“But, Dad?—”
“Tell you what,” Luke said, hoping he wasn’t overstepping. “How about you go tackle that homework, and while you’re working, I’ll check out what needs fixing. Then maybe you can help me measure some stuff before I leave. Deal?”
Eli bounced on his toes, practically vibrating with excitement. “Can I use your tape measure?”
“Better.” Luke reached into his bag and pulled out a small notebook and pencil. He kept a stack of them with him at all times, so he was never caught without. After flipping through the pages to ensure it was blank, he handed it over to Eli. “Every good contractor needs an assistant to write down measurements. Think you can handle that?”
“Yes! I know how to write my letters super good. Mrs. Feehan said I’m the neatest in the class.” Eli grabbed the supplies like Luke had just handed him the keys to a candy store. “I’ll do my homework super fast!”
They watched him dart inside, Noah shaking his head slightly. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but if he wants to help and it’s okay with you, I really don’t mind.” Luke straightened, trying not to notice how Noah’s height put them nearly eye to eye. “Mind if I take a look around out here first? Get a sense of what we’re dealing with?”
Something flickered across Noah’s face—pride warring with practicality, maybe. “Of course. Though I should warn you, the inside’s worse. I’m not going to be able to tackle everything at once, so maybe you should just focus on the most critical issues?”
“Challenge accepted.” Luke grinned, hoping to ease some of the tension radiating off Noah in waves. It didn’t work—if anything, Noah’s expression grew more reserved. “I’m still going to poke around out here. The last thing we need is to think something’s cosmetic and have the front of the house fall off while you’re sleeping.”
That was an exaggeration. Probably.
“I’ll leave you to it, then. I need to check on Eli’s homework anyway.”
Luke watched him disappear inside, noting how the door stuck slightly in its frame. Another item for his growing list. He pulled out his phone, snapping photos as he circled the house. The foundation looked solid, thankfully, but water damage hadtaken its toll on the exterior. Whoever had flipped this place had focused on cosmetic updates while ignoring actual issues.
Movement caught his eye again—this time, it was Noah watching from an upstairs window, his expression unreadable. Their gazes met briefly before Noah stepped back, disappearing into the shadows of the house.
Luke let out a slow breath, turning his attention back to the sagging gutters and crumbling chimney. He had enough on his plate with the Tillerman project. Taking this on would be crazy. Impossible.
But holy shit, it would be awesome once she was brought back to her original glory. He’d done some research on the house, curious as to what the history of the house was, and he was fascinated by the fact that what had started as the extravagant home for one of Maple Hill’s founding businessmen had later served as dormitories for two different schools in the area before turning into a home once again. Luke was jonesing to be the one to pay tribute to everyone who’d called this place home over the past century plus. Hell, he’d even let Keaton take the credit and stake some of their signs in the front yard just so everyone knew who was doing the renovation.Thatwould be a massive feather in their caps by the time Luke got done.
There was something about this place, about the way Noah looked at him like he was simultaneously hoping for and dreading Luke’s assessment… It tugged at him in a way he couldn’t quite explain.
“Well,” he muttered, running his hand along a section of intricate trim work, “nobody ever accused me of making smart decisions.”
From inside, he heard Eli’s laughter floating through an open window, followed by Noah’s quieter response. Luke smiled despite himself. Maybe some decisions didn’t need to be smart to be right.
Now, he just had to figure out how to tell Keaton he was taking on another project. But first, he had a very enthusiastic six-year-old assistant to put to work.
The kitchen looked like a war zone. Water damage stained the ceiling in a pattern that reminded Luke of a Rorschach test, and the cabinets had been painted so many times they probably creaked from the weight of all those layers. But it was the sink that drew his attention—Noah’s nemesis, according to Rachel.
From the looks of it, someone had replaced the faucet and done a piss-poor job of it. If not for Noah mentioning a pretty tight budget, Luke would love to hunt down fixtures resembling what might have been installed when the home was built, but one thing was for damn sure: he wouldn’t be replacing the existing contractor’s special with something cheap and devoid of character. This house deserved far better.
“It’s not usually this bad,” Noah said from his position near the doorway. He’d loosened his tie, though his posture remained stiff. “I mean, it was only dripping before I tried to fix it.”
“Ah.” Luke crouched to examine the pipes under the sink. “Let me guess—YouTubetutorials?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Only to someone who’s seen the aftermath of DIY plumbing about a thousand times.” The pipes were a mess of mismatched parts and what looked like… “Is that duct tape?”
Noah’s silence was answer enough.
“Duct tape is supposed to fix everything,” Eli piped up from his spot at the kitchen table. His homework lay forgotten as he watched Luke work. “Except it didn’t fix the sink. Or the stairs. Or the weird noise the furnace makes that sounds like a monster trying to eat the house.”
Luke bit back a smile at Noah’s muffled groan. “Duct tape’s good for some things, buddy, but plumbing needs a gentler touch.” He reached for his flashlight, scanning the connections. “Like surgery, but for houses.”
“Cool! Can I help? I’m really good atOperation—I never make the nose buzz and light up anymore.” Eli turned to his dad. “See, I told you we needed a doctor for the house.” He spun around, casting wide eyes in Luke’s direction. “Are you a house doctor?”
“Something like that.” Luke’s fingers found the source of the problem—a coupling had been cross-threaded, probably during Noah’s attempts to fix the leak. “Right now, I need you to be my lookout. Let me know if you see any water coming from?—”
