Chapter 4

Chapter Four

T revor felt like an ass, and for the past week, he’d been kicking himself for the way he’d spoken to Callie. He’d felt blindsided by the whole conversation with Evan. Of course he and Lisa wanted the kids to go to college. It was part of why he’d busted his ass for years. They wanted Hannah and Evan to have a better life than they’d had. Wasn’t that what every parent wanted?

But he’d had no business talking to Callie like that. He knew that she wanted him to look at the big picture. If nothing else, Callie always had the kids’ backs. He couldn’t fault her for that.

And now he couldn’t even apologize. She hadn’t answered her phone, and although he’d knocked on her door every day, she hadn’t opened it. After the third day, he gave up and assumed she’d left town again. She had mentioned that she might have to finish the job she left. He kind of thought she would’ve said something before leaving, though.

He and the kids had fallen into a rhythm. Hannah decided she wanted to take over dinner, for which Trevor was grateful because in general, he didn’t cook. He knew how to, but when it had been just him, it had seemed like a waste. Hannah found some recipes, and he and Evan had become her guinea pigs. In trade, Evan took over making lunches for both of them, as long as Trevor reminded him at night.

That boy never got out of bed early, and he couldn’t remember to do anything without about ten reminders. Trevor couldn’t imagine what he planned on doing, if not college. They’d completely tabled the conversation after that night.

They all continued living at his house, but Hannah insisted that she wanted to move back to Lisa’s. Trevor left his job every night and went to Lisa’s to do a little work before heading home and collapsing. It might not be a great routine, but it was a routine.

He had cut out some busted drywall so he could patch a hole Evan had made a couple years ago. Back then, Lisa had mentioned that Evan was angry and acting out, but she hadn’t told him Evan had thrown things and busted holes in the walls. Evan copped to it as soon as Trevor brought it up. As he measured the hole, the doorbell rang.

Who the hell would come here? The only person who ever came by was Callie, and she had a key.

He went to the front door and found a delivery guy on the porch. “Can I help you?”

“I have your dinner.”

“I didn’t order anything.” But he could smell onion rings and French fries, so he considered paying for it because his stomach growled.

“The name is Callie?”

She must be back. “Yeah, I’ll take it. What do I owe you?” Trevor pulled out his wallet and paid the teenager. He took the bag of food out the back door and through the yard. He knocked on Callie’s door and waited.

“Coming. Give me a minute.”

He heard scrambling inside a moment before the door swung open. She answered with her eyes down while digging in her purse.

She stood just inside the door, her honey-blonde hair dripping on a silky robe. The tanned skin of her legs caught his eye, but he forced his gaze up.

“Man, you guys made great time. I wasn’t expecting you…” She trailed off as she realized it was Trevor.

“Your dinner came to the front door. I almost kept it, but I figured that would be another dick move.”

“Another?” she asked with a raised brow.

“I’ve been trying to reach you all week to apologize. I didn’t know if you were avoiding me or what.”

“I left for a job. But I would’ve avoided you.”

He held out the bag of food. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have talked to you like that.”

She studied him for a minute, then nodded. “Are the kids here?”

“They’re at home.” He paused and then added, “My house.”

“You want to join me?”

“I can’t take your dinner.”

She took the bag from him and opened it. “There’s plenty. I always overbuy my first night back in town. I think I’m hungrier than I am because I’ve missed good Chicago food.”

The smell of hot dogs and fries wafted out. “You sure?”

“Come on.” She angled her head and walked away from the door. She set the bag on the kitchen counter.

As she moved through the small house, the short robe drew his attention again. Correction—her legs caught his focus. The entire length of them was completely visible, and if she bent at the waist, he was sure he’d find out whether she had anything on underneath. His dick twitched in response to where his thoughts were headed. His mouth dried, and he swallowed hard.

“I’ll be right back. Go ahead and take the food out.”

He watched her disappear around the corner and shook his head. He should not be noticing Callie’s legs or anything else for that matter. She was Lisa’s best friend. What the hell was wrong with him?

The stress must’ve been getting to him. It’d been a while since he’d been with a woman, and without a doubt, Callie was attractive. And showing a lot of tanned skin. He bit down hard. Then he turned toward the sink to wash up before eating. He needed to clear his head.

Callie came back in, and he was almost afraid to turn around. She grabbed the bag from the counter next to his arm and he caught a whiff of some fruity shampoo or something. She’d changed into a T-shirt and long shorts and looked totally comfortable. A sick part of him regretted that she’d covered up. He wanted to smack himself upside the head for his thoughts. “Better hurry or I’ll eat all the onion rings.”

He slowly dried his hands before turning to follow her. He took a couple cans of pop from the fridge. She sat on the floor in front of her couch, food spread out on a trunk used as a coffee table. Trevor lowered himself to the floor. As soon as his ass made contact, he had the thought that he might not be able to get up again.

She set a hot dog in front of him.

“What hot dog stand delivers?”

“A lot of them use a delivery service. One of the perks of living in a big city.”

“I had no idea.” He unwrapped the dog, but before he lifted it for a bite, he said, “I really am sorry for what I said to you.”

She lifted a shoulder but didn’t look at him. “You weren’t wrong. They’re not my kids.”

Hearing her say it didn’t sound any better. “That was pointing out the obvious just to be a dick. I’m sorry.”

He took a bite of the hot dog, and his mouth watered. He was hungrier than he thought.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. When he balled up the wax paper, he added, “I was caught off guard when Evan said he didn’t want to go to college. I didn’t know what to say.”

Callie wiped her lips with a napkin. “He and Lisa fought about it. I’m surprised he never mentioned it to you. He was sure you’d be on his side.”

“Why the hell would he think that?”

“Because you didn’t need college to be successful.”

“I don’t want him to have to bust his ass every day like I do.”

“So maybe let him see what it’s like.”

“Huh?”

“It’s almost summer. Put him to work with you. He’ll either discover that he loves working with his hands, or he’ll rethink college.” She picked up a fry, dragged it through ketchup, and popped it in her mouth.

“What if it doesn’t work?”

“Then he’ll have to figure it out. He has a point. College isn’t for everyone. That has nothing to do with my relationship with my parents, who, for the record, did want me to go to college. While I did, it was on my terms.” She drank from the can of pop.

Trevor’s throat was dry, so he did the same. “Everything I said was out of line, I get it.”

She nudged him with her shoulder. “I’m just giving you a hard time.”

“I’m out of my depth with them, and you made an easy target.” He sighed.

“You need to figure out how to deal with them, Trevor. Lisa’s gone. She doesn’t get a voice anymore. As sucky as it is, it’s all you.”

He released a heavy breath. He didn’t need the reminder. “What are you doing here without the kids anyway?”

“Repairing the house.”

“Have you decided to sell?”

He shook his head. “Hannah still wants to stay.”

“It’s your call.”

“They’ve lost enough, haven’t they? If staying here will bring them some comfort, I can suck it up.”

Leaning close with a smile, she said, “I’m not that bad to have as a neighbor. I try to keep the wild parties to Saturday nights.”

“It’s not you. I look at that house and all I see is the place where she moved on without me. Like, she probably had men in that bedroom.”

“Oh my God. Are you still hung up on her?”

“No. I just…” He didn’t know how to explain it. “We were over. But we still had a history. I don’t want to think about her screwing some other guy.”

He tried to ignore the voice in his head that wondered why Callie would care if he were still hung up on Lisa. Her tone sounded almost jealous, and he knew that made no sense.

Callie sat and stared at him, as if she was searching for the truth. Then she nodded. “If it’ll make you feel any better, I don’t think she ever brought any guy home.” She sipped her pop. “Don’t get me wrong. She dated and definitely moved on, but she didn’t do it here.”

A whole bag of mixed emotions smacked him. He’d known Lisa had begun dating over the last few years, but he didn’t need Callie to remind him of it. At the same time, he was glad that it hadn’t happened here. He finished his drink and stood. “I’m gonna get back to work. Thanks for dinner.”

“What are you thanking me for? You paid for it.”

He smiled. Forging this new friendship with Callie felt good. He liked having her in his corner. He looked around the room. “Do you need any work done here?”

“Like what?” She stood now, too, and followed his gaze.

“Anything broken?”

She shook her head. “I don’t need much. There are times when I’m working and I’m lucky to have a real bathroom. Living here is pretty much a luxury.”

He huffed. The house was small and cute, but far from luxurious. “Well, let me know if anything needs to be replaced. Lisa didn’t keep up on any of the maintenance.”

“Will do.” She gathered their trash and headed to the kitchen. “What are you going to do about Evan?”

“I think you’re right about him getting a job. Whether it’s with me or somewhere else, he might need a taste of the real world.”

He walked past Callie. With his hand on the doorknob, he added, “Thanks for your help with them. I’ll try to do a better job listening.”

“Thanks.”

“Next time, maybe don’t be so quick to run away.”

“I didn’t run away.”

“Sure you did, Callie. It’s what you do. That’s not a dig, just reality.” He opened the door. “Have a good night.”

Trevor pulled up to the house and honked the horn. He’d already texted Evan and told him to be ready. A minute later, Evan came through the door and climbed into the truck.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Evan narrowed his eyes. “I can’t tell if that’s a good you’ll see or a bad one.”

Trevor smiled. “It’s good.”

He followed the GPS to get to the house in Melrose Park, a suburb not too far, at least distance-wise. It was rush hour, so no matter which route he took, they were going to be stuck in traffic. Trevor tapped his fingers on the wheel. The guy selling the car said he had a few prospective buyers. No wonder—it was a great price. So unless there was something horribly wrong with it, it would sell fast.

“Where are we?”

“We’re almost there.” Trevor had considered just buying the car and having Owen or Tess drive it home for him, but he decided that Evan should be part of the decision.

He parked in front of the address and texted the owner. A man came from the house and Trevor opened the truck door.

“We’re here to look at a car he’s selling.”

Evan’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Rein it in. First, I don’t know if it’s in good shape. Second, if he knows you’re super excited, he might not want to negotiate.”

Evan schooled his features. “Okay.”

“Let’s go.”

They climbed from the truck and Trevor introduced himself and Evan to the car owner. “Hi, I’m Trevor.”

“John.”

They shook hands and John walked them over to the small SUV. There were some scratches and dings.

“Why are you selling?”

“We got this for my daughter, but she just graduated and bought herself something new.” He handed Trevor the keys. “It runs well. I’ve kept up on the maintenance.”

“Can we take it for a drive?”

“Be my guest.”

Trevor got behind the wheel and Evan sat in the passenger seat. He started the engine and looked at John. “You want to come with?”

“Nah. I’ll wait here. Your truck is worth more than that. I’m sure you’re coming back.”

That was pretty trusting. Trevor eased out from the curb and listened to the engine as he drove around the block and onto the busy street. He punched the gas and the car took off. He tapped the brakes.

“What do you think?”

“It’s a car and it runs. I love it.”

Trevor laughed. “Let me check under the hood when we get back. I want to make sure there’s nothing obviously wrong.”

“But then we can get it tonight?”

“Yeah.”

Evan did a fist pump.

“Like I said, there are going to be rules for this. You need to take care of the car. And you’ll have to get a part-time job to pay for gas and insurance. I’ll cover you for now, but insurance for a teenage boy is expensive.”

“Okay. I’ll get a job.”

“And you’ll have to help with driving your sister.”

“Okay.”

He circled back around and parked. Then he popped the hood. He checked all the fluids, showing Evan what he was doing and explaining why. For the first time in a long time, Evan paid total attention.

Trevor imagined spending long summer nights working on the car and teaching Evan valuable skills. He might finally have a way to connect with his son.

Just as he slammed the hood shut, another car parked in front of him.

John tilted his chin. “Looks like the other buyer is here.”

Evan’s eyes filled with worry, as Trevor looked over his shoulder. A woman stepped from the car.

“Hey, John, let’s talk price.” Trevor pulled cash from his pocket. “My son likes the car, but we both know it’s overpriced. If you shave three hundred off, I’ll drive it home now.”

“Deal.” John looked at the woman. “Sorry. The car is sold.”

“Oh, man. This is the third time I’ve shown up minutes too late.”

“Sorry,” Trevor said.

“I get it. Tough market.” She turned and got back in her car.

“Let me go in and get the title.”

Trevor handed Evan the truck keys. “You drive the truck home. I’ll drive this. I’ll call and get insurance on it and get plates tomorrow.”

“Does that mean I can’t drive it tomorrow?”

“Maybe tomorrow night if I get it registered after work. Insurance is just a quick phone call to my agent.”

“Okay.”

He looked a little disappointed, but Trevor felt better taking the car on a longer test drive. He didn’t want Evan driving it until he knew it was safe.

“I’ll finish up here and see you at home. Drive safe.”

Evan turned toward the truck and then came back. “Thanks, Dad. This is really cool.”

An hour and a half later, he was back at home and Hannah met him at the door.

“So does this mean that when I turn sixteen, I get a car, too?”

“First, Evan is seventeen. Second, you haven’t even taken driver’s ed yet. And third, you guys can share a car.”

“Hmph.”

“I’m going to try and get everything settled with the car tomorrow so that you and Evan can get to school on your own. I’m going to get some stuff fixed up on the other house so we can move everything there.”

“Fix up what?”

“There are some repairs that your mom should have taken care of. The bathroom needs some help.”

“Are you doing anything to my room?”

“Not unless there’s something wrong with it.”

She hefted a sigh. “Thank God. My room is perfect. I finally got it just the way I want it.”

Trevor looked at her and almost asked what made it perfect, but he thought better of it. Given the state of everything else—and the lack of maintenance—he had the sudden thought that she’d spray-painted the walls or glued something to the ceiling. It could be a problem for a different day.

Evan came downstairs. “Can I show Hannah the car?”

“Sure. No driving it anywhere yet.” He tossed him the keys.

“I know.” Nudging Hannah’s shoulder, he said, “Come on.”

They headed outside and from the front door, Trevor could see Evan pointing things out to his sister.

For the first time since Lisa’s death, he felt like maybe he could do this. It wouldn’t be easy, but they really could figure it out.

Callie heard banging and hammering and drilling coming from Lisa’s house again. It was the third time this week. Trevor was killing himself over there every night after working all day. She hadn’t seen the kids at all. None of it could be considered healthy.

This coming from the queen of unhealthy parent-child relationships. She walked across the yard and looked up at the house. Windows were open, which would explain why she’d heard his noise. Lights blazed in almost every room.

What the hell was he doing? He’d originally made it sound like he was going to slap some paint on the walls and patch some holes. Nothing should be this noisy. Although she had her key, she pounded on the back door to get his attention. She waited and a minute later, the door swung open. Trevor stood in the kitchen in a sweat-soaked T-shirt and dusty jeans.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Working on the house. I thought it would be good for the kids to be back here before school let out. To be in their rooms to study and stuff.” He stepped back, so she followed him in.

He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and twisted off the cap. Then he drank it all in long gulps. Callie watched his throat work. It reminded her of an old Diet Coke commercial where a bunch of women in an office gathered around to watch the construction worker on break.

I am so bad.

After tossing the bottle in the recycling bin, he asked, “Is there a problem?”

“You tell me. You’ve been here every night after work. Have you even seen the kids?”

“I see them every morning before school. I see them when I go home.” His blue eyes darkened to a stormy color as he looked at her. “What are you getting at?”

“It looks like you’re avoiding them.”

“I’m working to make everything better for them, not avoiding them. I can’t be everywhere at once. If I’m not here, this doesn’t get done.”

“Maybe they could help. Or at least come here for dinner. Something.” She knew she was treading dangerously close to none-of-her-business territory, but she couldn’t ignore it.

Trevor turned and walked away. What the hell? She stomped after him into the living room and then into the bathroom in the hall. The entire room had been demolished.

“I thought you said you had some simple repair work to do. Paint and trim.”

“That was before I discovered a leak in the wall. With mold growing behind it. Since I had to tear out the drywall, I figured I might as well just replace everything and update it. All of the pipes were bad. In this bathroom and the one upstairs.” He turned to look at her. “I don’t want them living in this. And I don’t want them here when I’m cursing at their mother for having problems like this and being too stubborn to call me to ask for help.”

“I didn’t know.”

“You’re quick to assume I’m shirking my fatherly duties. I check in on them after school. Once I get the worst of this done, the rest will go faster.”

A stab of guilt hit her. She had assumed the worst of him, and it wasn’t fair. She’d told him she’d be here to help, to support him and the kids. She’d yet to do anything but offer unwanted advice. “Tell me how I can help.”

He looked her up and down, from the spaghetti-strap tank top down to her canvas sneakers. She felt his gaze along every inch. Then he snorted.

“What?”

“You’re not exactly dressed for construction work.”

“I think I’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m going to be running a jackhammer. I can carry things to the garbage. I can help hold…things.” She pointed ineffectively at the tools and materials lying around.

“I’m fine, Callie. Go home.”

She planted her fists on her hips. “No. I told you that I’d be here for you and the kids. Let me help.”

He sighed and rubbed a hand across his jaw. The rasp of the stubble sounded through the small room. “Fine. You’re gonna get dirty.”

“Dirt doesn’t scare me. Bring it on.”

He stepped closer and reached around her. Heat radiated from his body, and the smell of a construction site seemed to be his signature scent. His arm brushed hers as he slid back and handed her a pair of gloves and goggles.

“What are these for?”

“Safety first.” Then he walked around her and out the door.

“Coming?” he called without turning back.

She scurried after him. “Where are we going?” He was already up the steps when she asked. At the top of the stairs, her jaw dropped. There was a stack of broken drywall sitting in piles from the bathroom all the way out to the hall.

Trevor pointed at the pile. “That needs to go out.” Then he crossed his arms as if he expected her to balk at a little manual labor.

“I didn’t see a dumpster. Where am I putting it? The regular garbage can can’t hold all this.”

“There are construction debris bags sitting beside your place. Fill them as much as you can and I’ll drag them to the alley.” He moved toward the stairs again.

“Where are you going?”

“Back down to the other bathroom to start drywalling.”

“I thought you said it needed new pipes.”

“Done.”

“Already? You’ve only been at this a few days.”

“I’m good like that.”

Their eyes locked, and something zipped between them that felt a little too much like flirting. Her heart thumped, and she blinked rapidly.

“Well,” she said to break whatever trance had sucked them in, “I’ll get to work.”

“Yell if you need anything.” He turned and headed down the stairs.

Maybe the whole trance thing was on her. Her loneliness combined with friendly teasing allowed her brain to play with her. Of course Trevor wouldn’t flirt with her. He’d been married to her best friend.

She tugged on the gloves. They were about three sizes too big. Who the hell had a hand that big?

Her libido answered, I bet Trevor does, and I know what that means .

Giving herself a mental slap and making a note to get back on Tinder, she turned to look at the pile of drywall. With a grunt, she hefted the first piece and carried it downstairs. Just like Trevor said, there were two giant bags sitting on the lawn with drywall already in them. She added her piece to the pile and went back for more.

On her second trip, the back door and screen were wide open. As she neared the door, Trevor came through holding two full sheets of new drywall against his shoulder. She shifted to the side, putting her back to the wall to make sure he had enough room to pass. He smiled as he did.

She glanced down at her small piece of broken drywall. Then back to his bulging biceps as he turned the corner to get into the bathroom. He thought she was cute. Well, so what if she couldn’t balance building materials? She had other skills. She tossed her piece on the pile and returned to the bathroom.

Below her, she heard the sound of a drill. And music. Nothing she knew, but at least it was more pleasant than silence. Every now and then, she and Trevor would pass while working—her getting rid of the old, him bringing in the new. It was quite metaphorical. If her muscles weren’t screaming at her, she might think about grabbing her camera and taking a few shots.

By the time she had all of the big pieces hauled out, she was dying of thirst. A beer sounded great. She rarely drank beer, but she felt it was appropriate since she was doing construction work. She hopped down the last step and neared the bathroom before she realized that she’d almost approached Trevor and asked him if he wanted to grab a beer with her.

What the hell is wrong with me? The man was an alcoholic .

She sighed and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Taking one for Trevor, she went back to the bathroom. His deep voice carried over the sound of the drill. Was he singing?

Silently edging closer, she peeked around the corner of the door. Trevor’s phone sat on the toilet tank playing some twangy country song about a guy whose girl broke up with him and he was moving on. It was kind of pop-y and cute and absolutely nothing she ever would’ve imagined Trevor singing.

When they’d been young and he’d been in a band, this song was the opposite of what they’d played. He’d been all edgy and hard rock. Too bad he tried to live that lifestyle, too. But it had been more than the band and the bars. Lisa thought if he gave that up, he’d be sober. It had taken losing her and his family for him to see that his life had spiraled out of control.

When he bent to get some more screws, she knocked on the doorframe to distract herself from checking out his ass. He started and looked over his shoulder at her.

She smiled and waved the water bottle at him. “Thought you might be thirsty.”

He straightened and took it. “Thanks.”

As he twisted off the cap, she said, “Cute song you were singing.”

He raised an eyebrow at her and started glugging the water down like he had in the kitchen. To occupy herself, she opened her bottle and drank. It was time to update her dating profiles. She hadn’t dated a blue-collar guy since her early twenties. She’d forgotten how hot they were.

Me: globe-trotting photographer

You: blue-collar guy good with his hands

Trevor snapped his fingers in front of her face. She blinked and looked up at him.

“Where’d you go?” he asked. “You looked like you were about to?—”

Rather than finishing, he stepped away and took another swig of water.

“What did I look like?” Somehow she felt like she was poking a bear but couldn’t help herself.

“You really want to know?”

She nodded and gulped water.

“You looked ready to hump the sink.”

She snorted and choked on her water. She had been thinking about humping, but not the damn sink. He leaned his ass against the vanity and crossed his arms while waiting for her to finish choke-laughing.

After taking a deep breath, she said, “My mind wandered, but rest assured, while it’s been a while since I’ve hooked up with someone, your bathroom fixtures are safe.”

Color rose in his cheeks. He probably didn’t think she’d answer so honestly, but she was too old to put up any kind of pretense. By the time she’d reached thirty, she’d stopped playing games. Once she’d crossed the line over forty, she’d decided to own it. She was a healthy woman who enjoyed sex. She had no reason to deny it.

Of course, she also had no desire to admit to Trevor that it had been him she was thinking about.

“Anyway,” she continued, “the pile upstairs is gone. Is there something here I can help with?” She took a moment now to actually look at the progress he’d made. In the hour that she’d been hauling garbage, he’d managed to get walls back in place. “Wow.”

“What?”

“You really are fast. When I saw this room with no walls, I thought for sure you’d be in here for days getting drywall up.”

The corners of his mouth lifted. “There’s still a long way to go, but getting the walls back up is a good feeling. Progress in a positive direction.”

Callie nodded. Progress in a positive direction. She needed to find some of that for herself. Which started with her finding some other guy to ogle.

Putting the cap back on her bottle, she said, “If you don’t need me, I’m going home. I need a shower and ibuprofen.”

Trevor’s face sobered and he reached out. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“No. I’m fine. Muscles will be sore tomorrow, that’s all.”

“You sure?”

“Yep. And if the ibuprofen doesn’t work, I’ll just have to call Sven the Swedish masseur to come take care of me.” She winked and backed out of the room.

“Sven, huh?”

“Leave my fantasies to me.”

Trevor watched Callie sashay out of the small bathroom, covered in dust and with dirt smeared on her cheek. Her ponytail flopped crookedly, but she was cute. When she’d offered help, he’d imagined her hightailing it back to her place, but she’d stuck it out. He tossed his empty water bottle on the pile of trash.

He didn’t know what was going on between them, but it was making him uncomfortable. In more ways than one. He shifted his dick in his jeans. Callie had always been Lisa’s hot friend. Not that Lisa wasn’t beautiful. But Callie was alluring in an untouchable way.

And he hadn’t been imagining her staring at him tonight. Even if she was horny, she’d never once looked at him like that. He should’ve kept his mouth shut instead of egging her on, but he liked her straightforward attitude. About everything. She seemed much less untouchable these days.

It was getting late, and if he wanted to make sure the kids finished their homework, he needed to get home. He flicked off the light and went upstairs to see if Callie had moved everything. The pile was gone, so the room was ready for new drywall. Then he could bring in his taper by the end of the week.

He looked down the dark hall. The door to Lisa’s bedroom remained closed. He knew he had to clean it out, get rid of all her things, but he hadn’t been able to make himself do it. Hannah had asked Diane to leave it, so Lisa’s mother had only taken a few items and left the rest. No one had been in the room since. The kids might want something, and he had no idea what should be saved. They couldn’t leave it as a shrine. Fuck. There was just too much.

He left the house and hit a drive-through on the way to his house. When he walked through the door, the living room was dark and silent. So much like it always was when he came home. But now it was supposed to be different. The kids were here, living with him. Shouldn’t there be some sign of them?

He tossed his keys and food on the table and trudged up the stairs. Both of the kids had their bedroom doors closed. Not much of a family vibe they had going on. He knocked on Hannah’s door and waited for her to acknowledge him. He didn’t want to see anything he shouldn’t.

“What’s up, Dad?”

“You guys eat dinner?”

“Yep. Sloppy joe and fries. There might be some left on the stove. But I’m not sure.”

“That’s okay. I’m good.” He paused, trying to think of what else to say. “How was school?”

“Okay.”

“Homework?”

“Done.”

He looked at her for a minute before realizing he had nothing else. He had no idea how to engage his daughter in conversation. “I was just at the house. I should have the bathrooms up and running by the end of the week. But, uh, we need to sort out your mom’s stuff.”

Hannah’s head snapped up.

“We need to clean out her bedroom. Decide what to keep and what to donate.”

She nodded slowly.

“Do you want to be there? Or should I try to do it before you move back in?”

“I think I want to help.”

“Okay.” He tapped the doorframe. “Don’t stay up too late.”

“I won’t. Thanks, Dad.”

He nodded, but he had no clue what she was thanking him for. He went to Evan’s room, knocked, and swung the door open. “Hey, man, homework finished?”

“Yeah.”

Trevor entered the room and leaned against the desk. “I’ve been thinking about what you said about college.”

Evan looked at him with guarded eyes. “Yeah?”

“What do you think about working with me for the summer?”

“For real?”

“I think having experience of a real job might help you decide if that’s what you want.”

“What about football?”

“What about it?”

“I’ll have camp.”

“We’ll work around it.”

Evan nodded.

“You don’t have to, you know. If you’d prefer to get a job doing something else, that’s fine, too.”

“No. Working with you sounds cool. Remember when we built the deck on the back of the house?”

Trevor smiled. Of course he remembered. Evan had been getting into trouble at school, and Lisa told Trevor to come up with a way to talk to him. They’d talked while putting a deck on the back of his house.

“That was fun,” Evan said.

“You acted like it was torture.”

Evan chuckled. “That’s because I was pissed off. But the actual building? I liked that a lot.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me? I would’ve let you work with me more.”

Evan shrugged.

Trevor hated that teenage shrug. It said nothing and so much all at the same time. He’d prefer the actual words. Instead of pushing, he said, “We’ll go this weekend and get you some boots and work jeans.”

“Do I get my own tools, too?”

“We’ll get you started. Then see how it goes.”

“Cool.”

“See you in the morning.”

“’Night.”

Trevor pushed back toward his room. Maybe Callie was onto something. He’d been looking for a way to connect with Evan for a long time. It had never occurred to him that his son might like to build as much as he did. As he looked back down the dark hallway, he realized that she’d been right about something else, too. He had been immersing himself in work as a means of avoidance.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with the kids. He loved them more than anything. Work was how he’d always taken care of them. He provided financially, and Lisa had done everything else. Yeah, it was unfair and he definitely recognized that now. But there was no turning back.

It was time to rebuild his family in a new way, a way that would work for all of them. As he stripped off his dusty, sweaty clothes, he wondered how Callie fit into the dynamics of the new family.