Chapter 24 Elena
"Hold it steady."
Caleb's voice was low, right behind me. I held the cabinet door in place while he marked where the hinges would go, his pencil moving with precision.
"Like this?"
"Yeah. Perfect." He stepped back, examined the angle. "You're good at this."
"I'm just holding things."
"You're doing it right. Makes my job easier."
I watched him drill the pilot holes. No wasted motion, everything deliberate.
I liked watching him work. Liked being around him, if I was honest. When he'd stopped by Wednesday, I tagged along on his lumber run.
When he mentioned starting at seven today, I scrapped our noon plan and showed up early.
He didn't question it. Just handed me coffee and put me to work.
Now it was past two and the kitchen was taking shape around us, cabinet by cabinet.
He straightened, rolled his shoulder slightly. "You don't have to stay. I can finish the rest."
"Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"No. Just…" He gestured at the cabinets, the tools scattered across the floor. "This isn't exactly fun."
"Says who?"
He looked at me like he wasn't sure if I was serious.
"I like it," I said. "Seeing how it goes together. The progress."
"It's just cabinets."
"You built them from scratch. In your workshop. Now they're here." I ran my hand along the smooth wood.
He was quiet for a moment, then picked up the next cabinet piece. "Hand me the level?"
I grabbed it from the toolbox and passed it to him. Our fingers brushed.
"So what's next?" I asked. "After the cabinets."
"Countertops. Then backsplash." He positioned the level, checked the bubble. "Electrical needs updating. Plumbing's solid, though."
Outside, Scout and Daisy were tearing around the yard, tangled together in some elaborate game only they understood. We both stopped to watch them through the window.
"Daisy's usually more dignified," I said. "Scout brings out her chaos."
"Scout's usually calmer. Guess it goes both ways."
We went back to work. I learned when to hand him tools, when to hold things steady, when to stay out of the way. It was satisfying in a way I hadn't expected. Watching something take shape under his hands.
By the time we finished the last one, the sun was starting to dip. We sat on the back porch steps with sandwiches and water bottles, the dogs sprawled in the grass below us.
"Your hands are going to hurt tomorrow," Caleb said, nodding at my palms.
I looked down. Red marks from holding things, a small blister forming on my thumb. "Worth it."
We ate in comfortable silence, but my mind kept drifting.
I'd seen Matt's patrol car twice this week—once outside the pharmacy, once driving past the clinic.
Lucy wouldn't stop asking questions about Caleb.
And I'd noticed the looks at the hardware store, the way conversations paused when we walked in together.
Caleb noticed the shift. I could tell by the way he glanced at me.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. Just thinking."
"About?"
I shook my head. "Nothing important."
He let the silence sit, same as he always did.
"It's been a weird week," I said finally. "Small town things. People noticing stuff. Talking."
He was quiet. "About us."
"A little. And I keep…" I stopped myself.
"Keep what?"
I looked at the dogs instead of at him. "My ex-husband moved back. You probably heard."
"I heard."
"I keep seeing his patrol car around town. It's stupid… he has a job, he has to be places. But every time I see it, I just…"
I couldn't finish.
Caleb set down his sandwich. Leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
"That's hard," he said quietly.
I looked at him, surprised.
"Having him here. After everything." He wasn't looking at me, just staring out at the yard. "Makes sense it'd mess with your head."
"I don't want him back."
"Didn't say you did."
"I just don't want you to think—"
"Elena." His eyes met mine. "You don't have to explain it."
"But—"
"You loved him once. That doesn't just disappear." His voice was matter-of-fact. "Him being here is complicated. I get that."
Something loosened in my chest. No one had said that to me. Everyone expected me to just be over it.
"Wounds take time," he said. "I'm not asking you to have it figured out."
He looked away for a moment. Cleared his throat, then looked back.
"But I'm..." He stopped. "I'm here. If you..." Another pause. "What I mean is..."
He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable.
"I'm here. Now. That's... yeah."
He looked at me like he'd just said something incredibly stupid and was waiting for me to confirm it. This man could build an entire house but couldn't finish a sentence about feelings. But he meant every fumbled word.
Fuck it.
I leaned forward and kissed him.
He went still for half a second, surprised. Then his hand came up to my face, gentle, and he kissed me back.
When we finally pulled apart, he was looking at me like he wasn't quite sure this was real.
"Okay," he said.
I laughed. "Okay?"
"Yeah." The corner of his mouth lifted. "Okay."
The dogs had stopped playing and were staring at us from the yard. Scout's head was tilted, like he was trying to figure out what just happened.
I leaned into Caleb's shoulder, watching the sun move across the grass. After a moment, his arm came around me.