The Reunion: Claire's Rebuilding Contract (Starting Over Series) Read Free Page B

her.
     
     

Chapter 4
     
    Sunday morning came, and Claire could hear work going on outside. Her home had been covered by a large blue tarp, but when she went out into the living room in her fluffy white bathrobe, all she could see was sunlight above her.
     
    “Mornin’,” Jack said with a grin as he looked down into the living room. Claire put her hand on her chest and gasped in surprise.
     
    “You scared me to death!”
     
    “Sorry… again. You really need some nerve pills,” he said jumping down from his perch into the living room. “You wouldn’t happen to have some coffee, would you?” he asked like he owned the place.
     
    “Sure… I was just about to brew some…” she stammered. What was it about him that caused her language skills to fly right out the window?
 
    “Good. I like it black. I’ll be on the roof if you need me,” he said with a smile as he tipped his well-worn blue baseball cap and climbed back up the ladder outside the front door.
     
    Claire stood there stunned for a few moments before starting the coffee and going to change her clothes.
     
    ***
     
    As the day wore on, Jack and his crew worked tirelessly on repairing her damaged roof and re-shingling it. By dinner time, they had finally finished most of it. At least she had a roof in place, but they would have to finish the shingles the next day. Having a literal roof over her head made Claire feel a lot safer in her home.
     
    “Well, I will be by tomorrow morning to get things finished up,” he said when he appeared at her door just after six o’clock that evening.
     
    “Good. I will be glad to get this behind me,” she said looking around at the damage that her living room suffered. Her carpet would need replacing, the walls had damage and there was debris all over the place.
     
    “Yeah, you’ve got a lot to fix in here too, don’t you?” he asked.
     
    “Unfortunately. I am exhausted with it all,” she said hanging her head in defeat. “Guess I have to interview some contractors for this too.”
     
    “Well, actually, I am a general contractor. I can do all of this for you if you want. I am already approved by your insurance company…” he said looking around with a grin. There was that grin again…
     
    “Oh really? If I didn’t know better, I might think that you just like hanging out with me, Jack Stone,” she said with a smirk. “Mrs. Stone might not like that, though.”
     
    “Well played, Claire. But, there is no Mrs. Stone. She passed away,” he said. The fleeting expression of sadness crossed his handsome face, and she felt horribly guilty.
     
    “I am so sorry, Jack. I was just playing around…”
     
    “It’s okay, Claire. It was a long time ago. Almost ten years now,” he said.
     
    “Still, I am sorry…” she said trying to avert his gaze.
     
    “So, I will be here tomorrow around eight. Is that okay?” he asked, changing the subject.
     
    “Sounds good. I will see you then,” she said. As he started to walk to his truck, she called out to him. “By the way, I ate my buns again today.”
     
    He swung around and stared at her for a moment. “Really? I would have paid good money to see that.” With a chuckle, he climbed into his truck and drove away.
     
    ***
     
    For the next five days, Jack and Claire worked side by side trying to get her home back to normal. She took some time off work so that she could be there, mainly because she wanted to see more of him.
     
    Her carpet was replaced, the walls were repaired and she threw away a lot of debris that was scattered around her house.
     
    The two of them became like a well-oiled machine working together. Every morning, she would get up and start the coffee before he got there. When he arrived with the biscuits and gravy from the local Pancake House, they would sit at her table eating and laughing. She couldn’t remember when she’d had more fun with a man.
     
    After breakfast, they would work until lunchtime, and then he