Page 28 of Unbearable

“Sure thing, kid,” she answered.

He punched the address into the GPS app on his phone on his way to the truck. Snapping his phone into the holder, he pulled out of the parking lot heading across town.

He racked his brain for who could have recommended him. Most people don’t even bother to learn his name, much less refer him to someone else. Usually, he’s just another nameless face in a group of workers.

The traffic was not on his side, so he pulled up to an austere-looking townhome five minutes past when he was supposed to have been there. He quickly grabbed his notebook and tape measure before jumping out of the truck.

At least he managed to find a place to park not too far away. When he reached the door, an anxious-looking woman pulled it open before he could knock.

“Traffic?” she asked.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“I’m Heidi with The Ossman Design Group,” she said, sticking out her hand.

“Fox Addams.” They shook hands, and she turned to lead him through the house. They met a tall, slim older woman standing just inside the main living room.

“Mrs. Anderson, this is the contractor. He’s here to take measurements for the proposal.” She nodded but didn’t offer her hand. “And this is her son, Edmund.” He did offer his hand. “This is Fox Addams.”

“Fox as in the furry red dog creature?” the man asked with a sneer.

“Actually, my name is short for Foxworth, like the town in Maine.”

“How creative,” the man said drolly. “Mother asked me to be here—for safety, of course.”

Fox wondered if it was really to watch the valuables.

“To be honest,” Edmund continued quieter, “I’m not sure she felt she would be able to answer any questions you might have. She’s usually drunk by this time of the day.”

Fox took a step back in surprise. Why would anyone tell a complete stranger that? He heard Heidi giggle uncomfortably and turned to follow her.

They silently climbed a set of stairs to the second floor with three bedrooms on it. Each had an en suite bath that she wanted remodeled. He flopped open his notebook and began taking notes as Heidi described what needed done to each room.

Edmund stood near watching every move with a look of interest. “How long have you been wielding a hammer?” he asked while Fox kneeled to look in a low cabinet.

“I’ve been working construction since high school.” He pulled his measuring tape off his belt. “I’ve been a supervisor for about six years now.”

“No interest in moving up?”

Fox chose to ignore the question rather than answer it. What he really wanted to do was shove Edmund out a window. That was frowned upon though, so he continued to add figures to his rough sketch. The guy bothered him. He didn’t feel like he was a direct threat, but there was just something about him that didn’t sit right.

“I think I have everything I need for these three bedrooms and baths. What else?” he asked.

“The primary bedroom suite takes up the third floor,” Heidi answered, leading him to more stairs.

They stopped at a pair of double doors on the third floor that she threw open. Edmund pushed past them and flopped on the bed. He placed his head on his hand like he was posing for a modeling job—except he was no model.

Edmund was as average as men came. He was around five foot ten with light brown hair and eyes. His features were more round than angular. The extra thirty pounds he carried didn’t help him either. He had, however, perfected the bored, pampered look.

Fox glanced at him before turning back toward Heidi as she explained the changes to be done to the room. He could feel eyes trained on him as he moved around the room with his tape measure and notebook. When they moved to the en suite bath, Edmund moved to lean against the doorjamb.

“All right. No changes to the first floor?” Fox asked.

“They decided that will be phase two,” Heidi answered.

“I do have one more thing,” Edmund said as he glided back across the bedroom. “I didn’t talk to you about it, Heidi, but I’m sure Mother won’t mind.” They followed him from the room. He turned and smiled at Fox. “Just up the stairs at the end of the hallway. Why don’t you wait here,” he said to Heidi before disappearing up a narrow stairwell behind a door.

“Call 9-1-1 if I don’t return,” Fox murmured to her. She bit back a smile as he moved toward the stairs. He found Edmund standing in a large attic surrounded by boxes and a Christmas garland hanging from the rafters. “What were you thinking?”