Stitched Together Read online

  “Did you see anything else you liked?”

  “Nothing that was practical,” she responded, thinking about the country farmhouse and her dream of having the entire family crowded around the kitchen table.

  They drove back to Sarah’s house and picked up Barney for a walk in the park. It was still early, so they walked all the way to Main Street and up the block to Persnickety Place for three ice-cream cones, the double scoop of vanilla being for an exuberant Barney.

  Chapter 13

  “Let’s go buy a house,” Charles said as they were eating breakfast a few days later.

  “Any particular house?” Sarah asked playfully. She knew he was ready to put money down on the house in The Knolls. He’d been talking about it nonstop all week.

  “That one up the street,” he said without looking up.

  Sarah was ecstatic. “Thank you, Charles!” she said, throwing her arms around his neck. “You’ve made me very happy!”

  He smiled and said, “I’m pretty happy, too. I think you were right all along. The Village has become home.”

  They dialed the number at the construction site and got the foreman, Max Coleman. “I think the bosses will be in by 10:00. Call before you come just to make sure.”

  “Thanks, Max. Will you be there for a while? I’d like to talk to you, too.”

  “I can’t sell you a house, but I can answer some of your questions. All I do is build ’em, you know.”

  “I know, and that’s what I want to talk about.”

  “Okay. Come on over.”

  Sarah and Charles threw on light jackets and walked over to the trailer. They were met by a tall, muscular man who introduced himself as Max Coleman and led them into the trailer. Sarah picked up a brochure, and Coleman handed them both a sheet with the floor plan.

  “Are we able to request any changes?” Sarah asked.

  “Sure you can. They’ll cost you, of course. Braxton or Harper can help you with that.”

  “But you know what’s possible, right?”

  “Sure.”

  “So, how about the garage?”

  “What about it?”

  “Two car?”

  “Sure.”

  Turning to Sarah, Charles asked, “What do you think about having a screened-in porch off the kitchen?”

  “Will that affect my little patio off the bedroom?”

  “No. I was thinking we could have a larger patio there. The porch would open onto the patio and so would the French doors in our bedroom. We could put your little table out there.” Turning to Coleman, Charles asked, “Do you do patios?”

  “No, but I have someone I can refer you to. He’s the landscaper who’ll be designing the whole community.”

  “I’d like to have the larger patio, but let’s hold off on the screened-in porch,” Sarah suggested.

  About that time, a gruff-looking man walked in and gave them an annoyed look. “Harper, I’d like you to meet the Parkers, Sarah and Charlie.”

  As they were shaking hands, Charles repeated his name. “Charles Parker, glad to meet you.” Charles had never liked being called Charlie, especially now that he was retired. “I was Charlie when I was a cop,” he told Sarah once. “But I never liked it. My folks named me Charles, and that’s the name I want to use.”

  “Sorry, folks. My day got off to a bad start. Let’s get some coffee and start over.” He explained that he and Bill Braxton owned the construction company. “We do new homes and renovation here in Middletown and as far north as Hamilton. You’ve probably seen our signs.”

  Charles hadn’t seen their signs but didn’t respond.

  “What are you folks interested in?” They spent the rest of the morning going over the floor plans with Ted Harper while Max Coleman made notes. They then drove over to the site in a B&H truck and looked at the lots on the back side of The Knolls. Charles agreed that the one Sarah liked was ideal for them.

  “There will be a security fence between you folks and that wooded area,” Harper explained. Sarah wondered if she could plant something to climb the fence, maybe ivy or even a flowering vine. She decided not to ask, remembering her friend Andy’s theory that it’s better to say, “I’m sorry” than to be told no.

  By midafternoon, they had signed the contract and received a list of loan companies.

  “I squirreled away the money I got when I sold my house,” he told Sarah when they arrived back home.

  “Yes, and I have my inheritance from Aunt Rose. We’re thinking the same thing, aren’t we?”

  “Yes. Let’s not bother with a mortgage.”

  “Shall we celebrate instead?” she asked.

  Charles gave her a hug, actually lifted her off the floor, and spun her around. She threw her head back and laughed. “Sometimes you make me feel like a young girl.”

  * * * * *

  One afternoon as Sarah was working on her oriental quilt, she decided to take a break and look through her book of Asian-inspired quilts. In the last chapter, she found several simple wallhangings. One in particular caught her eye. It featured one large block with an oriental scene and several small blocks down one side and across the bottom. The sashing was black, and the overall look was very striking.

  “This would be beautiful in our new home,” she told Barney, who looked up at her and wagged his tail, having no idea what she was saying but glad she was saying it to him.

  Sarah returned his smile and walked over to the cabinet where she was storing the scraps from her oriental quilt. This would work for the large block, she thought, picking up what was left of her geisha panel. She pulled out several other pieces that featured designs she could fussy cut for the smaller blocks. It was a simple pattern and wouldn’t take long to make. She sat her quilt project aside and began fussy cutting the squares for the wallhanging. As she cut, she found her mind drifting through the rooms of The Knolls house, seeking the perfect wall for her new wallhanging.

  Chapter 14

  Several weeks passed before B&H started work on the Parkers’ new home. Charles was getting impatient, but Max, the foreman, told him there was a delay with the permits. In the meantime, Charles and Sarah went to the model house where Braxton had moved all the carpet samples as well as samples of siding and roofing. “I like the white siding,” Sarah said, but Charles frowned.

  “White?” he said rather incredulously. “Why white?”

  “Because I want red shutters, and they’ll look good with white.”

  “Red shutters?”

  Sarah sighed. “Okay, let’s go about this another way. What color do you like?”

  “I was thinking green for the shutters.”

  “And the house?”

  “Maybe green?” he responded questioningly.

  “A green house with green shutters. Picture it, Charles.”

  “Hmm. I guess that would be boring. How about a beige house with green shutters?”

  “That’s an improvement.”

  “Or maybe gray?” he added reluctantly.

  “Gray?”

  “A light gray like this sample over here. Don’t you like it?”

  “I would like it with red shutters …” she responded, realizing she may have found a compromise.

  “Okay. It’s a deal,” he agreed, smiling.

  They went on to look at asphalt tiles for the roof. Sarah said she would leave that up to him, but as he seemed to be settling on a rust-toned tile, she interrupted to point out a dark charcoal that she thought looked best with the gray.

  Over the next couple of weeks, they returned to go over the samples, changing their minds several times. “You’ll have to make your final decision today, folks,” Braxton informed them. “We need to get the supply orders out this week.”

  “I like the look of the model,” Sarah said suddenly, surprising Charles.

  “Light green with dark green shutters and white trim?” he responded, thinking about his original suggestion but knowing better than to bring it up. “I like that.”
r />   “So do I,” she responded. Turning to Bill Braxton, she said, “Make ours like the model.”

  “Done,” he responded.

  Once B&H finally got started, Charles went out every day to watch the crew clear the land and do the rudimentary grading of the property for the three houses at the end of the cul-de-sac. Because the Parkers had chosen the middle house and the other two were situated at angles, Sarah and Charles had privacy in their backyard. Sarah had been delighted when she saw the final site plan.

  A bulldozer and a backhoe were busily preparing the three sites and digging the trenches for the footings. A few days later, they installed the framing, and Charles knew they would be pouring the footings soon. Unfortunately, it rained for the next eight days and no work could be done. It was a heavy rain, and there were reports of flooding throughout the area. Drivers were warned to avoid entering water standing on roadways.

  Charles and Sarah put on their raincoats and boots one afternoon when the sky was becoming brighter and the rain slowed to a drizzle. They put the leash on Barney and headed up toward the site of their new home. The mud was deep and slippery when they attempted to walk over to the foundation. Charles caught Sarah as she began to slip and helped her back onto the road.

  “Wait here. I want to take a look at the framing they put in for the footings.” Looking into the trenches, he saw they had rebar in place to provide stability to the concrete. He returned to Sarah and told her it looked like the guys were doing a good job.

  “The framing looks good. It’ll be a long time before they can pour the concrete, though. The trenches are full of mud and water right now. They can’t pour until the mud is out of there and the ground is packed solid. It’ll probably be three or four days once the rain completely stops.”

  The next morning, the light drizzle continued and the sun didn’t come out until early afternoon. There were still reports of flooding in the area. Sarah needed to pick up a few things from the grocery, and Charles offered to drive her there. On their way, they drove up to the cul-de-sac just to look at their property. Charles was shocked to see the truck there pouring concrete into the trenches.

  He jumped out of the car and waded through the mud. Calling out to Max, the foreman, he said, “What’s going on here, Max? You can’t pour on top of all that mud.”

  “We know what we’re doing here, Charlie. Now move along.”

  Charles continued walking toward Max, yelling above the roar of the truck. Max pointed toward the road and said angrily, “Get off the site, Charlie. This is none of your concern.”

  “You need to stop that truck,” Charles shouted. “I don’t want the footings poured until the ground is ready. You’re jeopardizing the stability of my house.” Max turned his back, and Charles yelled to the truck driver. “Stop pouring!”

  The driver looked at Maxwell Coleman with a questioning look, and Max yelled, “Pour!”

  Turning toward Charles, Max yelled a string of profanities and ordered him to leave. “Get off the property now, or I’ll call the authorities.” Max’s face was red, and he was shaking with anger. His crew had stopped working and was watching to see what would happen. They all knew how Max’s temper could escalate.

  “I’ll call them first,” Charles yelled back. “Stop pouring!”

  Max continued to curse and ordered Charles to stay off the property until the house was completed. “You come back, and I’ll be waiting for you,” Max threatened, shaking his fist and continuing to spout profanities.

  Stunned, Charles turned and waded through the mud and back to the car. His hands were trembling and his face was flushed.

  “Are you okay?” Sarah asked, laying her hand on his arm. “What was that all about?”

  “I’ll deal with it later,” he responded. Then, without another word, he gunned the motor and returned to the house to change his shoes. “Wait here,” was all he said as he got out of the car and slammed the door.

  Still not talking and with his jaw clenched, he drove to the market on Main Street. Sarah had never seen him this upset and didn’t know what she should do. She was worried about him but decided she should give him the space to work it out. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she got out of the car and hurried into the market.

  After they returned home, Charles closed himself in their bedroom. He said he needed to think. He was trying to calm down before he took his next step. He wasn’t sure who to talk to about the footings.

  He wondered if Larry could help him. During his earlier visits to the site, Charles had met one of the crew who appeared to be a jack-of-all-trades. Larry was a middle-aged man who moved slowly but seemed to have the skill to work wherever he was needed. He went out of his way to speak to Charles whenever he saw him. Occasionally, Charles would bring a couple of sandwiches and a thermos of coffee and invite Larry to join him for lunch. They would sit on the back of Larry’s truck and talk. Larry’s brother was a police officer in Hamilton, and they swapped crime stories and talked about Larry’s experiences in the building trade.

  Charles decided he would ask Larry’s opinion on who he should approach. The next day, he waited until the crew was leaving and motioned for Larry. “How about a beer? I want to run something past you.”

  Larry looked around cautiously and saw that the bosses had left, so he replied, “Sure,” and got in the car.

  Once they were seated at the Community Center’s sports bar and had ordered their beers, Charles broached the subject of the footings. “Man, I can’t get involved in that,” Larry said emphatically.

  “I just want to know who I should talk to. The foreman? The owners? I know those footings were poured on top of mud, and I’m worried about my house.”

  “Well, man, if you’re really concerned, you should be talking with the folks over in the county inspector’s office. They’re the ones that approve every step.”

  “Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. That’s good news. If the footings aren’t right, the inspector will pick up on that and won’t approve them.”

  Larry smirked cynically and said, “You’d think so, wouldn’t ya’?”

  “That’s not the way it works?”

  “Not in my town, it don’t.” Larry took a long swig of his beer and motioned for another.

  “Are you suggesting that B&H has the inspector in their pocket?”

  “Did you hear me say that?” Larry responded with a harsh look. “I didn’t say that, and I’m not sure I’d live to see the sunrise if I did say that.”

  Charles was stunned by the intensity of Larry’s reaction. “Not live?” he repeated.

  “Well, maybe I’m exaggerating just a bit,” Larry responded. “But it wouldn’t be a good idea to suggest that to anyone at B&H.”

  “Hmm.” Charles was more confused now than ever and didn’t know where to go with the whole issue.

  “Just let it go,” Larry said. “B&H stands behind their work, and you have time to complain if anything goes wrong once you’re in the house.”

  Charles felt little comfort in that and resolved to go to the county inspector’s office the next day. Perhaps he could talk to someone higher up. The two friends spent another hour in the bar, talking about the footings and B&H in general. Charles was beginning to wish he’d never heard of B&H Construction. He drove Larry back to his truck and said good night.

  “Thanks for helping me think this thing through,” Charles said as Larry was getting into his truck.

  “This evening never happened,” Larry responded.

  “Gotcha,” Charles replied.

  Chapter 15

  The next morning, Charles arrived at the County Code Enforcement Office and was directed to the office of the housing inspector. “Hello,” the man said, extending his hand. “I’m Kenneth Rawlins. I understand you have concerns about a B&H project.”

  Charles explained his concern in detail, describing the condition of the ground under the footings the day before they were poured. He had done some research online and was
able to be specific about his concerns regarding the footings. “That foundation is critical to the stability of my new home.”

  “Yes. I hear what you’re saying,” Rawlins replied. “Some guys have been known to cut corners. I’ve never known B&H to do that, but let me take another look out there. I’ll talk with the guys. Thanks for letting me know.” He again extended his hand, clearly calling an end to their meeting.

  As soon as Charles left his office, Rawlins picked up the phone and dialed Braxton’s private number. “Hey Bill. We need to talk.”

  “Ken, old man. What’s going on?”

  Kenneth Rawlins and Bill Braxton went to high school together in the 1980s. They fished, they hunted, and they got into more than their share of trouble. After they graduated, Braxton went to work for his dad’s construction company and learned the business from the bottom up. In 2002, he joined Ted Harper, and they created B&H Construction. Braxton brought the knowledge and experience while Ted Harper provided the funds.

  Ken Rawlins, working in the county inspector’s office, helped them to understand the intricacies of licensing and the building codes. Over the next few years, he was known to occasionally close his eyes to minor violations.

  Braxton and Rawlins agreed to meet at Barney’s Bar & Grill later that day. Rawlins said he didn’t want to discuss the matter on the phone.

  “Heinekens,” Rawlins said to Sally when she came to take their order.

  “Whiskey with a Bud chaser,” Braxton said, “and an order of fries.”

  “Dinner?” Rawlins said sarcastically.

  “Rough day,” Braxton responded.

  After their drinks were served, Braxton turned to Rawlins. “So what’s this all about?”

  “You need to watch your step, friend. You have a customer who’s looking very closely at your work.”

  “Parker, right?”

  “Right.”

  “And you know this how?” Braxton asked.

  “He came to see me.”

  Braxton threw the shot back and followed it with half the beer. He cursed as he sat the mug down.