“Damn.”
“Yeah. I know.” He paused. “It’s not just cosmetic, it’s everything. Whatever it was that Tracy and Daren paid for that house, I think it was too much because it’s a lot of work. I know Daren was kind of handy and he started a few things, but we’re looking at plumbing, electrical…hell, I wish we could just gut the place, but that’s not going to happen.”
“Is it even safe for her to be living there? And with a kid?”
“It’s not ideal, but now that we know exactly what the issues are, we’re going to do what we can to get things fixed as soon as possible. The plumbing and electric had to come first.”
He nodded. “Right.”
“Luckily, both those guys were willing to donate their time and only charged for materials. The church already had enough money in their fund to cover that.”
“Okay. Great.”
Jake took a moment and looked around the room, waving to someone and smiling, and Kyle felt like he was more confused than he was a few minutes ago.
“Um…Jake?”
Facing him, his boss gave a grim smile. “Do you remember Ezekiel Coleman?”
“You mean the guy who started Coleman Construction? Founding member of Magnolia Sound? Um…yeah.”
“He was also my mentor. He spent his life working to make this town everything it is today and always strived to help the people in the community. I want to follow that example.”
He nodded again and figured there was a point to this story.
“The thing is, I don’t have the funding behind me that Zeke did. If it were up to me, I’d cover the cost of all the work Sydney needs. I’m going to do what I can, but…I need someone I can trust to be there every day to make sure the work is getting done and getting done right.” He paused. “I’d like you to take on that position, Kyle.”
“Seriously? Me? Why?”
“You’ve been with me for a while now and I can see you’re ready to take on more responsibility. I haven’t had any jobs come in that I felt were a good fit for you to start training as a foreman on, but I think this could be it.”
“Holy shit! That’s amazing! Thank you! I…I really wanted to talk to you about moving up, but…I don’t know, I didn’t want to overstep or anything.”
Jake smiled. “You’re a great worker, Kyle, and I know you’ve helped out with some home renovation work with all of your siblings’ homes, so…I figured this would be a good project for you.” Then he paused.
“But…?”
“But…it’s going to be different from most of the jobs you’ve worked on.”
“In what way?”
“We need to be mindful of Sydney and Haley. They’re going to be living in the middle of a construction zone, and…well…things are already a little overwhelming for them. So there may be days when you aren’t going to get everything done that needs to be or you’re going to have to re-think the order of what you wanted to do.”
“So…they’re seriously going to be living there while we’re working?” he asked incredulously. Part of him had been hoping to not have to work closely with Sydney. Clearing his throat, he went on, “Are we sure that’s a good thing? Maybe you can talk her into staying somewhere else.”
Jake shook his head. “Not going to happen.”
“But…that just means the job is going to take longer. I would think she’d want us in and out as quickly as possible.”
“It’s a delicate situation and one that we’re going to have to just…go with the flow. Once we pass the inspections for the electrical and plumbing, you’re going to go in and start on the rest. You think you’re up for it?”
“Um…”
Chuckling softly, Jake shook his head. “I would have thought you’d be more excited about this. I know it’s not a big commercial construction job, but…”
“You heard my dad before. Sydney and I have a history, and…well…let’s just say things didn’t end great.”
“Oh.”
And he figured honesty was the best policy with his boss. Especially on this. “It was years ago but…I guess I don’t know if I’m the guy she’s going to want working with her.”
Understanding dawned on Jake’s face. “I appreciate you sharing that with me.” He let out a long breath. “How about this, we stick to this plan and see how it all goes. If Sydney’s really uncomfortable with you, I’ll have to put someone else on the job. But if nothing goes wrong…”
“I’m willing to try.”
“Good man.”
If one more thing goes wrong…
Looking around the room, Sydney wanted to cry.
There were holes in all the walls, there was dust everywhere, and no matter how much she tried to tell herself that it was all going to be okay, she was finding it hard to believe it.
They were down to one functioning bathroom while the plumber finished working on the pipes, and the power had been shut off all morning so the electrician could do his thing. They weren’t supposed to be here on the same day, but it just happened to work out that way. And as much as she appreciated them being there on a Saturday, she longed for a little peace and quiet so she could simply think.
“If you want us to stay…” Beside her, her mother was dusting and taking in the mess around them. “You know your father and I don’t mind helping out. Or maybe you and Haley should just come home with us until things settle down.”
Things were never going to settle down, she thought. It wasn’t possible. No matter how optimistic she usually was, even she knew when to wave the white flag.
“Your mother’s right, Syd,” her father chimed in. “Maybe we should come home with us for a month and then–hopefully–the house will be a little more…livable.”
It was a conversation they’d had almost daily since the accident. And as much as Sydney knew there was some real merit to their offer, the practical side of her reasoned how she needed to deal with the situation and not run from it. It didn’t matter if they went to Florida for a month, her sister and Daren were still going to be gone, and their daughter was still going to be without her parents. Right now, this house was the only thing that was familiar to her. How could she possibly take that away from her too?
That was why she packed up everything she had to move back to Magnolia Sound. It would be too much to put Haley through such a significant upheaval. The only time she seemed okay was when she was in his own room and surrounded by her own things.
At twelve, she was already a mass of pre-teen emotion and old enough to understand everything that was going on. Losing her parents was devastating, and that was after having to move away from all of her friends in Georgia only months before. So if that meant moving her life around to help her niece adjust better, that’s what she was going to do.
It’s what she knew her sister would want her to do.
At the familiar sting of tears, Sydney turned away from her parents and pretended to busy herself with folding the afghan that lay over the sofa. “We’ve talked about this,” she said, proud of the fact that her voice was steady. “Haley and I are going to be fine. This is like a little adventure and we’re going to get through it.” She smoothed the blanket out. “Besides, your bungalow hardly has enough room for all of us.”