Page 74 of Love You, Mean It
Because the good stuff in life never lasted long.
Chapter Twenty
Charlie
I’d gotten a call first thing in the morning from Will that had both Violet and me throwing on our clothes and hopping in my truck. We’d spent the night together, and that was not something I’d done in a very long time.
Not since Harper was born.
But we’d raced over to her house because Will said it was an emergency. And the three of us were now standing in her backyard, staring down at a gaping hole beneath where the deck used to be.
“What does this mean?” She ran her hands through her hair, and I had a flash of that wild mane of blond waves spilling all around her shoulders while she rode me into oblivion last night.
Will shrugged. “We were going to start rebuilding the deck this morning, and by chance I took a look before we started, and lo and behold, there was a hole. I poked a broomstick in there, and this big-ass groundhog came running out. He took off into the tree line.”
“So a groundhog was living beneath my house?” she said, shaking her head with disbelief as we all stared down at the gaping hole beneath her deck.
“Yep. Welcome to wildlife in Alaska,” I said.
“Trust me, I already deal with Clifford Wellhung staring into our window at the office. But come on, now I’ve got to deal with a freaking groundhog? Can you just close the deck up and hopefully he’s gone?”
“I wish it were that simple, Violet. I know you were planning to move back in this week. But I used the flashlight down there, and I’m afraid he’s chewed through some of the electrical wiring and possibly the pipes that run to your laundry room.” Will scratched the back of his neck as if he was nervous about telling her.
“That fucker is eating my house?” Violet shrieked.
“I think he’s been at it for a while, and we just didn’t notice. I should have closed that area up,” he said.
“It could have happened to anyone,” I said. “You weren’t checking the backyard, because you’ve been focused on the interior. But we’ve got to make sure that we get everything repaired before we close it up. We’ll have to build a wood box around it so he can’t get in there at night while we’re getting this repaired. And then we’ll get the deck back on and secure the area around it.”
“And how long will all of this take?” Violet asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Probably around two weeks,” Will said. “I’m real sorry about this, Violet. But if we don’t fix this now, you could end up having another flood and all sorts of issues with the electrical. I already talked to the guys, and they all agreed to work the next two weekends to get this done for you. Everyone feels real bad about it.”
Her features softened. I was learning that Violet Beaumont had a hard outer shell, and rightfully so. But beneath was a very warm, empathetic woman who cared a lot more about the people in her life than she let on.
“You don’t need to do that. As long as the old ball and chain over here will let me keep staying in the guesthouse, it’ll be fine.” Her gaze locked with mine.
“Not a problem. We’ll get it done and get you moved in as soon as we can,” I said, trying to play it cool when the truth was—I was relieved she wasn’t leaving yet.
We lived in a small town. Her house was not far from mine. But I liked knowing she was in my backyard most days.
I liked waking up to her being there for breakfast.
I liked how much time she was spending over at the house with me and Harper.
And that was saying a lot because I normally hated people coming into our space.
“And how do we get Chompers the groundhog to stay away?” she asked as she pushed some dirt around with the toe of her shoe.
“I’ll build a box today to go over the area when we leave at night,” Will said. “It’ll keep him out, and he’ll eventually move on.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ve got to get out of here, but if you need anything, let me know.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks for catching this and getting it fixed.”
“What’s going on here?” Will chuckled as he waved his finger around in front of me. “Is Charlie in a good mood?”
I rolled my eyes, and Violet laughed.
“He does seem to be chipper today,” Violet said with a smirk. “Maybe it was all the birthday cake he ate yesterday at Harper’s party.”
