Page 6 of Built to Hate You

“Your mom would have realized there was something wrong, too,” I say. “I was just the one who noticed first.”

“Well…still.”

“Can I get you something warm to drink? There’s a coffee machine down the hall.”

Mia shakes her head. “No. I’m fine. I just want to know how my dad’s doing.” She glances at me again. “You don’t need to stay.”

“Would youlikeme to stay, though? Because I can.”

She doesn’t have to think it over. Evenly, almost kindly, she says, “No.”

* * *

I go back to the Clarks’house from the hospital. When I walk in, the noise of my crew working echoes throughout the house. But it also feels weirdly empty without Mr. and Mrs. Clark here. I go upstairs and call out to all the guys that I need their attention for a minute, then I tell them about Mr. Clark.

“Shit,” says one of my workers. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“I have no idea,” I say. “But let’s all send good vibes their way, okay? I’ll keep you guys updated. Now let’s get back to work.”

So far, we’ve stayed on schedule for this renovation. And by the end of that day, we’ve made another pretty good chunk of progress. As the crew heads out for the evening, I thank each one of them and watch as they drive off one by one. Eventually, it’s just me in the house.

I check my cell phone for the hundredth time that day. There’s still no update from Mia. I don’t want to bug her, but I care about how her dad’s doing. I send her a quick text:Hey. How’s your dad?

She writes back a few minutes later:He’s hanging in there. Doctors are hopeful but emphasizing that recovery could be hard. My mom and I are staying here tonight. Not sure how long our stay will be.

Okay, I write back.Thanks for the update.

She doesn’t text me anything else after that. And although I wish I could text her again, I don’t know what to say.

Idoknow something I could do, though. Sliding my cell phone into my pocket, I walk across the room and grab some tools.

And then I pick up where the crew left off.

* * *

For the next four days,I spend nearly every waking moment working on the house. I’m there before the crew arrives, and I’m there after they leave. Mia and her mom spend so much time at the hospital that they have no idea that I’m spending so much time working on the house.

The crew, obviously, notices all the work I’m putting in. But none of them say anything to me about it. I guess they’re used to me putting my all into my business.

It’s the evening of the fifth day when Mia and her mother come home and find me there alone. I’m upstairs, finishing up the installation of a shelf, when I hear footsteps and realize that I’m no longer alone.

“Axel?”

I look over my shoulder and see Mia.

“What are you still doing here?” she asks. But before I can answer, she looks around the room in astonishment. “I can’t believe this room is almost done. Did you do all of this?”

“The crew and I did it,” I say.

She still looks confused. “Why are you doing this? Why are you here when everyone else has left?”

Looking at Mia standing there, I feel a tug in my chest. And I realize that even though I’ve been trying to shove the feeling away, I’ve wanted her since the moment she stormed into my office.

“I…just felt compelled to,” I say. “I’ve been putting in some extra hours since your dad got sick. I want the renovation to be as done as possible when your dad comes back from the hospital.”

“Oh.” Mia nods slowly. “I see.”

“How’s he doing?”

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