Their Forever Home

He threw the carpet into the dumpster. “You shouldn’t be fraternizing with the enemy. He’s trying to get under your skin and undermine your confidence...”

“I know he is.”

“...and to make me look like the reason you’ll lose.”

The truth was, some of John’s ideas had already made her wonder if she’d been paired with the wrong person. She needed to win this contest, and that meant having a designer who would knock the socks off the judges. She wasn’t yet convinced that John was that person. She pointed at him. “You better not let me down.”

“Back at you.” He turned on his heel but paused, then continued down the sidewalk past other homes in the neighborhood.

Where was he going? They had work to do, and he was choosing to go on a stroll? Now? She shook her head and pushed the bin back to the house. Tiny sat on an upside-down garbage can, chugging a bottle of water. He finished and gestured behind her. “Where’s John?”

“Went for a walk.”

Tiny gave her a look. “What did you say to him?”

She held out her hands at her sides. “How do you know it’s what I said?”

“Because if he said something goofy to you, you’d be the one walking around the neighborhood to calm your temper.”

“I told him not to let me down.”

Tiny removed his ball cap and scratched at his balding head. “Isn’t it kind of early to start doubting his abilities?”

She knew he was right, but she wasn’t ready to concede just yet. “I haven’t seen much of his abilities beyond pencil sketches and ideas to use trash to make wall hangings.”

“And you wonder why he walked off?”

She sighed and leaned on the doorframe to the kitchen. “I need this win. We all do if we want to keep Daddy’s company going.”

“It’ll take more than winning a contest for that to happen, sweetie, and you know it.”

Tiny didn’t understand. No one seemed to. Winning meant she could prove to everyone that she was just as good a builder as her father. And maybe prove it to herself. If she won, that would mean restarting Lowman Construction under her management. She could be what she’d always wanted—her own boss. Was it too much to ask for?

JOHN GOT TO the end of the street before it ended at the large avenue, crossed and started his trek back. What had he been thinking? Was this contest really the answer to his worries? He’d been lost and floundering, unsure of what to do next. The announcement by the Belvedere Foundation seemed to be the solution he’d been waiting for. What if it hadn’t been? What if he had put all his hopes in something that would lead to nothing? If they won, his designs would be seen across the country. With that kind of exposure and his half of the quarter of a million dollars, he could start his own business. They’d be his own deadlines rather than having to answer to a supervisor who left things to the last minute and expected him to accomplish the impossible.

He passed several more homes and slowed his pace. These ones sat closer to the main road and seemed older and more unique than the cookie-cutter-style homes at the other end that they were renovating. His fingers itched, and he wished that he’d brought his sketchpad. That and water, since the day was so warm. He stopped to wipe his forehead, then peered up at the scorching sun.

“You look like you could use a drink of water, young man.”

John shielded his eyes to see where the voice had come from. An older woman, fanning herself, was sitting on a wooden glider on a covered porch. He walked up the short path to her house. “Yes, ma’am. It’s a hot one today.”

She pointed at the porch steps. “You stay there. I’ll be right back.”

He put a foot on the first step and waited. The woman returned with a glass of water that had about a dozen cubes of ice floating in it.

“Thank you, ma’am.” He took a long drink, then placed the cool glass against his sweaty forehead. “That hits the spot.”

She gave a wave of her hand. “Call me Loretta.”

“And I’m John.”

She motioned to a wicker chair that sported a crocheted pillow on the seat. “You might as well sit while you finish your drink.”

He sat down, took another long pull of the cold water and let out a sigh. “Thank you for this. I should have brought water on my walk.”

“Where you walking to?”

He shrugged. “Nowhere. I needed to clear my head before I said some things better left unsaid.”

She winked. “Problem with a woman?”

“Not in the way you’re thinking.” He looked up at the ceiling of the porch, where someone had painted a rainbow. “Who’s the artist?”

“My granddaughter thought it needed some sprucing up. And I’m getting too old to be climbing on ladders to paint a porch that is exposed to the elements.”

“She’s got talent.”

The woman smiled. “You one of those contest people?”

“Yes. I’m a designer.”

“When they announced the contest, there were folks around here who worried about what that meant for our little neighborhood. They like the quiet and what’s familiar. Me? I miss the young families that brought the noise only children could bring.” She leaned forward on the glider. “Do you think they’ll sell those houses to families?”

“I believe they are being given to deserving families. They haven’t shared many details on that so far.”

She nodded again and looked out at the houses that lined the street. “When things got bad, people losing their jobs and their homes, half the neighborhood disappeared.” She put a hand to her lips, shaking her head. “There’s only a bunch of us left now.”

“How long have you lived here?”

“Since my Walter came home from Vietnam and asked me to marry him. This was his mama’s house.” She set the glider to rocking. “Almost fifty good years we’ve had here. My daughter keeps talking about selling up and moving us to one of those assisted living places. I don’t want to give up my home. It don’t matter how convenient it is for her to have us there. It’s not convenient for me.”

“Do you know when the house was built?”

“Walter’s granddad built it from a kit he bought from Sears. Can you believe that?” She laughed and shook her head.

John had figured it might have been a Craftsman home and longed to see what it looked like inside. But his mom had taught him manners, so he didn’t invite himself in. Instead, he finished his water and held out the empty glass to Loretta. “Thank you for the drink. I need to get back to work.”

“Which house is yours?”

“Number 2905.”

She grinned. “The Czarnecks used to live there. I remember their green and yellow bathroom.” She made a face. “There’s no accounting for some people’s tastes.” She stood as he did so. “On your next break, stop back here. I might have some pictures of the neighborhood from the old days.”

“I’d appreciate that, Miss Loretta.”

She walked him to the edge of the porch. “Are all the people in this contest as polite as you?”

“I’m one of a kind.”

“That you are, John. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

He stepped off the porch and waved once he reached the sidewalk. When he returned to the house, he located Cassie sitting on the floor, her legs dangling in the hole. She looked up at him as he entered. “You’re back.” He nodded and looked around for the brothers. “They left to pick up lunch for us.”

He gestured to the hole. “You thinking of keeping it there?”

She smiled and shook her head. “Nope. Just thinking.”

He took a seat next to her and dangled his legs close to hers. “I want to win this contest, but that means working together, not arguing. That applies to both of us.”

“I really need this, John.”

Her eyes were dewy with moisture. The vulnerability he saw made him want to put his arms around her, to whisper into her hair that everything would be okay. Instead, he sat quietly next to her and let her think.

Finally, she gave a deep sigh. “We should get moving. Sitting here and hoping for things to be different isn’t going to win this contest.”

When she started to stand, John tugged on her hand. “Cassie, for better or worse we’re a team, and we need to start acting like one. You need my input for the construction just as I need yours for the design. We have to do this together. I need to know I can rely on you. And let me reassure you that you can depend on me.”

She stared at their joined hands. “The only one I’ve ever depended on was my dad. And you know how that turned out. Trust has to be earned.”

She took a step back and started to walk into the kitchen but turned back. “I want to trust you, John. I’m just scared to.”

He stood and winced at the tearing sound. He reached behind and felt where his jeans had ripped thanks to the jagged edge of the floor he’d been sitting on. Cassie tried to squelch a giggle, but he could see that she was amused by this. “I told you not to wear nice clothes on site.”

Lesson learned. He hoped at least the tear wouldn’t expose too much of him.

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