Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
NOAH BARRETT
I pace back and forth in my small kitchen. It’s been a week since my housewarming party, and I haven’t seen Savannah at all. I try not to let my disappointment get me down. She needs my help with her remodel. I have an excuse to get in touch with her.
I couldn’t sleep last night—the dangers of working nights—so I made myself a pot of caffeine to keep me awake and now I’m trying to work up my courage to text her. She gave me her number. Why am I so hesitant to use it?
I stare at my phone sitting on the kitchen counter, Savannah’s name staring back at me. I should just text her. Why am I being such a fraidy cat?
My phone vibrates and I jump back, a message popping up on the top telling me I have a text from Savannah. My heart races as I fumble with the phone to see what she said.
Hey, I hate to bother you, but were you serious about helping me remodel? I rented a dumpster, and it was just delivered.
My fingers tremble. I quickly text her back.
Of course!
I pause, spending a good minute and a half debating the exclamation point, taking it off, then putting it back on. Yes, I’m overthinking it, but I don’t want to come across as too eager. In the end, I leave it on and continue the text.
In fact, I was just going to message you. I’m free today. Should I come over?
Her answer comes quickly.
Thank you! You’re a godsend. Yes, come over.
I smile at her exclamation point use, and now I don’t feel awkward for using one myself. I swallow the last of my coffee and rinse the cup, setting it in the dishwasher.
It’s a beautiful June morning, and as I walk next door, I notice all the tulips and other flowers Savannah’s planted in her flower beds. I glance over at my house. It looks so drab. Do I even have flower beds? Should I plant something? Savannah’s house looks inviting. Mine looks lame.
I jaunt up her steps and knock on her door. Our neighborhood is one of those well-established ones, with small houses built in the early 1920’s. They are each different and have lots of personality. However, houses like these usually come with lots of issues, like bad wiring or ancient plumbing.
Savannah opens her door and lets me inside. She’s wearing a t-shirt and jeans with paint splatters on them. I don’t know why, but the grunge look is really great on her. “Thank you, again. Come this way and I’ll show you the wall.”
We walk through her house. She’s painted the walls bright colors—reds, yellows and oranges. Colors I would never put on walls, but it somehow works. Whatever she’s done, it makes her house look happy and warm. I wonder if my own place will feel as warm after she helps me decorate. I follow her into an empty bedroom.
“This is the wall. There’s a room on the other side I was going to use for a spare bedroom, but I can give that up. If we can knock this down, I think this space will be perfect.” She wrings her hands together.
I survey the wall. There are no outlets and no light switches. It’s drywall instead of plaster, too, which will cut down on the mess. “Can I go look at the other room?”
“Of course.”
I leave Savannah to see the other space. It’s empty as well, with a window on the far wall. No electrical outlets on this side, either. I walk back into the original room. “I’ll need to make sure, but I think this will be an easy job.”
Relief floods over her features. “Really?”
She looks so happy, my heart soars to be the source of her smile. “Yeah. Do you have the house plans?”
“Yes. In the kitchen.”
We head into the other room, and I survey the plans. “This wall wasn’t original to the house. It’s not load bearing.”
“That’s awesome.”
“Let’s go buy a stud finder and a few tools, and we can start the demolition today if you’d like.”
“Okay. I’ll buy the supplies, since this is my project.”
I follow her through her house again, to her living room, where she grabs her purse from the closet. “I’ll drive,” she says, opening her front door and pulling out her keys.
We walk outside and climb into her little Kia Forte. It’s electric blue. At least, where it’s not rusted. It makes me want to buy her a new car, even though that would be wildly inappropriate. I’m new to being a millionaire. It’s weird to have all the money a person could need and more and not share some of it.
She starts the ignition and pulls out onto the street. “How many tools do you think we’ll need?”
“We’ll need a sledgehammer, a stud finder, and a reciprocating saw for starters.” As I list things, I tick them off on my fingers. “We’ll want safety googles, and some dust masks. We’ll need a hammer, but I have one of those. Then we’ll need things to patch the floor and ceiling after the wall is gone.”
Savannah bites her lower lip. “I didn’t realize we’d need so much. How much will all of that be?”
I shake my head, feeling terrible. She obviously doesn’t have a ton of spare cash, and I’m sitting here with more than plenty. “Actually, I was thinking of tearing out a wall too, so I can just buy the tools.” It was a lie, but she didn’t need to know it.
“You’re kidding.” She gapes at me. “You’re going to remodel, too?”
“There’s this wall I’d love to knock down. This is the push I need.” More lies. I like all my walls.
She flips on her turn signal before pulling into The Rusty Nail hardware store parking lot. “I can help with yours, too, if you want. I mean, I don’t know how much help I can be, but I’ll do what I can.”
My mouth goes dry. Am I really going to knock down a wall in my house, so I don’t have to backpedal here? Then I realize what Savannah’s saying. She’s offering to come to my house and spend more time with me. Words tumble out of my mouth before I can fully weigh the consequences. “Yes, please.”
I mentally slap my forehead. Yeah, I’m knocking down a wall because I like the woman next door. I’m such a schmuck.
“Great!” She stops the car, and we get out. “I can’t believe you want to remodel as well.”
“I do. So, let me buy the supplies,” I say, circling back to the whole reason I mentioned knocking down my wall. I don’t want Savannah to worry about money. I’m suddenly sitting on a huge pile of it, and if Tobias doesn’t want my brothers to find out they’ll inherit money too, I can’t spend it on a flashy new car, or a mansion. Might as well use it to help Savannah.
“Let’s split the cost. Funds are tight, but I don’t want you stuck with the whole bill. We’re in this together.” She grins at me, and my entire world tilts. Savannah and I. Together. I like the sound of that.
I smile, and I don’t even care if I look like a lovesick schoolboy. “Okay.”
We enter The Rusty Nail. Mr. Reeves looks up from a newspaper and waves to us. “Hey, Officer Barrett. How are you?”
“I’m good, Mr. Reeves.”
He folds his newspaper in half. Mr. Reeves has owned the hardware store here on Willow Shade for as long as I can remember. He’s got to be pushing eighty now, but he’s still spry as ever. “Can I help you find something?”
I shake my head. “I think we’re fine. Thanks.”
Savannah grabs a cart. As we walk through the store, I toss things into it. I grab the reciprocating saw, the sledgehammer, and all the extra little things for the demo. Then I remember what a huge mess the last demo made. “Do you have a shop-vac?”
“No. How much is one of those?”
I hear the worry in her voice. “Never mind. Tobias has one. I can borrow his.” Another lie. I resolve to sneak out and buy one by myself, so Savannah doesn’t feel like she has to split the cost with me.
“Great idea.”
As we get near the check-out counter, I have another idea. “Hey, why don’t you go pull the car up? That way, I won’t have to carry everything so far.”
She nods. “Okay. Just tell me what I owe and I’ll Venmo you.”
“Sure.” I shoo her toward the door, then quickly check out. It all comes to almost three hundred dollars. I tap my card and shove the receipt into my back pocket.
Savannah has her car right outside the exit when I come out. She pops her trunk, and I put the shopping bags inside. When I climb into the passenger seat, Savannah leans toward me. “How much was the total?”
“Only a hundred, so you can send me fifty.”
“What? You’re joking. That saw alone was over a hundred.”
I shrug. “Mr. Reeves gave us a good deal since we were buying so much.”
She smiles, and a zing of joy shoots through me. “Fantastic.” She gets my Venmo handle and sends me the fifty dollars.
As she drives toward her house, my phone vibrates with a message from my brother, Tobias.
Kiki would like to start having Sunday meals together. I know you work at 6pm, so how about a family supper at 4:30pm? Would that work in your schedule?
I chuckle and send him a thumbs up emoji.
Savannah stops the car in front of her house. “What’s funny?”
I shake my head. “Nothing, really. It’s just funny how Kiki’s already fitting into the family.”
She brightens. “I really like her. She’s so good for Tobias, you know?”
“She really is.” Before Kiki showed up, I was seriously worried my older brother would never open up his heart again. Courtney ruined him. Kiki put the pieces back together.
“I’m so glad they’re getting married,” Savannah says as she hops out of the car.
My heart stops. Oh, no. This isn’t good. Savannah must have overheard my lie to Courtney. Has she told anyone? If this rumor gets back to my brother—or even worse, to Kiki—my brother will kill me.