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I run my hand along one of the newly polished banisters as I climb up onto the porch, admiring the intricacies of the design.
“It looks amazing.” Suddenly, a loud crash comes from inside the house, followed by a string of curses. I exchange a concerned glance with Lauren before rushing inside to see what’s going on. One of the crew members is standing amidst a pile of broken tiles, looking sheepish.
“Sorry, boss. The ladder slipped,” he explains, scratching his head.
I sigh while running a hand through my hair. “Let’s get this cleaned up and make sure it doesn’t happen again, alright?”
As I help the crew member pick up the broken pieces, I can’t help but steal another glance at Lauren. There’s something about her today that seems off. Even while helping us clean up the mess, she’s distracted. She keeps looking around or focusing a bit too long on a specific piece of broken tile before moving onto the next. That’s not like her. Lauren is always focused on the job at hand.
“How do you think it will sell?” she asks as we finish up.
A little taken aback by her sudden shift in mood, I reply honestly, “The market’s been unpredictable lately, so it’s hard to say, but it’s a beautiful house in a good neighborhood. I think it’ll do well.”
She nods and gives me a half-hearted smile before turning her attention back to her clipboard. Her reaction doesn’t escape my notice, but before I can ask her about it, we’re interrupted by one of the construction crew members hollering for my attention.
Finally, after what seems likes hours, I manage to get away from the crew so I can hunt Lauren down again to get some answers out of her. I find her inside the house, inspecting the intricately decorated living room.
“Lauren?” I call out, my voice echoing in the spacious room. She jumps slightly and turns to me.
“Parker…hey. Sorry, I was lost in thought.”
I nod. “I can see that. Everything okay?”
She hesitates, her eyes darting away before returning to meet mine, and her lips are slightly turned down at the corners. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
I cross my arms over my chest and give her a pointed look.
“Lauren, you’ve never been good at lying to me. Something’s going on. What is it?”
She sighs and rolls her eyes, like she’s tired of me questioning her, but the small sparkle in her eyes lets me know that she appreciates my concern. “Fine. You’re such a nag, you know. It’s Chloe. I’m just anxious for her. She has a job interview today.”
“Chloe?” I murmur. “Chloe Davis?”
Lauren nods. “Yeah, she moved in with me. I told you that, didn’t I?”
Now that I think about it, that news does sound vaguely familiar. I think she might have told me when I was trying to focus on laying some tile a while back. Her words hadn’t registered then, but they sure as hell do now.
Chloe Davis. It’s been about seven years since I’ve seen her. She went off to college and never came back…not that she had any reason to. After her dad died, she had no family to come back home to see.
“So…Chloe’s back in town, huh?” I say, aiming for nonchalance but practically choking on the words. “That’s cool. That’s really, really cool. How is she?”
Damn it, I sound so nervous. It’s so stupid, but my heart is racing at the mere mention of Chloe. I feel like a teenager again, pining after her in the high school hallways.
Lauren’s eyes narrow suspiciously at my stuttering response.
“She’s good,” she says slowly, though her gaze doesn’t leave my face. “She’s been trying to find a job since she moved back, but she hasn’t had any luck so far. That’s why I’m worried.”
I run a hand through my hair, trying to dissipate the sudden knot of tension in my chest.
“Right, a job interview.” I nod while trying to appear casual. “I hope it goes well for her. Where’s she interviewing at?”
There’s a moment of awkward silence before Lauren answers. “Actually, Holt Realty.”
My eyes go wide, and my jaw drops. Holt Realty is the realty company we always work with to sell the houses we renovate. Years ago, we had tried other companies, but for some reason or another, they never worked out long-term.
“Wait, Holt Realty?” I splutter in surprise. “Our Holt Realty?”
She gives me a curious look before nodding. “Yeah. That’s why I’ve been so distracted today.”
