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But I couldn’t wait. I had goals to meet, and succeeding at work was the main one right now.
My boss stumbled over another apology. I pressed her hand.
“Thanks, but it’s all good. Can you give me the address of my afternoon job? We overran this morning, so I don’t want to be late.”
“Of course.” Her shoulders sank, and she texted me the details and gave me pointers on what I needed to know.
I left her there with red cheeks and chagrin written all over her.
It would be nice to have a friend, to be part of the close-knit group she’d spoken about, but life rarely gave good things easily.
At least it never had to me.
Chapter 4
Valentine
Dust rose from the rubble on the poured concrete floor, stinging my eyes where I swept it into a wide bucket, ready to go into the back of Ben’s car. Since starting the work at lunchtime, the crew I’d formed had divided up the long list of tasks required to get this place ready for its new occupants, the knowledge that Daisy’s employee was here without her child spurring us all on.
I hefted the full bucket to my shoulder and carried it outside, setting it down in the truck alongside tools and a stack of two-by-fours.
“Making progress.” Ben approached from the other direction, a drill in his hand from where he’d finished a window.
He regarded the house, and I did the same, activity concentrated on the left-hand side of the structure. The other half of the building had been ignored for now. If someoneneeded it for a home, that could be managed separately, but there was a thick wall dividing it from what would be Mia’s home, and the roof overhead had been renewed. It wasn’t our priority.
“What’s your take on the electrics?” my brother asked.
I gave an easy shrug, the supplies needed for the minor electrical work already on my radar. “I can do it.”
He slanted a look at me. “Safely?”
Oh, fuck him. “I wouldn’t offer if I couldn’t. Military training, remember?”
“Shite. I wasnae doubting ye.”
That’s exactly what he had done. I didn’t dignify him with an answer, and an uncomfortable pause played out. I wanted to know more about the new resident—my temporary housemate seemed nervous, and that didn’t sit right with me. But on any given day, Ben was the last person I’d chitchat with.
I turned to walk away, but he said my name, halting me.
“Regarding the second property.”
“What about it?”
“Daisy thought that perhaps you’d want to move in.”
“Daisy thought?”
“I think it’s a good idea, too. Once we’re done with the first place, we’ll move straight on to the second. Get ye set up with a real home after weeks in the bunkhouse.”
Snarky replies formed in my mind.
It wasn’t fair to blame Ben for what my fiancée had done, but he’d been involved, and the concept of a comfortable home had gone when she had. Ever since, I’d avoided putting down roots. I’d moved around with the military, visiting friends in my downtime, and when back in the States, I’d holed up in the cabin, the facilities basic at best. I’d grown out my hair, and for a year, did my best impression of a wild man of the woods.
Still, my gaze darted over to the adjoining property. The porch ran across the front of both, and I pictured it in the spring with a couple of chairs outside, warmer days and a sun trap to enjoy them.
“Save it for someone who’ll appreciate it,” I said, then walked away, leaving him in my dust.
Darkness fell, and I returned to the bunkhouse, exhausted but with a decent chunk taken out of the renovations list.
