Something Else Entirely

32 - Just a bit of healthy competition.

Dad and I spent the day going over the plans and remeasuring everything to make sure they were just right. He and James obviously had a few connections with surveyors and people down at the permit office of our local Council given how long they've been in the business of designing and constructing houses and buildings by now, so the swift approval of a permit wouldn't take long at all. The reassessing of the plans that James had drawn up and all the measuring was simply to get the process of ordering materials started so we could begin construction straight away, given we had a bit of a timeline to stick to. I think Dad and James also wanted to use it as a bit of a learning exercise for me considering I was in two short weeks to be out of school for good and working full-time with Dad, therefore would have a bit more time and practice at this kind of thing.

Dad, Sadie, Madden and I made a trip to Bunnings to put the order for materials in early in the afternoon after all four of us had okayed the updated plans, amended slightly to include walk in robes for both Madden and my bedrooms, which were to be the new ones downstairs, and a door for my room to open up onto the front porch so I had easier access in and out.

When we got home, Dad and I started marking out a few things against and around the house to get a jump start on the process while we still had time in our day, with Madden faithfully holding the ladders and passing us things when we asked for them to feel like he was helping too, still resentful that he wasn't older and couldn't do more.

I was outside on the ladder holding a tape measure and marking out points with Dad when I heard her clunky old car pulling up on our street, the gears grinding noisily and the ancient engine sounding like it was about ready to drop out the bottom of the car any second.

It was an unexpectedly hot thirty-five degrees Celsius when Dad and I had started marking everything out, so I had removed my shirt once it was dripping in sweat. I'm not usually a fan of the heat, but I'd gladly live somewhere a lot more tropical than Melbourne, Australia if it meant I got to see Logan stop dead in her tracks walking up the driveway more often, her jaw dropping down about five inches at the mere sight of me hot, sweaty and shirtless, standing on a ladder hard at work.

I climbed down and reached for my shirt hanging over the porch, wiping the sweat off my brow before walking over to meet her, not bothering to pull it back over my head to cover up as I was enjoying the way she constantly tried to cover up checking me out by looking at her feet. "Fancy seeing you here," I smiled at her. "I thought you had work today . . ."

"I, uh . . . finished early and thought I'd drive by and see if you were home," she said, trying her best to avoid staring at my bare chest. "Which clearly you are . . . and a lot of you too, it would seem."

Ugh. She's Flirty Logan today, and I'm already shirtless. Fuck, yes!

"Nope. Same amount of me, as always. Just slightly more visible. You see, this is what you miss out on by trying to pretend you don't want me," I smirked at her, motioning down my torso and trying to speak quietly enough that Dad and Madden nearby, and Sadie sitting around the back reading, couldn't hear.

"Noted," she said, hiding her shy smile when she looked over at Dad and Madden as they pretended not to be listening. "Hi, Ruben. And hello to you too, cutie: the most handsome of all Foster men," she called out to Madden, who started blushing instantly and dropped the pencil he was holding.

"Hey now, Loges!" Dad played with her, smiling at Logan standing next to me. "I'm standing right here."

"Apologies. Equal most handsome Foster man alongside his father," she amended, glancing sideways at me and smirking as her eyes rolled across my glistening chest.

"Is Logan here?" yelled Sadie from around the back where she was sitting in her lounge chair reading . . . surprise, surprise.

"Yeah, Ma. She just got here," yelled out Madden, picking up the pencil he dropped before walking over to hug Logan.