Chapter Three
The roofer showed up right on time, Luna mused sarcastically.
Thirty minutes past three.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” he said the minute Luna opened the door.
“How many times a week do you find yourself saying that?” she asked, opening the front door far enough for the man to step inside.
He was close to her age, tall with a build that suggested he worked in a labor force and not behind a desk. There was a kindness that sat behind his eyes that lit up when she asked her question.
“A lot this time of year, I’m sorry to say. You must be Luna.” He stuck out his hand.
She clasped it in a firm handshake. “I am. You’re Brian?” They’d spoken on the phone the day before when she’d noticed the leak.
“I am.”
Brian had asked if she needed his immediate service, she’d told him no and said she thought the leak could wait until the next day to be assessed. Emergency service in the roofing industry had a steep price tag.
“Has the leak gotten worse?” Brian asked, his eyes cast toward the ceiling.
“The pots and pans seemed to be holding up.”
He nodded as if he’d heard that before. “Show me what we’re working with,” he said.
Luna led him to the stairs. “We haven’t noticed anything new other than the holes in the attic.”
“Does the attic span the width of the house?”
“Yes.”
They rounded the first flight of stairs.
“Is he finally here?” Miley called from the open door to her room.
Luna caught the roofer’s gaze. Brian had the good sense to appear guilty for being late.
Luna had no sooner told her yes when Miley emerged in the doorway.
Brian lifted his hands in the air. “Honest to God there was traffic.”
“He already apologized,” Luna told her.
Miley rolled her eyes and turned back to her room.
Like earlier, cold air rushed forward when Luna opened the door leading to the attic.
The moment the door opened, Midnight rushed out with a disapproving cry.
“What are you doing in here?”
The cat scattered away without looking back.
“She must have snuck in earlier,” Luna said.
“How many cats do you have?”
“Just the one.”
They made their way up the flight of stairs. Luna flipped on the lights.
Brian poked around, looked at the pots and pans. “When did you last empty these?”
Luna stood by the door, her arms crossed over her body to ward off the chill. “This morning before I left for my meeting.”
Brian kept looking up, seeing things she didn’t. Every once in a while, he’d wipe a finger along one of the objects or boxes in the room and then move on.
“I’ve seen what I need to here. I need to get on your roof. While I’m up there I’ll cover the area with a tarp.”
Luna followed him down the way they’d come.
“Do you need me to hold a ladder or something?”
He shook his head and grinned. “I got it.”
It was a three-story house with a long drop if he mis-stepped.
“Better you than me.”
Brian zipped his coat as he exited the house.
Luna watched from the window as he walked to his truck and removed an expandable ladder.
The sound of Miley’s footsteps preceded her arrival at Luna’s side.
“He’s going up there?”
“I’m guessing he’s used to it.” Luna sighed, turned around. “At least he’s covering the holes.”
Miley continued to stare out the window. “He’s kinda cute.”
“You think?” Luna brought her attention back to the man.
Miley nodded. “Does he have a ring?”
“I didn’t look.”
They were both watching him now.
Miley tilted her head to the side as if that angle would show her something else to admire.
Luna followed her lead. He was tall and fit enough to swing a huge ladder around without effort. She’d already noticed his eyes, and first impressions suggested she could trust him. But cute?
Both of them stood there silently watching with their necks crooked to one side.
Brian spotted them.
In unison, they stood tall, their chins held high.
Luna couldn’t tell if Brian’s smile was simply polite, or more of a smirk at catching them gawking at him.
Closing her eyes and shaking her head, Luna stepped away from the window. “Okay, we are officially the creeps.”
Miley giggled.
They waited for him to finish his assessment in the kitchen.
Now and then they’d see Brian walking by a window as he moved the ladder around to get to various parts of the roof.
The longer he took, the more Luna thought the diagnosis would be costly.
She and Miley put together a chicken and rice casserole to pop in the oven a little later.
They’d alternate who cooked, but nothing was written on a calendar, and nothing was expected.
On Miley’s days off, they cooked together and often froze the leftovers.
If it wasn’t for the other one, they’d both be on the quick foods diet.
Takeout, microwave boxed cuisine, if you could call a flash-frozen, preservative-rich meal cuisine, and bagged salads would be the extent of their nutrition.
“You don’t have anything going on Friday night, right?” Miley asked while they washed the dishes they’d dirtied while prepping their meal.
“No, why?”
“I looked into that full moon, women only get-together thing at that new crystal shop on Main.”
The two of them had stopped and looked at a poster that talked about a full moon circle. They’d tossed the idea around but neither of them took it any further.
“What’s it about?”
“I don’t know, manifesting, letting go . . . the owner reads tarot. It’ll be fun.”
And something to do that didn’t involve a club and alcohol. Which as they got older, Luna and Miley were less and less attracted to.
“Your name is Luna for Christ’s sake. This is right up your alley.”
Her name often raised eyebrows. Most people thought it was a nickname. At most a middle name. It wasn’t. “Why not,” she said.
Miley beamed. “I’ll sign us up.”
A soft knock on the front door indicated Brian’s completion of his inspection.
The three of them stood over the kitchen island as Brian pulled up an image on his tablet of the house’s roof.
“I have some bad news, and potentially good news,” he started.
Luna and Miley exchanged silent glances.
“Pull the Band-Aid off first,” Luna told him.
Brian pointed to the parts of the roof that they knew were a problem. He talked about missing shingles and the immediate need to get those sections fixed. He went on to identify three other places where shingles were missing and his surprise that the house didn’t have more points of water entry.
“You could get away with a temporary fix. I went ahead and tarped all of these spots. But a nasty storm and your neighbors will have the plastic, and you’ll have more water intrusion.”
Brian paused.
“And the good news?” Luna asked.
“I’m not done with the bad.”
“Oh.”
“The roof is literally missing flashing around the vents. I’m shocked you’re not finding problems in those areas. The roof is twenty years old?” he asked with doubt.
“Give or take.”
“Was there an inspection when you took possession?”
“No. It’s a family home. I inherited it. There weren’t any inspections for anything when I took possession.” Luna looked at Miley.
Brian sighed. “It’s a big roof and a big job. I can bring my guys over to patch things up. Rip out the areas surrounding the trouble spots. Lift the places the vents come through and do the same. You might get another five years out of it. I can only guarantee the sections we patch.”
“We need a new roof,” Miley concluded aloud.
Luna was seeing nothing but dollar signs.
“Yeah, you do.”
Luna met Brian’s eyes. “What’s the good news?”
He smiled. “You said you noticed the leaks after that last storm.”
“Yes.”
“And you have homeowner’s insurance, right?”
“Of course.” Luna started to see the light.
“Your insurance company might be able to help out. Sometimes they even pay for the whole job. Your roof is old, but not ancient. There are several solid areas that are completely intact. Which suggests storm damage over age damage.”
“Seriously? I didn’t even think of that.”
“That’s great,” Miley added.
“Most new homeowners don’t. This is what I’m going to do.
I’m going to write up two bids. One for repairs, essential repairs, that if not addressed could end up costing your insurance company even more money.
Interior walls, floors . . . carpet. You know, that kind of water damage.
And a second bid for the cost of a new roof.
I need to disclose that I don’t do bottom of the line roofs.
I use the best material on the market and won’t touch anything that I wouldn’t put on my home.
You might find material that’s cheaper, but if I can’t guarantee the product, I won’t do the job.
If the roof fails, it’s me that ends up on the hook.
It’s my company and my name. I don’t want you as a repeat customer.
I want you to tell your neighbors about your experience and recommend me. ”
There wasn’t one twitch, one break in eye contact. But most of all, Brian was passing the vibe check.
“Besides, the real cost of a new roof is all about labor. Unless you wanted to upgrade to tile.”
“No. I can’t afford that.” Her wallet didn’t want that.
“Call your insurance carrier. I’ll fill out the paperwork on my end to help your case. I’ll email you my estimates. Your insurance may say no, but it would be a shame not to try.” Brian was smiling now.
His smile alone put Luna at ease. “This sounds good. I mean, as good as it can.”
He turned off his tablet and tucked it under his arm. “I seldom have the opportunity to deliver good news. Nobody with an older home calls a roofer without a problem.”
Miley smirked, a sly grin lifting the corners of her mouth. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”
It took a second, but Brian caught on and his eyes lit up.
Luna cleared her throat and scowled at Miley. At the same time, she glanced at Brian’s left hand to find his ring finger bare. “What do I owe you for today?”
Brian looked away from Miley. “Ah, nothing.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“And if I went with another roofer?” Luna asked.
“Still nothing. Just let me know when I can swing by to pick up my tarps.”
That was surprising. “Okay, then.”
They walked him to the door with the promise of talking to him later.
Through the stained glass windows surrounding the front door, they watched him walk to his truck.
“He didn’t have a ring,” Miley pointed out.
“I noticed.”
Miley nudged Luna’s shoulder.