Oh crap. I could not afford for Dooley to back out now.
Sadie’s body had been removed last night, but that also meant the foundation would have to be fixed. My stomach tightened. My entire life was going up in flames and fast.
“Liam, I’ll see you at the funeral home this afternoon. Call me if you need anything.”
“Will do, Clem. And thanks.”
We hung up, and my phone immediately rang again; this time it was Dooley.
I groaned and grimaced.
“Who is it?” Rufus asked.
“The man whose barn I’m supposed to be renovating. He’s upset about the body, and he’s also upset about the fact that no one’s there today.”
I glanced up into Rufus’s eyes and realized that my worst enemy was the one person I had to lean on.
He opened his palm. “Give me the phone.”
My fingers tightened around it. “Are you kidding? No way. I can’t have anyone making this worse.”
“Trust me. I won’t make it worse.”
I scowled at him. “Hey, Dooley,” I said, answering.
“Clem, I just don’t know about all this,” Dooley said, sounding like his mouth was full of chewing tobacco. “I’m sorry about Sadie and all, but the fact that y’all found her in the foundation gives me the heebie-jeebies. I can’t be living in no house where a dead body was found.”
“Dooley, didn’t your mother pass away in your own home?”
He paused. “Yeah, but that was different. She died in bed.”
“Exactly how is that different?”
“It just is,” he said smartly.
“What? Are you afraid of ghosts?”
If there was a rule in the South, it was do not ask a Southern man if he was afraid of anything, because the answer always came back,heck no.
I couldn’t see ghosts, but I knew if anything, Sadie wouldn’t be haunting Dooley. She’d be haunting one of the finishing stores. My dead friend had a love for kitchen tile that you wouldn’t believe.
“No, I ain’t afraid of nothin’,” he practically hollered. “Anyway, aren’t y’all supposed to be on a deadline?”
So we had moved from one area of frustration to another. “Liam’s in mourning, Dooley. He told his men to take the day off.”
“Well, nobody takes the day off at the peach farm. I can’t tell you the last time that I took a day off. Ain’t never heard of such a thing. I’m telling you right now that if you don’t get moving on my renovation, I ain’t gonna be forking over any more money—not for lumber, not for nothin’.”
“Okay,” I said quickly, “I’m heading out to the barn now to keep things moving.”
“I thought you weren’t a licensed contractor.”
Truth was, I had my license, I just didn’t use it because I preferred to do other things when it came to houses and barns.
“I am licensed,” I said through gritted teeth. “It’s just that Liam has the team.”
“There’s no team here now, Clementine. If you don’t get out here and start making this renovation look like it’s supposed to, the deal’s off. I’ll find someone else to do the job.”
I headed toward my truck. “Dooley, now don’t you go being all hotheaded. What would Dottie say?”
