Sarah’s expression softened. “Noah, some things are worth the risk. Worth figuring out, even when they seem impossible.”
“The house is literally falling apart.” Noah ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t even think about…other things…until I know Eli and I will have a roof over our heads.”
“Maybe everything is connected.” Sarah gathered her things, pausing at the door. “Just remember what I said about being honest with yourself. About everything.”
She left Noah with his soda and her uncomfortably accurate observations. Noah pulled up his banking app, staring at the numbers that seemed to mock his dreams of restoration. Of stability. Of…other things he wasn’t ready to name.
Maybe Sarah was right. Maybe some things were worth the risk, worth fighting for, even when they seemed impossible. Even when they terrified him.
The house woreits damage differently in the afternoon light. The printout of the insurance adjuster’s preliminary report sat heavy in his bag, full of terms like “pre-existing conditions” and “denied coverage.” The tarps Luke had secured over the roofshone a spotlight on the fool Noah had been, thinking he could buy a fixer-upper. Like everything else in his life lately.
He could hear movement inside—Luke’s steady footsteps, the scrape of debris being cleared, the whir of dehumidifiers fighting yesterday’s deluge. Through the window, Noah caught glimpses of Keaton Anderson examining the dining room ceiling, his expression grim as he made notes on a tablet. Whatever they were discussing, it couldn’t be good news for Noah’s rapidly dwindling budget.
“You planning to stand there all day?” Luke’s voice carried through the screen door, warm despite the tension Noah could see in his shoulders. “Because we need to talk about some options.”
Options.
The word sat like lead in Noah’s stomach. But he followed Luke inside, where original blueprints spread across a makeshift work table.
“Keaton’s got some ideas,” Luke said, carefully professional. “Ways to reduce costs without compromising integrity. See here?” He pointed to the blueprints. “The original structure had different support points. If we return to that configuration instead of working around the flip job’s changes…”
Noah tried to focus on the technical details, but his attention caught on the way Luke’s hands moved over the plans, confident and sure. The same hands that had steadied him during the storm, that had?—
“Noah?” Luke’s voice pulled him back. “You getting any of this?”
“Sorry, just…” Noah pulled the insurance report out of his briefcase, dropping it onto the table. “It’s all so overwhelming.”
Something softened in Luke’s expression. “I know. That’s why we’re looking at alternatives. Keaton’s willing to let me use company resources at cost, and I’ve got some contacts who?—”
“You don’t have to do that.” The words came out sharper than intended. “I can’t ask you to?—”
“You’re not asking. He’s offering.” Luke met his gaze steadily. “This place deserves to be saved. And you deserve—” He stopped, professional mask slipping. Noah wondered if Luke was also struggling to push last night’s kiss out of his mind. “You deserve to have the home you wanted.”
The air between them felt charged, like the moment before lightning strikes. Noah could see Keaton through the dining room archway, pretending to examine water damage while obviously monitoring their interaction.
“Luke…” Noah started, not sure what he was going to say.
“Mr. Luke!” Eli’s voice shattered the moment. “We’re home early! And Mom’s here!”
Noah’s head snapped up. “Jenna?”
Sure enough, his ex-wife stood in the doorway, Eli bouncing beside her. “Surprise,” she said, taking in the destruction. “I was already on my way back to Afton when Rachel called and told me about the storm. I thought you might need reinforcements.” Her gaze flickered between Noah and Luke, noting their proximity with raised eyebrows. “It might be easier if I take Eli to my parents’ place for the rest of the week so you can focus on things around here.”
“I—” Noah started, but Luke was already on his way back to the dining room. Looking around, it was hard for Noah to not feel like an utter failure. If Jenna had told him she was coming home, it had slipped his mind.
And now, she was taking Eli because the house wasn’t fit for him to live in. “You’re doing a great job, but it’s time for me to help in whatever way I can. And right now, that means crashing at my parents’ place for a few days so I can drive him to school, and you can focus on getting things cleaned up.”
“I’m going to review these estimates with Keaton,” Luke said, professional mask back in place. He called over his shoulder, “Mrs. Thompson, good to see you.”
“It’s Ms. Greene now,” Jenna corrected, but Luke was gone, joining Keaton in what looked like an intense discussion about how much the repairs would cost.
“Mom, come see my disaster map!” Eli tugged at her hand. “Mr. Luke says I’m the best assistant ever!”
As Eli dragged Jenna toward the kitchen, Noah stared at the space Luke had vacated. The insurance report lay forgotten on the table, its pages filled with denials and limitations. They should probably go over that before long so Luke knew what he had to work with.
“He seems invested.” Jenna’s voice made him jump. She’d returned without Eli, who Noah could hear chattering to Keaton about power tools. “In the house, I mean. Don’t screw this up, Noah.”
“It’s not—” Noah stopped because what could he say? That he’d kissed his contractor during a crisis? That he couldn’t stop thinking about it? That every interaction since then had feltcharged with possibility and terror? Yeah, he was already well on his way to stuffing a stick of dynamite into whateverthiswas.
