I guess good things only happen to other people…
“You know, if you’re going to be sticking around for a while, you should talk to Jake about helping you out with anything you may need for the house,” Sam suggested. “I mean, I know you worked construction for years while you were in school, but he can probably help you out with materials and helpers, if you want.”
It wasn’t something he wanted to commit to right now, especially since he wanted to do the work himself.
And keep all the profits too.
Unlike the rest of the Coleman family, Austin and his brothers didn’t have it so easy. Because their father walked out on them when they were small—leaving his mother alone to raise three boys—they always struggled. Sam and Mallory grew up in a similar situation—and not in Magnolia—but to him, he and his brothers had it worse. It didn’t matter that he’d had a good job up in Baltimore or that he’d learned to live frugally and invest his money; the fact was that if he ever wanted to get ahead and have his own firm, he needed to bank as much money as possible while he could.
Like now.
And if that meant working day and night on Ryder’s house, he’d do it.
No matter how backbreaking it was.
“I’ll think about it,” he said when he realized Sam was still looking at him. Letting out a long breath, he looked at the house again. “So, who all is here?”
“Um…well, obviously my mom and Colton.”
“Obviously.”
“Me and Shelby, Jake and Mallory and their little girl, Mason and Scarlett and their son, Peyton, Parker, your mother…oh, and Uncle Beau and Aunt Georgia.”
“Great,” he murmured and was relieved when Sam laughed.
“Yeah, I still feel like that when I hear they’re going to be someplace,” he confided. “But believe it or not, they are mellowing.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Then brace yourself. Mason’s wife made a huge impact on their family and is kind of famous for putting Aunt Georgia in her place whenever she gets a little too snooty.”
“So she just corrects her all the time then,” he deadpanned.
Sam laughed loudly at that. “Not as much as she used to, but in the beginning? Pretty much. Ever since Asher was born, Scarlett’s mellowed a bit, but then again, so has Aunt Georgia. Not that I’m saying she won’t say something that will rub you the wrong way, but…you can certainly steer clear of her if you really try.”
“Somehow, I doubt it. If there’s one thing I remember about her, it’s like she’s got some sort of sixth sense when someone she considers weaker—or poorer—than her enters the room. God knows she’s always brutal with my mom.”
“Believe it or not, that’s changed a bit too. Again, thanks to Scarlett. I really think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.”
“It takes a lot to surprise me these days, Sam.”
“Then brace yourself, little cousin,” Sam said, playfully wrapping an arm around Austin’s shoulders. “The Coleman family has changed a lot over the last few years and while I can’t say we’re perfect, we’re certainly a lot closer.”
Unable to help himself, Austin chuckled. “Are we sure that’s a good thing?”
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out.” He paused. “You ready to head in?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
2
“So I think I’ve finally managed to kick my writer’s block.”
“Really? That’s awesome! I knew coming to the beach would be good for you. Just like I knew you’d be able to ignore the noise coming from the house next door.”
“Yeah, no. I haven’t been able to ignore it.”
“Oh. Then what finally helped?”
“I’m imagining killing my next-door neighbor,” Mia said as she rubbed her temple.
“Um…what?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m not only imagining it, I’m writing it. Started a new book about it and everything. I’ve written about thirty thousand words on it already.”
“Yikes,” her best friend Sydney said. It was Sunday night and they were chatting on the phone. “Shouldn’t you be working on…you know…your current book?”
“I wish I could! This guy is so damn loud all day long! Yesterday, he was gone for most of the day and it was glorious. But other than that, he’s been working on the house. And just when I think he’s done—like no more power tools running—he turns on some music and sings along with it while he grills his dinner. Loudly.”
“How do you loudly grill?”
“Not the grilling, Syd, the singing. The singing is just ridiculously loud. And awful. He seriously can’t carry a tune and doesn’t seem to care.”
“Okay, so you’re still cranky.”
“Oh, this isn’t cranky, this is motivated. You see, I’ve come up with the perfect plot for this book. My PI is going to go and investigate a missing handyman and he’s going to interview all the neighbors and people he’s worked for and they’ll all have motives to kill him because he’s so damn loud and annoying.”
“Mia, come on. That’s a thin plot and you know it. I get that you’re frustrated with the way things are going, but have you called your rental agent and complained? Maybe they know the owner next door and can talk to him.”
“I called the rental agent twice and now she’s not returning my calls. You know what that means, right?”
“She’s busy?”
“It’s the off-season at the beach! How busy could she be? Meanwhile, I’m ready to lose my mind because he’s so inconsiderate!”
“Have you told him he’s being inconsiderate?”
Mia sighed loudly. “What do you think? You know I’m not confrontational.”
“Okay. I get it,” Sydney said slowly. “But maybe you can go over there and talk to him and maybe come to some sort of agreement where he’s not using power tools at all hours of the day and night.”
She sighed wearily. “I already called the town and he’s completely within the hours where he’s allowed to make that kind of noise with the tools. It’s no one’s fault but mine that I enjoy sleeping in and need some peace and quiet to focus on this book. Although, this was the kind of noise I was dealing with back in Boston. Maybe I should just go home…”
“No! Come on. You just got here,” Sydney argued. “It’s going to get better. I promise.”
“I don’t know. I don’t have time to keep dealing with this sort of thing. I’m already behind schedule…”
“How about this—I’ll come over tomorrow and spend the entire day. This will be the first time we can actually…you know…work together! And considering I’m your assistant, that’s just weird.”
“I guess it would be good for us to start planning ahead for the next release and talk strategy…”
“Exactly. Then, while I’m there, I’ll get a feel for what the noise pattern is and how to help you work around it. And—if need be—I’ll go over and talk to this guy. I’m pregnant and most people won’t argue with an emotional pregnant woman. Or better yet, we’ll have Kyle go over and talk to him. You know, handyman to handyman.”