Page 474 of Small Town Firsts
That’s cool. I’ll see where we’re at.
Gus:
It’ll take me a minute to finish up this job in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica? What the hell? My brothers were wanderers by nature, unlike me.
Rip:
I’ll stop by in a few. I’m in ‘toga.
Thanks. Kai, where are you?
Kai:
Ma already is on my ass. I’ll be there in a few days.
Good enough. Thanks, guys.
Between scheduling and figuring out materials, the rest of my day was insane. I had to call in reinforcements with my mom to pick up Danny after school.
It was well after seven by the time I wrapped up the third job of the day. And all three requested a shirtless option. I told them it wasn’t on my work order.
They were disappointed, but they paid, anyway. The first job was definitely a bored housewife with a honey-do list that should have been taken care of by herself or her husband, but I was more than willing to take her money.
Even if she stared at my ass the whole time.
The last job included an invitation for a beer and possibly a nightcap, which I turned down.
I felt a bit guilty leaving Danny with my parents for the night, but when I turned up on Nora’s doorstep, she was wearing those damn cutoffs and a threadbare tank top—with nothing else—and I swiftly got over it.
Soothing myself with a quick FaceTime call, I let myself take some time for me. I didn’t want to screw up with Nora by working myself into the ground like I usually did.
Nora made us BLTs, and I thanked her by helping her christen her big, circular chair.
As well as the couch, and her wrought-iron bed.
It was hard as hell to leave her, but I finally dragged myself home to start it all over again.
I was going to make this work if it killed me.
TWELVE
NORA
April went outwith heat and a lot of sweat. Mostly thanks to the clever and very talented Sully. I tried to convince him working on my place wasn’t as important as the other jobs he had, but he wouldn’t hear of it.
Even if he passed out cold in my bed most nights.
Danny started coming with him, slowly learning how to both cook and help Sully with easy tasks like putting up shelves for me and painting the ugly paneling in the four seasons room. The kid soaked up information like a sponge.
Ripley and Kai had jumped in to help, but even with the three of them, the jobs were actually multiplying instead of clearing, which was good for his business. The only problem was watching Sully try to handle everything, including spending every minute he could with me and Danny.
I helped out with paperwork when he would let me, but it was getting to the point where the Murdock Brothers’ business needed a full-time office manager.
My own jobs were starting to pick up, due to the local shops catching on to Sullivan’s viral moment. I helped Sweet Beat, the bakery, with a rebranding to make use of the vinyls she had hungon the walls. Records were having a moment again, and Mercy Hart had such a cool look, I knew I could help her.
I just had to convince her to use the Murdock Brothers for her makeover.
