“The way you treat me doesn’t matter nearly as much as the way you treat my wife. You raised her to be an incredible woman, and she adores you. That’s enough for me.”
Aaron shook his head. “You see? It’s that kind of philosophy right there that makes you head and shoulders above the rest.”
“That and his being so tall,” Kizzy said. They all laughed, which defused whatever tension may have been left over from their dating days.
Aaron hadn’t thought a firefighter was a good fit for his doctor daughter—until that firefighter had saved her life. He had felt like somewhat of a heel ever since.
“So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?” Kizzy asked.
Aaron cleared his throat. “Well, I’m glad you’re both here. I have some news, and I hope you’ll be on board with it.”
“Does this have anything to do with dating Gaia?” Kizzy gave him a teasing grin. “Mother Nature herself?”
He smiled but shook his head. “No. I’ve learned relationships aren’t anyone else’s business. Even close family can’t possibly know how another couple feels. Actually, I wanted to let you know the property up the hill from yours is available, and I was thinking about living there.”
“There?” Kizzy pointed. “But there’s nothing there to live in.”
“I know. The only thing left is a concrete pad. I was looking to build a hurricane-proof structure on it—unless you object to having me so close.”
Kizzy glanced up at Noah.
“No objection here,” Noah said. “In fact, I’d like to help you build it just as soon as I finish here. We’re in the home stretch, so to speak.”
Aaron couldn’t have been more grateful. Not just for the help but for his son-in-law’s obvious forgiveness. “You wouldn’t mind living next door to your in-laws?”
Noah chuckled. “As long as Kizzy’s happy about it.”
Kizzy hugged Noah, then her father. “I’d be delighted to have you and Ruthie as neighbors, Dad! I missed both of you when I first got here and left you back in Massachusetts.”
“You didn’t just miss your sister?”
She snorted. “I missed you both, dummy.”
Aaron reared back and laughed. “Well, I guess I’ve been put in my place. Again.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll keep a pin handy to puncture your ego whenever you need it.” Kizzy hugged him again, then stepped back to wrap her arm around her husband’s waist.
“Let’s see what you’ve been doing inside that house of yours,” Aaron said. “Maybe you can give me some ideas.”
“Sure. I’d like to show off a little.” As he led them into the home, Noah pointed to the floor. “We just put down vinyl plank flooring. It’s waterproof.”
“It looks like real wood.”
“Yup. It’s wider than normal wood planks. We added thick weather stripping at the bottom of both doors too. That’s where water usually gets in.”
“Good. Good. What about windows? How do you know they won’t break?”
“Double-paned glass. So thick a karate expert couldn’t break it.”
“Really? They look just like normal windows.”
“That’s the idea.”
“Impressive. So what’s next?”
“Kizzy picked out our cabinets and countertops. We’re waiting for those to be delivered now. When they get here, if you’d like to help, I could use a steady hand holding the uppers in place while I attach them to the studs.”
Uh-oh. He said a steady hand. Did he notice my tremors?Aaron changed the subject with a dumb question. “I’d be happy to lend a hand. How do you know exactly where the studs are? The drywall is covering them.”
