Good? Bad? Probably bad.
“Okay,” he says after a moment. “I’ll need to grab a few things from the store. Let me walk Talia through the project first, then I’ll come back and fix this. Does that work?”
I shrug. “Yeah. I mean…if you don’t mind. You should take a break from working.”
He huffs out a quiet laugh. “I’m not very good at relaxing. And my boss likes things tied up nicely, so when I told him the state of this place, he wanted to get things updated and soon.”
“Fair enough. Let me know if you need anything. I’ve got to head back downstairs.”
I give them both a small wave and return to the shop, the leak still sitting in the back of my mind.
“Where’d you go?” Sarah asks, pulling out one earbud when she sees me.
“So much for watching the floor,” I mutter, then say, “I showed someone my leaking sink.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Oh? And how did that go?”
I frown. “It’s still leaking.”
She grins like she knows something I don’t.
“I’m going to do inventory,” I say, grabbing a clipboard. “No earbuds while I’m gone, please.”
She gives me a sheepish look. “Yes, boss.”
If I can finish this before Lila gets out of school and without thinking about Max a hundred times, I’ll count it as an accomplishment.
13
MAX
“So there are, what—three unfinished floors?” Talia asks.
It’s an extensive project, but I don’t let that show. “Yes, and I have three other buildings that need help, so if you do well here, you can get started on those right after.”
Her eyes go wide for a second before she relaxes into her “I don’t care” face. “I’ll need to take measurements and put together a bid.”
“No bid needed,” I say, waving a hand in front of me. “I need this completed as soon as possible, but without cutting corners.”
She blinks. “Everyone wants a bid.”
“I don’t.”
Her mouth opens slightly. “You’re serious?”
“Have you done work like this before?” I ask.
She hesitates, and for a moment, I wonder if I’m making a mistake. The last thing I need is another situation like Avery’s apartment.
“I’ve worked on projects like this,” she says carefully. “I justhaven’t led one.”
She looks as if she’s bracing for me to walk away.
“You can’t get experience without the opportunity,” I say. “The job’s yours if you want it.”
Her head snaps up. “Really?”
I nod. “Just make sure everything is up to code and properly inspected.”
