Evy
2 months later
I hear the doorbell ring and I finish smoothing my leave in conditioner through my curls, and quickly wash my hands. I make my way out of my bedroom, running to the front of the house to answer the door.
I look through the peephole and see Oakland Lycus standing on the other side.
I smile as I open it, craning my neck up to look at him. He's a giant man, who normally has a scowl so intimidating on his face that you want to apologize for personally offending him.
I found him rather intimidating the first time I met him, but after spending time with him and his girlfriend, who also happens to be my boss, I've learned he has a kind heart beneath his "no nonsense" demeanor.
He's an incredibly talented handyman, builder, and painter. He's helped transform the old cabin that Ford and I purchased into a cozy, modern, home that I love so much I hate to even leave the house.
When Ford and I first came up to the Brimstone Mountains, he preferred the larger, more modern houses in the bustling city of Charlestown that is 40 minutes away from here.
But I loved the quiet, friendly, atmosphere of Upwood. Even though the houses were older, they were less expensive than Charlestown, and I convinced him he could also rent out an office space cheaper here for his insurance business. Once he realized he could still do business with customers in Charlestown while saving money on running his company, he finally agreed.
"Good morning, Oakland. How are you doing today?" I greet, stepping aside so he can come in.
"Fine. Thanks," he answers gruffly.
Always a man of few words.
"Come on back," I say, leading him through my living room, to the back hallway where my bedrooms and bathrooms are. "So you're going to be starting demo today?" I ask.
"I am. It should only take a few days to get the laundry room completed. Then when your new washer and dryer come in, I'll take care of setting them up too," he explains.
I nod, looking around the empty hallway closet that he is converting in to my new laundry room. It is the last part of the house that I want to change to make our home complete, and I can't wait to be able to make one of my chores easier.
Ford comes out of our guest bedroom and stops when he sees Oakland. He holds up a hand to greet him, "Hey there, Oakland. Thanks for all the work you've done around here. It was tough on my wallet, but seeing everything come together has made it worth it," he chuckles, slipping on his suit jacket.
Oakland glances at me, the scowl on his face deepening. "Right," he responds shortly, before turning back around and setting down his tool bag.
Ford frowns at Oaklands dismissal, before nodding his head towards the kitchen, motioning for me to follow him. I excuse myself from Oakland, and walk behind Ford back down our hall.
He's been particularly moody lately, and I'm not sure why. After the strange feeling I had that he was stepping outside of our marriage a few months ago, I started to feel like things were slightly improving between us. We even went out for a night in Charlestown one Saturday, and he seemed to be listening to me more. I figured that maybe I was just overreacting about everything.
But sadly, my optimism was only fleeting, and he quickly started to be standoffish and grumpy all over again.
I watch him stomp around the kitchen now, pouring his coffee in to a travel cup before he finally acknowledges that I'm standing here, "Is he going to be here all day?" He asks quietly.
