by Kate Kasch
Back at the house, Gretchen and Nick were still painting away. Gretchen’s excitement at the arrival of food and coffee showed how desperately she needed a break.
“What’s wrong?” Gretchen immediately asked Adrienne.
“Huh? What do you mean? Nothing.”
“You seem . . . sad. Did something happen?”
“No, I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“Okay,” Gretchen says skeptically. And then switching gears asked, “We’re only going to worry about painting the front of the house, right?”
“Definitely. We’ll worry about the sides and back later – if the house is still ours.”
“This house will always be ours.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Stuck doing the monotonous painting, Adrienne tried to keep her mind focused on the positive, and not the fact that they very well might be painting the front of this house only to have it auctioned off to Mayor Jessup in a week. Because the truth was, they were halfway through the day and still didn’t have the new roof shingles, or the ability to fix the giant gaping hole in the garage. Despite how great the paint job might look; they would not win the contest with a disastrous roof and a hole in their house. No amount of garland and twinkly lights could detract from that crater in the garage.
But Adrienne was trying not to think about all of that. She was trying to have faith. She was trying to believe in miracles, like Gretchen and Angela. She did agree with Gretchen that what they were doing, the whole experience, felt . . . right. It just felt right. And that’s where her mind circled back to when there was a loud engine roaring behind her. Holding their paintbrushes still, Adrienne, Gretchen and Nick all turned around to face the street in front of the house. Stopped on the road was a large white truck. Adrienne’s heartbeat quickened – could something actually go right today?
Nick hopped down off the ladder and walked toward the man getting out of the truck.
“Can I help you?” Nick asked
“I think you can. I apologize for the delay, but better late than never right?” The squat, jolly man laughed. “I have some custom roof shingles here that were special ordered. Where would you like me to put them?”
Adrienne and Gretchen dropped their paintbrushes and ran up to Nick’s side.
“Right over here on the driveway would be perfect. We’re hoping to get them put up today,” Nick told the deliveryman.
Unable to hide their excitement, Adrienne and Gretchen were jumping up and down hugging each other. The roof shingles made it there in time!
“I knew they would come. We’re going to do this,” Gretchen whispered in her sister’s ear.
Adrienne hugged her even tighter, a surge of hope emanating from their bodies.
Wrapping his tool belt around his waist, Nick instructed the sisters to continue painting while he got up on the extension ladder and assessed the roof.
“How bad is it up there?” Gretchen yelled up to him.
“It’s not as bad as I feared,” Nick yelled back down after a quick inspection. “It doesn’t look like the actual roof has any damage, just shingles that need to be replaced. This is the best we could have hoped for.”
With a renewed sense of purpose, the three of them pushed on. Gretchen had to keep shaking her arm out to relieve the aching. Adrienne’s mind had now wandered back to Gabe.
“Didn’t you say earlier you didn’t think Gabe had a girlfriend?” Adrienne asked Gretchen, attempting at subtlety.
“That’s what I had heard, but I guess I don’t know for sure. Why are you thinking about that?”
“No reason,” Adrienne shrugged, and then blurted out, “Okay. I saw Gabe in town with a pretty blonde. They seemed very . . . close. They definitely knew each other very well and had some type of connection.”
“Huh. I don’t know. You should ask him.”
“I can’t ask him! First of all, he’s not even here,” Adrienne looked over at Gretchen who was motioning toward the driveway. Adrienne followed her gaze, and as if he could sense she was talking about him, there was Gabe walking up the lawn.
“Wow, this looks amazing guys! And, wait, are those roof shingles?”
“They sure are!” Nick leaned over the edge of the house.
“Be careful, Nick!” Gretchen yelled back. “The last thing we need is you falling off our roof right now!”
“Where were you?” Adrienne tried to sound nonchalant.
“Oh, I had some work to do. But I think I got it finished, so I can get back to work here now.”
“Work? Really? On Christmas Eve eve? That’s strange, isn’t it?” Adrienne was annoyed at his dishonesty.
“You never know when people are going to need help,” Gabe raised an eyebrow at Adrienne.
“Gretch, can you help me by hauling some of the shingles up the ladder?” Nick yelled down.
“Gabe, it’s all you,” Gretchen handed Gabe her paintbrush, unable to hide her smile. She was relieved to take a break from the painting . . . and to see Nick.
The crew worked in relative silence for about an hour. Adrienne had to switch to using her left arm, since her right arm now felt like it might just give up and fall off.
“Remember that time we drove out to Falls Pond to go ice skating?” Adrienne broke the silence.
“How could I forget?” Gabe smiled as he dipped the tip of his brush into some paint. “It was the first, and only time I have been with someone who fell through the ice.”
“I didn’t exactly fall through the ice,” Adrienne giggled. “I was just so sure that when that mitten fell off and into one of the cracks in the ice that I could reach down quickly and pull it right up. How was I supposed to know how cold that water was going to be?”
“It was partly frozen, so you know, that typically means freezing cold,” Gabe chuckled.
“I thought you were going to have a heart attack,” now Adrienne was really laughing. “I can still remember the look on your face when you saw me reaching down into the water. You were yelling ‘No! Adrienne, no! Don’t do it!’ and then I did it. And I went in!”
“I had nightmares about you falling into that icy water for months after that day. For someone so smart, that was a really dumb thing to do,” Gabe was laughing, too.
“Hey, that’s not very nice! They were my favorite mittens – fuzzy, striped ones that were all different colors, and I thought I could reach in quickly and grab it. Maybe I wouldn’t have fallen in if I didn’t look over at you when you yelled. Did you ever think of that? That maybe the whole thing was your fault?” Adrienne teases him.
“Oh, don’t even try and pin that one on me. I saved your life, if you haven’t forgotten.”
Adrienne stopped painting and turned toward Gabe, “I haven’t forgotten.”
After a brief glance over at her, he continued “I remember wrapping my winter coat around you, sticking my favorite Giants hat on your head and carrying you home. I don’t think I ever got that hat back, by the way. And you thought I was going to have a heart attack? How about your mom?”
“Yeah, she totally freaked out. I think that was only a week or two before the car accident.”
“I think you’re right. You left, without a word, two weeks later. Never to be heard from again – until last week, that is,” Gabe’s voice turned cold. Adrienne could see the pain she caused him, and she didn’t know how to fix it.
“I’m so sorry, Gabe. I just had to get out of here. It was too painful being in this house with their stuff all around me. I had to leave.”
Gabe turned toward Adrienne, his paintbrush down by his side, “I could have helped you, Adrienne. I wanted to help you.”
“I know. I’m sorry. It was almost as if I didn’t want to feel anything after that – good or bad. I felt like my whole life was over. I knew nothing would ever be the same again.”
“Of course, it wouldn’t. But I lost your parents too, you know. I had known them most of my life –heck, I practically lived in this house. And th
en they were gone, and you were gone too.”
A single tear slid down Adrienne’s cheek. “Not a single day has gone by that I haven’t regretted how I handled the whole situation. And I wish I could do it all over again. But I can’t.” Adrienne paused, and they both turned back toward the house. They moved their brushes up and down, but neither of them was paying any attention to how the paint looked.
“You know,” Adrienne said a few moments later. “Angela told me a quote that seems to be so relevant to my life lately, she said ‘you’re always one decision away from a totally different life.’ I originally took that to mean that I could make a decision now that could change my life for the better going forward. But what I’m realizing is that I’ve made decisions that changed my life forever - and they weren’t good ones.”
“Well, just like falling into a crack in a frozen pond, for someone so smart, that was a pretty dumb thing to do,” a sad smile crossed Gabe’s face.
“And leaving the way I did, I can’t blame that one on you.”
The sound of Gabe’s cell phone broke up the intense moment, and both Adrienne and Gabe breathed a small sigh of relief.
Adrienne attempted to get back to focusing on the darn white paint, while Gabe stepped away to answer the call. A few minutes later he walked back over and picked up his paintbrush.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, that was Louise. I have her working on something for me. I do have to work sometimes too you know.”
“Of course – I’m sorry we have monopolized your time this week. I hope it isn’t causing any problems for you.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ve got it covered.”
Gabe’s phone rang again, and he excused himself a second time.
Gretchen climbed down from the ladder, “How’s it going over here?” she asked.
“Oh, you know, still painting. I feel like this white paint is blinding me.” Adrienne blinked her eyes a few times.
“Well, you have made a ton of progress! Take a step back and look at it!”
Adrienne and Gretchen walked toward the front of the lawn and looked back at the house from the sidewalk.
“Wow, with the new roof shingles and the fresh paint – it doesn’t even look like the same house it did this morning!” Adrienne exclaimed.
“I know! It’s incredible!” Gretchen agreed. “You should see Nick up there with these shingles, he is so fast! I don’t know how he’s doing it. But I have to say, he sure is a dream to watch,” Gretchen’s eyes glazed over into swoon-ville.
“I think we’ll definitely be able to finish the painting and roof today, which is just so amazing. But what are we going to do with the giant gaping elephant in the room?” Adrienne worried.
“Oh, you mean the fact that our garage is basically caved in on one side? You can hardly notice!” Gretchen said and the two sisters started laughing.
“What is going on over here? Have you two breathed in too many paint fumes today?” Gabe smiled at the girls who were doubled over laughing hysterically.
“I guess sometimes things are so bad all you can do is laugh – either that or cry,” Adrienne said between giggles.
“Well I have some news that might make things a little less bad,” Gabe raised an eyebrow. “I did some research into your little permit problem and talked to a few people who are experts on the permit process in Chestnut Ridge, and well, as of this moment Adrienne and Gretchen Harkins from 22 Oak Street are officially able to continue construction work on their property.”
Gretchen jumped up and down, “Eeeeeeekkk!! Ohmigod, Gabe, thank you, thank you, thank you! How did you do it? You are our hero! I knew this was all going to work out!”
“Whoa, Gretchen, calm down. Take a breath!” Adrienne then looked at Gabe, “Is this for real? We can continue fixing the garage?” It was hard for her to believe that something would go their way.
Gabe nodded his head up and down, a huge smile lighting up his face. Adrienne matched his smile, and throwing caution to the wind, grabbed him and pulled him into a giant hug – her face buried into his neck so deep she could smell his spicy cologne. She wished she could just set up a tent and move in right here, in this very spot.
“How did you do it?” Adrienne asked when she finally pulled herself away from him.
“I realized our only hope was to find a loophole, because there was no way we would be able to get someone to speed up the process for us, especially with the Mayor’s influence and it being two days before Christmas. After some initial research was getting me nowhere, I met up with a friend who works in the Building Department for the town,” Gabe’s excitement builds as he told the story. “I explained the situation and she told me she would look into it. That was her right now on the phone, and apparently in the case of a natural disaster, like a storm causing a tree to fall on a house, the homeowner is allowed to immediately fix the damage. No permit necessary. I guess they figure they can’t let people sit there with a hole in their house for a few weeks waiting for a permit. I, of course, then called Mr. Brower and explained this to him, and he reluctantly relented. Construction is back on!”
“I have to go tell Nick the good news,” Gretchen was bursting with excitement. She ran up to Gabe and gave him one more quick hug, “Thank you.”
“And there it is – you saved my life once again,” Adrienne said shyly.
“Not yet, I haven’t. I may have gotten a green light to start construction. But there is still a lot of work to do, and we are almost out of daylight for today.”
After another quick celebration that now included Nick, the four friends got back to work with renewed energy. Nick and Gabe immediately started fixing the garage, and Adrienne and Gretchen were back at it: painting. Endless painting.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Gabe asked Adrienne a little while later.
“Of course, any excuse to take a break from painting,” Adrienne smiled. But then looking at Gabe’s serious expression, her smile faded, and she immediately prepared herself for bad news. “What is it? Is everything okay? Is it the roof?”
“No, no – nothing like that. I just feel I need to be honest with you about something,” Gabe looked down at his work gloves. “A few months ago, before you were back – before I had any idea you would ever come back, I partnered up with someone on a real estate development deal. The plan was to buy real estate at a low cost, renovate, and re-sell for a profit.”
“Like flipping properties,” Adrienne said, still unsure what this had to do with her.
“Exactly like that. Well, the person I partnered with was Mayor Jessup,” Gabe paused, letting the information sink in.
Puzzled, Adrienne looked at Gabe confused – and then her face slowly changed as she put it all together. “You were going to be part of buying 22 Oak Street out from under us at the auction,” Adrienne’s face hardened.
“I was. But you need to understand – Oak Street was on a list with a ton of other properties. I had no idea there was a lien on the home and that it would be going to auction now.” Gabe looked at Adrienne apologetically.
“And what about now?”
“Well, now I am Team Harkins,” he smiled. “I quickly realized Bill Jessup was not someone I want to get into business with. I tried to get him to cancel the stop work order, and he wouldn’t do it. So, I went around him and found another way to get it stopped. And trust me, this has all been a blessing. I saw his true colors before I got in too deep.”
Adrienne looked over at the house, thinking. Gabe’s news was surprising, and if she was honest with herself, disappointing. “So, why are you telling me this? Why now?”
“I just thought you should know everything – the whole truth. It has been eating me up inside, and I just want it all out in the open.” Gabe searched Adrienne’s expression for any clues to how she was feeling.
Having thought it all through, Adrienne turned her head back to look at Gabe, her face serious. And then broke into a grin, “As long as
you came around, I’m okay with it. I understand that sometimes it takes a little while to commit to a decision you know was the right one all along. Team Harkins,” she said and put her hands up for a double high-five.
“Team Harkins,” Gabe slapped both her hands, relieved.
As the sun set on Christmas Eve eve, the fix-it crew of 22 Oak Street was wiped out. Completely exhausted.
“I’m not going to be able to move my arms for weeks,” Gretchen complained as she massaged her upper arms.
“I don’t think my body has ever been this tired,” Adrienne agreed.
The four friends slumped their weary bodies on the sofas in the family room. Nick somehow mustered up the energy to start a fire, and they all sat quietly watching the flames dance.
“I think we should have superhero names,” Gretchen said.
Adrienne chuckled.
“No, I’m serious. What mere mortal could do what we did in only three days? Three days!” Gretchen said as she stood up. “I’m going to go make popcorn and open a bottle of wine, when I get back, I want some superhero name ideas.”
The other three laughed at the idea, but they also didn’t want to disappoint Gretchen. When Gretchen sauntered back into the family room a few minutes later, Adrienne, Gabe and Nick were laughing so hard no one could even get a word out, never mind a superhero nickname.
“What did you come up with Miss Marketing guru?” Gretchen singled out Adrienne. Adrienne did her best to stop laughing long enough to speak.
“Okay, this is what we’ve got,” Adrienne giggled some more, “Nick is PHANTOM FASTHAMMER, for obvious reasons.”
“I like that . . .” Gretchen looked at Nick in that sticky sweet way that made Adrienne want to throw popcorn at her.
“And what about Gabe?” Gretchen asked.
“Gabe is CAPTAIN PHENOMENAL, again for obvious reasons. He definitely saved the day, and he is definitely phenomenal.” Gabe blushed at the compliment.
“And for you, Miss Gretchen,” Gabe said. “You are the POSITIVITY PROTECTOR!” as soon as Gabe said this, Nick, Adrienne and Gabe burst out laughing.