Chapter three
Penn
“You thirsty?”
I glance down from the ladder I’m standing on to find my mother holding out a glass of water to me. “Yeah, thanks.” Taking the glass from her, I drain the entire thing.
“Thank you again for getting to the gutters today,” she says as I hand her the empty glass.
“No problem, Mom. You know I’m here to help.”
“I can always count on you, Penn. I don’t know what I would do without you and your siblings most days,” she says, a solemn tone to her voice.
Since Dad died, she has good and bad days. Today, she is dealing with a lot of feelings. I can see it in her eyes.
“Well, we will always be here,” I reply, reaching up and clearing out the last bit of leaves from the gutter and tossing them to the ground.
It’s fall in Carrington Cove, bringing a chill in the air and a cascade of leaves falling from the trees.
I had plans to get my oil changed this morning, but when my mom called, I rearranged my schedule so I could help with her gutters as soon as possible.
Grady told me to stop by the garage whenever and he’d fit me in.
“Lately it seems like you’re the only one I see.” My mother shields her eyes from the sun as she looks up at me. It’s early in the morning, but the sun is already bright.
“That’s because I’m the best one.”
She scoffs, but she’s smiling, which makes me feel like I have magical powers. “Don’t go getting a big head now, Penn. It’s unbecoming of you.”
I laugh as I begin climbing down the ladder. “I’m already the tallest one, so why not add biggest head to the mix?”
She stands to the side as I grab the trash bag and start gathering the leaves with a rake, scooping them inside. “That’s not who you are, Penn.”
I glance up at her. “Who am I then, Mom?”
“My boy who always wants to help.” See? Even my mom knows my role. “Just like your father.” Tears well in her eyes now.
I drop the rake and peel off my gloves, tossing them to the ground. I walk over and wrap my arms around her, dropping my chin to rest on her head. “Today’s a bad day, huh?”
She sniffles against my chest. “Yeah. The holidays are coming, and it just reminds me that he won’t be here.”
It’s the end of October and my mother has always made a big deal about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year we knew were the last holidays we’d have with Dad because the cancer had progressed so fast there was nothing else to be done. But it still doesn’t make his absence sting any less.
“I know. But your kids will be here, and we still need to eat.”
She chuckles now, wiping the tears from under her eyes as she leans back to look up at me. “Always thinking about your stomach.”
“I’m a growing boy, what can I say?”
She elbows me in the ribs. “You definitely ate more than any of your other siblings. That must be why you turned out to be so tall.”
“Still don’t know how that happened, huh?”
“All the work on our family tree, and now one else was as tall as you.” My mother is a retired teacher, so now in her spare time she’s been working in her garden, volunteering around town to keep herself busy, and spent some time this past summer digging into our family’s lineage.
I wish I had time to do that kind of shit some days, but then I also know that keeping busy is what fuels me. I’ve never known anything else.
When she steps back, she brushes her hair from her face. “What else do you have planned today?”
I move back to the leaves, putting my gloves on once more. “Getting the oil changed on my truck at Grady’s, then I’m headed to the bakery to start renovating for Astrid.”
“I’m so proud of that girl. She was beaming the other night at her going away party.”
My mother and Astrid’s have been close friends since we were kids, so my mom is fully aware of what Astrid’s gone through the past four years.
“She was.” I feel the corner of my mouth lift as I echo her sentiment.
“Well, she deserves it. Going after something you really want is a gamble, but the payoff can be life-changing.” She pauses, giving me a pointed look. “Are you ever gonna take that gamble yourself, Penn?”
I meet her gaze, feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement. And even though I hadn’t planned to tell anyone about my recent leap of faith, I know I can trust my mother to keep it to herself. “Actually, I just bought a house, Mom.”
“What?” She places her hand over her heart. “You’re selling your place?”
Shaking my head, I explain, “Nope. I’m gonna fix it up and start a rental business, turn houses into vacation homes.”
“I’m not sure I believe what I’m hearing. What sparked that idea?”
I brush the sweat from my temples with my forearm.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while.
I enjoy what I do now, but I want more. I want to be my own boss, finally create my own contracting business and the rental houses will create passive income once they’re ready.
” I stare off to the side of the yard now. “I’m taking a risk, but…”
Stepping closer, she cups my face in her hands. “There is no reward without risks, honey. And you deserve your reward, Penn. You help others achieve their dreams all the time. It’s finally time for you to chase your own.”
“I get the keys this afternoon, but I won’t be able to do much until I finish up some other jobs.”
She drops her hand and wraps her sweater around her body tighter, warding off the chill in the air. “Just promise me that you’ll make time for your own projects, Penn. This is a big step. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
She flashes me a sad smile. “I’m so proud of all of my kids, but you’re the one I always worried about the most.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re always so up in your head.” She stares at me with a pinch in her brow. “You’re the quiet, observant one. My cautious child that always stood back and watched because you wanted to know what to expect. I guess a part of me is relieved to see you finally taking risks.”
Jesus. Is this how everyone sees me? Penn, the safe, cautious one?
“I just wanted to make sure Dallas wasn’t going to break a bone doing something before I tried it, you know?” I joke, trying to bring some levity to the conversation.
My mother rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
Blowing out a breath, I pull her into my chest again. “I know, Mom. This is a lot of responsibility, though.”
“You have nothing to be nervous about Penn. You’re one of the hardest working people I know.
I swear, I don’t know where you got that work ethic from, but it’s ingrained in you.
At the end of the day, the determination to never quit is what determines success, not intelligence or money.
I used to tell my students that all the time. ”
Grief slams into me because I know exactly where I got my work ethic from.
“Dad made me this way,” I say softly as her eyes lift to find mine. “Dad taught me the importance of helping others, Mom.”
Tears well in her eyes again. “Then that makes my heart happy.”
I kiss the top of her head and release her. “I need to get this finished so I can get everything done today that I need to.”
She nods and takes a few steps back. “Okay. When you see Astrid, tell her that I’ll be by tomorrow for the order for the gardening club. I’m in charge of bringing the muffins this week.”
“I will. Although, something tells me she already knows.”
“That girl makes the best blueberry muffins this side of the Mississippi.”
“Yeah, she does.”
I turn back to the leaves, but don’t miss my mother’s final comment. “That’s not all that she’s good at, though. She has a lot to offer to the world…I just hope she finds someone who can see that.”
***
Grady slams the hood on my truck, wiping the sweat from his brow. “There. You’re good to go.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate you fitting me in this morning.”
“No problem. If you’d have waited any longer though, your engine would have been smoking.”
My truck was way past due for an oil change, but I’ve been so damn busy that I’ve kept putting it off. “Pays to know the owner of the garage then, doesn’t it?”
Grady is Astrid’s older brother, so I’ve known him just as long as Astrid and Brandon.
When Grady was drafted to an MLB team in California right after high school, we still kept in contact even though his schedule was sporadic and crazy.
But when an injury ended his career, he moved back home to Carrington Cove and took over the automotive repair garage from the previous owner whom he worked for throughout high school.
Grady’s Garage, as it’s named now, is his pride and joy after he lost the first love of his life, baseball.
But I know there are still days when he misses it.
“It does.” Grady wipes his hands on the towel he pulls from his back pocket. “So, what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?”
“I’m headed to the bakery, actually. Astrid wants me to do some renovations and give the place a face lift.”
“I heard you two talking about it last weekend at her going away party.”
“She seems to be excited about it.”
Grady scoffs. “Dude, you have no idea. She’s waited years for this. It wasn’t exactly an option for her when Brandon was still alive.”
That little tidbit of information has my brows lifting. “What do you mean?”
He shakes his head, drifting his gaze to another part of the garage as his thoughts consume him. It takes a minute before he finally replies, “Nothing. I’m just happy for her.”
“Yeah, me too.” I want to press further about his comment, but he dodges the topic.
“But renovating sounds like a good business move. It will make the place feel new and more like hers.”
“Yeah, and I’m gonna help out by cutting her some slack on labor costs.”
He scowls at me. “You don’t have to do that, Penn. You deserve to be paid for your work.”
“I know, but I don’t want her sinking herself in debt even more right in the beginning, you know?”
“Overhead costs are part of owning a business, man.” He pats me on the shoulder. “Although, I suppose that isn’t something you’d have any experience with, is it?”