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

Dad calls to let me know he’s on his way.

“Hey, stranger,” he says when he walks in, then looks around the place. “I’ve always loved this house. It has character.”

I lead him to the kitchen. When he sees what I’ve been able to accomplish in such little time, his face lights up.

“I removed the cabinetry here and rebuilt the shelving. And look…” I reach forward, showing him the slide-out drawer I added at the bottom for storing pots and pans.

“Noah, this is incredible.” Dad flashes a cheeky grin. “You did an amazing job. And this blue color, it looks good.”

“Katie already had it picked out. She’s still deciding if she wants to keep the countertop or replace it.”

My dad runs his hand across the old linoleum that has a weird yellow tint to it. “I bet she upgrades.”

“Eventually, I’m sure. But at least now, she won’t have to pay someone thousands to build this,” I say, taking a step back to admire my work.

“It’s gonna hold a ton of food and storage. You could start a business doing this, son. Not everyone can whip up a pantry in less than a week with limited supplies.”

“I was highly motivated,” I admit, appreciating his genuine words. “I know how much it means to Katie to have this, and now she won’t have to pay anyone to do it.”

“Well, you’ll be glad to know there haven’t been any more threats. I got the red spray paint off your truck, and it’s waiting for you at the house. You should come home and go back to work. I’m sure Tyler could use your help. Plus, I miss seeing you,” he admits, and I immediately feel guilty. He’s barely seen me since I’ve been released.

“Thanks for doing that, Dad. And you’re right. It’s been long enough, I suppose. I’ll let Katie know after I show her this that tonight will be my last night. Hopefully, she’ll like it so I can continue to help her on my days off. She could hate it, though, considering I didn’t exactly tell her my plans.”

“She’s gonna love it,” he reassures me with soft eyes. “And I’m sure she’s happy to have your experience. She’s been working on this house for a while.”

“I hope you’re right.” I try to shake off the nerves of the anticipation.

Dad’s phone rings, and when he pulls it out of his pocket, I see it’s Belinda calling. He answers it, softens his tone, and walks through the living room. I hesitantly follow him onto the front porch and look around outside. I’ve been inside for two weeks, but I’m still nervous someone’s after me.

When he’s off the phone, he glances over at me with a smile. Seeing him this happy after all this time gives me hope for my own future. “She wants me to have lunch with her today,” he tells me.

“You gonna propose soon?” I ask, giving him a nudge.

Dad laughs and shakes his head as we walk to his truck. “You can meet us at the deli around twelve if you’re hungry,” he offers.

“Appreciate it, but I wanna do some finishing touches before tonight.”

“Alrighty. See you soon, right?” He pops a brow.

“Yep. Probably late tonight.” I wave goodbye as he cranks his truck, then reverses out of the driveway.

When I go inside the house, I clean up around the place. I sweep up the sawdust and get rid of the scrap wood. At some point, I take a break to eat and call Gemma.

“Hey!” she says in a high-pitched voice after the first ring.

“You can’t be that excited to talk to me,” I tease.

“Of course I am. You’re my favorite brother.”

“I’m your only brother,” I remind her.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot,” she says with a laugh. “What’s goin’ on? Hold on.” Gemma pulls the phone away from her ear and yells Tyler’s name. “It’s Noah!”

I hear shuffling in the background.

“Am I on speakerphone?” I ask.

“Yes,” Tyler says loud and clear.

I roll my eyes. “Well, since you’re both here, just thought I’d let you know I’d like to come back to work on Monday. I mean, if you still want me around,” I offer, giving Tyler a pass, especially after the window incident.

“Of course we do. You can come in today if you’re free,” Tyler tells me.

It makes me laugh. “Thanks, man. I’m busy today but looking forward to returning. You two should see what I built for Katie.”

“Uhh,” Gemma hesitates nervously.

“Don’t worry. We discussed it, and she was okay with me helping. Now, I did kinda take it upon myself to build her a pantry, but she showed me pictures of what she wanted,” I explain. “And I nailed it based on her Pinterest board.”

“And if you didn’t…say goodbye to your balls,” Gemma warns.

Tyler laughs. “Yeah, I wouldn't want to cross her, especially since she’s learned how to use power tools and hammers. I bet she has a helluva swing.”