I laughed. “Are they giving you grief?”
“No. Well, yes, but not to an annoying level. We’ve got it handled.” He tugged his hair out of his usual bun and retied it up. “At least today isn’t as hot as balls. I gotta get back to the pouring though.”
“Everything okay in the basement?”
“Yep. One thing that doesn’t need a complete overhaul. Hallelujah.”
I laughed. “Okay, I’ll leave you to it.” I walked around the side of the house. Another two Dumpsters were set up beside the house, full of old sheetrock and crumbling ceiling medallions.
“Damn.” I’d hoped some of those could be salvaged. But it seemed like there was a mold element to it from what I could see. I backed away from it and wrinkled my nose.
No thanks on mold.
I started down the incline to the beach where Nolan and Archer were set up. My heart skipped as I spotted Gizmo bouncing around between them. I was about to rush forward when I noticed the neon-green harness around his chest and the extra-long lead.
Gizmo was playing tag between them for a treat, then he made a run for the waterline only to leap back before he could get his paws wet. Quickly, he returned to the dry beach.
My heart melted at the two grown men playing with the cat as if he was a dog. Gizmo loved it. He kept darting after a red and white ball that the two guys kicked between one another.
I shielded my eyes against the sun as I slowly made my way down to them.
Gizmo spotted me and zoomed my way, only to be jerked to a halt when his lead ended.
“Oh, baby.” I rushed forward and scooped him up. “Interesting operation you have down here.”
Nolan retrieved the ball and set it in the pen he’d set up beside their work area. “He likes it out here. I wasn’t sure about the harness, but he loves it.”
I peered down at Gizmo and brushed sand out of his whiskers. “You having fun?”
He wiggled for freedom. Guess that was enough lovings for his mama. I let him down and he scampered back down to Archer on the beach. I waved to him.
“Looks like lots of work is getting done around here.”
“Yeah, we’re getting there.”
“That front porch is gorgeous.”
“Thanks. Archer really is pulling out all the stops.” He turned to the workstation they’d set up with sandbags and a host of chisels and grinders. “I’m helping him with the stones that don’t need his expertise.” Nolan grabbed a rag to brush off the sand and stone dust. “We were just taking a break.”
“Think we could look around inside?”
“Yeah.” He waved at Archer. “I’ll be back. Keep an eye on the demon.”
Archer waved back with the long-handled cat toy with a feather at the end. “We’ll be fine, Dad.”
Gizmo arched up to chase the feather and did a ridiculous back flip. I laughed. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“I used some natural stuff on him, so he doesn’t get any sand fleas. He loves it out here.”
“So I see.”
Nolan raked his fingers through his hair, pushing the bandana off he was wearing. He shook his hair out and let it fall around his face. His beard had come in fuller, and he’d trimmed it, so it made his face look more angular and hid some of his scar.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact that he was always trying to distract from his scars. I resisted the urge to push his hair back.
“Ready?”
I nodded.
We made small talk about the things that were done inside, and I lost my breath at the front foyer. The vaulted ceiling had been revealed with gorgeous stone and wooden arches. A massive fan had been installed to push around the air a bit. The house was massive, and it would be killer for heating and cooling.
Especially with the summer we were already having.
“The HVAC guys are coming to give me an estimate. Pretty sure I’ll be shifting more money around for that.”
“You know you don’t need to do everything right away.”
“No, I want it done. And done right.” He dipped his hands into his pockets. He was wearing canvas pants today with a T-shirt that looked like it had been through the war. Stone dust left chalky trails over his chest and along his thighs.
I wasn’t sure the last time I’d seen him so relaxed and on edge at the same time. “You’re really enjoying this.”
He nodded. “I’m pretty sure Archer is only letting me help because he loves the house as much as I do. He usually likes to work alone.”
“Or maybe he knows you need it?”
He looked down. “Maybe.”
I turned to the stairs that led to the second landing.
