Page 86 of Mr. Infuriating

“Well, hopefully you’ve got some time to figure things out before you have to make a decision.”

“I don’t know what there is to figure out. Short of a miracle, there’s not much I can do.”

“Start praying for that miracle, then, girl. Light some candles, throw a few coins in a wishing well, start looking for shooting stars…”

“As solid a plan as that sounds, I think my time would be better spent looking at real estate in Parkview and filling out a job application with their district.”

“No! I refuse to give up that easily! There’s got to be something you can do.”

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and threw out a quote fromDodgeball, one of our favorite classic movies from college.

“I know how we can raise the money… carwash!”

~~

Even though I’d been glib with Laura, my soul hurt thinking about having to move.

When my phone rang after school a week later, my stomach dropped as the wordsMitchell Cabinetsflashed on the screen.

And so it begins…

I thought about ignoring the call, but then I remembered the Intent to Sue letter and decided I needed to address the situation head on.

“Hello?”

A deep voice asked, “Is this Gretchen?”

“It is.”

“Hi, it’s Rick from Mitchell Cabinets. How are you today?”

Of course it was Rick calling.

I hadn’t heard from Gabe since he practically tore out of my driveway almost a month ago.

Asshole.

My voice was flat when I responded, “I’m fine, Rick.”

“The reason I’m calling is I’d like to know if you want to schedule your cabinets to be installed.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Gabe

“Hey, boss!” Rick called out as he walked into the shop.

I looked up from marking lines for the design I was putting on a TV lift cabinet.

“What’s up?”

“So, I called Gretchen Wainwright about scheduling the cabinet installation, like you asked,” he motioned to the phone in his hand, and I eyed it with suspicion.

Something Rick noticed because he quipped, “She’s on hold—I triple checked. But she’s wondering about a contractor’s lien.”

What the hell?

“Why would she want a contractor’s lien? We came up with a payment plan for her.”

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