Chapter 6
The following morning, Dave arrived at the old hardware building at eight o’clock.
He’d been at the Finley Point resort since six, walking the foundation forms with Hank ahead of the next pour. By the time he’d handed things over and made the drive into town, more time had passed than he realized.
The lights were on inside the building, and that surprised him. He hadn’t expected anyone to be here yet.
He walked through the doors and saw Beth standing in front of an old table. Three folders were fanned out in front of her, with a thermos at her elbow and a roll of paper pinned under a block of wood.
“Morning,” he said.
She looked up, startled. “Oh, hi Dave. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“The concrete trucks were later than I expected at Finley Point. Otherwise, I would have been here sooner.” He nodded at the folders. “You look busy.”
“I wanted to get a better understanding of what you’re doing before the other builders get here.
” Beth placed her hand on the top folder.
“I sorted the rooms by priority and cross-referenced them against the construction schedule. If anything gets delayed, I’ll know which classes are at risk first.”
“That’s a good idea,” he said, and meant it. He could see what the folders were for, and it wasn’t only for the rooms. It was Beth’s first week of being part of a remodel of this size, and she wanted everything to run smoothly.
Dave set down his tools and crossed to the wall he’d been keeping half an eye on since Tuesday.
The plaster above one of the old service counters had a hairline crack. Somebody, decades ago, had cut a doorway through a load point without thinking about what held up the roof.
Beth stood beside him before he’d finished looking. “Is that the crack from the report?”
Dave nodded. “It is. The structural engineer took a look last week and wasn’t too concerned about it.” He kept his voice easy. There was no sense letting a hairline crack be the thing that rattled her on her first week.
Beth frowned. “Do you think it’s worse? If it is, I’d rather know now than after we’ve scheduled classes for that area.”
“That’s fair enough,” Dave said. “It hasn’t shifted, though.”
“You’re sure?”
“The engineer said the beams are almost as solid as the day they were built.”
“I know, but would it pay to have a plan B in case the engineer is wrong?”
“It’ll be okay, Beth. I’d rather give you that than different plans for a problem we don’t have.”
“Two plans isn’t excessive,” Beth said. “It’s responsible.”
Dave smiled.
“What?” Beth asked.
“You like being prepared.”
She sighed. “I do. Will that be a problem?”
Dave shook his head. “It will probably save us from at least three disasters before we’re finished.” He tapped the crack with one knuckle. “If it sets your mind at ease, I’ll ask the engineer to have another look.”
Beth studied the crack for a few more seconds, then sighed. “I’m not a building expert, so you can decide whether to call him. I just want everything to go to plan. We don’t have much time.”
Dave guessed that was as good as he’d get today. “If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
The front door opened, and four people Dave didn’t know came in out of the cold. They all wore good wool coats and the type of shoes you didn’t wear on a construction site.
“We’re a little early,” said the smiling woman in front. “I’m Beverly Cantrell, from the Sapphire Bay Historical Society. We asked Natalie about coming here before you get too far into the renovation. We wanted to see the building’s original features.”
“Of course.” Beth picked up her notebook. “Natalie mentioned you might stop by. Have you met Dave?”
Beverly shook her head. “I don’t believe I’ve had that pleasure.” She extended her hand. “You worked on the restoration of the Anglican Church in Polson. My friends were impressed with your work.”
“It was a highlight of my career,” Dave told Beverly, then shook hands with the others. He’d seen all of them in town, but had only spoken to Percy and Allan. “You might want to leave your coats on. We won’t have the heating fully reinstated until next week.”
Beverly slipped her hands inside her coat pockets. “It’s just as well we’re used to old, drafty buildings.”
Beth smiled at the visitors. “Let me show you around. It will keep us a little warmer.”
Dave looked across at another wall. “If you’ll excuse me, I want to get ahead of the construction crew before they arrive. If you need me, Beth, I’ll be in here.”
Her relieved smile made Dave feel good about offering to help.
Beth led their visitors to where the gallery wall would be built, talking about light and foot traffic.
From what Dave heard, she was doing a good job of answering their questions.
Then Beverly asked when the building had been wired and whether the society’s photos from 1962 showed the original tin ceiling.
When Beth didn’t answer straightaway, Dave glanced up from where he was working.
Beth looked across at him. “I don’t know the answer to those questions, but Dave might.” She sent him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you know when the building was last wired?”
“1968,” he said, coming over. “The old wiring was replaced with conduit, which is the only reason we’re not gutting the walls.
As for the ceiling…” He looked up at the water-stained plasterboard.
“If your photos show the original pattern, it could still be up there. We’ll know once we get a scaffold under it. ”
Beverly’s eyebrows rose. “That’s wonderful. We’d love to see it once it’s uncovered.”
“I’ll let Beth know when we get that far,” Dave said, “and she can give you a call.”
Beth invited him to join the rest of the tour. She asked him a few more questions, writing his answers in her notebook. Before Beverly’s group left, he told them they were welcome to come back. Their enthusiastic response made him glad he’d offered.
After Beth waved them goodbye, she walked toward him, pulling her coat tighter. “Thanks for jumping in there. I didn’t want to guess at things I wasn’t sure about.”
Dave sent her a reassuring smile. “You knew everything that mattered. I just had some background information. If you need to know anything else, just ask.”
Beth nodded. “I will. Thanks.”
Heavy doors slammed shut in quick succession outside the building. Hank and his crew must have arrived from Finley Point to start the framing.
Dave studied the table covered in Beth’s folders and plans. “It’ll get noisy and dusty in here while we’re framing the gallery wall. You might want to go back to Owen’s studio to work.”
Beth stacked the folders and smiled. “You must have read my mind. Will you be here tomorrow?”
“Not until the afternoon,” Dave told her. “If you need me before then, I’ll be at the resort.”
“I think I’ll be okay.” Beth gathered her folders in her arms and headed for the door. Halfway across the room, she stopped and looked back. “Thanks again, Dave. For answering Beverly’s questions.”
“Anytime.”
He watched her go, coat pulled tight against the cold, folders held like they mattered.
Hank came through the door as Beth went out. He nodded to her before ambling over, a coffee in one hand and a look on his face Dave knew too well.
“That the manager?” Hank asked.
“That’s her.”
“Huh.” Hank set his coffee on the workbench and pulled tools out of his bag. “Percy was in the diner yesterday. Said the Historical Society was planning to visit.”
“They came this morning. Beth did fine.”
Hank’s eyes narrowed. “Before you met her, you said she’d be a résumé with no feel for a building.”
“I was wrong,” Dave muttered.
Hank grinned. “Nice to know you aren’t perfect. Are you eating tonight or are you doing the thing where you cook toast and call it a meal?”
Dave’s eyebrows rose. “There’s nothing wrong with toast. Especially if it’s smothered in peanut butter.”
Hank laughed. “Tell that to Rosa. She told me she’s got a plate for you tonight if you don’t feel like cooking.”
“I’ll be fine, Hank.”
“Didn’t say you wouldn’t be.” Hank walked across to a stack of timber. “If you change your mind, you know where to find us.”
Dave picked up his tools and walked across to what would become the gallery wall.
Before too long, the crew’s voices and hammers filled the building. It was the sound of the building coming back to life.
And, if Dave let himself admit it, a little bit of himself too.