Seeing his name pop up on my screen sent warmth coursing through my body.
Hadley: Of course.
Cade: I want to hire you. These prices are so low I can’t say no.
Excitement shot through my chest that he wanted to hire me. I had my first client. My stomach sank. That meant my fantasies about him had to remain in my imagination. While he was my client, we couldn’t date. I sighed, resignation flowing through my body.
Hadley: I’ll bring over the attorney-client agreement on Monday and we can get started right away. The agreement that brought the code of ethics into play—the one that said I couldn’t date my client.
Cade: Perfect. I’ll get my overdue contracts organized.
Being his attorney would have to be enough.
Chapter Seven
Cade
A weight lifted from my chest after I hit send on my text to Hadley. It was the right decision. More money coming in meant more money for my Rebuilds program. If I wanted to approach Nolan and ask him to be my partner, overdue contracts would not be a good selling point.
I placed my gym bag on the bench inside my door and surveyed the dated kitchen with its aging appliances, chipped Formica, the peeling linoleum, and the walls that broke up the first floor. Which should I tackle first?
My body hummed with energy. I grabbed my ax and goggles from the garage and stood in front of the decorative wall separating the kitchen from the living room.
The tightness in my chest loosened with each swing. The vibration of the ax striking the wall reverberated down my arm into my shoulder. I swung the ax, reveling in the holes in the wall and the chunks of drywall dropping to the floor. A feeling of accomplishment—of doing something for myself—flowed through my veins as endorphins released in my brain, spreading a feeling of rightness.
I lowered the blade of the ax to the floor, still gripping the handle tightly. I relished the ache in my muscles, the twinge in my shoulder, the sweat which beaded on my forehead, and dripped down my back. All that was left were the pieces of drywall and dust on the floor. I should have covered my counters and floors first, but that didn’t deflect from the sense of completion, of a new beginning.
I’d hired an attorney to handle the businesses. I started demolition of my house. Today was different than the other days. And for the first time since Caroline died, I wasn’t afraid of different.
My phone buzzed on the counter. I brushed off the drywall dust before seeing Nolan’s name on the screen.
“Hey, Nolan, what’s up?” I asked.
“Cade?”
“Yeah, who else would it be?”
“Um. I don’t know. It’s just—” He cleared his throat. “You never answer the phone. I was going to leave a message.”
“Do you want me to hang up so you can leave a message?” My lips twitched in an unfamiliar motion.
“No, man. I wanted to talk to you. I’m just surprised.” His voice was tight. Like he was fighting through emotion.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he blew out a sigh. “Everything’s fine. I just didn’t expect…You sound good. Real good. What are you doing?”
When my parents faded into the background after Caroline died, Nolan was the one who called once a week and dropped by with take-out. I told him to leave me alone, but he wouldn’t listen. He never forced me to talk about anything. He was there. I was grateful for his presence and support. I was thankful he hadn’t given up on me even though I’d never expressed that to him. I was an ungrateful bastard.
“I’m tearing down that wall in my kitchen.”
There was silence on the line for a few seconds like he was thinking. “You’re demoing your house?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“I’ll be right over.” He hung up.
I pulled water out of the fridge, took a long pull, closing my eyes as I relished the feeling of cold water sliding down my parched throat. Everything felt a little sharper, brighter, and more in tune today. I grabbed a few garbage bags and gloves to clean up the mess, covering the vents and the counters with the tarp I kept in my truck. When I finished, I heard the key in the lock and the front door open.
Nolan stepped inside in a white T-shirt and old jeans, his usual work outfit, his eyes widening as he took everything in before finally settling on me. “I didn’t believe you.”
He gave me a long considering look. I suspected he wanted to ask what was going on even though he didn’t. “What do you need me to do?”
“You want to do the honors?” I picked up the reciprocating saw.
“I didn’t think this day would come.” His voice was thick with emotion as he turned his face away to put on a spare set of goggles and gloves he’d pulled from his back pocket.
I was the older brother, but when Caroline died—a big part of me was extinguished too. The part Nolan looked up to, the guy people respected was gone. I was a shell going through the motions but not really living. I was ready to get back to being the guy I was before.
When the framing and studs were down, we cleaned up before we loaded the debris into my truck bed. I’d take it to the dump later.
Nolan leaned his forearms on the truck rim. The breeze off the water was refreshing after working so hard. “What brought this on?”
I saw the happiness in his eyes. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“You’ve moved on in some ways, with Morrison Construction Rebuilds, your house and our parents, but in other ways, you haven’t. It’s like you were stuck. I’m not even sure you were aware of it.”
I shifted on my feet and stuffed my hands in my pockets. I hadn’t realized Nolan was so perceptive. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it, but it’s time to plan for my future. I can
