She had just popped a bag of microwave popcorn and started one of her favorite romcoms when they walked through the door.
"You're watchingWhen in Romewithout me?" Kennedy plopped down on the couch beside Eden.
"You're welcome to join me." Eden passed the popcorn over.
Scott cleared his throat and gave Kennedy a pointed look. "You're starting a movie now? It's after ten." His usually gruff voice sounded deeper and more growly than usual.
"I know, but this is one of my favorites." Kennedy popped a few kernels into her mouth.
"I have to get up early to go work on the house." Again, tension filled his voice.
"Don't worry, we'll keep it down. You should definitely get a good night's rest." She stood and gave him a quick kiss before plopping back down on the sofa.
Scott stood there for a moment scowling before walking to the bedroom and closing the door much more forcefully than necessary.
Eden wouldn't call it a slam, but Scott's scowl had felt like it was directed at her.
She looked at Kennedy. "Is everything okay between you and Scott?"
Kennedy looked at her wide-eyed. "Of course. Why do you ask?"
Because I heard you two arguing last night.
Eden bit her tongue to keep from saying the words aloud.
This wasn't the first night Kennedy had stayed up late with her. But each time Kennedy stayed up with Eden instead of going to bed with Scott, he became a little grumpier.
Eden gave Kennedy a tight smile. "No reason."
As they watched the movie, Eden pondered her predicament. She wasn't ready to go back to Spokane yet. Yes, she could afford to stay at a motel to get out of Scott and Kennedy's hair, but that would be lonelier than her apartment. Besides, she'd blow through her savings in no time if she did that.
And her biggest dilemma: she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life.
* * *
Rudy climbedfrom his truck and stretched. Not for the first time, he questioned why he was up early on a Saturday morning helping someone else build a home. He looked at the foundation of Scott and Kennedy's house, then he turned and surveyed the empty lot next door. His lot.
That's why he was here. Because when they finished Scott's house, they'd start building his.
It'd be much quicker to hire contractors to knock it out, but with his dad's and his brother-in-law Austin's skills there was no point in hiring someone to do what they could do themselves. He'd save a ton of money. Besides, there was a sense of pride in being able to say you built your own home.
Debbie and Austin bought this entire tract of land and gifted a lot to Scott and Kennedy as a wedding gift. And when Rudy approached her about buying a lot to someday build on, she gifted him one too, even though he wasn't getting married.
He wasn't in a hurry to build or marry, for that matter. He had plenty of time. Those things were part of his ten-year plan.
He didn't like accepting the gift from his rich sister any more than Scott did, especially when he could afford to buy the land outright. But Debbie had always been generous with her money, and now that she was married, it felt like a slight to Austin to refuse to accept a gift from them.
Austin had such a hard time accepting Debbie's money that the whole family agreed he needed to let go of his pride if he wanted to be worthy of their sister. So it felt dumb to be prideful and refuse to accept a gift from them.
Especially when Debbie and Austin were only trying to do good with their money. This was the third tract of land they had purchased. They'd already started developing the first with apartment buildings. The second was still in the design and planning phase and would contain small homes with equally small lots intended for low-income families. This tract would have larger lots and homes. All three projects would meet a great need for the little town of Providence that had been experiencing a housing shortage for years.
Austin drove up as Rudy walked over to help Scott unload the trailer full of lumber their dad had picked up in Pasco yesterday. He gave his newest brother-in-law a wave before clapping Scott on the shoulder. "Want some help? I know you can carry four boards to my one, but I could use an upper body workout, so save me a few, okay?"
Scott's only response was a scowl and a grunt as he wrapped his arms around a stack of five two-by-fours and walked away.
Rudy turned toward their dad, who stood nearby unwrapping an extension cord. "What's up with him today?"
Dad looked at Scott's back. "Dunno, but he seems especially broody, doesn't he?"
