Page 19 of Better Together

He took off his jacket and draped it over the kitchen counter. “Mom’s moving to town and would like you to inspect the townhouse before she puts in an offer. One of the new builds on the lake. She said she’d feel better if you approved. I guess your opinion matters more than mine.” He smiled, so he obviously hadn’t taken offense.

“Did she say when?”

“She has an appointment with the realtor tomorrow afternoon. She’ll give you a call.”

“I’m happy to help.” Alexis tapped a note on her phone for a reminder. Linnie was a lot like her own mom; she’d be anxious about the move. She’d meet with her to help calm her nerves and to listen to any apprehensions.

“Thanks.” Zeke held out his hand. “Now, hand me your notebook and I’ll take notes as we walk through the house.”

With several pages filled with ideas on which walls to remove and what materials they needed, they exited the house into the backyard. Great. The crew of the other contest house had arrived to inspect their own project, which was situated directly behind the property where Alexis’s crew would be working, the backyards separated by a four-foot chain-link fence.

Alexis shielded her eyes from the sun and focused on her task. “The roof and siding were replaced three years ago. We need to concentrate on the ramp and stairs before winter arrives. If my subcontractor has time, I’d like to extend the roofline and add a covered front porch. I’ll contact him—”

“Alexis! Is that you?”

Ryan. Her stomach clenched at the sight of him. She might as well get the awkward first post-breakup meeting over with. “Well, I guess it’s time for introductions,” she mumbled to Zeke. She marched forward and Zeke followed, giving her the lead, which she appreciated.

“It’s nice to see you again, Alexis. You look good.” Ryan smiled.

Apparently, acting like they were old friends was what he was going with. The lack of guilt about his transgressions niggled at her. She would have liked to be in a loving relationship if she ever saw him again and instead here she was, face-to-face with her ex with no boyfriend and barely hanging on to her career. But he didn’t need to know that.

“Thank you. I feel good.” She stopped herself from fidgeting.

“James and Susan told me you were chosen for this contest,” Ryan said.

“Yep . . . Ryan, this is my electrician and right-hand man, Zeke Reynolds.” Zeke stood with his arms crossed and his feet spread wide.

“Nice to meet you, Zeke.” Ryan turned his attention back to Alexis. “I won’t be staying in town—”

A high-pitched laugh permeated the air, interrupting Ryan. Alexis clenched her fists as Raven sauntered over, her high-heeled leather boots aerating the ground. When she reached Ryan, she placed a hand on his shoulder. Her fingernails, inch-long daggers painted in black, reminded Alexis of a witch. “Wow, Alexis. It’s been a long time.”

“Not long enough,” Alexis grumbled under her breath. “Raven.”

Ryan spoke. “Raven will run the show for me here. But we’ll see you tomorrow bright and early for the meeting, then I’ll head back to the cities. When I’m back in town, let’s have lunch.”

Alexis’s left brow hit her hairline, but she didn’t answer. Ryan turned away and Raven followed in his wake.

“Over my dead body,” Zeke grumbled. His hot breath against her ear made her heart pound. Always the protector. She liked when Zeke went all caveman.

CHAPTER NINE

The next day, they arrived early to hear the announcing of the contest rules. Alexis and Zeke met their demolition crew at the Elmhurst house. The rest of the team Alexis had assembled to work on the house would arrive tomorrow. “Thanks for coming,” she said.

Alexis’s demo crew lived to tear into walls, rip up floors, and destroy anything they could. They stood in front of her now like they did the first day of every job: crowbars and sledgehammers in hand, ready to pull the house apart.

“This house is in good shape, better than many of our remodels of late. The owners, Susan and James Henning, bought two houses to supply the Veterans’ Center with extra housing for soldiers to use while they recover and transition.” Some members of her crew were veterans themselves, and they nodded their approval.

“We have a half hour to walk through the house before meeting the owners in the backyard. We will be competing against a builder from the Twin Cities metro area, who will be working on the house behind us.”

One of the crew members asked, “Why a competition?”

“Susan and James moved into the Whitmore Estate and will hire the crew who wins the competition to renovate their home.”

Someone whistled.

Alexis nodded. “Both competition houses will be featured in Remodeler’s Platform online magazine, so even if we don’t win—which we will—we’ll still gain some national exposure. I don’t have to tell you what that kind of publicity would do for our town and our jobs.”

“What’s the timeline?” someone asked.