Page 73 of Buried Roots

“Wonderful.” Relief rushes through me. “Thank you so much, Mr. Perez.”

“Sure thing.” He heads out, and once the kitchen’s clean, so do Dakota and Trinity. Now that I’m alone, the bittersweetness of all this settles in. I step out to the patio for some fresh air, and that’s when I see Owen in the yard, replacing all the divots of grass that were thrown by people’s footsteps.

I wave to him. “Thank you. As always.”

When he looks up and our eyes meet, an understanding passes between us. We share the feeling of this moment because we both worked ourselves to the bone for this place. Today, we gave the town something more than a building. And now, we know that deep-in-our-soul kind of joy—the kind that comes from revitalizing something truly special. To put your artistic flare and elbow grease into a place where memories will be made to last a lifetime. There’s nothing better.

I grab my purse that contains my tablet and approach him—all this has given me an idea.

“Hey.” I tap my stylus on the tablet.

“Hey, you,” he says, quirking a brow. “You’ve got something up your sleeve.”

“I do.” I’m reminded how well he knows me. “Come with me to the lookout spot?”

“I should say no, but it’s just too damn hard to say no to that.”

“Don’t worry. It’s work related.” I wink.

As we walk, I spot Levi in the barn. What is he doing? It’s way past work time. I consider asking him, but when he sees Owen and me, he waves and rushes away.

That was weird. But it’s Levi, so it’s really not.

Once Owen and I are standing on the lookout spot, I spread my hands wide and say, “Okay, so there’s one last piece missing, and I need your help for it to come to life.”

“Bo’s barn.”

“Yup. It wouldn’t be that tough. I think you could easily oversee a crew to manage it after I’m gone. It’d take two weeks, three, tops. The city would sign off on it.”

“I’m listening.”

“Ready?” I tick off each item with my fingers. “I’ll create the architectural plans. You get a crew lined up to pour the concrete base, which will take about two days. Then the framing is one to two days. Keep the inside simple. A half bathroom, a fireplace, a counter, a loft, lots of seating, and some shelving, but the big thing will be the accordion glass doors on two sides.”

He scrubs his chin. “I know, I gotta order those way in advance.”

“Right.” Why is he so perfect? “Because it’s a barn, there’s no drywalling. Just use strong PVC. So, after the windows and doors, it’s just plumbing, electricity, lighting, then floors.”

“Sounds like a job a novice could handle.”

“I believe in you, Mr. Brooks.”

“As you should.” He keeps studying the spot, deep in thought. “You said Bo wanted outdoor seating. The barn should have a roof people can sit on and enjoy.”

I gasp. “Yes, it should.” As though the earth hears us, a light breeze brushes my face, as if to tell me, yes, a roof.

Owen stares at the sky in thought. “How would folks get up there?”

“A spiral staircase, of course.” I make some notes on my tablet.

“Aren’t those expensive?”

“Maybe, but not necessarily. You can find them premade.” I tap a finger on my chin. “Then you’ll spend more on the roofing, but that’s worth it. And you’ll need a railing, too.”

He squints. “Do barns have spiral staircases?”

“Sure, why not?”

“All right. I trust you, Ms. Dawson.”

---