Restoring the Past

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

It wasn’t until Cal finally had a chance to sit down and assess things that the enormity of what he had to deal with hit him. It wouldn’t be easy; he needed to talk to a Realtor, get estimates on what needed to be repaired before he could put the house up for sale, find someone to make sure the work got finished.

“Maybe I should just hire a property manager, let them take care of it. Or, hell, I could just sell it as-is for a loss.” He was slumped on the couch, talking to—unloading on—his ex, Dave. They’d split two years ago but somehow managed to remain good friends. It had taken them a while to get to that place, but Cal found Dave’s support invaluable. He knew Cal better than anyone, and he’d been there throughout Dad’s short illness.

Dave also knew business. “That’s a bad idea. It’ll cut into your profit and draw out the time it’s on the market. You’ll be lucky if you find someone who wants to put the work into it and not someone who wants to demolish it and build condos.”

“Well, aren’t you cheerful.” Cal slid further into the couch cushions. “This place is a mess, Dave. I can’t believe no one bothered to tell me.”

“Maybe they didn’t think you’d care since you never bothered to visit.” Dave had no trouble calling Cal out when he acted like an ass.

He sighed and leaned his head back on the couch. “I know, I should have been more involved, I should have asked more questions. I heard it all at the funeral, but thanks for the reminder.”

Dave sighed. “I’m not trying to be insensitive, Cal.”

“You’re just trying to point out that I brought this on myself. I’m not trying to point out I didn’t. I’m a little overwhelmed, is all, and not sure where to start.”

“Start with the Realtor. Get their input on inspectors, contractors, and property managers. Make a—”

“List.” Cal smiled. Dave loved lists.

“They work,” Dave said archly.

“I need to get some sleep. Thanks for the pep talk.”

“Anytime. You know how to find me.”

Cal ended the call, briefly regretting that things with Dave had ended. They’d been good together…mostly. Dave had felt something was missing, though, and Cal couldn’t figure out how to give it to him. Still, it would have been nice if Dave could have been here by his side, rather than four hundred miles away on the other end of the phone.

He rubbed his eyes and pushed the thoughts away. He had enough issues right now without mooning over his ex-boyfriend.

Before anything else, he needed to bring the house into the twenty-first century. Hell, even the nineteen-nineties would be an improvement. Fortunately, his dad had upgraded from dial-up to DSL, but Cal didn’t relish the prospect of sitting in the “office” upstairs researching painters, plumbers, roofers, and whatever else he needed. Wireless would let him use his laptop downstairs, where it was several degrees cooler, and significantly less dusty.

He should probably add a general cleaning service to his list of calls to make.

He headed to the nearest big box store first thing the next morning. The large strip mall near the outskirts of town had most of the same stores Cal frequented at home, something he was surprised to find comforting. He knew exactly what he needed, and didn’t expect the entire trip to take more than an hour or so.

He also didn’t expect to run into the very reason he’d left town all those years ago.

Andy Paulson. Cal had known seeing Andy was a possibility, but had made no attempt to prepare himself. It was much less…affecting than he thought it would be. Andy was looking through the DVD sale bin when Cal walked past. He smiled and waved when he saw Cal staring at him.

Cal swallowed his pride and decided to act like an adult. He changed directions and walked over to Andy. “Hi. Uh, I got the flowers you sent to Dad’s wake. Thanks. They were really nice.”

Andy nodded. “I’m glad you got them. I was surprised to hear about your dad. He was a good guy.”

Cal glanced away. “Yeah. He wasn’t sick for very long, thankfully. He went so fast, I almost didn’t make it back in time,” Cal found himself admitting.

“It’s good he didn’t have to suffer much. How long are you in town for?” Andy looked as awkward as Cal felt.

“I’m not sure. I’ve got about a month with vacation and sick time, so hopefully no longer than that.”

Andy shifted his weight from leg to leg. “That’s good that your boss is understanding.”

“Yeah, he’s a good guy. And he can get apprentices from the tech college to fill in for me. Uh, I’m a diesel mechanic.”

“Yeah? That’s cool. You always liked working with your hands.” Andy’s face turned pink, and Cal refrained from commenting on the double entendre. There was a time when he wouldn’t have hesitated.

“What about you? Did you finish your degree?” Andy had left town midway through his associate’s degree program.

Andy nodded. “Got my master’s. I teach math at the community college.”

Cal grinned. “You always were the brainy one.”

Andy returned his smile. “Don’t sell yourself short.” He cleared his throat, looking awkward again. “I don’t mean to hold you up. You must have a million things to take care of. Are you staying at the house?”

“For now, until I figure out what needs to be done to make it sellable.” Cal took a step backwards, surprised at his reluctance to leave. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah. It was good to see you.” Andy smiled at him again, but looked relieved that their brief encounter was almost over.

Cal summoned up a smile. “You, too.”

Andy looked good, better than he had when they were skinny kids barely out of high school. They’d both filled out and put on muscle over the years, but they weren’t tipping into middle age yet. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, Andy didn’t look like a college professor.

With a sigh, Cal forced the thoughts of Andy out of his head, paid for his wireless router, and started for home. He could at least check one thing off his list.