He stated, “Weather’s gonna turn. She needs insulation. She got a furnace?”
Max nodded, heading toward Deke. “She’s got one, AC too, ducts in. Been months, Deke, think they’re good but need you to go over them and install the thermostats.”
“Insulation first,” Deke returned.
Max shook his head. “Got that equipment working at the Porter place next couple of days. It’ll be free on Thursday.”
“Can’t drywall without it, Max. And she needs the walls up,” Deke retorted.
Max looked to me. “Got a choice, Ju…uh, Jus,” he started. “We recommend that you blow foam insulation in and that’s what’s on your job spec. Lasts longer, works better, keeps utility bills down, doesn’t settle or need replacement as quickly, keeps rodents and bugs out, doesn’t hold water. Deke’s right, we were ready to spray the foam in before this build came to a halt. Deke can sort out your furnace but not much more he can do until the insulation is in. You want him to start, we can get cellulose or fiberglass but it’s not recommended.”
“Work on the deck.”
Both Max and I turned to see Deke had moved to stand at the big window where the kitchen would someday be.
When he had our attention, he kept his on Max and declared, “Not a priority but she’s got the lumber somewhere, can get that going. Spend today inventorying what she’s got here, make sure it’s what she wants and it’s enough. We need more, you get on that. Something she doesn’t like, she works with Mindy to order it so we got it when we get to it. Spend the rest of the time after I get heat sorted out until the equipment is free on the deck. Weather turning and if we have a rough winter, that deck might not get done until spring.”
Max moved his way, speaking. “On the plans, there’s an outside fire pit meant to be built in stone, up the middle of the deck. Got a gas line laid to it, but plan has it multi-functional, gas and wood burning. Stone’s under a tarp outside. So is the lumber, if a miracle happened and no one got to it while this house was sitting, waiting to be sold.”
That miracle happened. I’d seen those stacks outside.
Thank God.
“Got the plans?” Deke asked.
“In my truck,” Max answered.
“Right, won’t be a problem. Show me the rest?” Deke prompted.
“Let’s move,” Max replied.
I stood there feeling like I wasn’t there until Max caught my eyes and grinned at me when they were going to move by me.
Deke didn’t even look at me.
“Uh, can I just say…?” I called when they’d almost hit the doorframe to the hall.
Both men stopped and looked at me.
“I’m happy for anything getting done but when work starts inside the house, can I get my utility room first?” I requested.
Another grin from Max. “Women and laundry.”
I gave a slight shrug. “What can I say? We can’t recycle clothes like dudes can, turning them inside out and wearing them again.”
Max chuckled.
Deke stared at me, expressionless.
“Once the insulation is in and we got your furnace running, Deke’ll give you a utility room,” Max agreed.
“Awesome,” I said on a bright smile I hoped didn’t look too forced.
Max lifted his chin, turned away and disappeared through the doorframe.
Deke just looked away and disappeared through the doorframe.
As for me, I stood there and stared at the empty doorframe.
Right, this was happening.
I met a guy who asked me out and stood me up and now I’d met him again and he didn’t remember me.
Whatever.
It was not a big deal.
Sure, I’d written a song for him. I’d recorded it. I’d released an album with that song on it. It and the whole album had been critically acclaimed, sold relatively well and nominated for awards.
So what?
He didn’t know that.
He didn’t know me, the me he asked out or the me I turned out to be.
Now he was going to install my deck, inventory the stuff in my house, blow insulation in my walls, make my furnace work and give me a utility room.
No big deal.
I had bigger things happening in my life.
Deke Whoever-He-Was and the fact he was totally immune to me was not one of them.
I’d learned one thing in my life really well.
How to move on.
My dad was dead and I’d made the decision to move on.
So I was moving on.
*
Two hours later, I stood in one of the minimal open spaces left in my packed-full garage and watched Deke set a box on top of an alarmingly large stack of boxes he’d shifted aside as we’d gone through the stuff that was there.
Prior to putting in the offer on the house, I’d had a look, but not knowing what was what or where it would go, I obviously didn’t look closely.
Now that I’d lived in the house and we’d gone through things thoroughly, that large stack of boxes was fixtures and fittings I’d nixed.