"Oh." Collins looked at me, then back at the woman approaching Olivia. "You good?"
I didn't answer. I just unhooked my safety tether and started climbing down.
By the time I reached the ground, Chloe had already pulled Olivia into a hug.
They were standing just outside the garage entrance, Chloe's arms wrapped around Olivia's shoulders. I could hear her voicecarrying across the clearing, bright and charged with that kind of restless energy she had always had, even as a young kid.
"—told you I wanted to see it before I flew back. I couldn't leave without—oh my god, Liv, look at this place!"
Olivia was laughing, a sound I hadn't heard enough of lately. "It's a construction site, Chloe. It's not exactly Architectural Digest."
"Are you kidding? This is insane." Chloe pulled back, her hands still on Olivia's shoulders, and turned to take in the timber frame. "Jesus. He really went big, didn't he?"
"Yeah. He did."
For a second, something dark crossed Chloe’s face. Then she shook it off and turned back to Olivia. "Show me the bones real quick? I've got like fifteen minutes before my next call."
"Yeah, come on."
They started walking toward the house, and that's when Chloe noticed me standing near the ladder. She stopped, her eyes locked on mine, and for a beat, neither of us moved. There was something assessing in her expression.
Finally, she smiled.
"Ben Walsh," she said, walking over. "The man of the hour."
"Chloe." I shifted my weight, suddenly aware of how I must look—covered in sawdust, hands still wrapped in bandages. "Didn't know you were coming by."
"Last-minute decision. Flying out soon, but wanted to see what Liv's been working on." She glanced up at the roof, then back at me. "Looks like you've been busy."
"Trying to stay ahead of the weather."
"Yeah, I heard." She tilted her head, studying me for just a beat too long. Then her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, glancing at the screen. "Shit. Okay, I gotta take this. Don't let me keep you."
"Right," I said. "I'll be up on the roof if you need anything."
Chloe's eyes flicked back to me, that knowing look still there. "I'm sure you will be."
I turned and headed back to the ladder, feeling her eyes on my back the whole way.
I tried to focus on the work.
Collins and I knocked out three more panels, the rhythm automatic now. But I kept glancing down at the garage, where I could see Olivia and Chloe standing near the massive window openings, Olivia pointing up at the cathedral ceiling.
Chloe had her phone out, taking pictures. Then she was on a call again, pacing, gesturing with one hand while Olivia waited patiently beside her.
She wasn't here to observe or assess the whole operation. She was here to see it, acknowledge it, and move on. She had her own life, her own work, her own shit to handle. This was just a quick stop on the way to the airport. But even from thirty feet up, I could see the way she kept looking at Olivia. And then at me. And then back at Olivia.
She was clocking something.
After maybe ten minutes, they walked back to the Tesla. I watched Chloe hug Olivia again—quick, fierce—and say something that made Olivia laugh and shove her shoulder.
Then Chloe stepped back, pulled her keys from her pocket, and looked up at the roof.
Directly at me.
"Hey, Ben!" she called up. "Come down here for a sec?"
I cleared my throat. "Yeah, sure."
