Page 8 of Rescue Renovations

“Nooooo, I’m gonna miss Lando!” She lets out on a wail.

“Oh, princess Penny, I’m going to miss you, too. But let me tell you a little something. I have very much enjoyed our time together and I’d really like to be you and your daddy’s friend if that’s okay? I think your daddy can be a very fun guy when he’s not being a growly daddy bear.”

Penny’s sweet giggle is music to my ears as I watch her give Landon a big hug and he in turn, scoops her up and sets her in her booster seat. He places a kiss on her head and tickles her belly, getting even more giggles out of her. Stepping back, he turns to address me.

“Thanks, man. But you didn’t have to tell her that. She’ll be fine once she gets home and gets settled.”

“I wasn’t just saying that for her benefit. I really do adore her and would love to be your friend if you want me? You’re a great dad and you seem like a cool guy. I’d like to think I’m a very good judge of character, and you and that sweet princess are good people. Besides, I can never have too many friends.”

“Hell, now I feel like an ass. Of course, we can be friends. You are awesome with Penny, and it would absolutely make her day if we hung out again. Here, put your number in my phone.” Landon sends himself a quick text, so now we both have each other’s numbers. I can’t help but laugh at the text he sent himself,the phone number of the growly daddy bear. With a quick handshake and another kiss for Penny, we are finally all set to head home, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

“What do you say about a happy meal on our way home?”

“Yayyyyy! Can I get a chocolate shake, too?”

“Of course. You were such a brave girl today. A shake is definitely in order.”

“Do you think if we call Uncle Reid, he’ll come over for a movie night with us?”

“Absolutely. He’s been so worried about you that he’s been texting Daddy all day. I don’t think we could keep him away even if we tried.”

“Yay! Text him and ask right now!”

Making a show of it, I take out my phone and text Reid. He responds immediately that he wouldn’t miss it and he’d grab some snacks.

Looking in the rear-view mirror, I smile at Penny. “Uncle Reid is going to meet us at the house. Are you ready to get home?”

“Yes, Daddy! Let’s get this show on the road!”

Chapter Six

Chayse

Isitjustme,or was that a never-ending shift?” I am so damn exhausted it’s not even funny. 12-hour shifts are no joke, but they seem even longer when the ER is slammed, and you can barely take a minute to eat or go to the bathroom. I look over at Landon who is laid out on the bench. I kick him with my foot to see if he’s still alive and am rewarded with a groan.

“I am definitely regretting that late night now. Not the hot as hell sex, but the no sleep part. Do you think we can steal a wheelchair so you can roll me out to my car? I can’t feel my legs and I really don’t think they can hold me up anymore.”

Leave it to my bestie to be the drama queen that he is. “Come on. Get up and we can go have a drink and a soak in the hot tub.” One of the perks of my new house is that the previous owners didn’t skimp on the luxury hot tub that is sitting on my enclosed screened in back deck.

“Oh my god that sounds like heaven. Give me a minute to change my clothes and I will be ready to go. Want me to grab some food on my way over so neither of us have to attempt making anything in that death trap of a kitchen you’ve got going on right now.”

“Hey, I resent that statement! It is not a death trap, but merely a work in progress! And as for food, I will absolutely take a big, fat, greasy cheeseburger and some fries from The Taproom if you’re offering.” I give him my most winning smile because I know he’s going to grumble about having to go into the bar to get the food, but it’s really the best around, especially after the shift we just had.

“You’re lucky I love you, wench!”

“Oh, don’t I know it.”

Pulling into my driveway, I feel a sense of relief at being home, but apprehension walking into the house. I fell in love with this house the moment my realtor showed me. It was in my price range, a great neighborhood, and was unique being a craftsman up here in the north where Colonials and Victorians dominate the standard style of houses. The only downfall was that it needed a lot of work which I was willing to do. I planned on working through the house on my days off, but that was before I got the head nurse position in the ER.

I love my job and I am damn good at it, but it seriously takes up a lot of my time. I have more responsibilities now. I also don’t mind picking up extra shifts because I can put that money back into this house. The only downfall is that it leaves me little time to actually work on the house.

Having a father who desperately wanted a boy, but got three girls actually worked out in my favor. I always loved being my dad’s little helper. He is a mechanic by day, and a damn good handy man when he’s not at his shop. I was always his little shadow and loved learning anything he wanted to teach me whether it was how to change the oil in a car or hang drywall. Once our mom passed when I was only a teenager, I became his right-hand girl with the projects while Spence became a little mother hen helping take care of me and Emerson and running the house. Because I was always in my dad’s pocket, I am very capable of doing the work in the house, but I just need to prioritize the time.

With a sigh, I head towards my house to go take a quick shower to wash off the day and get my suit on. I know it won’t be long until Landon gets here. He has a suit and spare clothes here so he can crash whenever we decide to have a little too much to drink, or he’s just too tired to drive home. The spare room, or his room as he refers to it, and the ensuite bathroom are the two rooms that are fully renovated in the house. I actually end up using that bathroom more than the master suite because I have it torn up at the moment and haven’t gotten the time to get it finished. The master bedroom is painted, but the old carpet still needs to be pulled up so that I can refinish the floors.

Once I’m clean and dressed, I flop on my bed and scroll through my phone while I wait for Landon to get here with our food. After a minute, I admit defeat and head to the kitchen to try and find a spot for us to eat. Landon may be right about it being a death trap. None of the cabinets have doors because they are in the garage sanded and ready to be painted. One chunk of the counter is missing because it was cracked, and I decided I wanted to try doing concrete counters. Unfortunately, like everything else in the world, the concrete is on backorder due to supply issues from the pandemic, so I have no counters until it comes in. Luckily, I have a little island with bar stools under it that we can use for now.

Just as I am finishing getting all of my tools cleaned off the island, I hear Landon’s car pull up. “Honey, I’m home and I bring sustenance and, more importantly, booze!” With a twirl, Landon makes his way in the kitchen and dumps the goods on the now clean island. Having Landon in my life keeps me on my toes and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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