“Thank you,” she repeated. There was no way she could possibly convey how much he had turned this horrible experience into a positive one. “My name is Bonnie, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you, Bonnie. My name’s Sasha.” Bonnie’s face must have registered her surprise. “I told you I shouldn’t judge anyone’s name. I used to hate it until my mom sat me down and told me my name means defender and that people named Sasha tend to be leaders who show great bravery. After that, I felt a little bit like I had a responsibility to live up to my name.”
“It fits you perfectly, Sasha. I hope you enjoy your visit with your sister and niece.” She started for her car when a thought popped into her head. “Hey! Any chance you have any construction experience?”
DAVID AND AARON had established a strict timeline for this flip, and it already felt like they were behind schedule. Time was money in this business, and with only two people doing all the work, this job was going to cost more than he’d like. Since Bonnie had left to get coffee, they’d only cleared out two rooms. At this rate, the house would be finished in two years instead of two months.
After tossing the disgusting broken couch into the dumpster in the driveway, David pushed his dust mask down over his chin. “We may need to rethink our game plan. We should think about what changes are musts and which ones we can cut to save time.”
Aaron didn’t want to give anything up. The plans they’d drawn up were perfect. Maybe he would have to hire people from farther away. His father didn’t control the world, only his little slice of it.
He slipped off his dust mask. “We aren’t giving up anything. If I have to fly guys in from Portland, I will.”
“And eat up all your profits?”
The idea was to make a living doing this, but if he had to take a loss on this first flip, he would. Aaron was willing to do it to prove to his dad that he couldn’t stop him from doing what he wanted to do.
“Whatever it takes to get this project done on time.”
David shook his head. “It’s your money, kid.”
Bonnie’s car pulled up in front of the house, followed by a guy on a motorcycle. They both walked up the driveway together.
“Not only did I get you guys some coffee, I found some extra hands that actually know what they’re doing and will have no trouble picking up a sledgehammer.” She looked up at the man next to her. “Sasha, meet my dad, David, and my...friend, Aaron.” The way she paused made Aaron wonder why she wasn’t sure what to call him. “Guys, this is Sasha.”
Sasha was a mountain of a man. It was a bit confusing how someone like Bonnie goes to the coffee shop and comes back with someone with tattoos and chains.
The three men exchanged greetings. Sasha’s huge paw engulfed Aaron’s when they shook hands. Only Bonnie would make friends with someone who not only looked like he could ride with the Hell’s Angels, but also could be a lineman for any professional football team.
“I thought it would be a good idea for him to see what he was getting himself into before he actually commits,” Bonnie said.
“Well, then, come with me, Sasha,” David said. “I can show you what we’re dealing with and go over what we’re thinking of doing here.”
They went inside, and Aaron helped Bonnie with the coffee. “Look at you, making friends wherever you go.”
“He really just came to my rescue, and I realized I could repay the favor.”
Aaron’s eyebrows pinched together. “You needed to be rescued? What happened?”
She shook her head and handed him his coffee. “It’s not important. Let’s focus on the fact that I found you a helper.”
“Bonnie, what happened?” he pressed.
She rolled her eyes and tried to come off like it was no big deal. “I guess there was a bridesmaid reunion at The Bean this morning, and they were not happy to see me.”
Nowhere in this town was safe for poor Bonnie. “I’m sorry.”
Bonnie shrugged. “It is what it is. They are all loyal to Lauren, and as long as she hates me, so will they.”
“She doesn’t hate you. She thinks she does because she’s hurting.”
“You’ve said that before. Saying it again doesn’t make me believe it.” It was clear that Lauren wasn’t the only one hurting. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and convince her that he wasn’t only planning to fix up this broken-down house, but he was going to fix her broken relationship with his sister as well.
“I would love to work on this house,” Sasha announced as he and David rejoined them outside. “When can I start?”
“You can start whenever you want,” Aaron said. “We’re going to be here every day until it’s done.”
“I will not be here on Sundays,” David added.
“You’re only going to take off Sundays?” Aaron asked. He didn’t expect David to work on the weekends.
“Do you want to finish this place before the end of the year?”
“We’ll have this house ready for sale before you know it,” Sasha said. “I will be here tomorrow. What time do you two start?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at eight.” Aaron extended his hand. The two men shook on it. He wasn’t sure how Sasha had rescued Bonnie, but he knew he owed this man a debt.
It was also a huge relief to know they’d have one more person on their crew. Aaron would find more. He had to if he wanted to finish this house in a reasonable time frame. Just another reason for him to fix things between Bonnie and Lauren. If he could do that, he would
