But the real reason is . . . I’m starting to like him. A lot. And as fun as he is to spend time with, I don’t want to lose sight of my own goals. It would be easy to get caught up in a summer romance, one that invariably has an end date attached to it, and that date is likely going to be sooner rather than later.

Since I’ve been back, I’ve been undecided on what my next move will be. I’ve been looking at positions for project managers in Chicago and checking out rentals that have a half-hour commute or maybe even less. I want to have options once I’m no longer needed here, but none of the positions have been all that appealing so far. With all the reno projects this winter, it seems like my dad is going to be on-site more and in the office less, so no matter what happens, I’ll likely have to train someone to take over for me when the time comes.

I’m also aware that there’s a possibility Van will eventually decide his best option is to sell Bee’s property. And it would be hard to fault him, if that’s what he ends up doing. With everything hanging over his head and no job, it may be the only thing he can do. So I’m reluctant to let my heart get all soft over him.

Not that I’m having much luck in that department. Everything he does makes me all melty like a toasted marshmallow.

“Hey, Dee, you in there?” Aaron snaps his fingers and gives me a wry smile.

“Huh? Oh, hey. Just lost in thought. What do you need?”

“You feeling okay?” His brows pull together.

“Yeah, of course. Why?”

He adjusts the brim of his hat and rubs the back of his neck. “Uh, I called your name three times before you snapped out of your trance.”

“Oh.” I touch my cheek with the back of my hand. “I’m fine. I just . . . have a lot on my mind. Anyway. What can I help you with?”

“I need to check the loft plans for the Bowmans’ ‘garage’ and the kitchen reno for the Kingstons.” He makes air quotes around the word garage. It’s one of the ways the north side folks get around some of the tricky building permits. They’ll build a one-and-a-half-story garage and put a loft on the second floor.

“Right. Yeah. Is everything okay?” Both of those projects are extensive and aren’t slated to start until later in the summer, after the official beginning of hockey season, when most people have gone back to the city, or farther south if they’re intent on avoiding the snow as much as possible.

Aaron raises both hands in the air, a motion meant to be calming. “Everything’s fine. Mrs. Bowman wants to look at a few more options for the garage, and they’re wondering if they might be able to put an extra bedroom in the pool house. They’re putting in one of those swim-spa things, and those pool guys from the city are always slowing us down.”

“We need to find someone local who installs pools.”

Aaron nods. “There’s a couple in Lake Geneva, but they’re all booked up until next summer. Anyway, if you have the plans handy, it’d be great if we could take a look at them. I want to see what all I’ll need to be able to tie into the existing plumbing, and I think there’s a chance we’ll have to upgrade the septic with the additional bathrooms they’re planning to put in.”

“Will you need to visit the property again to assess that?”

“Definitely, but I figure it’s best if I go over the plans first and make sure everything is doable. You know what those architects are like. Sometimes the ideas are great but the execution isn’t actually possible.”

I spin around in my chair, open the filing cabinet holding all the current and upcoming jobs, and find the files he’s asking about.

“Do you want to do that on your own, or would it be better for me to hang around and make notes?”

“If you have time for that, it would definitely cut out a few steps later.” He nods to the stacks of paperwork on my desk. “But I understand if you’re busy.”

“I’m always busy, but in the interest of making less work for myself later, and you having to explain all this stuff to my dad, and then him having to explain it to me, and all of us having to explain it to the Bowmans, it sort of seems like it makes better sense for you and me to go over this stuff together?” I pose it as a question.

“Makes sense to me.”

“Great. Let’s do it, then. I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee.” I abandon the invoices I’m currently working on, grab my things, and follow Aaron to the break room so there’s enough space for us to spread out.

Half an hour later I have a purchase list, a revised potential cost list, hourly rate subtotals, and bullet points to go over with Mrs. Bowman. I fire off an email to her and ask if there’s a date and time that will work for her to get together to review the revisions. Her husband’s response to almost every email we’ve sent is “Whatever Lainey thinks is best.” It’s kind of cute.

“These mansion renovations should set us up for the entire winter.” Aaron leans back in his chair and sips his coffee.

“I think that’s what we’re all hoping. It’s why I’m spending so much time making sure everything is managed efficiently where they’re concerned, you know? We need great customer service so they tell all their friends about how awesome we are.”

He nods his agreement. “You think maybe you want to stay on past Christmas?”

I shrug. “Billy will probably be back by then.”

“Yeah, but he works on the projects, and these big ones mean either John or your dad needs to be on-site to help manage them. It’s not like the small stuff we do for the local businesses that take a couple of days, or a week, and don’t need extra supervision. And lately the projects have been more involved on my end. I’m not complaining, but it means we need all the manpower we can get.”

I focus on my coffee mug, tracing the design on the front. “Do you think Billy will be okay working on these bigger projects?”

Aaron lifts his ball cap and runs a hand through his hair before replacing it and bending the brim. “Hard to say. He can be a real asset or a real liability. Depends on what he’s been up to the night before.”

This is the stuff I’ve been trying to get out of my parents ever since I’ve been back here: I want to know what the situation is with Billy and whether the DUI charge was a random accident or something more. “How many days a week would you say he was an asset?”

Aaron is silent for a few moments, weighing his response. “Maybe half and half just before he had the accident. Before that it was most of the time, but I don’t know, Dee . . .” He looks around, not wanting to be caught gossiping. “He’s changed in the past year. Something is just . . . off, I guess? He was always into mischief, but it was basically harmless when we were kids. Now, not so much.” He takes another sip of his coffee. “I don’t want to throw him under the bus or anything, but recently, like say maybe the past six months, I haven’t been hanging out with him all that much.”

“I noticed he was with the Wallace boys at the beach party.”

“Yeah. He’s been spending more time with those two, and they’re nice enough guys, but they’re not all that motivated. Mostly all they do is drink beers and drive around on their ATVs. And maybe that was fine when we were teenagers, but we’re adults. I guess I’m looking to settle down, and he’s still partying like it’s senior year.”