BLAZE

Sitting at my desk, bathed in the soft morning light of a tranquil Saturday, I sought to pacify my frayed nerves. Taylor, our indispensable office manager, vanished on Thursday and has left me in a state of unease. How could our bustling workplace continue to function without her? The imminent arrival of Jace, Tanner, Conner, and Wade can't seem to come soon enough.

I'm so relieved this happened during our break, allowing us all some respite. The guys and I had already planned to hire separate crews to manage our units before we went on our two-week break. As we immersed ourselves in building and landscaping, we failed to notice how overwhelmed we were becoming. Perhaps that's why Taylor left. We were constantly out in the field, leaving her alone to handle the office. Jace would be at the office now and then when working on building designs, but apart from that. Taylor must have felt used, and alone. I must commend Taylor for maintaining a clean and organized office though. She had been trying to communicate with all of us for months that our building operations were piling up, but we never took the time to listen to her. Now, as I gazed upon the four mansions that we should have started long ago, I couldn't help but feel the weight of our staffing shortage. There was nobody to handle the phones or coordinate with contractors - everything was a chaotic mess now.

At present, all I could do was wait for the guys to arrive, and instead of enjoying the second week of our break, we would have to get to work on hiring. We had a week to find a new secretary/office manager and fifteen individuals to assist us in constructing these homes. Perhaps more if we could manage it. We have the funds to pull this off. At the present, we had eleven men on board who had aided us in our previous builds. The days of us all working together seemed like a distant memory now.

I arrived thirty minutes early. The sunlight streaming through the office windows, casting a warm glow on the piles of paperwork scattered across my desk. A reminder of the meticulous organization that Taylor had effortlessly maintained. Taylor's attention to detail was clear in the perfectly arranged files, each one labeled and coordinated by date. The crisp building plans, neatly stacked, awaiting our review. It was clear she had anticipated our every need, leaving no room for confusion. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as I realized that none of us had taken the time to acknowledge her.

Frustration tinged my emotions as I attempted to reach out to Taylor on Friday, dialing her number over and over. The phone would ring once, before diverting to voicemail. Her absence now weighed heavy on my conscience. Despite her sudden departure, I resolved to ensure we compensated her. I would instruct Conner, the company's treasurer, to give her a bonus of ten thousand dollars, as a token of gratitude for her unwavering dedication.

Taylor had been an integral part of Cunningham Construction and Landscaping since its inception, faithfully enduring our idiosyncrasies. It was time to reciprocate her loyalty. I would consult with Wade, the head of the HR department, to guarantee that Taylor's health benefits remained intact for at least a year. It was the least we could do to show our appreciation for her unwavering support.

***

Jace entered the room, his footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor. He will introduce Vega to my parents and the rest of our extended family tonight at our weekly Saturday night family dinner. I wondered if my uncle would join us for once to meet Jace's girlfriend. Only time would tell.

Jace's eyes drooped with exhaustion, his face lined with weariness. The continuous sleepless nights spent tending to Vega had taken their toll. Time has stood still for him and Vega this last week. Because there have been no signs of recovery for Lyra, who is still in a comatose state.

With concern, I asked, "How is Vega doing?"

I'm hoping something has changed, and Lyra is showing signs of recovering from her coma. But judging by the looks of his weary state. I know my hopes are in vain.

Jace sighed heavily as he expressed his concern, "Not well, man. There's been no change with Lyra, and it's really affecting her sleep. She cries a lot, and all I can do is cuddle her."

"Oh man, Jace, I'm sorry. I know how close you are to Lyra. She will come out of this soon, you'll see." I said, embracing him.

I sat down and put my head down on the desk. Honestly, I don't know how to feel at this point. I dreamed of Lyra, but has Lyra dreamed of me? I don't know, but in my gut, I felt she was the one for me. It's a crazy feeling because I haven't even met her face to face.

But now, I needed to keep my head clear so I could get this business back up and running for all our sakes. That's where my focus needed to be right now.

Finally, Tanner arrived, and then Wade and Conner showed up a few minutes later. They aren't hungover for once. That's fantastic. Everyone sat down, and we got to business.

"Okay, first things first. I have some news to share. Unfortunately, our secretary, Taylor, has left. As a result, we are now facing a challenge as we don't have anyone to handle the phones or file paperwork. Taylor used to take care of all the behind-the-scenes tasks for us, such as setting up roofing contractors and managing schedules. Without her, we are definitely going to face some difficulties."

Concern and annoyances reflect on Connor's features. "What the hell?"

"I know right! It was nice having her around again since we hadn't seen her since high school. It's been nice the last two years seeing her gorgeous face whenever I made an appearance at the office." Wade said in a disappointed tone.

Of course, he would take this horrible situation there. He needs to keep his dick in his pants and stop being such a man whore.

"Of course, that's all you guys are upset about right now. You both need to stop thinking with your cocks for once," Tanner said, annoyance lacing his tone.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought that.

I scowled, wanting my expression to convey exactly what I was thinking at that moment. I couldn't help but wonder when they would finally get their act together and grow up. After all, they were on the brink of turning twenty-six years old, making them the oldest among the four of us. It was ironic because Tanner, the twins, and I were all born within a few months of each other, and we were still just twenty-five. Despite being the oldest, Conner and Wade still acted like horny teenagers. It was high time for them to find someone who could help them mature and become responsible adults. Being perpetual playboys couldn't possibly last forever, after all.

"Get your heads out of your asses! We're screwed, don't you get that?"

Lifting all the building sketches, I said, "Taylor has been trying to tell us for a few months now that we were getting short-handed and backed up. And that brings me to the next order of business."

"We should have started construction on four mansions a month ago, but somehow they slipped through the cracks. Now, we need to hire three crews of construction workers to construct each building. Gone are the days when we all worked together. Our priority is to complete the homes, and afterwards, we can collaborate on landscaping each property. Jace, we need to put a hold on client interviews until we catch up with our workload."

I handed Tanner the sketches and said, "Tanner, you can have the crew that's helped us so far. This home will be yours to construct."

"Conner and Wade, you get these two homes." I

I have a statement to make that might upset them, but it needs to be said. "We had planned to take next week off, but that is no longer possible. We urgently need to hire new crews and a secretary and get to work. Time is money, and homeowners can become impatient if we do not build their houses on schedule. I apologize for allowing this situation to occur. We have suddenly gone from having a few new clients now and then to a continuous influx of them. How many homes have we built in the past six months?"

Wade spoke up, mentioning that we had built eight homes in the last six months. However, he pointed out that we had a team of eleven guys working with us. Considering the size of the homes we had been constructing, Wade estimated we would require at least eight to nine additional men for each house to ensure timely completion while meeting code requirements. He emphasized it had been our core team of four people, along with the nine hired workers who had been responsible for the efficient construction of these properties.

"Well," I trailed off, "I called the guys that have worked for us. They know to be here on Monday. You all can start at the property that I handed over to Tanner. Meanwhile, I'll work on getting more people hired. Once we have enough people hired, we can start working on the other properties."

"Sounds like an awesome plan to me," Conner said.

"Now, as far as a secretary goes. Does anyone know of someone reliable? We need someone as soon as possible." I asked, and Jace perked up.

"Well, I could ask Vega. She isn't taking classes this semester, and it would be good for her to have something to do, to keep her mind off of Lyra." Jace said and shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you think she would be up to it, though?" I asked. Poor girl had hardly slept in a week. Jace shrugged his shoulders again.

"The only reason she isn't going to school is that she doesn't want to get ahead of Lyra. I think she would love a distraction right now. This would be good for Vega," Jace said while he waved his hands around in the air.

"Talk to Vega this afternoon, and then we will talk more about it tonight at dinner."

"Alright. I'll speak to her once I get home," Jace said and smiled.

"Alright, guys, let's get out of here. I'll see you all tonight at mom and Dad's, and then at seven a.m. Monday morning."

"Gotta beat the heat, guys," I said and shrugged. It's been getting up to one hundred and nine degrees or more every day.

"Alright, boss, see you then," Conner said and walked out the door. Then everyone else followed him.

As I sat there for a few more moments, I ran a hand through my hair, contemplating how things had escalated so rapidly. The thought of visiting Lyra crossed my mind, despite her being in a coma. Somehow, thoughts of her offered solace amidst the chaos.