“Really good. Mold is the last thing we want.”
He pushed away from the sloped ceiling and stood back up. “Okay, it’s likely that a shingle on the roof cracked and is letting in melting ice and snow. To find the exact spot, I’ll need to take down the drywall covering this part of the ceiling.”
She’d been expecting that. “Understood.”
“Also, we’ll bring over a ladder this afternoon and take a look from the outside. How old is the roof?”
Her stomach tightened. She’d been expecting this question as well — and dreaded what the answer might lead to. “I called Dad. He told me the roof went in thirty-two years ago.”
The answer didn’t appear to surprise him. “We can replace the cracked shingle and cover the roof with a tarp, and that should get you through the winter.”
“Sounds great.”
“The thing is,” he continued, “the leak’s on the south side of the roof, which means more exposure to the sun, which means more material expansion and contraction when the shingles warm up and cool down. The roof is old, which means theshingles are brittle. On days like today, when the sun gets bright enough to melt snow and ice, the shingles will warm up enough to expand and possibly crack, which means….”
“More leaks are likely.”
His manner was that of a doctor delivering a painful diagnosis. “Thirty-two years is old for a roof. It’s done a good job for you. But its time is over.”
Penny sighed. “You’re saying I need a new roof.”
He nodded. “I’m saying you need a new roof.”
She gazed into his earnest face. What she needed even more than a new roof was a way topayfor a new roof. The expense most definitely wasn’t part of the bookstore’s budget for the coming year.
“All right,” she said with a sigh. “I get it. A new roof it is.”
“I’ll put together an estimate and we can talk about it.”
“Thank you.”
“About the leak. Do I have your okay to patch it right away?”
“Yes, please.” She looked around the office, which wasn’t exactly messy, but not exactly free of clutter either. “I’ll move stuff out of the way to give you room to work. How much space will you need?”
“Ideally, about six feet on either side of the leak.”
“So no need to touch the desk?”
He glanced at the desk, which was about eight feet away and loaded with stacks of papers. “The desk should be fine.”
“Thank goodness. I know it looks messy, but believe it or not, there’s a method to that madness.”
He smiled. “We’ll come back this afternoon, take down the drywall, identify the leaky spot, replace the shingles that need replacing, and cover the roof with a tarp.”
Penny nodded. “Thank you, Luke.”
“Leaks are never fun, but it looks like you caught this one quick, and that’s good.”
They clomped their way down the winding metal staircase, landing behind the sales counter.
“Anything you need before I head out?” he asked.
“Nope. Thanks for jumping on this so fast.”
“See you this afternoon.”
As she watched him step into the bright morning light, she let out a sigh. A new roof wasnotgoing to be cheap. Figuring out how to pay for it would require more than her usual financial juggling. She glanced at her watch. She’d have to worry about that later. It was almost ten, which meant it was almost time to open The Tattered Page for another day of holiday shopping insanity. The wonderful folks of Heartsprings Valley enjoyed buying books throughout the year, but scooping up armfuls of them at Christmas was something they loved even more. She cast her gaze over the store, making sure everything was good to go. The vacuuming was done —she’d tackled that as soon as she’d arrived at eight-thirty. At the sales counter, she’d already logged into the point-of-sale and book-ordering computers. Bending down, she checked the old cigar box under the counter to make sure she had enough bookmarks —all good there, too. The Christmas decorations that she and her team had put up weeks earlier —the tinsel, the lights, the cheerful elf ornaments and happy stuffed reindeer poking their heads from behind books on the shelves —were ready for a new day.
