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“Wren Paxton. Good to meet you.” I shook his hand.

He clearly knew who I was, but didn’t seem star struck in the slightest. That was great.

Mr. Gardner ambled over. “Paxton,” he said, and it sounded as if he should’ve spat some tobacco juice on the ground or something.

Well, then.

“Mr. Gardner.” I tilted my head.

David looked from me to Gardner and back, then cleared his throat. “So, you’re looking to demolish both the house and the barn?” he asked, turning toward the former.

I nodded. “Yeah. The house would need too many renovations to be truly livable at this point. It’s been empty for years.”

Mr. Gardner scoffed.

David glanced at the barn. “And the reason for demoing the barn is very obvious.”

“Right. It’s in shambles. The roof is mostly collapsed. I don’t need a barn, I keep my horse on the neighboring property where he has company. And if I’m honest, that barn wasn’t the safest in my youth anyway.”

David nodded, pulling a small tablet from his pocket. He fiddled with it while I watched Gardner walk closer to the house.

“You know what you’re doing?” Gardner called over his shoulder. “There’s an awful lot of permits and inspections before we can even consider starting the tear down.”

David made quick, apologetic eye-contact with me, but I just rolled my eyes.

I walked to stand almost shoulder to shoulder with the old man. “Well, it was already inspected for asbestos. As was the barn. Neither have any.” At least my dad had been smart about that shit. “And I’ve submitted the demolition notification application.”

Gardner’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

“I’ve also contacted the utilities companies to come and make sure everything is properly disconnected. It should be already, given that it hasn’t been lived in for years, but I want to be thorough.”

“I assume we’re good to start the application process for the permits?” David asked as he came closer.

“Yes. I think that might turn out to be a speedier process than usual for you once they realize who it’s for. Might be my music, but I’ve also realized that having money helps.” The noise Gardner made was hilarious. “So far, when people have understood that I plan on using local companies and workforce wherever I can, they’ve been incredibly accommodating. So, if you want this job, you need to get me a quote this week, because there’s a very high possibility that the demolition can start about two weeks after Halloween.”

Gardner’s face was getting more and more red. He scoffed and marched back to the truck.

David sighed. “I take it he has some old… issues?”

“Oh, he knew my parents.”

David’s tone was careful when he asked, “Are they…?”

I shook my head. “They’re in Kentucky, living near my mom’s family. I bought them out about a decade ago.” It hadn’t been an insignificant sum at that point in my career, but I’d wanted them gone, as harsh as that sounded.

“Ah.”

“So, if you need to take any measurements or whatever to be able to get me the quote…?”

David shook his head. “I’ll go peek into the barn and the house both. Likely after I drop Mr. Gardner back off to the office.” He rolled his eyes.

I chuckled. “Feel free. Nothing’s locked. It’s all empty. Just maybe take someone with you and be careful?”

“Will do. I’ll have that quote to you by tomorrow evening.” He extended his hand, and I shook it.

“Thank you. I want to get this done so I can figure out what’s next,” I said with feeling.

David smiled. There was a kindness and understanding in his eyes. “That’s very fair, Mr. Paxton.”