“How the farm repair going?”
Hector glanced around. He was making headway, but there was still so much to do. “It’s coming along. I’m working on the stairs today because the tile I want for the upstairs bathroom is running a little late. The guy down at the hardware store said he’d drive it out once it got here.”
“Joey and I would be happy to come out and help you sometime later this week, but it has to be during the day for obvious reasons.”
“Do you know anything about refurbishing a house?” Not that he was an expert or anything, but he’d watched a lot of YouTube videos.
“Joey doesn’t, but I’ve done some repair work. We can strip the paint off the walls at the very least.”
“Yeah, that’d be great.” If he could get someone to help him strip the paint off the walls, he could spend more time on the trim. It was in as bad of shape as the stairs had been. “I need to strip the paint off all the walls and the kitchen cupboards, not to mention the trim and all the doors.”
“You took on quite the lemon there, Hector. Are you sure it’s worth it?”
Hector thought about all the dingy little apartments he’d lived in and the wide-open spaces surrounding the farmhouse. He thought about the fear of being evicted his mother had lived with on a monthly basis and the sense of accomplishment he felt at owning his own home, something that hadn’t happened in his family in almost three generations.
“Yeah, it’s worth it.”
There was no doubt about it.
Harvey chuckled. “If you say so.”
“This is my Rusty Nail, Harvey.” Hector knew the man would understand that.
“Okay, well, if you need any cheap labor, let me know. I’m pretty sure I can round up a few poor souls willing to work for beer and pizza.”
A rare smile spread across Hector’s lips. “Thanks, Harvey.”
His boss was a good man.
“Look, that’s not why I called. I heard back from Delany and he’s pissed. He’s credited me the cheap bottles his bonehead offspring tried to fob off on us, but we’re still out that liquor until Delany can get into work. I need you to swing by the liquor store in town and pick up enough bottles to get us through until Delany sends another shipment.”
“I can do that,” Hector replied. “How many bottles do you want?”
“The clerk down at the liquor store has a case of stuff waiting for you. I’ve already paid for it, so all I need you to do is pick it up on your way into work.”
“The bar is between my place and town.” It felt incredibly good to be able to say “my place.” “Why am I picking it up?”
Not that he wouldn’t.
“Dixie had to run an errand, so she’s a little late coming in. Joey and I are manning the bar until she gets here.”
“Gotcha.” That actually made sense. If Dixie was running errands, Joey would stand in for her. Harvey wouldn’t leave Joey alone in the bar, especially not after he’d been kidnapped—twice—by some asshole who used to belong to the same motorcycle club Harvey did. The guy was dead now, but Harvey was still very protective of Joey.
“Okay, man, thanks,” Harvey said. “I’ll see you when you get here.”
Hector hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket. He didn’t relish a ride all of the way into Cade Creek, not in this weather. It wasn’t raining or snowing yet, but it was cold enough when riding on a motorcycle to freeze his balls off.
He’d better get to it if he wanted to get to work on time. Hector put the sander away and cleaned up his mess. He wasn’t going to want to deal with it when he got home. He’d be too tired. Besides, he had learned to clean up after himself when he was a small kid, and he hadn’t been able to break the habit since then.
After everything was cleaned up again, Hector hurried upstairs and took a quick shower in the guest bathroom. His master bath wasn’t completed yet. He couldn’t wait until it was. After sharing a bathroom with five other kids growing up, he valued his privacy.
On the way downstairs fifteen minutes later, Hector pulled on his leather jacket. If he was going to be riding in the cold, at least he’d be doing it in style. He stepped out onto the porch, paused to lock the door, then walked to his motorcycle.
He really needed to start thinking about putting the old girl to bed for the winter and getting a truck. Maybe he’d ask around at the bar and see if anyone had one he could get for cheap. It wasn’t like he was going to be using it all that much, just when winter got bad.
He used to use Terry’s truck, but that had ended when he moved out. Hector was sure if he went back and asked to borrow the truck, Terry would loan it to him. That was just the type of guy he was.
But Hector really wanting something of his own. Call it pride. Call it stubbornness. Call it whatever. He didn’t like having to ask people for things. He wanted to get by on his own hard work, not someone else’s.
