Adulting Requires Cheesecake (Book 4, Lonstino & Greenwood Series)

Chapter 16 - Emma

LUKE

Even with all the cleaning I've been doing and the multiple bags of trash the guys helped me to take out, this place doesn't look any better. At least all the broken plaster on the walls seems to have stopped falling. We also removed all the laminate flooring, and the moldy smell is gone.

This building was a small skin care business owned by a couple. According to the people in the corner market, the divorce was bitter and in a jealous rage, the woman flooded the place and slammed a hammer repeatedly against the walls. It explains the state we found it in. I hope I can blow new life into this space and that I can create happy memories in it. For now, I just need to be patient and keep making fixes at every chance I get.

"At least we can see outside," I say to my new cat Cake. "Not that darkness ever bothered you."

Cake purrs loudly and jumps out of my arms to chase something I can't see. She's made herself at home in our apartment, and I like bringing her to the bakery to keep me company.

I hear a knock on the door and through the front window, Noah Tanner waves at me.

"Let me help you," I say after opening the door and seeing the two heavy toolboxes he's brought. "Thanks for coming."

"Anytime. You deserve help after all you did for Jordan while he had a broken foot." He smiles and I feel myself blushing. 

Accepting compliments doesn't come easy to me. I didn't help Jordan waiting for a reward. In fact, I owe it to him and my cousins for taking care of me when I was at my worst. When he came home after his vacation, he was bummed that he had to be confined to the apartment. He was in a lot of pain at the beginning, and I tried to cheer him up in the best way I know, which was making sure we always had good food around. I also drove him places and even rented a wheelchair to take him to a basketball game or just to take a walk around the neighborhood. I would have done the same for Michael or my cousins. Well, I did it before for Tristan.

I hand Noah my plans and the aged blueprints of the building. He gets what looks like a spray from a toolbox and looks up from the papers to the wall in front of us. He walks around the space following my plans and comparing them to the blueprints, measuring and then marking the walls. He sings as he works, and it's as pleasant as when he does it at Moonlight House. When he pulls a ring close to the front door, I realize that there is a space under the building. He asks me to hold a flashlight while he goes inside to look around. When he emerges, he's covered in spiderwebs and dust.

"The water lines are fine and there are no leakages as far as I could see." He dusts his arms to get the dirt off. "The mold and water damage were contained to this floor. As you can see on the bare floor, there's no lasting damage. It was all superficial."

"Does it mean it saves me money?"

"You are right. Oh," he says when Cake rubs herself against his legs. "I heard you had a cat. Didn't know it would be here." He bends and scratches her behind the ears. "What a beauty. Well, I have marked the places where I can drill to pull the water lines from the back to this area. Your toilet is old, but functions well so you can use it already. You need to replace all the sprinkler heads. They are corroded, but that won't break the bank. Don't use that hanging lightbulb anymore. If you get a good lamp, I will help you hang it, and I will change the cable to make sure we don't have a fire hazard. The power outlets are fine, just dirty, and they are quite cheap to replace if you want new ones. I will do the water line now and can start the electrical work tomorrow."

"This gives me hope. I was afraid you would tell me this place was worse than it looks."

"Moonlight House was awful too when we bought it." He laughs. "But time and patience made it what it is today."