Page 18 of Finding Home

After leaving jail, I took him back to the house, and together, we cleaned up the mess they had made. During that time, we had a chance to talk, and I ultimately offered him the position of my assistant so I could teach him the ropes and give him a trade to rely on. The only condition was that he had to keep his nose clean. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. He works his ass off and is the most generous person you could meet. He will drop everything if you call—it’s just who he is. In all honesty, he isn’t just my employee, he’s like a brother to me, which makes my plans even more meaningful.

“Yeah, I really am. You know I’ve always hated the city, and something about this town just draws you in. Not just Harper, although she definitely is a factor. It’s time for a change, and I thought maybe it was just growing the business, but I’m starting to think it might be the opposite.”

“Am I going to be out of a job?” He doesn’t look worried so much as curious.

“Nope. In fact, lately, I’ve been thinking maybe a promotion might be more appropriate.” He raises his brows at me but doesn’t push for more.

We spend the next hour walking through the next phase of the project. Everything should be fully closed in before the first snow, then we can focus on the inside details. Things have been running fairly smoothly, and we are staying on schedule, which is a minor miracle in the construction world. Gary is due back in the office soon, so that all might change, but for now, it’s nice to not be sweating timelines.

The idea of sticking around and getting more time with Harper settles something inside of me. I don’t know if I truly grasped how on edge I had gotten. Now that a different path is opening up, and a future I never dreamed of is becoming a possibility, I’m finding myself feeling lighter and filled with excited anticipation about what comes next.

Chapter 14

Harper

The last few weeks have felt like something out of one of Bree’s Hallmark movies. I run into Jace at the coffee shop most days, and lately, I find myself watching for him and even take a little extra time to look nice before heading over. He hasn’t mentioned the property again, and I heard a rumor that it’s now off the market. Since he hasn’t mentioned anything, I’m assuming he passed on it, and the level of disappointment I feel is concerning.

I’m definitely not going to be making it to the coffee shop today, which means no spontaneous run-ins with Jace. I just dropped Lizzie off with Shaina and am heading to the hardware store. A storm came through last night, and a massive branch fell down, damaging my roof. I’ll need to get someone out to properly fix it, but in the meantime, I’m sure I can at least patch it, so Lizzie’s room stays dry. I’m dreading the call to any roofer. They will take one look and say the whole thing needs to be replaced. I’ve been setting aside money for the last year to pay for it, but it’ll still hurt to see the savings disappear in one swoop.

The store was extra busy for a Saturday morning. Lots of folks, like myself, had their homes damaged from the storm. Luckily, I was able to find a sheet of plywood, some nails, and a large tarp. It was the last one and looked like it might have been used and returned, but desperate times and all that shit, so I bought it. Now, I’m standing in front of my house. My old ladder, which had been in the back shed when I moved in, is leaning against the house, and there’s nothing left to do but get this giant ass piece of wood up onto the roof.

Looking up at the roof, which suddenly seems much higher than it had a few hours ago, I wonder if I might be in over my head.

“Here goes nothing,” I say to myself, gripping the sheet of plywood and starting the arduous climb to the roof. About halfway up, I nearly topple off the ladder and let loose a string of curse words that would make a sailor blush. Once settled, I climb another rung.

“See, Harper, no need to overreact. You’ve got this.” Just a few more feet to go. “That’s right, you can do this.” Talking to myself keeps my nerves in check. Suddenly, I’m at the top of the ladder.

“Okay, Harper, just one last push, get the plywood onto the roof.” I grunt and heave then finally get the board onto the roof. I shout in glee, cheering myself and my strength.

“Fuck, yeah! See, you are a strong and capable woman, Harper, and you’ve got this!” The board shifts, sliding back toward me, nailing me square in the chest. “No, you don’t, you do not have this.”

My arms windmill in an attempt to stay on the ladder, but it tips from the motion, and a scream is ripped from my lungs as I fall. My hands reach out, trying to find purchase, but slide uselessly on the slick shingles. For a terrifying second, I think I’ll free fall, then my fingers snag in the gutter at the same time as I hear someone roar, “Hold on!”

I grip the gutter with all my strength and cringe as the water and muck run down the front of my shirt.

“I’ve got you, Harper, hold on.” Recognizing Jace’s voice, relief sweeps through me. The ladder is propped under me and my feet flutter, trying to find a step. Just as I do, firm hands grip my hips, holding me in place. “You’re good. Let’s get you down. Can you climb?”

I nod, and we make our way down, Jace’s strong frame right below me the whole way. The second he reaches the ground, he’s lifting me from the ladder, yanking me into a hug so tight I let out an, “Umph.”

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” he repeats into my hair, like I’m some weak ass woman that crumbles under pressure. Dammit, it’s probably because he saw my panic attack the other day. The thought makes me more defensive than likely warranted.

“I know that, Jace!” I push out of his arms, finally glancing at his face. The look in his eyes gives me pause.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Harper.” Spinning away, he removes his ballcap, tossing it to the ground, then scrubbing his hands through his hair roughly. The motion makes it stick out in a deliciously mussed sort of way. “I was telling myself that you were safe. Do you have any idea what it did to me seeing you dangle from the roof like that? Wondering if I would make it to you in time, or if I’d have to watch you crash to the ground sustaining God knows what trauma? Fuck!” he yells, and I’m frozen, unsure how to respond, so taken aback by his response. “Do you have any idea how lucky I feel that my road was blocked by a downed tree, and I ended up on the street you happen to live on? So many things could’ve gone differently, Harper. What were you even doing up there?”

“The storm damaged the roof and it’s leaking into Lizzie’s room. It needed to be patched, so I was doing it.” I fidget with my fingers, feeling like I need to defend my stupidity.

When he turns back to me, the look on his face sucks the air from my lungs. Just as I step toward him, ready to give in, ready to stop resisting this pull between us, a loud scraping sound comes from the roof. I look up in horror as the sheet of plywood I had wrestled onto the roof falls. Jace moves faster than me, pushing me to the side, the board clipping his shoulder.

“Jace!” I cry out, rushing to him, examining him this time. “I’m so sorry.” He laughs—the moron actually laughs. I slap his other shoulder, huffing angrily at his response. “It’s not funny, you could have been hurt. Let me take a look at your shoulder, at the very least.”

His hands grasp mine, pinning them to his shoulder. “I’m fine, and I promise to let you take a look later. First, let me check out your roof.” He reaches forward with a grimace, pulling something from my hair. It’s a clump of wet muddy leaves. Glancing down, I find I’m covered with muck from the gutter, remembering the way it had poured down on me as I hung from it. It’s my turn to laugh, and soon, Jace is laughing with me, hugging me once more before nimbly climbing the ladder. I stare for longer than appropriate before I excuse myself and head into the house to clean up. I make it to the steps before pausing again to watch Jace on the roof, pushing away shingles and debris. When he pulls his shirt off, mopping his brow, I finally head inside for a very cold shower.

After my shower, which may or may not have concluded with me shouting his name as I came around my fingers, I check on Jace. His truck is gone, but a letter is pinned to my front door.

Headed to check on the job site and run to the store. Be back by five. Stay off the ladder, please!

Jace