But applications were coming in, and every day, the place looked a little closer to the home I remembered from my childhood. Emily had started assigning herself jobs, which was why the mess hall no longer looked like a haunted house. Every inch of that place had been scrubbed. She said the school rooms were next.
Scott was working out as well. The man had put up Emily's backyard privacy fence in two days. Now, he was busy painting the inside of all the cabins. That was slow going, because he stopped to actually repair the walls when he found a problem, but the first one looked like it was brand new.
We just needed more help, and Violet decided that a handyman would be the solution. Since Deena's husband had a business doing just that, she called the man to set up a meeting at the Grill. He was more than willing to talk to her about contract work. There was just one little issue to deal with: Violet didn't know a single thing about what he'd be doing.
And that was how I ended up in the passenger seat of her newly repaired Audi as we pulled into Bev's Grill. Violet had on her "business face," which anyone else would call glamor. I'd put on a clean shirt. It was a little tight. She may have checked out my chest at least once, and that was the whole point.
Together, we walked into the Grill and a man at the side lifted his hand. "Violet Dawson?"
"Adam?" she asked.
"That's me," he agreed.
She headed over his way, but I simply pointed at the guy. "Did you order yet? If not, can I get you something?"
"Burger basket," Adam decided. "Thanks."
I didn't bother to ask what Violet wanted. She'd say nothing. She would also be wrong. So, while they did the basic introductions, I headed to the counter and ordered a collection of sides for her. Sweet potato fries, cheese fries, fried pickles, and a chocolate milkshake. I, however, wanted food. After paying for it all, I headed back to claim a spot by Violet's side.
"And this is Cy Marshall," she introduced smoothly. "His main job is to be the on-site psychiatrist, but he's also my backup in all things, and my boyfriend."
"Not Luke?" Adam asked.
I just chuckled. "Luke too. Add Ash to that, and you pretty much understand how things work in our house. No, it's not cheating. Instead of making our relationship with two, we decided to double down."
"Well, switch the genders and I can't say that I'd mind," Adam joked. "Deena was trying to explain it to me, but that makes a lot more sense than what she said. Something about polygamy, and I knew that couldn't be right."
"I adore your wife," Violet said. "And don't tell, but Ash is designing something new just for her. Oh, it'll be in the catalogues, but he has a weakness for people who compliment him."
"In all honesty," Adam said, leaning closer and dropping his voice, "I think her confidence has as much to do with how well that stuff works as anything else. I mean, she's put on some weight since we got married." Then he patted his belly. "It's a pretty mutual thing, but she's convinced that she can't be beautiful at that size. I keep trying to tell her, but she came home with these new panties, and the next thing I know she's wearing dresses around the house and flirting with me again. So, yeah. I'm about to become your biggest buyer."
"Well, the reason I wanted to talk to you," Violet said, sidestepping that easily, "is because we need a handyman, and I heard you're the guy."
"Would like to think so," he admitted. "But it really depends on what exactly you need."
"To start with," Violet said, "we need the entire fence line painted along the street. After that, it just depends on what Scott does and does not have time for. All of the cabins are going to need to be repainted, the cottage, the mess hall, probably the barn and the shed… As you can see, it's a long list."
"Well, I charge by the job," Adam explained. "So, like, with your fence, it would be a price per foot. With the buildings, I could quote those out in smaller packages. I do have some other work that I've already agreed to, but most of those are going to be a day here or day there sort of thing."
There was one problem I could already see. "So, do you have some kind of a guarantee, or price reduction if you go over the estimated amount of time?" I asked.
"To a point," Adam admitted. "First, in all honesty, I build in a little extra time for myself. That means that if everything works out without a problem, then I should be done a few days before I predict. However, if the project is held up by something that goes wrong on your end - like obtaining supplies, clearing the area, or anything that I don't have control over - then no, there's no discount for that. If it's my fault, then yes."
I looked over at Violet and nodded. "That seems more than fair to me."
"How soon do you think you could get started on painting our fence line?" she asked. "I know that the weather's about to get colder now that it's November, but I'm not sure how late in the year you can do a project like that."
"Here in Texas?" he asked. "Unless there's a cold snap, I can work all year. Now, some of these paints will take a little longer to cure when the temperature is lower, but that's a case of an extra day, not an extra week." Then he pulled up his phone and started flipping through it. "You just want the street side painted for now, right?" He asked.
"To start with," Violet admitted.
While Adam continued to look through his phone to find his availability, the waitress came over to deliver our food. I was busy sorting things out when I heard the tinkle of the door open again. I didn't consciously think about it, but I looked up at the sound, then touched Violet's arm.
Paul Simmons strode in like he owned the place. The man had been keeping his head low for a bit, but it made sense. Bev's Grill was the go-to place in town to pick up a quick meal. Simmons was the kind of man who clearly didn't miss a meal. And, as he made his way towards the front counter, he looked around to say hi to the people he knew like some kind of celebrity.
Then his eyes fell on us.
"Violet Dawson," he called out, angling his feet to come right over to our table. "I didn't expect to see you here." Then he looked right at me. "And I'm really surprised you didn't follow yourboyfriendback to wherever the hell you people came from."
