Page 125 of That Rush

“That too.”

“She thought it could be useful.”

His mouth shifts. “Useful for what?”

A vague answer would end this. I glance at the wall again.

“A private library.”

Axel slowly sets down the pry bar.

“It was a comment,” I say. “She wasn’t asking me to build one.”

“Yet you’re rewiring the place.”

“It could burn down.”

“Refinishing the floor.”

“It’s damaged.”

“Fixing a roof you told Dad was sound two months ago.”

“The roof is sound. The flashing wasn’t.”

He nods with exaggerated seriousness. “Critical distinction.”

I take the pry bar from him. “Do you want to help or supervise?”

“I’m trying to understand the scope of the project.”

“The scope is making an unused building usable.”

“For the general public?”

“This is private property.”

“For the family?”

I drive the bar beneath the next board. “For the ranch.”

Axel laughs once. “You’ve never been good at lying.”

“I’m not lying.”

“No, you’re arranging the truth until it agrees with you.”

The board comes free with a sharp crack. I carry it outside and add it to the pile, ignoring him.

From the doorway, the office still looks neglected. Bare studs show where I removed the damaged paneling, a fine grit coats every surface, and half the floor needs sanding.

I can already see Paige in a chair beside that window, one leg tucked under her, so lost in a book she doesn’t hear me walk in.

The picture feels inevitable.

Axel leans against the doorframe. His expression has lost most of its amusement.

“Does Paige know you’re building her a room?”