings a reality with several of the pools
installed in the greater Las Vegas area. Trevor much preferred designing to
installing or maintaining. Conceiving, planning and drawing were the part of
the business Trevor did best. Running a crew proved his downfall last summer.
If he couldn't manage these guys they might all end-up unemployed. He had to
find a way to prove to himself, his mother, and the stockholders his value as
more than a rich, spoiled screw up.
The
outdoor temperature in the sun at this hour boasted 52°F and rising. Not bad
for a brisk walk, but not the overly warm triple digits this same pool area
would harbor in three month’s time. People wanted to use their pools as soon as
the temperatures hit the low eighties which required inspecting and repairing
the pools in cooler temperatures.
"Ready
to get out Boss-man?" Brodie, the smart-aleck on the crew, crossed his
arms over his chest. Not an easy feat for a guy with a chest circumference of
fifty plus inches and arms to match.
Anxious
to get out of this fix without losing face should have been Trevor's first
concern, but survival preempted his faulty leadership skills. His gaze fell on
Darin, the youngest man on the crew and Brodie's 'little' brother. Both
brothers wore Under Armour and jeans for work this morning. Brodie often beat
Darin's tender hearted emotions out of him whether physically or by shear
intimidation of muscle and strength. Even so, Darin didn't let Trevor down this
time.
"Guys,"
Darin hesitantly pleaded. "His lips are turning blue. Shouldn't we help
him out?"
Brodie
dropped his arm, his palm toward Darin as if to catch him with an underhand
swing. "Not 'til he admits we aren't 'girly-men.' What do you say Trevor?
Are we being 'girly-men' for refusing to jump into these unheated pools for
another month or so?"
Chilled
to the bone, Trevor did his best to swim toward the pool steps at the shallow
end of the pool. As soon as he thought he could reach, he put his feet down to
touch the bottom of the pool. Had the guys warned him the cement owned colder
temperatures than the icy water he would have laughed. Now he could barely gasp
in shock.
"I…"
Trevor's teeth chattered. "Never said 'girly-men'." He locked eyes
with Brodie knowing he needed to appear impervious to the cold if he wanted to
come out on top in this situation. Could
his muscles actually be shriveling? He needed to play the part of leader
even if this decision proved one of his less sensible edicts.
"No?"
Brodie held both smaller men back with his tone and imposing presence. Trevor
knew neither of them dared cross the ogre. In Brodie's present humor he might
toss them in the pool to keep Trevor company.
Trevor
shouldn't have lost his temper last week during the combined crew meeting and
card game. Mixing business with pleasure proved to be a stupid idea. Business
gave way to betting. Insolent wise cracks damaged crew morale causing Trevor to
place an unwise wager hoping to improve crew loyalty. Trevor bet his
masculinity against Brodie's, more than a simple wager of one man's cajones against another's. Trevor wasn't
sure what motivated Brodie, but he suspected just the opposite of what
motivated him-- That had instigated a rather reckless decision and now he paid
for it in spades. Wanting the guys to work together and get into the pools to
inspect them for any needed repairs and make them, wasn't worth catching
pneumonia, even if it would pacify his mother and the shareholders. A visceral
knowledge of imminent failure hovered over Trevor.
Rufus
broke ranks as Darin made an effort to plead Trevor's freezing case to his
brother. While Darin kept Brodie busy, Rufus skirted the pair and stood at the
top of the pool steps, the terrycloth in hand. Trevor spared little attention
to the brother's rivalry until safe from the bone chilling water and frostbite.
Rufus draped the towel over Trevor's shoulders before he cleared the icy cold.
"Th-thanks,
man," Trevor shivered out the gratuity and headed for the sundrenched pool
deck. There he laid himself flat, hugging what warmth the hard concrete offered
at nine in the morning. He turned his head toward the feuding brothers. Brodie
held Darin in a chokehold. Trevor exhaled. At least Brodie wasn't threatening
to throw Darin in the pool.
"Come
on, man," Trevor called across the frigid water. Brodie wasn't a mindless
bully; he just acted like it when he believed his manliness was in question.
"It's me you're mad at this morning and you proved your point. The
unheated pools are too cold, even if they've been covered like this one. Let
him go."
Brodie
continued to hold Darin in his strong grip. He extended his arms over the pool
at chest height. Darin struggled to keep his feet on the pool deck. Brodie had
him poised above the water at a forty-five degree angle. Darin dared to look
over his shoulder at the chilly water below him.
"I
dare ya, you little wiennie," Brodie taunted his kid brother.
"Brodie,"
Trevor called. "You put him in the brink and I'll fire you for
harassment."
"You
wouldn't," Brodie argued, his attention more on Trevor than his captive.
"I
would. Think about it. You explaining to your sweet mother and your hot
girlfriend why your little brother still has a job and you don't."
The
taunting look of glee on Brodie's face broke to concern as he squinted at
Trevor. Several moments passed while Darin arched his back and tried to keep
his feet on the pool deck. Brodie pulled his arms in and let go. Darin
scrambled in an awkward dance and managed to remain on dry ground.
"You're
probably going to fire me for your being in the pool this morning anyway."
Trevor smiled, his lips warming as he lay
prone on the pool deck. Brodie's antics never ceased to amaze Trevor.
Occasionally a big man like Brodie needed to slink like a dog.
"Nope.
You didn't push me in. I jumped of my own accord." Trevor pushed up to his
elbows, placing his hands flat on the concrete to warm. "You know, I
didn't call you girly-men."
"No?"
Brodie questioned.
"Rufus,
you're in my sunlight. Move it," Trevor ordered. Rufus stepped to the side
moving his shadow off Trevor's inert form. Trevor resumed his banter with
Brodie. "I told you that you needed to 'put your big girl panties on' and
do the pool inspections."
Darin
meandered behind Brodie and mimed pulling on overly large panties. Trevor
managed to keep a straight face but Rufus chuckled at Darin's antics. Brodie
spun on his antagonist.
"Don't
do it Brodie. I'm not bluffing about firing you." Trevor warned.
Brodie
turned back to glare at Trevor. "Fine, but only 'cause I need the
money."
"Glad
to hear it." Trevor hugged the concrete again, thankful for the heat it
gave. "You need cash, so I take it you're going to represent Prestige
Pools at the Mr. Nevada Contest."
"Heck
no. I'm not parading around in a 'g-string' for no bunch of toothless old
fogeys with drool to their chins." Brodie skirted the pool and advanced on
Trevor. "The bet was that you inspect this pool, not that you'd get in it.
Did you have time to inspect the bottom and all the walls in that split second
under the water? I doubt it. That means you, Mister Boss-man will be the one
putting on a show and strutting your stuff."
