Hey Jude (Lennox Valley Chronicles #1)

He smiles and turns to the truck, digging out a pair of thick gloves and a set of safety glasses for me. “Got any carpentry experience?”

I shake my head, take the gloves, then scrunch my nose and shrug. “High school shop class, I guess. And I watched my dad a bit, growing up.”

He nods.

I raise a curious eyebrow. “You do carpentry?”

He smirks. “One of my many talents.” He cocks his head toward the chestnut tree. “Follow me.”

We spend the morning cutting deck planks and stair stringers on a portable table saw to build the stairs that will sit under the bench swing. By late morning, sawdust covers everything I’m wearing and clings to the outside of my safety glasses. I feel like I can taste it.

“I’m gonna go get a drink,” I say to Jude, coughing lightly and gesturing at my mouth.

He looks up from where he’s drilling a plank into the stair frame. “Sure.”

I jog over to where I left my bag near the car. I take off my jacket, shaking it roughly, and try to jostle the sawdust out of my hair. As I lean forward and shake my head, a deluge of it rains down in front of my eyes.

Teddy walks up to me, grinning, and rummages through the tools in Jude’s truck. “Well, looks like you’re one of us now,” he jokes, watching me struggle.

I smile at him, taking off the glasses and trying to wipe them on my sawdust-covered hoodie. “God, it’s everywhere,” I say to him with a grimace, laughing at the futility of trying to clean myself up.

“Just become one with the sawdust. Let it be,” Teddy jokes, putting on a serene tone.

“I don’t think I have a choice,” I reply with a throaty laugh.

“You’ll get used to it,” he calls out over his shoulder as he walks back to join Dimitri, tools in hand.

A truck from the local nursery pulls into the driveway and I realize I need to get my head in the game to direct where these plants are going to go. I open my bag to pull out my plans and my copy of the plant order. Jude walks over and grabs his water bottle as I’m looking them over. I realize I look like a sawdust monster yet need to talk to the driver like a professional in a minute. I wipe a sleeve across my forehead self-consciously. More sawdust.

“Jude, tell me the truth,” I say, and he turns to look at me. “Do I look vaguely passable as a professional?” I turn around in front of him, holding out my arms. “How bad is it?” I feel a twinge of anxiety when the driver hops out of his truck.

His eyes rake over my body, taking his time. Hurry up, I think to myself, but can’t help but smile.

“I think you need more, to be honest.” He takes a swig from his water bottle, smirking.

I roll my eyes. “No, seriously. How bad do I look? And tell me quick ‘cause the guy’s coming to talk to me right now.” My words drop to a rushed whisper when I notice the driver quickly approaching.

“Olena. You look perfect,” he says quietly, holding my gaze.

My joking demeanor falters at the sincerity in his eyes and my breath catches.

“Hi there, I’m looking for Olena MacMillan?”

The driver’s voice from behind me wrenches me away from Jude’s gaze and I turn, heat rising to my cheeks. What just happened?

“Hi, uh, yes, that’s me,” I say slowly.

I glance over my shoulder to where Jude was, but he’s already walking away. I turn back to the driver and smile, following him to the truck.

* * *

By the time I wrap things up with the delivery and make my way back to the platform, Jude’s installing the last plank.

“This is pretty much ready to stain,” he says. He looks up at the sky, considering the clouds, then shakes his head. “I don’t like the look of them. We should wait.”

I look up too. The gray from this morning has deepened; the clouds look like they’ll open up on us any second. Unsurprising. Lennox Valley is known for its quick weather changes.

“Listen, I need to run to the hardware store for a part. I’ll be back in a bit,” says Jude, pulling off his gloves and stuffing them in his back pocket. He pulls off his safety glasses and tousles his hair, letting loose a miniature cloud of sawdust. He smiles at me and wipes his face. “Teddy and Dimitri can show you what to do while I’m gone.”