The Best Is Yet to Come by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber [Macomber, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2022-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Hope wasn’t home when Cade arrived late Sunday morning. He knocked several times before he realized she wasn’t there. He could hear Shadow barking on the other side of the door. He checked to see if she’d locked the door, and sure enough Hope had left it unsecured. She was far too trusting.

Speaking calmly, letting Shadow know it was him, Cade eased open the door. As soon as it was wide enough, the dog shot outside. It was a relief to know Shadow had seen Cade enough times to know he wasn’t a threat, with or without Hope’s presence.

Shadow immediately went into the yard to do his business and then lay down in the grass to watch as Cade went to work testing the railing. As he suspected, the wood had rotted and needed to be replaced.

As he was dismantling it from the porch, Preston came out of the house. “I’ve been meaning to get to that for weeks,” he called out as he approached. “Hope isn’t one to complain, so it was easy enough to let it slide.”

“No worries, I enjoy this kind of stuff. But it looks like it’s going to take more than a few nails to set this in place, there’s wood rot here.”

“I thought as much. I bought the wood to replace it a while back. I’ve got it stored in the garage.”

“Great, that will save me a trip to the hardware store.”

Together they walked over to Preston’s garage, and Preston moved a few items aside to reach the stacked pieces of lumber that rested against the garage wall. Together they carted what was needed back to the cottage.

“The entire porch could do with a paint job,” Preston said, “but that will need to wait for better weather.”

Intent as he was on the task, Cade hadn’t noticed the darkening skies.

“Listen, I know you’re doing this as a favor to Hope, but this is my responsibility,” Preston said. “I’d like to pay you.”

“No need.” Cade was quick to brush aside the offer. He wasn’t doing this for the money. He’d been looking forward to the project. From the time he could remember, he’d loved taking things apart and learning how they worked and then reassembling them. He was good with his hands and figuring out problems. His father had never understood that part of Cade. In fact, Cade felt his father had never understood him at all.

Preston wasn’t hearing it. “I’ll give you what I feel your time is worth and I won’t accept an argument. Fair is fair.”

“Okay, fine,” Cade reluctantly agreed, “but you aren’t paying me for putting in the door for the dog.”

“Agreed.” Preston nodded, accepting the deal.

They chatted for a few minutes longer before Preston returned to the house.

Cade had removed the rotted railing when he noticed Shadow quickly coming to his feet. “What is it, boy?” Cade asked.

The words had barely left his mouth when Hope’s car turned the corner and parked in her spot beside the cottage. He wondered where she’d gone and been disappointed when he arrived to find she wasn’t home.

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