Chapter 3
YOU KNOW I DON’T WATCH TV.
Tucker
The bell chimes overhead as I enter Seven Stools for my lunch break, and I immediately find Griffin scowling behind the bar.
I hold up my hands in defense. “I haven’t been here all day. Maybe you should learn how to disconnect it yourself if you hate it that much.”
He rolls his eyes, which only makes me laugh.
My coworker, Levi, chuckles next to me, shaking his head. “I love watching you piss him off.”
“It’s the best part of my day.”
While Griffin may technically be my cousin, he’s been more like a brother to me since I moved into his parents’ house when I was younger. Even though I love pissing him off and seeing him get angry, it’s all out of fun and games for me to keep the people around me laughing.
I take my seat at one of the seven barstools lining the bar. “Any specials today?”
“Tucker,” he warns. “You literally work behind this bar every night. You know we don’t do specials, and today is nothing new.”
He’s right. This is my second job and my second favorite place to be.
There aren’t many places in town to grab a bite to eat, so Levi and I try to come in a few times a week to grab lunch between construction projects.
But one day, I hope to walk in and see that Griffin has changed his mind about adding specials.
He’s spent years in a grumpy mood to the point that he was barely tolerable.
But not long ago, he fell in love again.
The kind of love that’s head over heels and makes me sick to my stomach. Yuck.
But Blair makes him happy, and that makes me happy.
I smirk. “Well, do you have a menu then?”
“It’s the same as it’s been since we opened.”
“Maybe I want something different today.” I shrug.
Griffin leans in close, resting his elbows on the bar before crooking a finger as if he wants to tell me a secret.
I lean in, smiling, ready for whatever he’s about to say to me.
“This is how it’s gonna go. I’m going to give in to your request, as I always do when you come in here on your short lunch break.
You’re going to look over the menu and then you’ll order the same chicken sandwich, with extra bacon, and the spicy ranch on the side. ”
“Maybe this week I want r—”
“Ranch on the sandwich,” Griffin and Levi both finish for me at the same time.
“Fine,” I concede. “I’ll take the chicken sandwich, extra bacon, and the spicy ranch on the side.”
Griffin nods, standing up again. “Good choice.”
“I’ll have the same, but regular ranch,” Levi tells him.
Griffin writes down the order and places it in the small window leading to the kitchen staff so they can start preparing it.
“Are you two busy today?” Griffin asks.
“Not too bad,” Levi answers. “But it’s definitely about to get busier.”
“Shit. The film crews are showing up today, aren’t they?”
Levi nods. “Yep. They’re doing that old abandoned house on Redwood Ave.”
I groan, letting my head fall to my arms crossed on the bar top dramatically. “It’s my dream to live on that property.” I lift my head again, pouting. “The views are immaculate and the land is perfect. I want it.”
“I have to agree,” Levi says. “But that project is going to be a mess. That house needs to be bulldozed and rebuilt from the ground up. I can’t imagine that structure holding for much longer.”
My body tenses at his words.
Not enough that anyone around me would notice, but it’s just enough to spark memories of my past. Memories I wish I could erase from every part of my brain.
Levi may be one of my best friends in town because we work so closely together building houses and fixing things up around town, but even he doesn’t know the shit I’ve been through. He doesn’t know that even one statement can cause me to spiral to the point where guilt churns in my gut.
It’s been over a decade, but the day replays like it was yesterday.
I shake off the thoughts, nodding. “It’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure. I’m curious to see what the new owner has planned for the house. And hey,” I say, my tone even more chipper. “Maybe the plans will be just that—knock it the fuck down and start over.”
“Do you know anything about the show?” Griffin asks, grabbing our food from the window and placing it in front of us.
“You know I don’t watch TV,” I say as I take a bite of my sandwich.
He rolls his eyes. “I only found out about it because Blair was bouncing up and down when she heard Nailed It or Failed It is coming to Bluestone Lakes. I’ve never heard of the show before, but apparently, it’s a fixer-upper type thing.
They take something old and update it, basically judging it as a win or a fail when all is said and done. ”
“I think we’re going to nail it. Pun intended.
” I wink between bites. “And I think the star of the show is renting my apartment space above my garage. At least I think that’s what Nan said,” I say, thinking about it for a moment before I shrug.
“Or maybe it was someone from the film crew. Either way, someone is staying there.”
“Whoa.” Griffin’s eyes widen. “You really let a stranger stay on your property? In your sanctuary? In your personal space?”
I roll my eyes jokingly, but he’s right.
I don’t ever let anyone in close enough to see through me. I don’t host parties, dinners, or events. If I date, it’s always casual. And they never come back to my place.
My home is where I can breathe and don’t need to hide.
My home is where I don’t need to pretend.
My home is my place.
I wipe the corner of my mouth with a napkin. “Nan practically begged me. And then she said she would let me have first dibs on the pretzel twists shipment when the General Store gets some in.”
“You can’t be serious,” he deadpans.
“I’m so serious. It was an offer I couldn’t turn down. Besides, they’re only staying there temporarily. Hell, I even offered up the main house and I would stay in the garage loft.” I chuckle. “You know, since maybe he’d let me get more airtime. My face deserves to be on TV, don’t you think, Griff?”
He narrows his eyes, giving me a knowing look as I finish off my sandwich.
“Anyway, filming starts in a few days, and according to the producers, they have a strict deadline on everything. I think it’s part of the show? Which I’m sure Blair knows.”
“Yeah, she said they have a one month to complete the renovation from start to finish. If it’s not done, it’s considered a fail. If they get everything done and it’s livable, they say: Nailed It.”
“Nailed it,” I say, fist-bumping the air.
“This is going to be a long month,” Levi says, laughing next to me.
“You’re telling me,” Griffin agrees. “You should ask for bonus pay every time Tucker says that throughout filming.”
“I’d get to retire by the end of it.”
I look down at my watch, leaping off the barstool. “Shit, we’re going to be late. We have to meet at the house to go over everything with the crew.”
“You running late? That can’t be right.”
When I snap my head to Griffin, he’s got a smirk on his face. Asshole.
“I hope everyone from the crew comes in here one at a fucking time and the bell doesn’t stop all day,” I say, turning around to leave the bar. I take the extra few minutes to leave dramatically, only to walk right back in to hear it go off again.
“I hate you,” Griffin calls across the bar.
“I love you too,” I shout as I exit for the last time, with one more chime.
***
Pulling my truck into the gravel driveway, I put it in park and round the hood to take in the abandoned house.
It’s not my first time here.
Sometimes I come here and think—dream.
It’s completely different from my property around the corner covered by trees.
This one has a vast landscape of mountains in the distance and trees lining the property line.
Every time I come here, I think about what it would be like to own this property and wake up daily to this view and go to bed without obstruction of the stars above.
I could never pinpoint why I’ve been drawn to this particular place when there’s so many amazing wonders in Bluestone Lakes, but it’s stuck.
I like to think it’s the stars. They shine so fucking bright here at night.
I’ve always said if I could pick my dream home, this would be it.
Well, it’s not a home. At least not yet.
It’s nothing but a list of problems pretending to hold itself upright.
The siding is shot, the porch sags like a tired old man, and the shingles have been begging to be replaced for ten years.
I’ve pictured how much work this house needs a dozen times before today, long before I even got into construction.
When I was a teenager and first moved to Bluestone Lakes to live with the Barlow family, I started by taking on small jobs around town.
From fixing fences, patching roofs, to any other tasks that kept my hands busy.
Along the way, I discovered I had my father’s knack for fixing things.
Growing up with a mom being a nurse and a dad working in construction, I was taught two important things.
Work hard with your hands, and care for people even when it’s hard.
There was something about having a hammer, a saw, or a drill in my hand that grounded me and gave me control when everything else had been taken away.
I know Levi sees this place as a structure waiting to fall, but when I look at this place…I see good bones, a solid frame, and a steady foundation.
This place isn’t hopeless, it’s just worn thin.
Like most things worth saving.
“Tucker,” I hear my boss, Frank, call my name from the patch of lawn where there used to be overgrown weeds. They seemed to have cut it down to make room for this to get started. “Over here.”
I jog over to where he stands, abandoning the thoughts so no one asks questions.
“This is Tucker,” Frank introduces me to a woman dressed in a pantsuit, as if she’s just come from a board meeting in the city. “This is Andrea. She’s the producer of the show and is in charge of everything here.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say with a nod.
“Likewise,” Andrea says, staring at me with intensity like she’s assessing me. It’s uneasy. “Thank you for being here for this meeting this afternoon. Frank says you’re the best contractor in town.”
“Must be a short list.”
She laughs. “This is going to be perfect.” I tilt my head to the side in question. “I’m not sure if you’ve ever watched the show before or not…”
“Every episode,” I lie, because this isn’t the moment I admit I don’t watch TV. “It’s my favorite show in the entire world. I’ve been looking forward to this season since the last one ended.”
Frank glares at me knowing I’m full of shit, and I wink back at him.
“Amazing.” Andrea claps her hands together.
“This season will be a little different. We usually have a couple working together on a project. It really drives drama for views sometimes because not all couples can agree on everything, even happily married ones.” She laughs lightly.
“But this season we’re showcasing our star solo. ”
“Sounds good.”
“We’ve asked for a team to help with this because, as you know, there’s a strict one month deadline. We will film a lot of main content, but there will also be a lot of work done when the cameras aren’t rolling to help drive things along quickly.”
“Works for me.”
Andrea turns to Frank. “He really is the best, huh?”
“He’s a hard worker. Whatever you need, him and the rest of the team can get it done. No questions asked.”
I nod in agreement.
“Our solo star,” Andrea says with a bit of shimmy in her body like she’s excited.
“Is doing her first walk through of the house as she hasn’t seen what the inside looks like yet.
This way, she can plan what she wants to do.
After she’s done, we can get the meeting and introductions started with everyone present.
Does that work?” Andrea asks, gaze bouncing between Frank and me.
Her?
My brows lift before I can stop them but clear my throat and school my expression. I mentally prepared for some guy with a beard and a hammer to be staying in my apartment. Definitely not a woman. Interesting.
“Yep,” I say.
“I have to go check on some projects on the other side of town,” Frank says, looking down at his watch. “But Tucker here will be in charge, and whatever you need, he’s your man.”
Frank’s words hit me harder than they should have.
It’s just a simple compliment, but it’s lodged in my chest like it belongs there.
I’ve always been good at being the extra set of hands. The guy who shows up early, stays late, and fixes whatever needs fixing without being asked. I’m the helper. The one who tries to make things easier for everyone else. The funny guy who makes everyone laugh to keep the energy up.
I’m good at that.
I help Dallas coach a kids’ baseball team.
I help Griffin behind the bar so he doesn’t have to work nights.
But what I’m not used to is being in charge of anything. It makes my chest feel tight that Frank sees the ability in me to run the crew for this project.
When I turn to face Andrea, she’s staring at me with a smile on her face, like she might believe it, too.
Laughter flows from the house, and Andrea turns around. “Oh, good, they’re done. We can get this meeting started.”
When I follow her stare, the world around me stops spinning.
Of all houses, she has to walk out of this one.
Scottie, with her bold blazer and a strut that could stop traffic, is the very last person I’m expecting to see standing in the doorway. The universe really has a messed-up sense of humor.
My brain immediately travels back to that night in San Francisco.
That night, when I heard her laugh echo in the dark room and how she tasted like tequila and trouble.
The memory hits me and I clench my fist at my sides, remembering how her skin felt under my hands and the sound of her voice screaming my name in the hotel room.
Now she’s here. Standing in broad daylight, looking like sin wrapped in sunshine. And dammit, if it doesn’t knock the air right out of me and make me feel like my chest is caving in.
Because I left that next morning.
I left without a word while she was still sleeping. Never expecting to see her again.