Sawyer nodded in agreement. It had to be Larry. Who else would know how to cause that much damage to the pipes and dump the sand in there? They would have to know how to operate some of the heavy machinery on site.
When the truck finished driving through the gate, he pulled in, too, and parked.
“Let’s go,” Sawyer said.
He opened up the car door, and Ford followed after him, then they headed to where Drake was standing further down the lot, speaking with a man. When he got closer, he read the logo on his shirt and saw that he was from the restoration company.
Drake looked up and nodded as they approached. “I’d like you to meet Ford and Sawyer. These two are in charge of getting the ski resort up and running.”
The man turned to them. “Nice to meet you both. My name is Grant.” He put his hand out for a handshake. “I was just telling your contractor here that we’re looking at full restoration to take approximately two weeks. That will dry everything and make sure there’s no risk of mold growth in the future. My crew can get started today if that will work for you.”
He turned to Ford, and Ford just shrugged. “Don’t think we really have any other options here.”
Sawyer agreed. “Okay. Please start right away.” He could worry about the delay, but quite honestly, Sawyer was preoccupied, and two weeks would fly by. His whole life had changed in less time than that.
The man nodded, turned, and left them, calling out to his crew and giving directions for them to proceed with the undertaking.
When they were alone again, Drake spoke up. “I discovered something else that you should see.” While talking, he led them to where all the piping that had been replaced was being held for disposal.
Drake bent down to pick one up and then straightened again. “The contractor you used previously recycled some piping from that was here. Most likely it had run in and around the foundation that had been found, so I’m guessing he knew about it, but never reported it and covered it up. These pipes are old.”
If it came from the previous building, over fifty years, Sawyer thought.
Drake went on. “The pipes would have never passed code.” Drake looked thoughtful. “Honestly, whoever did this did us a favor because if the pipes burst at a later date when the resort was up and running...” Drake’s voice trailed off.
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. It would have been a disaster.
“That’s… wow…” Ford voiced his thoughts. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah,” he went on. “Between the freezing and thawing of the ground and the new water systems installed, it wouldn’t have held up to the pressure.”
Ford looked at him. “I think this is one of those times that irony works. Someone was trying to sabotage us, and”—Ford’s face scrunched up thoughtfully—“they actually helped us?”
Sawyer chuckled. “I guess they did.”
“But we’re back on track, so you don’t need to worry,” Drake chimed in. “We’ll get this fixed up in no time. I already have men getting new piping put in. We can work around the water restoration, so the delays should be minimal.”
“Thank you, Drake.” Sawyer smiled at the other man. “We’re glad you’re in charge, and we’re confident everything is getting handled the right way.”
“Honestly, I have to apologize. I feel like my men and I should have caught the piping issue, but we missed it.” Sawyer could tell Drake was pissed off at himself for that.
“It happens and no one is upset with you.” Ford was the one to speak up after picking at one of the pipes with his fingernail.
Sawyer looked at the spot that the paint had flecked from. “These pipes look like they’ve been painted to look newer. I would never have noticed it and I definitely see how it could have been missed, especially if others had been replaced.”
“Well, rest assured, we have double-checked everything.” The look on Drake’s face said they may have triple-checked actually.
“I’m sure you have.” Ford shot Drake a reassuring smile, but Sawyer could tell the contractor was going to be even more vigilant moving forward.
Drake’s phone started to ring, and he fished it out of his pocket and glanced down at it before silencing the call.
“Holler if you need anything. I need to return this call and then get back to work.” Drake smiled, but looked distracted and took off.
Ford turned to Sawyer. “How are you feeling about everything now?”
Sawyer tilted his head to the side. “Pretty good. But I’m convinced more than ever that Larry is the one wreaking havoc. I’m sure he knows that delays equal losses, or maybe he foolishly hoped we would hire him back.” Sawyer released a sigh. “But I think we should be good on time.”
Ford nodded. “I think you’re right.” Ford leaned in, placing his head on Sawyer’s chest.
Sawyer rubbed up and down Ford’s back.
“We’ll be fine,” Ford whispered.
Sawyer’s heart clenched. He hated that Ford was so stressed.
“We will.” Sawyer kept stroking Ford’s back. “We’re a team here and can handle anything that’s thrown at us.”
When they parted, Sawyer smiled and brushed his lips against Ford’s.
“Let’s get out of here.” Sawyer brushed Ford’s cheekbone. “How about I take you to lunch? It’s been a busy start to the day already. We’ll eat and then come back here to get some work done”
“It’s a date.” Ford smiled up at him.
Sawyer took Ford’s hand in his, and they left the construction site and headed back to the car. Before they reached it, Sawyer’s phone started ringing, and he grabbed it out of his pocket. “Hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Lancaster?”
“Speaking,” Sawyer said.
“We just wanted to let you know your car is ready for pick up. We are here until five if you would like to come by and get it.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic. I’ll be over to pick it up in a bit. Thank you.” Sawyer hung up the phone. “Change of plans. My car is done. Let’s
