Page 30 of The Christmas Fix
It wasn’t necessary to whisper, not with a dozen people roaming the first floor of Noah’s house. She could understand the man’s agitation. Not only did he have a few extra families crowding him in his own space, but he also had the better part of a reality TV show getting ready to happen in his living room.
“Ah, sure,” Jasper said, scrubbing a hand through his hair.
He followed Cat down the hallway. The kitchen was full of people cooking and arguing good-naturedly. The sitting room or parlor had two teenagers in it battling it out on a video game. Finally, she found a room in the back of the house that’s purpose Cat couldn’t identify. Along the back wall between two windows was a bookcase stuffed with fiction hardbacks, the better part of the Sweet Valley High series, and magazines that ran the gamut fromMen’s HealthtoTeen Vogue. There was a suede bean bag the size of Rhode Island nestled in the corner. Two air mattresses occupied the far wall, and there was still room for a wardrobe that looked as though it weighed more than a car and could transport someone to Narnia.
“Uh, step into my office,” Cat joked.
“Noah calls this his crap room,” Jasper said with no hint of amusement in his soft voice.
Cat knew that tone, that look. He was a man exhausted. A man who felt like he was failing at caring for his family. They’d been down this road once before when his injuries had robbed him of his paycheck. This time it had been Mother Nature, and that bitch Veronica had robbed them of their beautiful home.
But pity wouldn’t fix anything.
“Jasper, I know you’ve got a lot going on right now. But I was wondering if you’d be able to help me out.”
“Sure. What do you need?” Even exhausted and beaten down, Jasper Hai was ready to lend a hand. It was the Merry spirit.
“It’s a pretty big favor. We’re low on labor.” Technically that wasn’t a lie. Most construction firms in a two hundred-mile radius were camped out in New Haven which had gotten hit just as hard. The fact that Gannon had showed up with a King’s crew ready for action evened that out in Cat’s mind. But Jasper didn’t need to be privy to that.
“I know you’re working full-time—” she began.
But he was shaking his head. “They cut me back to part-time just before… this.”
Could the guy not catch a break?Cat silently cursed his employer and made a mental note to pay the company a little visit.
“Well, if you’ve got the time. I could use some labor. We can pay you, of course. It’ll be some cleanup, a lot of hauling.” Jasper’s questionable talent with power tools was still fresh in Cat’s mind. “And there’s something else.” She glanced over her shoulder.
“What?” Jasper reacted to her subterfuge.
“April’s treehouse.”
“You’re doing a treehouse for her?”
“Actually, you are,” Cat said.
Jasper straightened, his shoulders losing the slump. “Seriously? You want me to build it?”
Cat nodded, choosing her words carefully. “Gannon’s going to do some plans, and I was hoping you could sit down with him and walk him through what April wants. Then you can take lead on it with a couple of helpers.” A couple of helpers who kept him away from the sharp and the dangerous.
“That would be awesome,” he nodded. “Yeah. I’d love to do it.”
“Great,” Cat feigning relief. “That’s a lot off my mind. I’ll give your number to my foreman, and he’ll be in touch tomorrow. You just work what you can. I don’t want you missing out on family time or taking more time off of work. I know this is a stressful time for you guys.”
“It’s not so bad with good friends,” Jasper said, nudging her with his elbow.
“You guys are going to get through this and come out even better.”
“That’s what you said last time,” he reminded her.
“Andof course,I was right because I’m a celebrity genius.”
“Is the treehouse a surprise?” Jasper asked. “I mean, it would be cool if it was.”
“Absolutely,” Cat nodded. “We’ll refer to it as the utility room around April.”
“Diabolical,” Jasper grinned. He held up a hand, and Cat slapped it.
“Team Utility Room.”
