Page 61 of Finding Her Strength

I won’t be here for all the renovations, but it’s nice to know Ben’s not going to give me grief about each tiny detail. There are so many homeowners who think they need to havea say in every single aspect. It ends up becoming a hindrance, making the renovations take longer than they should.

Knowing how laid-back Ben is about all of this will speed up the process, getting him into the house faster, which is his—and my—ultimate goal.

“If you’re looking for something to do, our group still gets together regularly to hang out. We’d love to have you join us sometime.”

“You and your brother still hanging with Todd Montgomery?”

“Of course. We’ve all partnered up at this point, but we still have a good time. Natalie Carlisle and Tucker James are actually together now if you didn’t know. You were in the same class as Tucker, right?”

“I was a year ahead of him, but I know who you’re talking about. It would be great to hang out with people my own age again. Mom’s friends are nice, but, you know…” His eyes widen as if he won’t survive another dinner surrounded by a bunch of meddling women.

“I definitely know.” I laugh. “We’ll take care of you, man.”

“God bless you.”

We finish going over renovation details, and after I check in with my crew, I head over to my house. A couple of my guys are already here working, which has sped up the renovations exponentially. Another month at this pace, and it’ll be finished. I haven’t broached the subject of moving with Hope yet. I was going to the other day, but with the weirdness going on between us right now, I don’t want to make things worse.

Right now, we’re in her house, in her bed, where she has control. If I asked her to move into the house with me, it could make her feel unbalanced. Since we’re already on shaky ground, there’s no reason to tip the scales more than they’re already tipped.

I honestly don’t mind. At this point, the only thing thatmatters is that she’s in my life at all. As long as I have Hope, it doesn’t matter where we live or what we do. She’s become my home.

“Everything okay?” I ask Michael, who is working in one of the guest bathrooms upstairs.

“So far so good, boss. We’re getting close to the finish line.”

“Thank God.” I grin at him. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be in the library.”

He nods his head, then goes back to laying tile. When I walk into the library, I make a game plan for my tasks. I’m refinishing the built-ins, sanding down the crown molding, and fixing the ladder rails. Despite being okay with not moving into the house right away, I can see Hope in here, curled up with a book in her hands. I can even see her cuddling with a little girl who looks just like her, reading story after story until she falls asleep.

It’s the dream I never thought I’d get to have. A dream I can see so clearly in my mind. One day, it’ll be a reality, and I’ll happily wait forever for it.

After I finish in the library, I decide to knock off a little early to pick up dinner for me and Hope. I’ve been craving a BLT from the café all day. Plus, Hope won’t have to worry about cooking tonight.

Walking my tools out to my truck, I dump them in the back. Having done this so many times in my life, it’s become something I could do with my eyes closed.

“You’ve got a great place here,” a voice calls from the sidewalk.

Turning, I find an older man looking up at my house. His salt and pepper hair is nicely styled, but his dark sunglasses hide a good chunk of his face.

“Thanks, it’s coming along nicely. It was a mess before I got my hands on it.”

“Are you a contractor?”

“Yeah. I’m co-owner of JM Construction.”

“Do you have a business card? I recently bought a house in town and will need some help with renovations.”

I walk towards the man as I pull out my wallet from my back pocket to grab a card. After I give it to him, I hold out my hand. “I’m Levi Jackson. Give me a call anytime. I’d be happy to talk with you about what you’re needing.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Levi.” He peers at me for a moment as he shakes my hand, then grins.

I nod my head.

“I’ll give you a call sometime next week when I’m ready to chat.”

“Sounds good, man. Have a great one.” I head back up the driveway to finish packing my stuff. That was a bit of an odd encounter. People come up to our sites semi-regularly, though, so I shouldn’t be surprised. The guy was just a little weird, I guess. With my tools packed up, I get in my truck to head home. As I’m driving, I see the dude walking up the sidewalk. He must live close by.

Shaking off the odd interaction, I call Hope to let her know I’m picking up dinner. She seems lighter over the phone, so hopefully, she’s having a better day. I’ll have to think of other ways I can keep making her day better. It is one of my favorite things to do, after all.

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