Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Colby had just lined up two-by-four prices on his laptop screen, comparing supply houses and calculating delivery windows, when Jason Keene's name popped up on his phone. He had worked with Jason, Hank, and Brian on the renovation of the garage.
He hit accept. "Hey."
"You still out there playing lumber Tetris for Sabrina's place?" Jason asked. His voice had that particular dry tone that meant he was already three steps ahead of the conversation. "Hank said you're trying to make a cabin appear out of thin air."
"That tracks." Colby leaned back in his chair, the old kitchen seat creaking beneath him. "You bored or just nosy?"
"Both," Jason said. "And I like building things more than watching other people talk about building things. You want a hand with the first one?"
Colby sat up a little straighter, his spine leaving the chair back. "You serious?"
"I'm not calling to offer emotional support," Jason said. "I've got a gap between jobs. Two weeks minimum before my next site starts. I can help you lay out, set the foundation, and get framing up. You two can handle the stain and cute porch chairs on your own."
A slow grin pulled at Colby's mouth, the kind that started somewhere in his chest before it reached his face. "She's talked to you, hasn't she?"
"She walked into the café with Lila last Tuesday and started sketching on a napkin," Jason said.
"I'm pretty sure she didn't breathe for ten straight minutes.
Just talked and drew and waved her hands around like she was conducting an orchestra nobody else could hear.
I like the way her brain works. I'd like to help her make it real. "
Colby glanced toward the living room, where Sabrina sat cross-legged on the couch with a notebook open across her lap, chewing on a pen cap while she stared at whatever she'd written.
Her hair was pulled back in a messy knot, and there was a smudge of ink on her cheek she hadn't noticed yet.
Something in his chest shifted at the sight of her, the way it did more and more often these days.
"She'll fight you on paying," he said quietly, keeping his voice low enough that she wouldn't hear.
"I'll invoice her like a normal human," Jason said. "Fair rate, honest hours. You can help me keep the numbers sane, so she doesn't try to sell a kidney or take out a second mortgage. Deal?"
"Deal." Colby rubbed the back of his neck, working at the knot that had settled there from hunching over his laptop.
"We're meeting with Kara this afternoon to talk about site placement.
The county approved the first structure as an accessory dwelling, while the rest of the plan is in process. You free at three?"
"I'll be there," Jason said. "Bring your measuring tape and your patience. And maybe a sandwich. I get cranky when I'm hungry."
"Noted."
The line went dead, and Colby set his phone on the table, staring at it for a moment like it might offer additional insight.
Jason Keene didn't volunteer his time lightly.
The man was one of the best contractors in three counties, with a waitlist that stretched into next year and a reputation for quality that meant he could charge whatever he wanted.
The fact that he'd called, unprompted, to offer help said something about how Sabrina's vision had landed with the people who'd heard it.
Colby looked at her again. She was still absorbed in her notebook, her pen now tapping against the page in a rhythm only she understood. She had no idea, he thought. No idea how many people in this town were quietly rooting for her, lining up behind her like an army she hadn't recruited.
He didn't tell her about the call yet. Some things were better shown than said.
Three hours later, the four of them stood on the rise near the tree line with the land spread out below like an invitation.
The afternoon sun slanted through the branches overhead, dappling the grass with shifting patterns of light and shadow.
The ruins of Norman House sat behind them, still raw and dark against the green, but somehow less oppressive from this angle.
From here, you could see past it. You could see what might come next.
Kara Donnelly held a tablet in one hand and a folder in the other, her navy blazer buttoned despite the warmth.
Jason had a measuring tape hooked to his belt and a pencil tucked behind his ear, already scanning the terrain with the practiced eye of a man who saw lumber dimensions where other people saw trees.
Sabrina clutched her sketchbook against her chest like it might jump away if she let go, her knuckles pale around the edges.
Colby stood slightly behind her, close enough that his shoulder almost brushed hers. He could feel the tension radiating off her in waves, that particular kind of nervous energy that came from wanting something too much to say it out loud.
"So," Kara said, tapping something on her tablet.
"You've got official permission from the county to start with one structure as an accessory dwelling while we process the rest of your plan.
That first cabin can go here or here." She pointed to two spots on the digital map she'd pulled up, then gestured toward the corresponding areas on the actual land.
"Both have good drainage and easy access to existing utilities.
You won't have to run lines halfway across the property. "
Sabrina looked from the screen to the land, her gaze tracking back and forth like she was layering one image over the other. "The first one needs to feel obvious and tucked away at the same time."
Jason nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing as he studied the terrain. "You want it visible enough that guests know they've arrived somewhere special, but not sitting right on the road like a billboard advertising a vacancy."
"Exactly." She exhaled the word like he'd just translated something she hadn't known how to say.
Colby stepped forward, pointing toward the gentle slope just off the main drive.
The grass there was thick and green, undisturbed by the fire that had taken the house.
A cluster of young oaks stood to one side, their leaves catching the light in a way that made the whole area glow.
"What about there? Close to utilities, like Kara said.
The porch could face the trees instead of the road.
You'd see the roofline from the drive, enough to know something's there, but once you're on the deck, you'd feel like you were in your own little pocket of the world. "
Sabrina narrowed her eyes, her head tilting slightly as she stared at the spot he'd indicated. He could practically see the gears turning behind her expression, could almost watch her mentally placing walls and windows and furniture into the empty space.
"That might work," she said slowly, drawing out the words like she was testing them. "The path could curve from the parking area, so you don't see straight into the front door. You'd have to walk around a little, discover it."
Jason was already moving, his boots crunching through the grass as he paced off a distance from the drive to the spot Colby had indicated.
He counted under his breath, the measuring tape rattling out behind him as he went.
"We've got plenty of room to do a twelve-by-sixteen footprint with a small, covered porch," he called back over his shoulder.
"Maybe even a touch bigger if you want to stretch it.
But you try to cram ten people in there, I'm walking off the job. "
"Small," Sabrina said firmly. "These are retreats. Not family reunions."
"That's my girl," Colby said before he could stop himself.
Her cheeks went pink, a flush that started at her jaw and climbed toward her hairline, but she didn't look away from the land.
Didn't acknowledge the words except for the smallest curve at the corner of her mouth.
"If we put the porch there," she said, pointing toward the trees, "the morning light will hit it.
People could sit with their coffee and watch the sun come through the branches. That golden hour glow."
Kara lifted her tablet, her stylus already moving. "I can mark that as your preliminary placement. You want to pick a name for the first one? For the paperwork."
Sabrina hesitated, her teeth catching her lower lip. "Maybe later. I need to see it built before I commit to something. It feels like bad luck to name something that doesn't exist yet."
Jason walked back toward them, snapping the measuring tape closed with a practiced flick of his wrist. "Fair enough. Let's talk layout, then. One room with a bathroom, or do you want a little kitchenette tucked in the corner?"
"Kitchenette," Sabrina said without hesitation, the answer coming out like she'd been waiting for someone to ask.
"Small fridge, microwave, maybe a two-burner cooktop.
Sink with enough counter space to prep a meal.
People staying longer than a weekend will want to make real food, not just heat up takeout containers. "
Colby bumped her shoulder lightly with his, a gentle nudge that made her sway toward him for half a second before she caught herself. "Look at you, thinking like a guest."
She shot him a look, one eyebrow raised. "I spent a decade listening to complaints about shared microwaves and coffee pots that were always empty when you needed them. I know what people want. I just never had the chance to give it to them before."
Jason crouched in the grass and flipped open a small notebook he'd pulled from his back pocket. "Okay. Door centered or off to one side?"
"Off to the side," Sabrina said. "That way, the bed can sit in the back corner where you don't see it the second you walk in. You should feel the space first, not trip over the furniture."