THE HOUSE ETHAN COLE BUILT FOR TWO
Chapter 14
The house needed work.
A lot of it.
The porch had to be rebuilt before winter.
The kitchen sink leaked.
One window wouldn’t close properly.
The fence in the backyard had begun leaning.
Ethan didn’t complain.
He had spent months dreaming about a house.
Now he understood why people complained about owning one.
There was always something.
One Saturday morning, Walter arrived with tools.
“Roof.”
Ethan looked up.
“What about it?”
“Need to check it.”
“I checked it last week.”
Walter frowned.
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Then check it again.”
Lily appeared in the doorway.
“Can I help?”
Walter looked at Ethan.
Ethan smiled.
“Sure.”
They spent the morning repairing the roof.
Lily handed them tools.
Walter taught her the names.
Ethan showed her how to hold a measuring tape.
By noon, they were exhausted.
Lily sat on the porch.
“Is this what you do?”
Ethan sat beside her.
“What?”
“Fix things.”
He smiled.
“Mostly.”
She looked at the house.
“Why?”
Ethan looked at the porch.
“Because broken things can be fixed.”
Lily thought about that.
“Everything?”
Ethan paused.
“Not everything.”
She looked at him.
“But some things.”
Ethan nodded.
“Some things.”
