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“What makes ours a target?” I asked.

“We’re trying to do what’s right. We’re not in this to make a lot of profit, instead we want to help the community. I mean, the low-end and medium housing have tight margins, we’re recouping on the luxury properties, but those are the longest lead times,” Renzo explained.

“Those fuckers. And what did they do with the last three developments?” Walker asked.

“Got rid of the low-end and medium housing, turned all the land into high-end condos and luxury homes, high profit, and cutting out anything for the needs of the community.”

“I repeat. Those fuckers,” Walker ground out.

“Did Code stop the financial bullshit they were pulling,” Ford asked.

“Yeah, but not before we took some hits.” Renzo grimaced. “He’s trying to figure out ways to reverse it and put the hurt on Pacific Rim.”

“I like your cousin,” Harvey said.

“There’s a lot to like.”

“What are we paying him?” Harvey asked.

“This is pro-bono. Anyway he’s married to Kit Lord, I’d say he has enough goodness in his life,” Renzo grinned.

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” Harvey nodded. “They have a kid, right?”

“A daughter. Six months old. She looks like her mom. Code’s going to be in so much trouble.”

We all laughed, and at that moment I was glad I had a son, not a daughter.

“Do you think that’s the end of Pacific Rim?” Walker asked.

“Should be. Now we just have to focus on the work,” Renzo said as he spread out the site drawings.

This I was ready for.

“I want the one with the dog.”

“The dog doesn’t come with the house, Buddy.”

We’d been having this discussion for three days, and I couldn’t seem to get it through my son’s head. However, the house was a strong candidate as far as I was concerned. It had a big, fenced backyard. Perfect for a dog, should we decide to get one. The kitchen and both bathrooms had been recently remodeled. And it had a big wraparound porch that spoke to me. It just seemed that if we were to live in Jasper Creek, we needed to fit in, and something about having that porch was inviting.

I shook my head. Since when did I want to invite people over? That certainly hadn’t been my MO back in Nashville. But it had been, back when Marie and I were a couple. Maybe I was really ready to get back to who I had been.

“Dad, are you listening to me?”

I looked down at James. We were sitting in front of my industrial-sized laptop, scrolling through the final three houses.

“I’m listening.”

“When we get this house, can we get a dog?”

It was the one house out of the three that was a purchase, instead of a rental. Was I ready for that level of commitment? It was four blocks away from Little Grandma’s house. James would love that. He’d noticed that as we’d been driving around the different neighborhoods. The flower-house was hard to miss.

The house was also located close to the daycare that James was currently attending, and the school that Carrie’s kids went to. According to Ford, that could either be a plus or a minus. I’d met Bubba once when we’d gone to the kid-centric pizza place in Knoxville. He talked James into hiding in the ball pit for twenty minutes, which had scared the hell out of me. It was totally unlike James, and he and I’d had a firm discussion, resulting in no iPad for three days.

But I have to admit, I liked the kid. He took after Carrie, not Tommy. Yep, he was going to get James in all kinds of trouble, but since James didn’t have any siblings, this could be good for him.

“I don’t know about getting a dog, that’s a big commitment. You’d have to make sure he was fed everyday, and we’d have to take him for walks everyday.”

“That would be cool, Dad.”