Chapter 3
Chapter Three
S hiloh practically fell inside her car later that afternoon. Dirty, hungry, dehydrated and utterly spent, she’d put in a good day's work and was ready for a shower and bed.
“And food,” she muttered, pressing the button to start her car.
Her head rested against the back of the seat as she drove using only her fingertips in an effort not to smear old-house-dirt on everything in sight.
Despite her hard work, she knew full well she’d barely made a dent in what needed to be done. Mostly, Shiloh had focused on the front room. She’d swept, dusted, pulled down cobwebs and thrown away the curtains, which were so heavy with dirt they might as well have been museum relics.
The amount of debris she’d shoveled out the front door had to be some kind of record, and her next day off would only be worse. She hadn’t even gotten past the front room today, and all she was doing was trying to clean up enough so she could properly assess what was going on.
But she needed to rent a couple dumpsters and she needed to recruit a few strong armed men to come help lift the furniture out of the house and take it to the dump.
“Maybe if I bribe them with pizza,” she muttered, pulling into her driveway. A small smile played on her lips when she saw Serenity’s car parked out front. Shiloh loved it when her friend came to visit.
Closing the garage door behind her, Shiloh parked and went inside. “Honey! I’m home!”
Serenity stepped into the front of the hallway and smiled. “Surprise! I brought dinner!” Her smile fell. “What in the world have you been doing?” Serenity backed up as Shiloh came into the kitchen area. “Shi…you’re filthy.”
Shiloh put her hands on her hips and made a show of putting the back of her hand to her forehead. “What? Haven’t you heard? Dirt is the new black.”
Serenity laughed softly and shook her head. “You’re ridiculous. Go shower. I’ll keep it warm.”
Giving a mock salute, Shiloh forced her tired legs into action and climbed the stairs at anything but a run this time.
The shower was miraculous, and Shiloh felt like a new woman as she plodded back down in her fuzzy slippers and softest clothes. “Smells good.” She moaned, heading straight for the dining area.
“Well, have a seat, and we’ll get started.”
A large plate of Indian butter chicken and rice accompanied with a bowl of salad and a side of naan bread made Shiloh’s stomach growl as she sat down. “Mmm…” She picked up her fork. “What in the world are you doing sharing this with me and not your new acquisition?”
Serenity gave Shiloh a look. “Acquisition? Really? He’s a husband. Not an object.”
Shiloh shrugged. “But he’s your husband, so he belongs to you.”
Serenity laughed. “He’s working on the gym tonight, so I decided it was the perfect time for a girls’ night.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Shiloh grabbed her glass of water and clinked it with Serenity’s before taking a sip. “So…how goes marital bliss?”
Serenity’s cheeks turned bright red, an unfortunate consequence of being a redhead. “It’s good,” she said with a wide smile. “Really good.”
“As you deserve,” Shiloh said with a firm nod. She paused before taking another bite of rich, buttery goodness. “I’m so happy for you, Ser. You know that, right?”
“Of course.” Serenity took another bite, and for a few moments the only sounds were their chewing. “You know…we’re due for another shop owners’ meeting. We should plan that soon.”
“Sure. Do you want to have it here again?”
Serenity shrugged. “If it’s not too much trouble. It’s where we started, so everyone already knows where it’s at.”
“Works for me. Just give me a date and time.”
Serenity smiled in response. “Speaking of dates…”
“Eh.” Shiloh put a hand in the air. “I’m gonna stop you right there.”
“But Shi?—”
“If you dare to imply that one, I’m not happy being single, or two, that because you have found heaven in the arms of a buff, handsome, mafia looking man, that I should too…I would say that number one is false and that number two is correct.” Shiloh shrugged. “But you took the only one in the area. Assassins don’t grow on trees, you know.”
Serenity threw her head back. “Sometimes you’re impossible to talk to.”
“It’s part of my charm.” Shiloh went back to eating. She was definitely going to need her strength if Serenity wanted to bring up men. Shiloh liked men…but she wasn’t going to go out of her way to find one, either. She’d learned very early that men were something you enjoyed for a time, not something you kept for life. Serenity’s situation was a rare exception.
“Okay…no dating. Then tell me about your project. That one that had my exotic, gorgeous friend, walking in like she’s been playing in the garbage.”
Shiloh pointed her fork at Serenity. “Now, we’re talking.” She took another bite and finished it with some water. “The place is an absolute sty…but it’s got potential.”
“And that's all that matters, right?” Serenity teased.
“Of course!” Shiloh agreed. “I’ve got my vision board together and I started taking out the two feet of disease-ridden dust in the place today.”
“Why is it so dusty?” Serenity asked.
“It’s an old foreclosure,” Shiloh explained. “But at some point, it was vandalized, and a window was left open. Who knows how many years of wind storms and weather made their way through that two inches of space.”
“Oh my word,” Serenity breathed. “Did they break a bunch of stuff?”
“Not that I can tell,” Shiloh offered. “If any electronics were left behind, they’re long gone, but mostly, it’s full of dirt, really old furniture, and garbage. Not to mention enough creepy crawlies to feel like you’re walking through the halls of Hades’ mansion.”
“And you’re doing this by yourself?”
Shiloh pursed her lips and set down the fork. “At first, I wanted to. But after studying the pictures of the house, I knew it would take a little more than I could handle. So I’ve called in the big guns.”
“Luca?” Serenity joked.
“Well, he does have the biggest guns around, but I don’t usually call other women’s husbands without good cause.” Shiloh grinned.
“This sounds like a good cause,” Serenity pointed out.
“Saving my bacon? Yeah…it’s a good cause.” Shiloh took a drink. “But I called the twins. I might need help with more than clean-up muscles.”
“This reno going to be deeper than the surface?” Serenity asked.
Shiloh sighed. “Probably. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say the house is old enough that not everything is up to code, not anymore.”
“Yuck.” Serenity shook her head. “Good luck with that one. It sounds like you’re going to need it.”
“Not all of us can sell mugs and magnets for a living, you know,” Shiloh retorted.
Serenity grinned as she chewed. “If you ever want to give it a try, let me know. I’m looking for a part-time employee.”
“At the rate this one might drain my bank account,” Shiloh muttered. “I just might take you up on that.”
Granger slowly came out of Zane’s bedroom after getting the boy settled in for a nap. The meds were doing a good job of keeping him groggy, and Granger was grateful for it.
Now if he could just take his own…
“He asleep?”
Granger looked up at Jett, who was waiting in the hall. “Yeah. The meds are kicking in.”
“Good.” Jett sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry that happened.”
Granger walked past his friend and led them out to the front room. “It’s fine. He’s a kid. It happens.”
So did bills. And this one was going to be a doozy. They still had to go back to get the cast on when the swelling went down, which meant there were going to be multiple hits.
“Still…” Jett flopped onto the couch. “I don’t know how you do it.”
Granger sat in the recliner, grateful to take the load off, but frowned. “Do what?”
“The single dad thing.” Jett looked his friend in the eye. “How do you get anything done?”
Granger chuckled wearily. “Half the time, I don’t. I never get ahead. I’m always running behind and praying that somehow it’ll all work out in the end.”
“Sounds about right.” Jett laughed softly. “I mean…I think that’s how Tate runs his life, and he doesn’t even have anyone to worry about but himself.”
Granger half smiled and huffed a quiet laugh. “Thanks for grabbing us. I didn’t even think about the truck when the ambulance was taking us in.”
Jett shrugged and settled deeper into the couch. “No biggie. That’s what friends are for.” He closed his eyes, and the room grew quiet. “I’m gonna fall asleep if I’m not careful.”
Granger ran a hand down his face, trying to keep himself awake. “Don’t tempt me.”
Groaning, Jett sat up and leaned forward. “I should get out of your hair and let you take a nap. I’m sure you need it.”
“I need to get some things done around the house,” Granger argued.
“Not getting enough sleep cuts your life short.” Jett stood. “You probably need it more than you need to do the dishes.”
“Says the guy who eats out of his pots and pans.”
Jett smiled and shrugged. “I don’t have anyone to impress.” His smile fell. “Speaking of…I have a possible job for you.” Jett looked back toward the bedrooms. “But I’m not sure it’s the right time to offer it. You might have your hands full for a while.”
“I’m sure we’ll get by,” Granger said with a shrug. Man, his eyes were burning. He really wanted to close them.
“Alright, well…Shiloh, a real estate agent we’re friends with, has taken on a new project.”
Granger blinked several times. “Is this where you two keep landing those flips?”
Jett smirked and nodded. “Yeah. She sees them before they hit the market. When they’re bad, she hires us to help, we turn it around quick, and everyone profits.”
Granger grunted. “Huh. I guess I’m in on the secret now.”
Jett shrugged and began walking toward the front door. “She usually handles the yards themselves. They aren’t really big projects most of the time, but this one…” Jett shook his head and whistled low. “This one is a disaster.”
Granger narrowed his eyes. “How bad of a disaster?”
“As in, I think we should scrap it and start from scratch, disaster.”
Granger sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. “I don’t know…”
“It’s fine,” Jett said quickly. “You think on it. If it’s too much, we’ll get someone else.”
Granger nodded and started to stand, but Jett waved him off.
“Pretty sure I can find my way from here,” he said with a chuckle. “Just take care of Z. I’ll shoot you the address if you wanna run by and look at it at some point in the next day or two, alright?”
Granger sank into the chair and nodded. “Sure. That’s fine.”
“Great. I’m off. Get a nap, old man. You need it.” Laughing softly, Jett left, and Granger didn’t bother issuing a retort.
Instead, he closed his eyes and did exactly what his friend suggested. Gave the old man a nap.