Page 14 of No Time for Traditions

After getting dressed, Greg fed Buttercup and made sure she had her water and blanket nearby. He’d yet to put on his coveralls, thinking he might have a better chance of winning Brittany over if he wasn’t dressed like a deer hunter headed for Waffle House.

Tossing the camouflage aside, he hopped into his truck and headed toward Main Street. Although Greg lived only a few blocks from the office, he’d always envied his friends who lived on farms. He’d grown up in a nice home with a decent-sized yard, but for an outdoorsman like himself, it felt limiting.

His dad would’ve probably bought land and moved out of town if Greg’s mom hadn’t liked town. She preferred living in a neighborhood and didn’t care for the outdoors. His older sisters were the same way. That meant Greg and his dad often planned hunting trips to get their nature fix.

Greg parked his truck beside Jake’s and went in through the back.

“Hey, man,” Jake called out before Greg made it to the front room.

“Morning.” Greg closed his eyes with relief, seeing that the coffee pot was full. He walked over and poured a huge Styrofoam cup full.

“Rough morning already?”

Greg glanced over at Jake, hoping he’d have the sense not to pry. He didn’t.

“It’s not even seven yet, and you’re already draining the pot.”

“Let’s just say lack of sleep all weekend.” Greg slanted his eyes at his friend before walking over to his own desk.

“I took down some messages for you. They’re the sticky notes on your desk.”

Greg found two yellow squares occupying the corner of his desktop. It hadn’t taken people in town long to realize Jake and Greg started work early. So it wasn’t uncommon to get messages as early as six a.m.

“Old Man Puttman wants another boundary survey?” Greg scratched his head, trying to recall how many of those he’d done for the man this past year.

Jake laughed. “More boundary disputes.”

Greg sighed. “That man has too much land and too much time.”

“And too much money, which means he’s a valuable customer.”

“I know.” Greg grabbed both notes and rolled his chair back against the table that held their office phone.

He called the lady about a perc test first and saved Mr. Puttman for last. As expected, Mr. Puttman had another neighboring landowner he didn’t like. Greg promised to get to him as soon as he finished the Barnes job. Puttman didn’t exactly like that answer, but Greg reminded him it was the week before Christmas and that he’d surveyed the adjoining land to him already. Jake laughed overhearing Greg’s conversation with Puttman.

If it wasn’t for not wanting to give the old man constant access to him, Greg would’ve called him from his cell phone. People like him were the sole reason Greg and Jake had agreed to get a landline.

Greg made a few notes about each call and stuck them in the front pocket of his flannel shirt. “You’ll probably be gone before I’m back. I’m headed to Grandpa Barnes’s old place.”

“How’s that job going?”

“I’m about to go find out.” Greg downed the last bit of his hazelnut coffee and chunked the cup in the trash. “Thanks for breakfast.”

“Anytime.” Jake waved behind his head as Greg grabbed what he needed for the day and made his way out the back.

Concerning the job itself, everything was fine. Some of the land had rough terrain, but the place was named Hillside for a reason. Brittany, not the land, would determine how today would go. Greg had a twenty-minute ride to think about what he might say to her. Whatever he said, he needed to let her know he really did care.

He pulled up at Marty’s house a little before eight. Perfect. Marty would be gone by now, and with any luck, so would Sarah. Greg tousled his brown hair, trying to make it look a little less like he’d just rolled out of bed—which was exactly what he’d done. In the end, he grabbed a cap off the truck dash and covered his head.

At the Barnes’s, Greg walked up the lit steps and stood between all the leafy stuff on their porch. He found it a little suffocating. Nerves shot under his skin as he anticipated talking to Brittany. She was the only girl who intimidated him. Even Autumn, pretty and well-off, hadn’t made Greg feel inferior. Only Brittany had a way of letting him know she was out of his league.

Funny how that made him like her even more.

Before he could change his mind, Greg knocked on the door. Sarah answered almost immediately.

“Greg, what a surprise. Marty’s already at the office.”

Greg licked his chapped lips. “I actually need to see Brittany. If she’s awake.”

---