Read Online Last One Home by Debbie Macomber - Free Book Online Page A

come?”
    Cassie wasn’t sure herself and didn’t know how best to explain the tension between the two of them. “All I know is that weseem to clash. Whatever you do this afternoon, stay out of Steve Brody’s way. Got it?”
    Amiee nodded. She’d heard a similar warning often enough when they’d lived with Duke. Even as young as two and three, Amiee had learned the wisdom of staying away from her father when he was in a foul mood.
    “Is he like Dad?” she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.
    “No,” Cassie said, regretting her choice of words now. “He’s just grumpy.”
    “How come?”
    Again Cassie was at a loss to explain what she had yet to understand herself. “The lady at Habitat said his wife died.”
    “Then he’s sad.”
    “Yes, and that makes him grumpy,” Cassie added. “Come and I’ll introduce you to Shelly and George. This house is going to be their home. We’re almost finished.”
    Amiee’s eyes widened with absolute wonder as she stared at the four-bedroom house. “You mean to say this whole house will be theirs?”
    Cassie struggled to hold back a smile. “Yes, the whole house.”
    Amiee couldn’t take her eyes off the structure. “Will our home be this big?”
    “Almost, only we’ll have one less bedroom.”
    Her daughter regarded her with what could only be described as wide-eyed wonder. “Cool.”
    “In the good sense, right?” After being updated earlier by her daughter, she wanted to be sure this was a positive reaction.
    “Right.”
    Cassie climbed out of the car and Amiee followed her, sticking close to her side. She wasn’t more than two feet onto the property when Steve stopped her. “That your daughter?” he asked, directing the question to Cassie.
    “Yes, this is Amiee. Amiee, this is Steve.”
    He nodded once in Amiee’s direction, then asked Cassie, “How old is she?”
    “Twelve.”
    “She can’t be here. No one under the age of sixteen is allowed to be on the construction site.”
    “I … was going to stay out of the way,” Amiee assured him.
    Steve sighed. “Sorry. It’s the rules. No one under sixteen can be here.”
    Shelly stood in the background, and being in close proximity, she couldn’t help but overhear. “Amiee, I have a daughter around your age. I could take you over to our place and the two of you could hang. Would you like that?”
    Amiee glanced at Steve and nodded.
    “Thank you,” Cassie told the other woman. This was by far preferable to having her daughter alone in the house or sitting in the car for the next several hours.
    Cassie tagged along with Shelly to where the family was currently housed. Once she was assured Amiee was at ease with Shelly’s daughter, the two women returned to the job site. “I wonder if Steve will let me do more than pick up trash today,” Cassie muttered.
    “He’ll have to,” Shelly said. “There’d be nothing for you to collect, seeing what a great job you did yesterday.”
    Shelly was right. When they returned, Steve met them with a gallon bucket of paint in each hand. “You’re both going to paint today.”
    “Are you sure you don’t want me on garbage detail?” Cassie asked ever-so-sweetly.
    Steve responded by handing her a paint can. Cassie took it from him and was surprised by how heavy it was.
    “Cassie, you’re cutting out around the windows and archway in the living room,” he said, and then looked to Shelly. “You can start in the dining room with the roller.”
    Cassie waited until he was out of the room before she snapped her heels together and saluted him, as if he were a member of the Third Reich.
    Shelly broke into giggles. “What is with you two?” Shelly asked, as she slowly shook her head.
    Cassie shrugged. “For whatever reason, he doesn’t like me.” She couldn’t imagine what she’d said or done to get on his bad side, but she was solidly placed there now. It wasn’t a big deal. His dislike wasn’t a concern. He didn’t have to like her and she