Courting the Clearwaters

by Jill Penrod

Chapter 6

  By Wednesday, Shawn was beginning to panic. No jobs had presented themselves, and in a few days the high school kids in town would be done for the year and even the lower-paying jobs would be gone. He knew he would have to settle for minimum wage, and then he’d graduate a semester or two later, and the idea just hurt. He was ready to be done with this part of his life. He’d been here, barely making ends meet, long enough. While he would continue to help support his family, his help would really help once he got a computer job somewhere. And he’d get benefits, as well, lightening the burden more.

  He walked to the mailbox, looking down the street as he did. This wasn’t nearly the neighborhood where Jenny lived, but it was still nice. Little brick ranches, lots of shady trees, nothing to be ashamed of. With the school kids still at school, it was quiet, although not many kids lived here. The street was largely elderly people, which was good for Tony’s lawn mowing ambitions.

  Sifting through the mail, he was surprised to see Seth’s handwriting, and he opened the letter as he walked back inside. It hadn’t gotten hot yet this year, so he left the front door open so he could hear the birds outside.

  “Okay, Seth, what’s up?” he said. He pulled out a short note and a newspaper clipping from the campus paper. Shawn didn’t even realize the campus paper ran in the summer.

  “Shawn” he said, reading the note aloud, “I was doing my quiet time this morning and praying for you. Within ten minutes these two things caught my eye. Maybe it’s something you should consider.”

  Seth had written down a Bible passage, and Shawn looked at the ad as he went upstairs for his Bible. He had to laugh. Clearwater Homes hoped to hire a couple college guys to help with cleanup and odd jobs on their construction sites this summer. They hoped for someone experienced in construction, but it wasn’t necessary.

  “Not what I was hoping for, but I do look better with a good tan,” he said. He opened his Bible and lay across his bed, surprised at what the passage said.

  The story was about a young man named Jacob who loved a woman so much he worked for her father seven years—no, fourteen years total—to marry her. Shawn had read about Jacob’s father, Isaac, in the courtship article, as being a model of a godly marriage arrangement. He wondered if they felt Jacob’s arrangement was godly, too.

  Shawn spent the next half hour reading about Jacob’s life. While not perfect, the man seemed to trust in God; God even gave him the name Israel to pass down. Never did the text speak of his marriage as being a mistake, although the wife later died in childbirth. The more he read, the more he began to think Seth’s idea was a good one. He would make enough money to go back to school in the fall, and he could spend some time with Mr. Clearwater, or at least his foremen and employees, and begin to build some relationship there, in case someday he decided to have thoughts of marrying his daughter. Well, okay, more thoughts of marrying his daughter.

  It was a plan, more of a plan than he’d had so far. He sat down at his computer and printed out his resume, deciding he’d deliver it today.

  Midway through his first day, Shawn remembered why he’d decided to go into computers. He’d been on his knees for hours, screwing down floors with a loud piece of equipment, so his back hurt, and in the hot space he was sweating puddles on the hardwood. He was glad he’d continued to work out all year, or he knew he’d be more miserable than he already was.

  When the foreman called lunch, Shawn gladly dropped his screwdriver and forced himself upright. His knee was not appreciating this, but he stretched it and managed to walk out of the house without a limp. Everyone drank water for a few minutes before eating.

  “Finally getting hot,” Sam said, wiping grit across his face with a gloved hand. “Carpenter, how you doing in there?”

  “I’ll have it done by the end of the day.”

  “Good. Nice to have someone on board this summer who knows the business. Ever done any roofing?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. When Mr. Clearwater gets here this afternoon, remind me to have him talk to you. I’ll let you know which one’s him.”

  “I, um, know him already,” Shawn said. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

  He ate with the drywallers, who always impressed him with their sheer strength. They talked shop most of lunch, which was fine with Shawn, as he didn’t feel much like talking, trying to catch his breath in the heat. Absently he straightened his leg, cringing and wondering how he would ever make it through the summer with a bum knee. And I didn’t even get the ball over the net, he thought. What a waste.

  The group was cleaning up to leave when Mr. Clearwater arrived. Shawn was almost surprised to see the man in a pickup wearing jeans and a dirty T-shirt. He grinned when he saw Shawn.

  “Mr. Carpenter, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here. You did say you were looking for work and had experience in this area. No computer work came up, I guess?”

  “Computers?” Sam asked, wrinkling his nose. “This kid’s too good out here to be an office man.”

  “Good to hear,” Mr. Clearwater said.

  “He also knows roofing,” Sam said, nodding. Shawn suddenly knew he was in trouble.

  “Ah. Mr. Carpenter, were you aware that your college group is helping at Hope Homes this Saturday?”

  “Yes, sir. I plan to be there.”

  “Wonderful. Would you head a roofing crew? Marty and I have to be away this weekend, and Jenny can help with the siding at one house, but I’d like to have people roofing as well.”

  “I, ah, suppose I can do that.”

  “Good sport,” Sam said, clapping Shawn on the back.

  “It’s Thursday,” Mr. Clearwater said. “Tomorrow just go to the new Hope site, and you can help Jenny get ready. Do you know where it is?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Great. God has put you in the right place at the right time. And thank you for the computer, by the way. My family likes having me home.”

  Shawn smiled and watched the pair, foreman and builder, wander away passionately discussing some finer point of home building. Although he wasn’t happy to be put in charge of a site, he thought he could do it. One summer he’d done nothing but roof, so he knew he was competent at the physical part of it. He wasn’t so sure about directing people, though. He felt safe with machines and electronics; groups of people were something else entirely. He could almost hear Seth tell him this was an opportunity for growth. He had to laugh.

  “You’re limping,” Seth said as Shawn walked across his living room and fell facedown onto the couch.

  “Yes, I am. And I’m hot and tired and in serious need of a shower. By mid-summer I’m fine, but the first few days are killers.”

  Seth grinned and pulled a towel out of his linen closet, tossing it on Shawn’s back.

  “Thanks,” Shawn said. He had no clean clothes, but it would feel good to get the dirt off his body and out of his hair.

  Hot water soothed his knee. He spent several minutes basking in the spray, lathering his hair twice to get the dust and dirt out. When he finally turned off the water and stepped out, he was moving with less pain, and he picked up his shirt and decided he wasn’t going to put it back on. Seth might ask questions, but he already knew about his accident, and it seemed entirely rude to come to dinner smelling like a construction site.

  “Seth,” he said when he came out, “can I borrow a T-shirt?”

  “Sure,” Seth said, looking hard at Shawn’s shoulder. Grinning, Shawn slowly turned, his arms out, so Seth could see it all.

  “Sorry,” Seth said, turning red. “I didn’t even realize I was staring.”

  “It’s okay,” Shawn said, shrugging. “When it first happened I spent hours with a mirror staring at it myself.”

  Seth left the room, returning with a shirt. He slipped it over his head and went into the kitchen to help his friend prepare dinner.

  “Was it a house fire?” Seth as
ked, looking uncomfortable.

  “It was. Curtain caught fire. Cigarette set it. It’s okay. You look like you’re about to bolt out of here.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Shawn had to chuckle, slapping Seth across the back in a friendly way and shaking his head.

  “My friend, I’ve never seen you uncomfortable. Nice to know you have your weaknesses, too.”

  The tension broke, and Seth handed Shawn a salad to put on the small kitchen table. In a moment they were seated, and Seth said a grace before they ate. He’d made burgers, and it turned out Seth could cook.

  “Great food.”

  “Thanks. So, the first day was rough?”

  “Oh, no more than usual, I guess. Taking a nine-month break isn’t good for the body.”

  “But the knee—is it a good idea for you to do construction this summer?”

  “We’ll find out,” Shawn said, trying to ignore the true concern in his friend’s eyes. It irritated him a bit to be questioned this way.

  “I feel responsible,” Seth said, “since I sort of suggested this job.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Shawn said firmly. “I have news. Are you coming out to Hope Homes Saturday?”

  “Yes,” Seth said hesitantly. “Is this not a good thing?”

  “Mr. Clearwater put me in charge of a site. Roofing. Jenny’s doing siding on another house.”

  “I hate siding,” Seth said. “Every summer since I was big enough to pick up a hammer I’ve spent weekends at Hope, and I always end up siding houses, and I always get half my wall done and realize the pieces didn’t snap together on the bottom piece, and I have to start from scratch.”

  Shawn chuckled, having done this himself once when a pair of siders tried to teach him their skill.

  “Maybe I’ll ask for you on the roofing team,” Shawn said.

  “Please do. I hear it’s going to be hot this weekend, too. So, how do you feel about being a foreman?”

  “I’m not a leader. But, I guess it could be worse. I was afraid he’d throw me off the site or something.”

  “Did it really go that badly between you?” Seth asked, scowling.

  “No. I wonder if I lied to him, though. I told him I just want to be Jenny’s friend, and I do, but every time I’m with her I just…really like being with her. I promised to guard her heart, and I don’t know if I will. I’m not really sure what that means.”

  “You will,” Seth said with certainty. “Don’t think so much, Shawn Carpenter.”

  “I’m a construction worker. I have lots of time to do nothing but think.”

  “True. Sing hymns.”

  “I don’t know any yet. Well, I know a few words of a bunch now, but replaying five words over and over in one’s head for eight hours can drive a person nuts.”

  “True.”

  By the end of the meal Shawn was beat, and he sat in front of Seth’s TV and mindlessly surfed through channels.

  “Mind if I crash here tonight? I’m too tired to drive home. I spent all day on my knees screwing down floors.”

  “Sure. You’ll stop working this job if it really hurts, won’t you?”

  “Yes, Dad,” Shawn said, looking up with a smile. He tossed Seth the TV remote.

  “Okay, okay,” Seth said. “Are you too tired for a movie?”

  “Just don’t make me get up.”

  “I rented something today. We can watch it if you want.”

  “Sure,” Shawn said. “Let me call home first. Thanks for letting me stay.”

  “I’m surprised to see you nervous,” Jenny said, grinning.

  “Why?” Shawn asked, unable to stop pacing around the church parking lot.

  “Yesterday, when we were organizing this thing, you seemed entirely at ease.”

  “Organizing is easy. Leading people is not.”

  “You get used to it,” she said. She scowled. “I watched you yesterday and at my house. You like to use your hands, don’t you?”

  “I do. I’m pretty good at figuring out how and why things work.”

  “People aren’t that different. I like to figure out how and why they work.”

  “I suppose you’re right. But they can laugh and reject you. A computer or a screwdriver won’t.”

  “Is that what you’re nervous about now? Being laughed at?”

  Jenny had a knack for asking bold questions, but she always said things in such a way he never felt she was pushing or prying.

  “I want to see a roof come together today. If it doesn’t, I’m responsible.”

  “You don’t like responsibility?” she asked, grinning.

  “Nope,” he said, playing into it. “Carefree and extravagant—that’s me.”

  She laughed, her eyes sparkling in the morning sun. Both yesterday and today she’d worn old jeans and a T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Her long hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore a heavy tool belt at her waist. He’d seen her use the tools, and he knew she was both skilled and strong; she’d worked with her dad for many years.

  Seth brought Julie, who also worked at Hope, and she dressed just like Jenny. Shorter than her friend, she had the strongest arms Shawn had ever seen on a lady, and she held her short hair away from her face with a blue bandana. Seth towered over her.

  “Ready for this?” Seth asked.

  “Maybe,” Shawn said. Julie smiled.

  “You’re worried? After yesterday?”

  “I don’t know what you did,” Seth said to Shawn, “but you really impressed Julie here.”

  “I moved roofing and siding materials,” Shawn said, shrugging.

  “No, you knew what they were,” Julie corrected. “Every summer Jenny and I deal with college guys—and high school guys—who think they know everything about construction but who panic on a ladder and cry when they pound their thumbs.”

  “Shawn here knows as much as you did,” Jenny said to Seth, smiling. “Until, of course, you abandoned us to get a real job.”

  “Sorry, ladies,” Seth said. “That’s why I sent you Shawn here. You two girls spend a whole summer without a smart guy around, and we’ll all be in trouble.”

  Their light banter didn’t help Shawn, who tuned most of it out and watched cars come onto the lot. Most had worked at Hope several times, and Jenny knew their strengths, so she would organize the groups, although she insisted Shawn be the leader of the entire thing. She had admitted she wasn’t delighted being in charge herself.

  So far, the day was cool, the sky full of clouds, and Jenny broke the group in half just a couple minutes after their meeting time, afraid rain would shorten their day.

  “Okay,” she said to Shawn, “tell them what’s up today.”

  Shawn cleared his throat and wondered how he had ever ended up here. “We have two sites to work on today. They’re within sight of each other, so we’ll break together for lunch. I’ll be in charge of a roofing team, and Jenny will help the rest of you put up vinyl siding. She’s already divided you, but if you want to change, that’s fine. I do ask that anyone with a problem with heights work with Jenny. We don’t need any accidents. Watch out for each other, and don’t hesitate to warn people if you think they may be endangering themselves. Hope Homes has had four straight summers without any injury requiring a hospital visit. Let’s make it five, okay? Jenny, anything to add?”

  “Nope. We’re the first group this summer, guys. Let’s get as much done as we can. I’ve met one of the families who will be living in these houses. It’s a couple with three kids under the age of five. They need a house soon.”

  “Can we pray before we go?” Seth asked.

  “Sure,” Shawn said, feeling he should have thought of that himself. “Would you do the honors?”

  “Of course. Let’s pray.”

  Everyone bowed their heads, and Shawn listened to his friend ask a blessing for the day, for safety and encouraging words and fellowship. Seth had no fear of speaking i
n groups; he’d make a great missionary someday. Shawn had yet to pray in public, and he was rather fearful to try. He wasn’t sure what frightened him, especially since he prayed often throughout the day. He loved the idea that he could talk to God any time, and he’d always have an audience. He wondered if it would be so exciting to him if his own father had been available.

  Shawn rode to the site with Seth, Julie, and Mark. It took very little time to pass out tools and get everyone working. Soon he sat on the roof with Seth, who was meticulous and rather slow.

  “I’m afraid Julie really has a thing for you.”

  “I know. What do I do? This has never happened to me before.”

  “You’re not kidding, are you?” Seth said, looking genuinely surprised.

  “Dating was never a priority for me. I’ve worked, a lot, ever since I was sixteen.”

  Seth shook his head a little and frowned. “Since you lost your father?”

  “It was hard for Mom.” He shrugged, wanting out of this conversation. When someone called for his help, he left and then moved around the roof and finally to the ground to help the cleanup crew, never quite getting back to the conversation.

  The clouds broke around ten thirty, and the people on the roof happily turned over their positions to those on the ground. Shawn spent too much time on the ladder, and he knew his pain was obvious. Once he caught Seth watching him with a scowl, but he didn’t acknowledge it. When Jenny called lunch, though, he could no longer avoid Seth or Julie.

  “Shawn, you need to take it easy,” Seth said, pulling a huge sandwich out of his bag. Considering his weight, the man ate more than anyone Shawn had ever known.

  Shawn didn’t answer him, frowning as he downed a can of soda in a single drink. He didn’t want to have this conversation. He knew he had a temper, and Seth was igniting it.

  “What’s wrong?” Jenny asked.

  “Nothing,” Shawn reassured her. “How’s it going at your site?”

  “Pretty good. I have couple more people than I have jobs.”

  “Me, too,” Shawn admitted. “Your dad suggested we get that third site ready, but I didn’t think they’d all be so good.”

  “This is the only group this summer that will be so good,” Julie said. “So far, only one pair has snapped the siding together wrong and had to replace it.”

  “I hate doing that,” Seth said.

  “That’s right,” Julie said. “You do have a problem that way, don’t you? I prefer siding to roofing, though. I just get too hot up there. So, Shawn, what did you do to worry Seth here?”

  Shawn shook his head and scowled at his friend.

  “My knee still gives me a little trouble.”

  “We could switch,” Jenny said. “You can stay off a ladder at my site.”

  “Good idea,” Seth said, giving Shawn no time to talk.

  “I’ll fill him in,” Julie said.

  “And I’ll make sure Jenny knows what we’re doing at the roofing site,” Seth said, giving Shawn an apologetic look. Shawn just shrugged. Not only was he being treated like a child here, but now he was being paired with Julie, who had feelings for him he didn’t return.

  Lunch ended, and as the girls walked away, Shawn got up slowly, not willing to let anyone see how stiff he’d gotten. Seth gave him a hand.

  “Sorry,” the tall man said. “Maybe you and Julie will come to an understanding.”

  “Oh, yeah. Now you’ve got every maternal instinct she has aimed at my knee. I’m sure it will be easy to turn her feelings elsewhere.”

  “I didn’t think,” Seth said, shrugging helplessly. “I just don’t want you to do so much today that you can’t finish the summer. Pace yourself, okay?”

  “I’ll try.”

  The afternoon went smoothly. Shawn stayed on the ground, and his knee barely hurt by the end of the day. He worked with Mark and Tom on the house’s back wall, and he enjoyed the pair. As the day wore on, more people got siding up without sliding it together right, and after the fifth time Shawn called it quits. He also noticed sunburn forming on the group and decided it was too early in the year to be out this long. Everyone would be sore, tired, and pink at church tomorrow.

  “Julie,” he called, and she came down from the ladder at the home’s peak.

  “You okay?”

  “I’m fine, but we’re done for the day. People are making mistakes, and they’re burning. Go tell Jenny we’re starting to clean up over here, okay?”

  “Sure. Your knee’s okay?”

  “It’s fine.” He shook his head, knowing he’d snapped at her. She looked at him with surprise.

  “You don’t like to have people worry about you.”

  “No, I don’t, especially when I’m really fine. I’m sorry. I’m tired. I snap when I’m tired.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, smiling, apparently not offended. “We put in a long day. But we got a lot done, didn’t we?”

  “I think we did. I think Mr. Clearwater will be happy with our progress when he returns.”

  “He will. Did you know he and Ben plan to have our group work the next six Saturdays?”

  “He told me. It’s nice. I know some people who got housing in a Hope neighborhood. I never thought about helping out.”

  “I don’t see that side. I just help build them and then move on. What do they say, the people who move into them?”

  “They’re thankful. They take good care of their homes, at least the women I know. Single moms. They didn’t think their kids would grow up in a house.”

  “You see things from a different perspective,” Julie said, moving closer. “It’s nice.”

  “Julie,” he said firmly, surprising himself. “I, um, --“

  “Aren’t interested,” she said knowingly, backing away.

  “I wish I was.”

  She laughed. “You look like you think I’m going to slap you.”

  “Sorry. I’ve never had anyone interested before.”

  She looked at him a long time, her eyes roaming from his hair down to his toes.

  “I’m guessing you’ve had a lot of them interested, Mr. Carpenter,” she said, shaking her head in amusement. “Or you’ve been living in a box since puberty.”

  She left, and he stood there for a moment, unsure what had just happened. He felt he’d been given a compliment, which was not what he’d expected. Sitting in front of a computer was easier than trying to figure people out, especially female people, but now that he’d become a Christian, he was part of a huge family, and he knew he was going to have to learn to be with them. Hiding was no longer an option. And right now he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad.