Page 44 of Safety Net (Mendell Hawks #3)

"I think that's the last thing you need."

I grunted in agreement and finished off my sandwich. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored the first time and then the next four until it started making my headache worse.

Sam

You good? Do you need me to get you?

Henrik

Everything okay? I thought you'd be back by now. I'm sorry about earlier. We were trying to help. I know these past few months have been hard for you. Don't shut us out, though. This is the time to make a change.

Naomi

Worried about you! Text back when you can. Love you!

Finn

Hey.

I responded to the 'hey' because, of course, I did.

hi

Finn

How are you, Lincoln?

on top of the world. you?

Finn

Good, thank you for asking. Where are you?

why are you texting like that??

Finn

Like what?

Like some 65-year-old who's just gotten their first flip phone

Finn

Feels the most natural to me, I suppose.

you're something else.

Finn

Thanks. Where are you?

My driver made a sharp turn, abrupt enough to make my drinks topple over. The coffee spilled a bit from the half-opened lid.

Finn

I went back to the party looking for you. Everyone said you disappeared.

Off to New Dane. gotta get those sets and bring them back before the first show tonight

Finn

It's 1 AM.

Celeste needed them weeks ago. I kept dragging my feet. It's brunch time.

*crunch

Finn

I could have taken you. I could still leave now and meet you. Bring you back.

no, don't. I didn't ask because I knew you guys would offer and do all this last-minute running around

Finn

What's wrong with that?

I need to fix this myself. It's my own mess.

Finn

We'll never mind helping you clean things up.

Despite my headache and the looming possibility of losing the woman of my dreams, I smiled. I found brief comfort in the fact that when I went home, people who cared waited for me.

I really appreciate that. But I have to get this done myself. I can't keep phoning a friend.

There was a pause in our conversation. My driver turned on some smooth jazz, making a bumpy ride a little more peaceful. My stomach was turning, so I sat back up, rolled down the window, and finished another bottle of water.

Finn

I understand. It's very respectable. I'll tell everyone to leave you alone. If you change your mind, let me know.

I let out a breath of relief and responded,

Thanks. Wish me luck; I'm not sure this is going to work.

Finn

You don't need luck. You just need to stop getting in your own way.

"Keep it running," I said as I hopped out of the SUV and onto the wet sidewalk. It had started raining on the ride up.

"That's not how it works," my driver, Lucas, said. "You gotta put in another request on the app."

"Right, right." I hurried to do that before jogging up the walk to Aaron's front door. I called him twice before resorting to the dreaded doorbell. His voice came through on the door camera.

"What?" he asked with a valid level of grumpiness in his tone.

"Sorry to do this to you so late," I said.

"Then why are you doing it?"

"I need the set pieces."

"The ones I asked you to pick up last week?"

"I'll owe you big time." I stepped back from the door ring camera to make sure he could see the promise in my eyes. "And this'll never happen again."

He was quiet for a second. Just when I started considering whether I should have asked for forgiveness instead of permission, he told me, "There's a spare key to my workshop taped on top of the door frame. You can start loading up. Give me a minute to get dressed, and I'll come and help."

"Thank you, thank you," I said. "And don't worry about it. You've done more than enough."

"Trust me, you're going to need help… There are some things I need to explain to you. It gets a little complicated."

I frowned. "Complicated?"

"I'll explain."

His ominous warning left little room for confidence. But I refused to panic too much before seeing what he meant.

I shot Lucas a thumbs-up before heading to the back of the house to Aaron's workshop.

I got a splinter when grabbing the key. The pain of it barely registered as I unlocked the door and remembered how large the set pieces were.

They were all scattered, unpainted wooden blocks that resemble children's toys.

"What happened to the…" I folded my fingers together as Aaron came in. "Easy assembly."

"That's what I have to explain," he said, still adjusting a half-on sweatshirt. "For easier transport, I took the pieces apart. It's how the original designer made them, so it wasn't difficult. Fortifying was the difficult part. As I was adding in all your notes."

"You added them all in?" I asked in awe.

"It was a nice departure from everyday work." He tugged at a sheet covering the main parts of the balcony. "You're going to have your work cut out for you when it comes to reassembling. Your friends here, too?"

"It's just me." I held my splintered hand to my chest while running my finger over the floral-engraved detailing on some railing. "This is incredible."

"Just you?" he asked at the same time.

I ignored the concern in his tone, too over-extended to manage any panic outside of the ticking clock in my head. "Tell me what I have to do."

"This is a four-person job at best."

"Well, I'm a one-person operation today, so lay it on me and I'll figure out the rest."

He stared at me for a second but eventually shrugged and went into detail on how I'd have to reassemble everything. It was mainly about clicking things into place and tightening them. Lots of pieces and lots of screws that were vital to the entire operation.

"Whatever you do, don't rush through it," he warned. "One mistake and this whole thing could come toppling down."

I nodded. "I got it."

There was no room for any mistakes. I couldn't afford them, and I would do everything in my power to ensure the results were perfect. I would do everything to show Celeste that letting her down wasn't a habit I planned to form.