Page 10 of Isolated (Harper Security Ops #21)

He shook his head. “No. How about you go inside and open that door that leads into the basement?”

“I can do that.”

A few minutes later, Walter met me at the door, pushing my new water heater ahead of him. It would have taken me hours to get it over the threshold on my own, but Walter managed it surprisingly well.

Once it was unboxed, I asked, “How can I help?”

“I’ve got it covered.” He inspected the old unit, looking over it like he was searching for something. “I’m going to run over to my place and grab a couple of tools I’ll need, but I can come in through the basement door here, so I don’t disturb you.”

“Disturb me? Walter, do you understand the favor you’re doing for me? It wouldn’t feel right to just go upstairs and leave you down here to fix this on your own.”

“Do you know how?”

I shook my head.

“It’d take me longer to explain it to you than it’ll be for me to just do it. I can have it done in two to three hours by myself.”

There was no denying that I’d likely create more of a hassle by sticking around and asking questions.

But I didn’t like the idea of Walter needing to do this all on his own.

Since I wanted to do whatever would be easiest for him, I declared, “Okay. I’ll let you work, but you’re going to have to stop somewhere in the middle of this to have dinner with me. ”

He narrowed his eyes on me. “Dinner?”

“You didn’t eat yet, did you?”

“No.”

I smiled at him. “Good. Then I’m going to go upstairs and make dinner for us. I’ll let you know when it’s ready. And I don’t want to hear any fuss from you. What you’re doing is such a huge help for me.”

There was something in Walter’s nature that led to him always wanting to argue. I could see it in his expression the moment I got the words out. By some miracle, he held himself back from that, and instead, he asked, “What are you making?”

“Sausage and pepper sandwiches.”

Walter stared at me, and whether he knew it or not, I could see the way his eyes lit up at the mention of what was for dinner. He remained silent, though.

“Will that be alright?”

He jerked his chin down. “I’m not picky.”

Laughter spilled out of me. “You? Picky? The thought never crossed my mind.”

Walter brushed off whatever thoughts ran through his mind. “I’ve got to go get those tools.”

Deciding it was best to let him get to work, as he walked to the door, I turned and moved toward the stairs. I dove right in on preparing dinner, doing it with a bit of a smile on my face.

There’d been a lot left to be desired in my life lately with all that had been happening, but this situation gave me the opportunity to take a step back and see all that I had to be grateful for.

I couldn’t expect that things were always going to go smoothly. Bad things were going to happen from time to time. But in the end, I had to remind myself that I was much more fortunate than a lot of others.

I had a grouchy neighbor who’d step up to help me in a pinch. I had my friends at work, my family only an hour away. I even had a guy who took the time to work out with me several mornings a week.

As I added ingredients and seasonings to the skillet, I inhaled deeply.

There was no need to get so worked up. Things mattered to me—both my work and my relationships—but it wouldn’t always be smooth sailing.

I had support in the best of places, and having people that cared about me was what mattered the most.

So, I plastered a genuine smile on my face, finished making dinner, and called Walter up to eat. We had a lovely time chatting—it meant the world to him, despite the fact he’d never admit it—and he immediately went back down into the basement to finish the installation.

Two hours later, Walter finished.

“What’s this?” he asked when I handed him a container.

“Are you going to allow me to pay you for your work tonight?”

He growled at me. “Absolutely not.”

I grinned at him. “I figured that would be the case. So, since you enjoyed those sandwiches so much, I packed up a few extras for you to take home as a token of my appreciation for what you did for me today.”

Any time he’d helped me in the past, Walter never accepted money. He was legitimately insulted the first time I’d offered it. But I hated feeling like he’d done something for me without getting anything in return. I quickly learned that Walter never turned down home-cooked meals.

He held the container up between us. “Just this. Nothing else.”

I pressed my lips together to stifle the laughter threatening to spill out. “Okay. Thank you, again, for doing this for me. You’re a lifesaver.”

Walter tipped his chin up proudly. “I’m always around if you need help.”

“I appreciate it.”

Walter and I said goodbye to one another, and I locked up behind him after he left. Then, I tested out his handiwork and hopped into the shower. It was gloriously warm, and the heat eased any of the lingering stress out of my muscles.

By the time I crawled into bed and closed my eyes, I felt a renewed sense of peace. Things were turning around. I could feel it in my bones.