Chapter 7

Hayden arrived just as the moving trucks showed up. The driver confirmed that he was the intended recipient and started to instruct the loaders where to put things. Because of everything that needed to be done, Hayden requested that everything but the bedroom furniture be put in the center of the rooms. The whole process took a few hours, with Hayden issuing directions of what went where.

He ran to the local hardware store to order the paint he wanted and pick up rollers and brushes. The old man behind the counter raised his eyebrows at the amount of paint Hayden was buying.

“It’s a large house,” Hayden explained with a nervous chuckle. He also picked up several drop cloths and a box fan.

He loaded up his car with so much stuff that the back end almost touched the ground. He laughed hard when he saw it and thought about Clint’s advice. A truck sounded like something he may actually need, and he made a mental note to look into it. He drove home with his emergency flashers on, scraping the ground with the bottom of his car at every bump. He couldn’t help himself; every time it happened, he burst into gales of laughter. The fresh air must be getting to me, he thought as he bumped and ground his way back around his side of the lake.

He unloaded the contents of the car into the house, much to the appreciation of his Taurus, and put it all in the room it was intended for. He loved the new place; it was huge. Three floors, at least four bedrooms—one he would be turning into an office—two and a half baths, a balcony that overlooked the lake, and a finished basement. It was more house than he had ever dreamed of owning, but the price was cheap, given the recent slump in the economy, and his budget wasn’t hindered by much after Malcolm’s death.

He stood in the center of the house now, near the stairs that led up, and realized how wiped out he was. “Wish you were here, babe,” he said aloud. “I think you would like this place.”

He wandered up to the bedroom he’d claimed—the only room in the house where he’d actually had the movers arrange the furniture in its proper place—and looked it over.

Thank God I don’t have to go another night on the air mattress.

He walked over to the bed, turned around, and dropped down on it with a smile on his face. Closing his eyes, he put his hands behind his head and had started to drift off to sleep when his phone rang. His eyes popped open as he reached for the handset.

“Hello?”

“Hayden, my love. How was the move?” Amanda asked.

“Hey, girl. The move was fine. I got here last night, and the movers brought the furniture in today. There is a lot of work needed, but it’s good.” He sat up and pulled his legs in, Indian style. “When can you come and see it?”

“This weekend, if Terri lets me out of here,” she said a little louder than necessary. Hayden smirked, knowing Terri wasn’t far away. He knew he was right when he heard her voice.

“Is that Hayden? Let me talk to him,” Terri demanded, and sure enough her voice came through more clearly on the other end. Hayden grinned at the familiarity of the scene in his head.

“How are you, sweetheart? Did you get in okay? I don’t have to throw anyone in jail, do I?” Terri’s smoky voice sounded low and menacing.

He chuckled. “No, everything went fine. You should see this house. It’s massive, and the lake is beautiful. You should come up with Amanda,” he said, knowing she wouldn’t.

“You know, I just might.”

Her response shocked him. Terri Davis, out of the city of Boston and in the backwoods of Vermont was something that should be interesting.

“Well, awesome. I have plenty of room. Can you handle a paint brush?” he asked playfully.

“Honey, I can handle drug dealers, sex criminals, federal judges, and the Boston bar association. I can handle a paint brush. I’ll bring the wine. I have to get back to work, though. Here’s Amanda. Bye darling.” She handed the phone off.

“Can you believe that?” Amanda asked. “The only reason I’m not protesting about her coming is that I would give anything to see her handling a stepladder and some semi-gloss.”

“I heard that,” Terri’s voice carried in the background.

Amanda laughed. “Well, I guess we’ll see you Friday night, then. It shouldn’t take us long to get there at all. Two more days, honey, and the ladies will show up and show you how it’s done.”

They talked for a few more minutes and then hung up the phone. Hayden looked at the time and, realizing it was almost five, he decided to call Tommy before it got to dinner time. The phone rang twice and was picked up by a deep-voiced man.

“Hello?”

Hayden froze for a second. The timber of the voice sounded just like Malcolm’s. Hayden shook himself; that was stupid.

“Hello?” the voice asked again.

“Uh, hi. Is this Tommy?” Hayden choked out.

“Yeah, this is Tommy Law. Who is this?” He sounded curious and a little put off.

“Sorry, my name is Hayden. I met your friend Suzie today. She said you were a carpenter.” He stumbled through, standing up from the bed and pacing. Butterflies tied knots in his stomach and made him uncomfortable.

“Yeah, that’s right. You need some work done?”

“Actually, yes, I do. I just bought the old Woodbridge place. Need some cosmetic stuff done, if you don’t mind. I will pay well.”

“Sounds great. I’ve always admired that house. Can I swing by tomorrow and take a look at what you need done?” The man’s voice was deep but it was half an octave lower than Malcolm’s had been, and with a different accent all together.

“Sure. The faster I can get it done the better. Say around one?” Hayden suggested.

“One o’clock sounds great. See you then, Hayden,” Tommy said, and the line went dead.

“See ya,” Hayden whispered to the phone as he looked at it. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he needed to eat. He figured now that he had a refrigerator, he should go shopping for groceries. Besides, the ladies would be there in a few days and he had better be prepared to feed them, at least. His stomach rumbled again. Better not go shopping on an empty stomach. He figured he had better head back to the diner and eat there first.

A knock sounded at the door and he walked to open it up. It was Rose Demeter—along with two other ladies from the post office—holding a basket and grinning from ear to ear.