“It takes a village, sweetie.” Melissa’s tone was matter-of-fact. “I’m almost there. I’ll see you in a few.” She hung up before Sam could reply.
Sam went into the house, filled a cooler with water and drinks, and then brought it out to the porch. “This’ll have to do for now,” she called up. “But Easton’s is on me when you all are done.”
Adam grinned at her. “So that’s all it takes to get you to come out with us? Putting a roof on your house?”
“No,” Sam joked. “But it sure helps.”
“You’re terrible.” Adam laughed.
“I learned from the best, Hamilton.” Sam grinned back, a warm feeling opening in her chest. Yes, she hadn’t really interacted with any of them since high school, but these people were still her people. She realized now that maybe she should have done less hiding when she came home.
“How about tomorrow night?” She waited while Adam called over to Brad. A minute later, the plan was confirmed.
She pulled out her phone to text Jordan.
Easton’s tomorrow at 7:00?
It only took Jordan a second to reply.Are you ready for Operation Alex?
Sam tilted her head. Was she ready to see where this was going?
On the one hand, her time in Hicksville was running out. After all the work the guys had done, she only had about another week’s worth of things to do with the house. She could stretch that to nine or ten days, but she probably needed to return to her life in Boston after that. And work. Neither had quite the draw they used to, even with the promotion hanging over her head.
On the other hand, she hadn’t felt this comfortable in years. It wasn’t just the time with Alex. It was heartwarming to see how the whole community had shown up for her. It was the proximity to Jordan and the rekindling of other friendships. It was Coach’s offer for Sam to come down and help with the girls, which she found herself actually enjoying. It was all so much more than what she had in Boston. And she felt like telling herself that she was happy there was just lying.
Still, she hesitated, her fingers hovering above the phone to reply to Jordan’s question. What was she going to do, give all this up? She looked up and around at her mother’s house, the other houses down the street, and the guys currently on her roof. She realized then precisely what she had to lose—everything she was just getting back. She quickly typed out her reply before she could stop herself.
Yep. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.
Perfect.Jordan replied.I’ll rally the troops…or troop…you know what I mean.
Sam tucked the phone in her back pocket with a smile.
Sam busied herself in the house while she waited for Melissa to arrive. She wanted to get the last few rooms ready for painting. After the paint, she would need new switch and outlet covers. She should probably replace a few of the lighting fixtures, which were showing some wear. She wandered from room to room with a notepad, crossing off items that had already been done and adding a few new ones based on her assessment.
“There you are!” Melissa’s shrill voice broke through her thoughts, making her jump nearly a mile high in the process.
“Jesus, woman! How can someone as loud and boisterous as you creep up on people so absolutely silently?” Sam leaned against the wall to compose herself.
“Well, we all have our gifts, I guess,” Melissa deadpanned. She looked around Sam’s room, noting the fresh paint. “This is looking great.”
“I know. The boys—and Alex, I guess—did a great job.”
“I helped them pick the colors.” Melissa wandered over to the windowsill. “They even did the trim? Nice.”
She strolled over to Sam and took the notepad out of her hands. “Okay, let’s see what we have here,” she said, scanning the list. “We’ve done the painting in the most challenging rooms. All we have left are the two bedrooms. That’s a good call on the outlet covers. I can stop by the hardware shop and pick some up. And I think replacing some of the fixtures is a great idea. Do you want me to grab some of those as well?”
Sam reached out and took the list. “Melissa. You don’t have to do that. You all have done so much already.”
“What have we talked about?” Melissa sounded exasperated. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Sam looked around the room and then down at her list of what needed to be done. She really could use the help. She took a deep breath and then nodded her assent. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that. But also, you do have better taste than I do. I’d grab the cheapest thing and be done with it.”
“Of course I have better taste.” Melissa scoffed. “I remember being horrified at you always wearing gym clothes everywhere.”
“While you were always perfectly made up and ready for your close-up.” Sam laughed. “Yeah, I remember.”
“You always looked ready to jump into a sport at any given moment.”
