Syndi Powell - Their Forever Home

BEFORE HEADING TO the house for the first day of demolition, John picked up coffees for the team. Not sure how they liked to drink it, he asked for packets of cream and sugar on the side. Because of his stop, he was the last to arrive. Cassie’s truck had the tailgate down. He picked up the cardboard carrier, carefully removed himself from the car and approached the house. One of the Buttucci brothers walked out of the open doorway and grunted a welcome. John held up the carrier. “I brought liquid motivation”

Biggie took one cup with a murmur of thanks and continued his journey to the truck to grab a sledgehammer. John followed him inside and grimaced at the hole in the floor that seemed to gape even wider. “Good morning,” he called down the hallway, where he could hear voices drifting out of the bathroom.

Cassie appeared and held up her hand in greeting. “John, I wasn’t expecting you this early.”

A horse of a dog galloped into the living room from the kitchen and stood between him and Cassie. John took a step back. Cassie put a hand in the dog’s blond fur. “This is Evie. She’s a Belgian Bouvier de Flandres, so she thinks she’s my protector.”

“You bring your dog to the work site?”

“She’s well trained, and I’ll keep her in the backyard.” Cassie shrugged. “She wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides, I work long hours on a job and it’s nice to have someone who thinks she’s tougher than she is to keep me safe. Do you have a problem with that?” She looked him over and he wondered if he’d worn something wrong. “Why are you here for the demolition? Shouldn’t you be home drawing up sketches or something?”

“You don’t think I can help you tear out tile and rotten wood planks?” He held out a cup of coffee to her. “I can do this.” Biggie hefted the sledgehammer over his shoulder. John gave a nod. “I’m part of this team, and I’d appreciate it if you would include me.”

“Suit yourself.” She took the cup and held it up in salute. “Thanks. I brought my coffee maker but forgot the beans. I’ll pick some up during our lunch break.”

Tiny joined them. “George is renovating the house across the street and said the dumpsters are being delivered later this morning. We’ll have to remove the debris and put it in the front yard for now.”

“Actually, I have an idea about that. I’d like to use some of the broken tiles in a mosaic.” John quickly tore a piece off a paper bag that held supplies. He removed the pencil from the back pocket of his jeans and drew an outline of a star divided into smaller squares and triangles. “I was thinking we could reuse the tile to create something to hang on the wall or maybe a patio table for the backyard.”

“In avocado and gold?” Cassie shook her head. “I don’t know about that. Not exactly a winning color combination.”

She had a point. “Are there any rules that say we can’t use what other teams are throwing out? I might be able to get more tiles in other colors that way.”

Tiny looked skeptically at his brother. “We’re decorating with trash now?” he asked.

“We’re salvaging what we can. The Belvedere Foundation said we had hidden gems here in this neighborhood. Why not carry out that theme in the decor too?” John knew he had a great idea, but the other three didn’t look convinced. “What would it hurt to let me try this?”

Cassie glared at him. “We’re limited on time as it is.”

“I’ll work on it during my free time.” Granted, he had the same twenty-four hours in a day that everyone else was allotted, but he’d find time to work on something that had meaning to him.

He could practically see the gears turning in Cassie’s brain before she gave a short nod. “Do what you want. But if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t stay in the design.”

“Agreed.”

Biggie seemed to have a gleam in his eye as he took the sledgehammer and headed down the hallway to the bathroom. In a few seconds, a loud crash followed by the tinkle of broken tiles hitting the floor filled the quiet. Cassie smiled and rubbed her hands together. “Here’s to the start of a beautiful home.”

John looked around. “What would you have me do?”

“Find a pair of gloves and start placing the broken tiles and plaster in one of the empty bins I brought. When it’s full, place the bin outside.” She slipped a pair of goggles over her eyes and put on her own pair of gloves. “Tiny and I are tearing up carpet.”

He found an empty bin in the kitchen along with other supplies, including an extra pair of work gloves. He’d have to go and get some of his own soon if he wanted to continue this new career. Putting them on, he skirted around Cassie, who was pulling up the soggy shag carpet in the living room. She moaned as she saw the ruined wood floor underneath. “There’s nothing to save here.”

Tiny agreed. “Maybe it’ll be okay in the bedrooms.”

“If we’re lucky.”

John met Biggie in the bathroom. The big man gave a grunt and smashed the sledgehammer between the bathtub and toilet. John scooped up debris and put it in the bin and smiled to himself when Biggie hefted the sledgehammer over his shoulder and brought it down with force against the wall.

“You like that, don’t you?”

Biggie nodded and continued to smash tile. John filled one bin, took it outside and exchanged it for another empty one. As he walked back through the house, he watched Tiny roll the last of the carpet into one long, wet roll and throw it over his shoulder. Cassie yanked a bandanna from her back pocket and wiped her forehead before tying it around her hair. “I’ll have to bring fans tomorrow to keep us cool while we’re working if this heat continues.”

“It should. It’s the end of May.”

“You never know. It’s also Michigan, so we could get a cold front at any moment.” She stared at John, her head cocked to one side. “You might not want to wear your best pair of jeans for this job. Especially during demo.”

John looked down at his pants. “This isn’t my best pair.”

“I’m just saying you’re not going to want to wear nice clothes when we’re at these beginning stages. If ever.” She pulled at the edge of her tank top. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to replace these because of paint splatter or because of rips and tears.”

“I get it, Cassie.”

She watched him for a moment and then nodded. “I know.”

But her expression at what he wore made him think she did believe him to be slightly clueless. He swallowed a rebuke and returned to the bathroom, where Biggie sat on the edge of the tub, wiping his forehead with a rag. John bent and started putting more debris into the bin. Biggie stood and put a hand on John’s shoulder, making him look up. “She’s only looking out for you, you know?”

Surprised the big man could be soft-spoken, John nodded and returned to his job.

THE DUMPSTER ARRIVED and was positioned between their house and the one next door, which was assigned to Butler Construction. Cassie wheeled the first bin of debris to dump into the huge receptacle and almost stumbled over Nick, one of her competitors. He tossed an armful of rotten wood panels into the dumpster, then watched her empty the bin from her side.

“Congratulations on being one of the finalists,” he offered.

“You, too. But then I figured you were a shoo-in.”

He grinned. “Well, I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but my brothers and I also landed a huge contract for a subdivision.”