Pushing You Away - Noah & Katie (Ex-Con Duet 3)

“Hey, sweetie,” she says. “Were you able to get a lot of work done today?”

“Yep, I focused on the bathroom. Got the toilet and cabinets knocked out, pretty much everything other than the tub and tile.”

“That’s incredible!” Loretta beams.

Owen’s all smiles as he sets down his Bible and bag on the table that’s still set up from when we had dinner with Noah.

“How was church?” I ask him.

“It was good.” He sits on one of the folding chairs and yawns, already bored.

Loretta takes her attention off me and looks around, giving me a moment to relax and breathe.

“Oh wow, you've done a lot more since I've been here,” she tells me, but I know it's bullshit. Not much has changed in the past two months. No monumental progress has been made, at least nothing she’d notice.

She turns to me. “Want to give me a quick tour?”

“Oh, there’s not much to show. Just the bathroom,” I blurt out eagerly, pointing toward the toilet and trash bags by the door. I let out a nervous laugh.

“Do you need some help carrying all that to the front for trash pickup?” she asks. “I could get Elliot out here to assist you.”

One thing I appreciate about Loretta is how she’s always offering to help. I don’t know if it’s because she’s trying to overcompensate for her son cheating on me while pregnant or because it helps her cope with his death. I’ve always felt like it was a way for me to forget how badly he treated me. It wasn’t her fault, though. Gabe made his own choices, no matter how his parents brought him up. The fact he was sleeping around on his pregnant wife has been swept under the rug and replaced with demonizing Noah.

“No, thanks. Granted, it was heavy getting it to that point, but I can manage,” I say even though Noah did that. “I’m gonna get my cart from the garage and load all the trash on it. Don't want to kill my back or either of yours in the process!” I give her a smile.

“Alright, show me this bathroom then,” she says.

My adrenaline spikes when we pass the closet as I lead her to the guest bathroom.

“This is fantastic progress, Katie. I can almost imagine what it’ll look like when it’s done. The space is much larger than what I remember.”

It’s hard for me to envision anything in here with the bubble gum pink tiles and tub.

“Yep, so this is it. I plan to take the rest out soon. Once I get the tile off, I can paint and put the flooring in. Hoping to within the next few weeks.” I lean against the doorway, hoping she doesn't ask to see the master bedroom since it has the air mattress and blankets. She’d inevitably ask too many questions, and I’d have to lie to her, which I’d hate.

“Mom, can we go home?” Owen asks with an exaggerated yawn.

“He nearly fell asleep at dinner.” Loretta grins. “He and some of the other boys were running around outside in the parking lot afterward and got worn out. We had lunch, then went to the park.”

“Wow, okay. I should get him home then. I still need to make dinner, and he needs a bath.”

“He’s sweaty too,” she admits as we enter the living room. “Make sure he cleans under his arms.”

“Mimi!” Owen whines, and I laugh.

She gives him a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll see you sometime this week after school.”

A thud from the hallway grabs all of our attention, and my breath hitches. Noah.

“What was that?” Loretta asks, placing her hand over her heart.

“I-I’m not sure. Let me go see,” I say, rushing to the hallway. I walk past the closet, knowing damn well the noise came from in there. I hurry and move to the bathroom, then Loretta steps into the hallway.

“What was it?” she asks.

I put on a fake smile. “Oh, the broom fell.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” she says, coming toward me. She’s beside the closet door now.

I keep my eyes on her, hoping Noah stays still long enough for her to leave. I’m sure he can hear how close our voices are.

“Right!” I grab the broom and lean it back against the wall, hoping my acting skills are believable. “I was guaranteed by the previous owner that this house wasn’t haunted.” I let out a choked laugh. “Perhaps they were wrong.”

Her eyes soften as she walks toward me, then grabs my hand. “If you ever want help here, don’t hesitate to ask. We’d be happy to lend a hand.”

“I know,” I say. “You’ve done so much for me already, and I kinda want to do as much as I can on my own.”

“If you change your mind, just ask.” She squeezes my hand. “Elliot and I adore you both, and once this house is finished, it’s going to be beautiful.”