Bounty(45)

Justice



“This part, I don’t know, just wondering since the plans say double doors here, if it could be something else. Something that opens totally. Not double doors like on the plan. This whole space so I can close it off but also open it completely. Do you get me?”

It was the next Wednesday.

I was standing in the main space talking to Deke while dudes were unloading a delivery of more drywall. The two stacks Deke had for use were gone. Now there were two new stacks that were twice as high as the old one in the garage, and they were erecting their second much taller stack in that space.

Deke was not paying attention to the delivery guys.

He was looking at the framing behind me.

Since he returned to work on Monday, we’d carried on as normal, banter, sandwiches, me being an idiot, Deke leaving at six o’clock and doing it not looking back longingly at me.

However, in that time, I’d had one glorious moment.

This was when he’d finished drywalling the hall and the powder room yesterday, ceilings, tape and all.

He’d then asked me if I wanted him to completely finish that space before he moved on to the main part of the house.

I told him I wanted a kitchen.

His reply included a softening of his eyes I’d never seen but liked a great deal which I’d find was a precursor to him sharing something he didn’t want to share, this being that he didn’t think it wise to give me what I wanted.

A special gift.

It also included another special gift.

This being him saying, “Babe, drywalling is dusty. You can cut off that space you’re living in when I install the door so you don’t gotta cope with the dust. I do the kitchen for you before finishing the…”

He went on but I heard nothing but his babe. And once he gave it to me, I didn’t care that as a general rule, contractors put up all the drywalling and did all the taping and painting before they started to get to the good stuff, like installing floors and fitting kitchens.

I’d give up anything for that babe.

So I’d agreed.

But since, he didn’t give me another babe.

He definitely didn’t give me another baby.

That was beginning to be my lot.

Now we were in the main space which had seemed cavernous due to it being empty and wall-less, but was seeming even more cavernous as I’d noted how much longer it was taking Deke to make progress. He’d put up a sheet and it felt like an inch was achieved since there still was so much more left to do.

And now, before he got around to giving me actual walls on that side of the house, I was talking to him about the extra room to the south side that had a special purpose.

Deke looked from behind me to me. “Weight of the roof held up by joists, load bearing for your second story not around those doors, so sure. We can figure something out.”

“You do know I heard nothing but blah, blah, blah, so sure. We can figure something out.”

His lips tipped up and his hazel eyes lit.

I did a mental, Yee ha!

“Bro, sorry to interrupt,” the delivery guy interrupted and Deke looked to him. “We’re done. Gotta check this and sign off.”

“Right,” Deke replied and moved his way as my phone rang.

I pulled it out of my pocket, saw the display said Mr. T was calling and I sighed before taking it, ticked even more Mav and Luna were making me dread calls from Mr. T. They weren’t always the delight of my day, but he’d been a staple in my life since I started it. I cared for him deeply, in the only way he’d allow me to do that. So I’d never dreaded his calls.

Now I did because now there was never anything but bad news perpetrated by my brother and his shrew of a mother.

Regardless of this, I took that call how I usually took all of them, with a, “Hey, Mr. T.”

“Justice, how are you?” he asked.

“Hanging in there, you?” I asked back, beginning to move to the door to the back deck.

“Unfortunately, I’m calling to inform you we’ve had official communication that Maverick is contesting your father’s will.”

“That sucks,” I muttered, thinking this would be it so the call wouldn’t be long and glancing at Deke to see he was in the middle of counting sheets of drywall with the delivery guy standing close so not paying a lick of attention to me and my call.

Therefore, instead of going outside and leaving his presence (I’d been fucked and was getting more fucked, not even wanting to walk out of a room Deke was in—he was like a goddamned drug), I leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb and stared out at the calming view.

“This means those assets are frozen, Justice. I know they’ve already been distributed but you can no longer use them until this has played out.”