Page 24 of Your Heart & Mine

"I can't wait to get in there and start measuring and making plans," Elizabeth said. "I have so many ideas."

"I'll call Jackie now and set something up. I'll let you know when we can check them out," Harper said, pulling her phone from her pocket.

"And I'll go let Mama know." Brenna practically skipped out the door and down the hallway to find her mother.

Harper let herself bask in the contentment of having a purpose and a plan for a minute before she looked up the realtor's number and dialed.

"So, the crew can start Monday morning?" Wyck asked Davis as he searched through the paperwork on his small dining room table for the file he needed.

"Yep. Brad said he's got the main crew, but he's already reached out to the local employment office to pick up some local workers as you requested," Davis answered. "With the size of the project, there will be plenty of work to go around."

"Good." Wyck paused. He knew his partner was going to question him about this next part and he really didn't want to answer the questions. "One more thing, man. I want that old house and I want the deed to go to the Carringtons but I don't want them to know who did it."

"Your old girlfriend's house?" Davis asked skeptically, his doubt dripping from his words. "You're going to pay more than it's worth, Wyck. It's just throwing money away, if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you, Davis," Wyck said gruffly, his irritation rising despite himself. "Look, I don't want these women to suffer because Carrington was a reckless egomaniac and gambled away their home. It's a drop in the bucket and I want to do it."

Davis was silent on the other end of the phone, a heavy pause stretching uncomfortably between them. Wyck could practically see the thinning of his lips at the pronouncement, the strained creases forming on his friend's face as he considered the magnitude of what Wyck was asking.

They were partners, and their partnership had been built on trust and shared decisions. While the cost really was minor to their net worth, he knew the move represented more than that. Wyck had never demanded they buy something they didn't both agree on before.

As seconds ticked by, the tension in the air became almost unbearable. Wyck could feel his own pulse quicken, his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for Davis's response. The future of their partnership, their businesses, and their friendship seemed to hinge on the outcome of this pivotal moment.

"But Wyck, do you know what you're doing?" Davis finally asked. "When are you coming back to Richmond? We've got other irons in the fire around here."

Wyck blew out a relieved sigh. Davis was going to have his back on this after all. "I know exactly what I'm doing. Don't worry about me. And, I have every confidence that you're handling everything just fine up there. You know you can reach me anytime and everything else can be handled over phone and email." Wyck's voice grew excited. "It feels like when we were just starting out, Davis. This is a project I can really sink my teeth into and do some good here."

He heard Davis sigh. "Okay, man. I think I get it, but we gotta make some money, too. I know this little project is important to you so I'm going along, but there are limits."

Wyck chewed the inside of his jaw. "Thanks, Davis. I appreciate you indulging me on this. Let me know when it's taken care of. And tell Brad I'll meet him at the site as scheduled."

"Will do," Davis said shortly before hanging up.

Wyck grappled with a sense of unease as he put down his phone. He understood that diverting both time and resources from his regular business was no small commitment. He knew he was pushing Davis, who had stuck by him through thick and thin, and he was grateful he was backing him at this point, but he had to do it.

Deep within his heart, a different kind of pull tugged and gnawed at him. He wanted to make amends, not for ruining Jonah, as he still felt the man deserved all he'd suffered, but for not thinking ahead to how outmaneuvering him might affect Harper and her family.

Since being back, Wyck couldn't help but feel a profound obligation to Carrington Ridge, the town that had shaped him, and the people he had known since childhood. These people deserved a win after everything they had been through. He didn't want to be the tyrant Jonah had been, greedy and grasping for power. He admitted, however, that his motivation wasn't purely altruistic. He hoped that his heartfelt actions for the community could win back not just Mitzi's affections, but Harper herself. In time.

Chapter twenty-one

Moving In & Moving On

Thenextfewweeksflew by in a rush. Harper and Cam had taken a quick trip down to Raleigh and packed up their things for a several months stay. Cam had even managed to sublet his apartment to a friend of theirs who was breaking up with his partner and needed a place to stay.

"I'm so glad you could help Evan out," Harper told him as they carried the last of the boxes up the stairs to their designated rooms in Harper's childhood home. "It's sad about him and Derek, though."

Cam pulled a long face. "What is sad, Love, is that I'm stuck out here in the back of beyond for the foreseeable future and now Evan is single!"

Harper laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "You and Evan would last all of a week. A week and a half tops. You're both too high maintenance."

Dropping a box inside the door of his bedroom, Cam's hand went to his chest. "Me? High maintenance?"

Laughing heartily now, Harper had to put down her box before she dropped it. "Oh, my friend, I love you, but you are sooo high maintenance. Look around at all these boxes. How many of them are full of clothes and skin care products? Hmmm?"

Cam pretended to be insulted as he glanced around the room. "I'll have you know, it's not easy making this look like it's natural," he said, motioning up and down his body from his expensive boots to his perfectly mussed hair. "And what would you do if I wasn't here to borrow things from. That hair would live in a messy bun without my help."

"Okay, okay, you're right. I do depend on your fashion sense and your beauty supply center here," Harper admitted. She bumped his shoulder before picking walking over and glancing out the window.

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