“Go,” I insisted. “I’ll figure out the rest.”
He finally gave in, nodding and pulling his phone out. “Okay. Thanks, boss.”
“Don’t even mention it. This is a big deal. Way more important things are happening there than here with the roof trusses.”
With that, he tapped his phone and put it up to his ear to make a call, walking away and waving at the same time. As he left, my stomach sank, my mind reeling. There had to be a way to avoid the roof, right? I sighed and wiped the wood shavings and sawdust from my face with one hand.At least I have until tomorrow to figure it out.
That evening, I tried to relax on the couch after physical therapy. Instead, all I could think about was how I’d be getting on a ladder the next day. My mind raced, bouncing between trying to get out of it and trying to tell myself I’d be fine and I was being stupid to worry. Maybe Jake could take the measurements. Or… someone else. Hell,anyoneelse. After a half hour of stressing, my phone buzzed with an incoming text. I frowned and glanced at my phone, thinking it might be an update from Tyler. Instead, it was Micah. One word, followed by a winking emoji.
Micah: Busy?
I half-smiled at the phone, heart fluttering in my chest. I wanted to answer him honestly. I also wanted to invite him to come over and help me de-stress and focus on something else for a little while, which is what I suspected he’d had in mind whenhe’d texted. What I wanted most of all, though, was someone to talk to about the sense of dread and impending doom hanging over me.
Asher: Not terribly. Just having a panic attack. You?
His reply came almost immediately.
Micah: Wait, what? Are you okay?
Asher: I’ve been better.
Micah: What’s wrong?
Asher: Have you heard the phrase, “face your fears”?
Micah: Yeah, of course.
Asher: Looks like I get to do just that tomorrow with the entire production team’s eyes on me.
The dots appeared that indicated he was typing, before they disappeared, reappeared, and disappeared again. A moment later, my phone rang, Micah’s number dancing on my screen.
“Hey,” I murmured, trying to keep an even tone.
“Are you okay?”
My laugh was weak, even to my own ears. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m probably just being dramatic. Don’t worry about me.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
Micah’s tone was firm. “Ash.”
“I’m just stressed about work. That’s all.”
“Asher.”
I sighed softly, caving in. “Fine. Jake told me today that the roof trusses, at least two of them, need full replacing. Apparently the roofers found a leak nobody had noticed before, and the wood is rotting through. I have to get up on the roof tomorrow to measure the pieces and start fabricating as quickly as possible.”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “I heard about that through the grapevine. Max had a full-on fit when he heard. He’s stressing about the timeline. The roofers are going to a different job whilethat’s being repaired. They can’t afford to just wait around and do nothing.”
“I know,” I said. My voice sounded miserable.
“What’s wrong with that? Are you worried about the timeline? Not getting it done quickly enough?”
I laughed, but it was a harsh sound. “I wish that’s what I was worried about. But no. I’m… remember the night we had to go by the job site? I had to get on a ladder to do some measurements.”
“You’re afraid of falling again?”
