He whistles. “Uh oh. Sounds like I got here right in time.”
An almighty crash rings out.
“What was that?” I ask, tracking the source of the sound to the back of the diner.
“Hell if I know,” Sam mutters. “Let’s go check it out.” He leads the way.
“Just burn it. Burn it all. I’ll start over in a new town.” Nico emerges from a back room and throws his hands up in the air.
Lina pats his shoulder. “You need those papers, Dad. It’s kind of a legal requirement. And burning a building to start over is insurance fraud.”
“I need space to breathe. And there is not enough space in there.” Nico gestures violently toward the room he stepped out of.
Curious, I peek inside. It’s the tiniest office in the world, crammed full of stuff. Boxes of paperwork, large furniture, and photo frames cover every wall. It’s making me feel claustrophobic. I remember Win’s defeated sigh when he said he tried to help Nico organize his office, and I understand why they failed.
I just peeked. Sam is nosy as all hell and walks in there.
“Uh, Sam?” I call after him.
He looks around, hands on his hips. “You’re not making the most of the height of this room. It’s small, but you have options.”
We all stare at him.
He points. “Vertical space would give you room to store the files. With a built-in desk under wall-mounted storage and a slim ladder tucked neatly away, you’d have important files you don’t need to access often up there, and you could still easily reach them. That big desk alone is taking up an insane amount of floor space, considering you’re just using it to pile files on it.”
Nico drifts over to him as if he’s his savior. “That’s it,” he breathes. “That’sexactlywhat I need. Who are you?”
“Sam Hayes.” He shakes Nico’s hand. “I’m a carpenter. I’m in town for a bit to check on my sister-in-law and my nephew. If you can get me supplies, I can sketch something out and build the storage you need. Looks like a fun little project, so I wouldn’t charge you.”
Nico flings his arms around him. Sam’s eyes widen, then he glances at me and gently pats Nico’s back with one hand as I try not to laugh.
“He’s Ben’s cool uncle,” I tell Lina. “Sam often has that effect on people.”
“What happened to the job at the hardware store?” I ask Sam once Nico’s released him from the hug. Sam hated the job, mostly because it was so quiet. He’s as much of an extrovert as Ben and Simon. Being around people and staying busy is hard-wired into all the Hayes.
Sam shrugs. “The boredom nearly killed me, so I quit. Something else will come up, and it’s not like I was paying rent anyway to need it.” A smug smile spreads across his face. “I’m the cool uncle, huh?”
I roll my eyes at him. “I was trying to deflate your big head. Should’ve known I was wasting my time with a head that big.”
But the opposite is true. He is an insanely talented carpenter who doesn’t believe in his talent as much as he should. As Sam's uncle, he rocks. As a carpenter, he doesn’t put himself out there enough, so this offer to build storage for Nico is a big surprise. Maybe he thinks he has nothing to lose if he disappoints since he’s only in town for a few days visiting Ben and me.
Sam and Nico head into the office, and Lina returns to dealing with customers. Win is in the kitchen, busy working. I don’t know why my attention swung to him just now or why it feels like something is wrong.
Then it hits me.
He’s not singing badly and loudly.
He’s too quiet.
Chapter 24
Rose
“You should invite him over.” Sam stares at Win as he sips the last of his chocolate shake.
We left Nico’s office with a plan for Sam to sketch ideas for the office after taking some quick measurements and prioritizing Nico’s wants and needs.
I bounce my gaze between Sam and Win, who still isn’t singing. “Are you going to kill him?”
