“I’m wondering about selling your property. I know you’re still in the thinking stage, but if you aren’t going to do anything with it, now is a great time to sell.” Nathan tucked his hands into his pockets, rocked back on his heels. “It’s a buyer’s market, and I’ve got several people looking to buy property they can build on.”
“I don’t know, Nathan. I still haven’t made a decision.”
Nathan nodded, a short jerk of his head. “Well, let me know. I can get you a great price.”
“What was that all about?” Seth raised his chin at Nathan’s retreating back.
“He’s been after me to sell my property for a while. He said there are people looking to buy a property to build a home on.”
“Isn’t that what you always planned to do?” Seth kept his voice low.
Yep. He’d even put a trailer out there and saved up money for a down payment on the cabin he hoped to build. Before the accident stole all of that away. “He’s probably right. I should sell. Move on with my life. I haven’t even been up there since before the accident.” He’d needed full-time care for a while, so moving in with his mom had made sense.
“Are you sure that’s really what you want to do?” Seth took a swallow of his Coke. “I mean, you’ve had that land for a long time.”
“I’d love to live out there.” He could even picture the log cabin he’d build. Loads of bedrooms, a great room with a floor-to-cathedral-ceiling fireplace… “But it’s too far from town. If we had a big snowstorm, I’d be stranded with just my bike. Plus, I don’t know how I’d afford it.”
“Don’t you have a check from the insurance company for your truck?”
The insurance check from his totaled semitrailer lay heavy on his mind. The settlement had finally come in almost six months ago. He still had a hard time believing that the accident had ruined his brand-new lumber hauling truck. He’d bought the rig with some of the cash he’d saved from his Army bonus. Had planned on making his job as a driver-for-hire with Turnquist Lumber a career, maybe picking up other driving jobs along the way.
“I’m not cashing that. I’m not even opening the red envelope it came in. I don’t want a new truck. It doesn’t really belong to me.” It belonged to an earlier version of himself. Someone who could have been a hero.
“Seems a shame to let all that money go to waste.”
He knew that, he really did, but taking that money seemed wrong somehow. Besides, “I think I survived that accident for a reason. I wish I knew what that reason was. Now that I’m not in pain every time I get out of bed, I’m feeling…something. I don’t know…” Under the table he stretched his legs, and an ache crept up his thighs. “There must be a reason, right?”
“I don’t know if we know the reasons for everything this side of heaven, but I do know that we should all make the most of the life we’ve been given.” Seth pushed his dinner plate aside and laced his fingers together. “God has gifted each of us with a purpose. Even small things become holy in His hands.”
Sammy finished off his fries, giving himself a minute to respond. “I know you’re right. I hope I don’t mess it up. I thought going into the Army was God’s purpose, but two years as a mortar maggot before my medical discharge? Not very purpose-filled. Then I thought logging was His purpose, but…” He gestured at his legs. Remembered his…other reasons for never driving. “Neither of those things worked out. How am I supposed to know what to do?” He ran a hand through his short hair.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Seth started to say more but was cut off by the start of the trivia game.
An hour and a half later, armed with promises from the guys to help out at the youth center, Sammy ordered another fish burger to go. He’d bring this one home for his mom. As he stood to go, Vivien threaded her way through the tables.
She walked over to Boone and kissed the top of his head. There were a few catcalls, which she smiled at. Vivien’s dark hair hung limp, and Sammy saw circles under her eyes.
“Sammy, I’m glad I caught you. I was up at the youth center and saw that you’re on the schedule for tomorrow. The furnace finally gave out.” She sighed and then sat down in the empty chair next to Boone. “You won’t need to come in for your shift tomorrow.”
Oh no. “Want me to come take a look at the furnace? I know a thing or two about HVAC.”
“No, that’s all right. We had someone come out from the hardware store.” She swiped a few fries from Boone’s plate and dipped them in some ranch dressing. “He said we need to replace the whole thing. That baby’s been running since 1987, if you can believe it.”
Sammy had been in the youth center. He could believe it.
“We can’t get the new furnace for a while. Well, we can’t get the funds for a new furnace, anyway. You may as well plan on being off duty up there for several weeks. We’ll have to drum up some donations.”
Great. So much for his hard work convincing the guys to take more shifts.
The youth center received a tiny budget from the town and had a few donations trickle in every month, but Sammy knew that would never stretch to a project like this. “A new furnace for a building that size will cost, what, like ten grand?”
“Possibly even more if they have to retrofit any of the venting or anything.” Vivien waved a hand as though the problems were gnats flying in front of her face. “Anyway, I’m trying to figure out everything that needs to be dealt with while the center is closed. I know the school had been hoping to hold their Snowball Dance up there in a few weeks, but they’re going to have to move it back to the high school.”
Sammy agreed to make a few calls of his own. He’d need to let Ben know they had to meet somewhere else. Maybe the coffee shop or the bakery.
Seth nudged him. “Too bad we don’t know anyone with a pile of cash.”
He shot Seth a look. Enough already.
