Chapter 2 #3
He’d brought her a new hot plate and several kinds of soup.
He didn’t know what she’d eat, so he got her a variety.
In addition to the soups, he got her crackers and bread.
He knew that it wouldn’t last long, so he brought in the little fridge that he’d picked up in town a couple of weeks ago, thinking to put it in his bedroom when it was finished.
Gleason also brought her in some blankets and a pillow with an air mattress.
After blowing it up for her and setting it on the soil, he looked around the greenhouse.
He found where she’d been taking a shower.
It must be cold to do without having any heat around the place.
At least she was able to keep herself clean.
As he was leaving, he thought about his brother Wylie and decided to go see him.
He was going to tell him everything he’d found out, except for where she was living, and maybe he’d back off about her.
It couldn’t hurt. He was just going to tell him that she was safe and in no way related to what had happened out there.
He didn’t think that it would make him any less crazy about his theories, but he was willing to give it a shot.
Wylie wasn’t home, but Rosie was. He told her what he’d found out and asked her if he was right in helping her out. She did tell him that it was against the law since they were looking for her, but he should be all right.
“I’d be careful going out there and hanging around her.
She might well be like she said, but you don’t want to get caught up in the middle of things now that she’s told you something that you didn’t know before.
” He asked her what she meant. “You don’t want her to take advantage of you.
I’m not saying that she will, but she’s been out there several times, she told you, and looked around.
There is no telling what she’s been able to find out about the place. ”
“I have no idea why, but I trust her.” Rosie asked him if he trusted her or if she was a beautiful woman. “She is beautiful. And seems to be just as much in the dark about McGee as the rest of us are. She did tell me that she thinks he’s an idiot.”
“She’s babysat for him before. Right there tells me that he’s more than just an idiot.
The very woman that he’s looking for is babysitting his kids, and he has no clue.
” The two of them laughed, and he told her that he loved her.
“I love you too. Which is why I’m going to tell you if she hurts you or gets you involved in any way that gets you hurt, I’m going to kill her. ”
“Just like that? You’ll kill her for me?
” She told him he was her brother and she didn’t want anything to happen to him.
“Thank you for that, but let’s make that another plan.
Like way down on the list of things that you do.
I don’t want you to go to prison just because I think a beautiful woman is telling me the truth. ”
They talked until Wylie came home, and he told him what he’d told Rosie.
They both seemed to think that he was going to be hurt in this, but he told them that he was being careful.
And he was too. He told them how he’d gotten her some supplies that she could use and how he’d purchased them in different places.
He might not have had to do that, but it was kind of fun to do so; he did it.
Just as he was getting ready to leave, he told them that she was staying at the greenhouse to avoid going out there for any reason.
“We’ll stay clear of the place. I don’t want anything to happen to her either if she’s telling the truth.” Gleason said that he believed that she was. “I’m going to have to trust you with your feelings. Just be warned, if you get hurt, I’m going to find her and make her pay.”
He stopped by the house on his way to his other place and could see that a lot of the men had already finished the kitchen and the lower levels of the house.
The upper levels had been done just yesterday, and he was happy for that.
All he had to do was to get things moved in, and he’d be set but for the outside work.
He could live with that. As he was wandering around the house, he noticed that most of the equipment had been taken out as well.
All he needed to do was have someone come in and clean up the sawdust that had been left behind, and he’d be able to get furniture moved in.
He was excited. A thought of Candy or whatever her name was, moving in appealed to him.
He didn’t know where that thought had come from, but now that it was there, he couldn’t shake it.
He decided that he was going to stay here tonight. Bring in his old mattress and lay it on the floor. It might not be as comfortable as his bed, but it would be nice to have all the construction done and to be living in the house.
“I was thinking that you’d be by tonight.
” He turned and looked at the man behind him.
It was his foreman, Donald Henry. “I have your keys to the front door if you want them. We’ll come in tomorrow and pick up the rest of the stuff that we’ve left behind, and you’ll be all set to move in.
The cleaning crew will be done by tomorrow afternoon.
They’ve already finished the other rooms in the house, except the kitchen. ” He took the keys.
“It looks better than I thought it would. I guess I’ve been in construction mode for so long that I forgot what it was going to look like when it was finished.
” He said that having the extra crews there helped.
“That’s what David said. He wanted me to be moved in by Christmas.
At this rate, I’m going to be in by the end of the month. ”
“I bet you have your furniture all picked out, don’t you?
Just waiting for the word to bring it in.
You can have it brought in tomorrow night if they want.
Or the day after tomorrow. I’d wait that long in the event that the cleaning crew has some trouble getting it finished.
” He said that he’d do that. “Good. It was nice working for you, Gleason. The house is one of my favorites that I’ve done so far.
It has a lot to do with the fact that you weren’t here every day, harping on things taking too long.
You’d be surprised at how much that slows us down when we have to keep talking to the homeowner about how quickly things should be moving. ”
“I watched David’s house go up and knew it was going to be a while. I’m just glad that it’s finished and I can move in.” He flipped the keys in his fingers. “This is going to help when I bring my mattress over later tonight. I was thinking I’d stay here to break the place in.”
“Good idea.” They were ready to part ways when Donald turned back to him. “The landscaping will be done by the weekend. I nearly forgot to tell you that. Then the house will be all yours.”
“Thanks.” He did a little dance after the man left.
He had his house finished, and he was about as happy as he’d been in a while.
For some reason, he wanted to talk to Candy and tell her his good news.
But he’d have to wait on that. He didn’t want to spook her into running again when he’d just gotten to know her.
Leaving the house to get his mattress, he decided to get an air mattress instead.
He didn’t want to have to lug a big mattress into his house by himself, and he’d have to just get rid of it when his furniture was delivered.
Gleason was going to celebrate when everything was finished and have his family over for dinner.
They could help him break in the house like no one else could.
He only wished that Candy could join them.