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The only thing I was thinking about was getting to my girl as quickly as possible.

“Next time.”

“Are you planning on making more doorways?”

“Only if I have to.”

We share a laugh.

“All right, well, how about I show you how it’s done now?”

“What do you mean?”

Hollis shrugs. “I could teach you how to finish the job.”

“How long would it take?”

“It shouldn’t take more than a few hours. I don’t know what measurements you went off of—”

None. I cut just enough for me to fit through—wider than my shoulders and taller than my head. That’s it.

“—but a standard door won’t fit here, so we’ll have to cut a bigger opening first.”

Although I called it a door last night, I’m not ready to seal up the direct access this doorway provides.

“What if I don’t want a door on it?”

Hollis’s head tilts side to side. “You could frame and finish it, turn it into a cased opening.”

“That would look okay?”

“It’d look just like a doorjamb without the hardware.”

That’ll work.

“I mean, if you got the time…”

A quick glance at his watch. “I should.”

“And the patience.”

He just chuckles.

“Seriously, I don’t know what I’m doing,” I warn him.

“You will by the time we’re done.”

Hollis takes his time with me at the home improvement store, showing me exactly what to buy and why. He’s probably the smartest person I’ve ever met and has the patience of a fucking saint. I know I’d be annoyed with my dumb ass already, asking the most basic questions imaginable. You’d think I lived under a goddamn rock my whole life. Thankfully, Hollis is very generous with his knowledge. And time. Considering we spend at least an hour in the store, I know the actual work is bound to take longer than his original quote.

Back at the house, we get everything unloaded and upstairs, where the rest of the day is spent measuring, remeasuring, cutting, recutting, nailing, fitting in shims, filling in nail holes, caulking, priming, then finally sanding. Lightly.

“Gotta have a light hand here,” Hollis repeats while demonstrating the exact pressure to use.

After that, I take over, doing the majority of it myself. That’s how Hollis teaches, by example and then with positive reinforcement when he turns it over to me.

Before moving to Sea Haven, I didn’t know men could be this way—selfless, supportive, kind, inspiring. Not every man I’ve met here is like that, but Dex and Hollis definitely are. I’m glad they found me. I needed a new role model. Mine doesn’t seem to be as great as I’ve been led to believe.

Sanding complete, we stand back and examine our work. Just like when I built that bonfire on the beach, a wave of pride washes over me, except this one’s more like a tsunami. Damn. Is this what it feels like to create something? It’s more rewarding than getting my hand raised after a fight. If I’m being honest, that hasn’t been rewarding in years. It’s been expected. Required.