Page 94 of Close to Heaven

Twenty-Seven

Jax was edgy and irritable. It had started with the leaky pipes in Above the Clouds and had snowballed from there.

He’d had to wait hours for the plumber to arrive, and then he’d stuck around to supervise the job. In the meantime, he offered to move the family of four to a larger cabin further up the hill, but they’d stubbornly refused.

“We’re only here for a couple more days, and we don’t want to move all our stuff,” the man, Geoff, stated.

Finally, his wife convinced her husband to take the family into Pigeon Forge for a few hours while the plumber did his job. Jax breathed a little easier once they’d gone out the door.

“I need to make a quick phone call,” he said to the plumber.

“No problem.”

He stepped outside and called Avery.

“Hey,” she answered.

“Hey. Listen, I’m still tied up with the plumber. I think we’re going to have to reschedule our date.”

“I figured,” she said.

He heard the disappointment in her voice, and he felt it too. “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be, but I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“Okay.”

After they hung up, he stared at the phone and frowned. She hadn’t sounded like the positive, upbeat Avery he’d come to know and… Whoa! He stopped himself from finishing that sentence, but the word rang out in his head anyway. Love? Really?

Just then, the plumber stuck his head out the door and said, “Hey, boss, I think you better come and look at this.”

Jax stuffed his phone in his pocket and went inside. It was more bad news. The plumber pointed out large sections of pipe that would have to be replaced, which would inevitably result in a hefty bill.

Later the family returned from Pigeon Forge, loaded down with shopping bags, and Jax broke the bad news.

“I’m sorry, but we have to move you. The plumber discovered a bigger problem than we originally thought.”

The couple looked weary, but their kids seemed excited about the prospect of moving to a bigger cabin.

“My brother and I will be happy to move your bags for you, and I’m giving you a voucher for a free one-week stay in the future.”

The wife seemed pleased, but Geoff narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch. Just an apology for your trouble.”

The wife tapped Geoff on the shoulder and gave him a pleading look.

“Okay, fine,” he finally said.

Right on cue, Cody rolled up in his truck. He entered the cabin and greeted everyone. Then he squatted down and motioned for the kids to come closer.

Cody had a way with children, much like he did with women. They all seemed to love him.

“I don’t suppose you two like to play air hockey or arcade games?”

The kids, a boy and girl of elementary school age, jumped up and down. “We do, we do!”

“Good, because your new cabin has both, plus a pool table for your mom and dad.”

“Does it have a hot tub too?” asked the wife.