Cameron

"It looks like someone chewed it, spat it out, and took a giant hot shit on it," Caleb commented.

Rick, Caleb, and I stood in front of the dilapidated mansion on my land. Kara was the only person I had brought here before. Since Caleb had found out about it, he hadn't stopped hounding me for a tour.

"It is over a hundred years old," Rick said. "It has a lot of potential."

A huge smile split his face as his eyes scanned the fanciful turrets and towers blanketed in moss, the massive glass dome coated in dirt, the walls ravaged by time and neglect, the boarded windows covered in graffiti.

"Yeah, for a horror house." Caleb rubbed the tip of his nose with his thumb.

"Did some reno with a friend in this small town back in the day," Rick commented. "Brings back memories. I heard this house is haunted."

Caleb smirked. "That's it. Start charging people for an entrance fee. I can do the advertising."

"Kid's got no imagination, but we'll keep him for entertainment," Rick said.

"Use him for firewood later," I said.

"You bet."

Caleb just rolled his eyes. Despite his bitching, he climbed the rotting steps to the crumbling porch, green eyes eager to explore. He might complain about the reno side of it, but I knew he was looking forward to exploring what was inside. He tried to pull the flimsy board serving as the front door when Rick motioned for him to come down.

"I want to see the exterior first," Rick said. "Let's stick together."

"Yes, sir." Caleb easily jumped the stairs to the ground and fell into step beside me. He shook his head. "What were you thinking buying this dump?" But he grinned, looking excited at the adventure of it. "Might be ghosts inside."

Now I rolled my eyes at him.

We followed Rick like two kids following their dad. In every sense of the word, he was mine.

Nature had taken over the courtyard and gardens. What wasn't covered with underbrush and weeds, unidentified debris cluttered it. On the rear of the mansion, chunky vines and the thickest and tallest rosebushes I'd ever seen choked the cracked walls and creeped up to the sagging roof. Their sweet scent perfumed the air. The picture it evoked was strange.

Beauty clings to broken things.

"Looks like you're going to have to replace all the windows," Rick said. "Haven't seen any that's intact."

"Cha-ching, Cam," Caleb said, brows raised.

I sighed. "I know. I've got some saved up. I'll do most of it myself anyway. And I get free labor right here." I slapped Caleb's back hard. He slapped me back just as hard.

"Got some materials in the shop you can pick up if you need," Rick said.

"Thanks. I might just do that."

"You let me know what you need, son." Rick craned his neck as he studied the upper floors. "That chimney looks like it's going to topple over. Get it checked out right away. It might just fall into this pool, take out most of your roof too. Is that a dead body floating—no, it's some sort of a tree branch. Geez Louise. You check the roof yet?"

"How's he going to check the roof?" Caleb asked. "Fly?"

I ignored him.

"Woah. Look at the size of these rosebushes. Must be as old as this house. Who needs a ladder?" Caleb nudged me with his elbow. "Bet you can use these to climb up, check out the roof."

"If I do, you gonna check out my ass?" I elbowed him back so that he almost tripped.

"What can I say? You're my type."

"When you two boobs finished flirting, let's check out the inside."

"Yes, sir."

"The courtyard and gardens need a lot of work," Rick said as we made our way back to the front. "Might be a good idea to clean them up first so we can get the equipment in easily. Get a demo permit, a dumpster—"

"Did you see that?" Caleb feigned a look of terror on his face. "Who was that in the window just now?"

"It's your grandmother," I said. "She's still looking for your report card."

Rick snickered. "Caleb, son, if you don't want me to be the one in that window haunting this place, stop trying to give me a heart attack."

Caleb smirked at me. "Guess you have a roommate already. Roommates, if you're lucky."

"What Cameron needs is find himself a girl and marry her. Then you and your wife fill this big house with your kids, get a couple of dogs, a couple of cats, a cow, chickens, maybe a pig and a horse, and live happily ever after."

"He already found her," Caleb said, walking backwards ahead of us. "Big question is if he's man enough to get her back."

"Shots have been fired," Rick said, laughing.

Caleb winked at Rick, turned around and climbed the rotting steps to the porch.

"What?" Rick raised his brows at me, grinning. "I heard Elijah say it. Figured I'd sound cool if I say what the cool kids say."

"Oh, you're cool. The epitome of cool."

"Thanks. Why don't you get me the crowbar in the back of my truck? Let's pry that board open so we can—"

A loud crash made me look up. Caleb had already charged and rammed the thin board serving as the front door open.

"Never mind." Rick sighed, pulled out his flashlight from his back pocket. "You boys never change. Both of you just got bigger. Brain stayed the same size. Let's go."

Dried leaves and debris littered the black and white tile floor of the grand foyer as we stepped inside. Sunlight poured generously from the domed skylight, illuminating the whole place. Two imposing staircase curved upward and joined on the next floor, leading to each wing. On the landing, the whole wall was covered with floor to ceiling windows. If they weren't coated with a thick layer of grime, Rick and Caleb would see the magnificent maze beyond it.

We went floor to floor, roughly checking each room, what could be salvaged, restored, rehabbed. It would be great to keep the original floors, but when Rick lifted the ugly carpet covering them, he spotted the warped boards immediately. There was water damage.

I already knew this was going to be a whole gut job and would cost me a lot. It didn't matter, I decided, as Caleb and I followed Rick to another room with built-in shelves and what looked to be hundreds of books that looked as old as dirt. I'd take on new projects if I needed more money.

I was already going to ask if I could take some materials from Rick's shop and was grateful that he brought it up first. He loved to collect doors, windows, floorboards, lighting etc. that would have been discarded after a reno. That would help me a lot.

I could get discounted materials through my contacts, save a lot by doing most of the labor. I'd call the guys in, check with them if they could tuck me in their schedule if I needed them for anything—electrical, plumbing, whatever. I had to make a list, plans, timetable. But I had no deadline. It would take me years to complete it, but that was what I wanted. No, that was what I needed.

I needed the busy days so I wouldn't have time to think of Kara, needed the bone-deep exhaustion at night so I could pass out and not miss her, wouldn't have the energy to hop on my bike to look for her and see her face.

This mansion rehab came at the perfect time. Since I already finished the projects Rick had handed over to me and he wouldn't give me new ones until next spring, I needed this. I toyed with the idea of accepting a big project from a client, but I didn't want to be tied down to another job I couldn't easily leave when Rick might need me.

But I was wrong about that. In the following weeks, Rick looked to be doing better than I thought and he made it clear he didn't need any babysitter. Other than taking time off during his treatments, his days weren't that much different before I left—not that I'd seen anyway.

Still, I dropped by to visit him. And it pissed him off.

"You of all people should know I need my space and my independence," he snapped that one time I dropped by the hospital during his treatment.

When he was finished with his treatment, he dragged me in his truck at the hospital parking lot. "I'm really glad you're back, Cam. In fact, I'm feeling chippier these days because I know you're around. But I'm not an invalid. I'm not going to give up my life just because I need to go to my treatments. I'm a strong worker and I can still outwork you. It's already bad my sisters check up on me every damn day. Not you too. I don't want to feel as if I'm being watched over all the damn time like a little kid. If I see you here one more time, I'm going to kick your ass."

Then what the hell did I come back here for in the first place? But I knew. If something happened to him, if he needed me for anything, I wanted to be close. He was dealing with his own demons too.

But it looked like he didn't need me. For now, anyway. So, I buried myself in backbreaking work. I started gutting the whole mansion. Ripped out rotten boards, insulation, moldy walls and carpet. It was nasty work, but it kept me away from trouble.

I didn't care to preserve any of the original details of the mansion other than to save money on materials. My preferences are clean, contemporary lines and I'd choose the conveniences of modern technology any day, but every time I wanted to tear a mantel out, throw away century-old sconces, pull out the intricate crown molding, I hear Kara telling me she loved the design. So I kept them.

I drove back to the city when I needed to get supplies or when Rick wanted to grab dinner or when Caleb needed me for a couple of days.

Or when the ache in my chest from missing Kara got so heavy I had to drive by her place. Just to check if she was okay, if she needed any help.

But she made it clear the last time I saw her that she didn't want me. Wouldn't even accept a ride from me at the station. Another knife in the chest. And no more than I deserved.

I had already talked to Coach and quit the basketball team. I had no plans of continuing college but couldn't get myself to file the course withdrawal paperwork.

It was simple enough to do. I could even do it online. But... Kara was still going to the college. She was determined to finish her degree and maybe had about another year or so before she graduated. And if I didn't file the paperwork, I could still go to my classes, and maybe I'd run into her there if I go. At the parking lot, in the hallways, at the gym. A thin thread, a small possibility. But it was there.

Pathetic motherfucker.

So, I worked on the reno like my life depended on it. Sometimes I got so tired I'd pass out on the floor and wake up with all the aches and pains from pushing myself too much. But it felt good. It felt like I had a purpose and it kept me from getting dragged to that dark place in my head.

At night when I manage to walk back from the mansion to my cabin, I'd sometimes catch her scent. Like my place in the city, her things were still there too. I hadn't moved a single thing.

She wanted two rocking chairs at the front when she came here the first time, then changed her mind and wanted a big porch instead. She wouldn't come here anymore, but I made it anyway.

She talked about a tree house and a swing she used to have when she was a kid, so even though I still had a million things to do in the big house, I missed her so damn much I made both. And hit my thumb with a hammer.

I was nursing my thumb the next day, waiting for the damn coffee machine when there was a loud knock on my door.

"What the hell?"

Other than the little dog down the street who would sometimes come over for scraps, no one came over. Unless the dog learned how to knock.

When I opened it, Caleb greeted me with a frown.

"You're not answering your phone and you left the gate open," he said, pushing his way inside. "Might as well invite everyone in. When was the last time you saw a human being?"

"I'm looking at you right now, aren't I?"

"What climb up your ass and died?"

"Need a damn coffee," I muttered.

He stayed quiet for three seconds.

"I'm free for a couple of hours so I can help you demo that pit of despair you bought. Leaving for Saskatchewan in a few days, but I'll be back for my birthday party on Sunday."

He snatched my coffee, backed away from me so I couldn't snatch it back. I shrugged—too early to argue—grabbed another cup from the cupboard, started to pour.

"Kara's invited."

"Fuck!" Steaming hot coffee splashed on my already throbbing thumb. Sucking it, I glared at him.

He had a smirk on his mouth. Then tilted his cup as if to toast me. "Get your tux ready."

A/N: Hi loves, how are you? To my Chasing Red readers, you might or might not remember what's going to happen next. I didn't want to spoil Chasing Red to my readers who haven't read it yet. Well...I guess it's inevitable there would be CR spoilers in WIL but I'm trying not to add too much of them even though sometimes I really, really want to!

Happy New Year to you and yours. ❤️ Do you have any New Year resolutions?