She glanced at Colby again.His gaze didn't skitter away.He held her eyes like he wanted to keep them, like looking at her was exactly where he wanted to be.
She didn't know exactly what was happening in his head.She couldn't read minds, couldn't predict the future, couldn't guarantee that any of this would work out the way she was beginning to hope it might.
But when he looked at her like that, she felt less like a problem he'd taken on and more like a choice he kept making.Every day.Every moment.Over and over again.
Copper Moon had a way of wrapping its arms around people who needed it.She'd always known that, had built her entire business around the principle that everyone deserved a place where they could rest, be seen, and feel safe.
For the first time since childhood, since before Gavin, since before she'd learned to build walls high enough that no one could climb them, she let Copper Moon wrap its arms around her too.
And it felt like coming home.
ChapterThirteen
Colby had just lined up two-by-four prices on his laptop screen, comparing supply houses and calculating delivery windows, when Jason Keene's name popped up on his phone.He had worked with Jason, Hank, and Brian on the renovation of the garage.
He hit accept."Hey."
"You still out there playing lumber Tetris for Sabrina's place?"Jason asked.His voice had that particular dry tone that meant he was already three steps ahead of the conversation."Hank said you're trying to make a cabin appear out of thin air."
"That tracks."Colby leaned back in his chair, the old kitchen seat creaking beneath him."You bored or just nosy?"
"Both," Jason said."And I like building things more than watching other people talk about building things.You want a hand with the first one?"
Colby sat up a little straighter, his spine leaving the chair back."You serious?"
"I'm not calling to offer emotional support," Jason said."I've got a gap between jobs.Two weeks minimum before my next site starts.I can help you lay out, set the foundation, and get framing up.You two can handle the stain and cute porch chairs on your own."
A slow grin pulled at Colby's mouth, the kind that started somewhere in his chest before it reached his face."She's talked to you, hasn't she?"
"She walked into the café with Lila last Tuesday and started sketching on a napkin," Jason said."I'm pretty sure she didn't breathe for ten straight minutes.Just talked and drew and waved her hands around like she was conducting an orchestra nobody else could hear.I like the way her brain works.I'd like to help her make it real."
Colby glanced toward the living room, where Sabrina sat cross-legged on the couch with a notebook open across her lap, chewing on a pen cap while she stared at whatever she'd written.Her hair was pulled back in a messy knot, and there was a smudge of ink on her cheek she hadn't noticed yet.Something in his chest shifted at the sight of her, the way it did more and more often these days.
"She'll fight you on paying," he said quietly, keeping his voice low enough that she wouldn't hear.
"I'll invoice her like a normal human," Jason said."Fair rate, honest hours.You can help me keep the numbers sane, so she doesn't try to sell a kidney or take out a second mortgage.Deal?"
"Deal."Colby rubbed the back of his neck, working at the knot that had settled there from hunching over his laptop."We're meeting with Kara this afternoon to talk about site placement.The county approved the first structure as an accessory dwelling, while the rest of the plan is in process.You free at three?"
"I'll be there," Jason said."Bring your measuring tape and your patience.And maybe a sandwich.I get cranky when I'm hungry."
"Noted."
The line went dead, and Colby set his phone on the table, staring at it for a moment like it might offer additional insight.Jason Keene didn't volunteer his time lightly.The man was one of the best contractors in three counties, with a waitlist that stretched into next year and a reputation for quality that meant he could charge whatever he wanted.The fact that he'd called, unprompted, to offer help said something about how Sabrina's vision had landed with the people who'd heard it.
Colby looked at her again.She was still absorbed in her notebook, her pen now tapping against the page in a rhythm only she understood.She had no idea, he thought.No idea how many people in this town were quietly rooting for her, lining up behind her like an army she hadn't recruited.
He didn't tell her about the call yet.Some things were better shown than said.
Three hours later,the four of them stood on the rise near the tree line with the land spread out below like an invitation.
The afternoon sun slanted through the branches overhead, dappling the grass with shifting patterns of light and shadow.The ruins of Norman House sat behind them, still raw and dark against the green, but somehow less oppressive from this angle.From here, you could see past it.You could see what might come next.
Kara Donnelly held a tablet in one hand and a folder in the other, her navy blazer buttoned despite the warmth.Jason had a measuring tape hooked to his belt and a pencil tucked behind his ear, already scanning the terrain with the practiced eye of a man who saw lumber dimensions where other people saw trees.Sabrina clutched her sketchbook against her chest like it might jump away if she let go, her knuckles pale around the edges.
Colby stood slightly behind her, close enough that his shoulder almost brushed hers.He could feel the tension radiating off her in waves, that particular kind of nervous energy that came from wanting something too much to say it out loud.
"So," Kara said, tapping something on her tablet."You've got official permission from the county to start with one structure as an accessory dwelling while we process the rest of your plan.That first cabin can go here or here."She pointed to two spots on the digital map she'd pulled up, then gestured toward the corresponding areas on the actual land."Both have good drainage and easy access to existing utilities.You won't have to run lines halfway across the property."
