AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I snorted, shaking my head. "So, I have even less time to get things done?"
"She says this trailer could do with a woman's touch."
Well. That was hard to argue with. While my trailer wasn't as dilapidated as the one next door, it definitely needed some TLC. The problem, of course, was time—I had none.
I tried, I really did. But there was a laundry list of issues to address. The water heater was on the fritz again, making showers a game of Russian roulette. The leaky kitchen sink was a ticking time bomb of water damage, despite a temporary patch job. And don't get me started on the roof—every time it rained, I half-expected to wake up to an indoor pool. All I'd done to address that so far was to place a bucket under the leak and pray.
The problem was, between my day job and my “dad job,” I was stretched thinner than a dollar store T-shirt. As one of the few local builders in Bluehaven Beach, I was everyone's go-to guy for repairs and renovations. Mrs. Jenkins's porch, the Hendersons's fence, the diner's endless “little” projects—all important, all time-consuming. With my sister, Ida, managing the diner, saying no wasn't an option.
Then there were my girls. I wanted to give them the world, but I could barely give them a straight tree house. I only had them three days a week, but those three days were completely swallowed up in a haze of jujitsu, school projects, playdates . . . the list went on. And that's without considering their impromptu ghost hunts and duels.
I glanced at the slightly sad-looking sandwich in my hand. Lexi was right. I was always getting pulled in a million directions. But the thought of cutting back on anything filled me with guilt.
The idea of fitting a relationship into my life? Laughable.
"Not gonna happen, I'm afraid."
"So, what is gonna happen?"
"What?"
"This afternoon?"
"Like I said, I work on the tree house and you girls can practice your jujitsu. Then, we'll hit the beach before your mom picks you—"
"Ugh, not the beach again," Lexi groaned, rolling her eyes dramatically. "We always go to the beach. I want an adventure!"
"An adventure, huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "What kind of adventure?"
"Some of the kids at school were talking about their vacations," Lexi explained. "Druscilla went to Hawaii, and Tabby went to Thailand. I wanna go somewhere like that!"
"Let me get this straight," I said, suppressing a smile. "You want to go to Hawaii this afternoon?"
Lexi giggled, her eyes sparkling. "Yep! That's what I want."
My heart ached as I thought about our situation—living in this half-finished trailer park, surrounded by unfulfilled dreams. I wished I could give my girls the world, show them all its wonders. Maybe if I'd managed to train as an architect when I'd returned from the Navy, things would've been different.
But I hadn't. The girls' arrival had put a stop to that. I'd put my plans on hold, just for a few years. Then, just as they were old enough for me to consider going back to school, Stephanie demanded a divorce. And that was the end of my free time.
"You know, Bryce has a boat."
Of course Bryce had a fucking boat.
"Right," I said, forcing a smile. "Good for him." I was genuinely pleased that Stephanie had moved on since our divorce. And it sounded like Bryce was a good guy. Well, as good as an 'accountant-to-the-stars' could be.
What did that even mean? Accountant-to-the-stars?
It was right there on his LinkedIn page. Of course, I googled him—who wouldn't? If the guy was going to spend time with my girls, I wanted to make sure he was above board.
Even though Stephanie and I hadn't parted on exactly friendly terms—it hurt to get divorced because of, and I quote, "Your stunning lack of ambition,"—we were past all that now. Well, mostly past it. Sure, it stung a little to hear about her new life, but I knew it was important for the girls to have a positive relationship with their mother and her partner. I had no romantic interest in Stephanie whatsoever, but my natural competitive streak was hard to ignore. I wanted to be the happy, well-adjusted one. Things on that front weren't going so well, though. "Well, that's great. Maybe he can take you guys out on his boat sometime." Then, under my breath, "Not as good as a tree house, though."
The girls finished up their sandwiches and announced they were going to head on a ghost hunt after all. They got changed yet again and I gave them a pair of my old binoculars to look for any paranormal activity, told them clearly to stay in the yard, then I headed back to the tree house.
Just as my foot touched the first rung of the ladder, my phone buzzed. Pulling it from my pocket, I saw it was Dad.
"Hey, Pops," I answered. "What's up?"
"Got a job I need to discuss with you," he said gruffly, skipping the pleasantries.
