Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
“I’m absolutely going to take you up on that. I’d love a walking buddy. Plus, I’m sure being here is cutting into the time you usually spend one-on-one with him. So I’d be happy to replace some of it.”
“Whatever you do, don’t let him in your backyard,” I warned. “Unless you want a wet dog in your house. He will not miss a chance to hop in a pool. Or lake. Stream. Large puddle…”
“Good to know. I mean, I don’t mind if he wants to get some energy out with a swim. You’re the one who would have to load him all wet into your car.”
“I know. You heard the magic word,” I said when Tuna came walking over, tail swishing. At Willa’s pinched brows, I said, “S-w-i-m.”
“Oh, right. Okay. I won’t tease you with that one. But between you and me,” she said, holding out a small piece of chicken to him, “maybe we can have a s-w-i-m tomorrow. If your dad is okay with that.”
I wasn’t prepared for the way my heart skipped at that word. At how right it felt.
One day, I reminded myself.
“Totally fine by me.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What made you get into your line of work?”
“When my old man split on us, we moved in with my grandparents. And my grandfather was of that older generation, y’know? Never throw anything out, always fix it. Don’t hire someone if you can figure it out yourself. He taught me to do everything from fixing a lawnmower to rebuilding a car engine before middle school. Then we got into the more complicated stuff in high school: plumbing, electrical, HVAC. I broke my arm right before graduation when I fell off the roof when we were redoing it.”
“Was that what he did for work?”
“Yeah, he was in contracting. I worked my summers with him. Then I eventually took over when he retired.”
“Because it was what you knew, or because you genuinely liked it?”
“Both, I guess. I wasn’t meant for college. I did my fair share of partying in high school. And I wasn’t someone who was going to be happy in a suit and tie and office building all day. I like working with my hands. I lucked out that I’m good at it as well.”
“But you left being a contractor behind?”
“I wanted a little more freedom. That kind of work means you’re usually on-site day in and day out for months. It just wasn’t what I liked. I’d rather do a bunch of smaller jobs. Be able to move around more, schedule my days based on the season or my mood.”
“Do you miss working with a team?”
“Maybe sometimes. I like working on my own. I can go at whatever speed I want. No one slowing me down or trying to rush me. And I do bring some guys on here and there for bigger jobs.”
“Do you ever plan to expand or step away and let someone else do the hard work?”
“Worried you won’t have access to me for the next catastrophe?” I teased, making her smile. “Yeah, it’s something I think about. I’m going to want a family—one I can be home with for dinner and on weekends. I’d have to have someone else picking up the slack.”
“That makes… oh, I guess grown-up time is over,” she said when Adelaide let out a shrill cry. “Thanks for the save earlier. Really,” she said, then rushed off to scoop up the baby.
Alone, as she took the baby upstairs to feed and change, I put the food in the fridge, cleaned up, then went upstairs to get back to work.
All the while, I was glad that we’d wasted time eating dinner. Because it gave me another day coming back to Willa’s house to work on the bathroom.
I never imagined I’d be someone who would dream of a project stretching out longer than it needed to. Especially a job that cut into my free time.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d deliberately wanted a job to take longer.
Usually, it was the opposite. I wanted to finish a project, get paid, and move on to the next one. My business worked because I was efficient. The faster I worked, the more jobs I could take. The more jobs I could take, the more money I made.
There was no logical reason for me to want to slow down now, when I was busier than ever.
Except there was nothing particularly logical about the way I’d been feeling since I’d walked through Willa’s front door.
I liked being there.
I liked hearing her talk.
I liked watching her with Adelaide.
I liked Tuna getting spoiled by both of us.
And, apparently, I liked the idea of having a reason to come back tomorrow.
That last part probably should have concerned me more than it did.
CHAPTER NINE
Willa
The bathroom was almost done.
Every time I thought of that fact, I felt as queasy as I had during my first trimester.