Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 122097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“Listen.” Amon turns in his seat to face me as we wait for a group of guys who are blocking our way forward with loaded-up hand trucks and forklifts. “You know how starved for jobs the people are around here. They closed up all the fuckin’ coal mines, Collin. People are desperate. I interviewed every single one and they are desperate for jobs.”
“So you decided to hire all of them?”
“No! Of course not! If they had a felony on their record, I turned them away.”
I stare out at the sea of activity in front of me. Every single house has people around it. A team of people. “I thought we were gonna prioritize shit?”
“I did. But”—he holds up a hand to shut me up so he can continue—“I figured, why not just get this renovation shit done as quick as possible?”
The path forward clears and some guy I have never seen before starts to direct me on where to go. I look over at Amon. He buzzes the window down, yells at the guy to get out of the way, and we continue down the driveway, towards our homes.
When I get to my new house the door is wide open and shit is flying out the second-story window into a dumpster. This is a familiar scene because every house we passed had this same scenario going on.
“It’s demo day.” Amon is laughing. But then he puts up a hand again. “Don’t worry, I had all the junk boxed up and taken into the church so Lowyn can pick through and find her treasure.”
We get out, walk up my porch, peek inside, and I turn to him. “I have no windows. None. Every single one has been removed. How am I supposed to sleep in here?” Everything has been torn up and there are at least a dozen men in my house doing reno shit.
“Don’t worry. It’s all gonna be put back together real quick. I swear, Collin. Two weeks. It’ll all be back to normal.”
“Two. Weeks? I’m pretty sure that’s a meme, Amon.”
He grins, his eyes dancing with mischief. “Two weeks, I promise. Until then… well, last I heard you still had a room at Lowyn’s.” Then he claps me on the back, raises a hand to someone across the compound, and hops down the porch steps, leaving me there.
I go inside, find my stuff, pack it all up, and put it in my Jeep. Then I get in and drive into Bishop to get myself a room at the inn.
When I get there, Jessica tells me they’re booked up. Which I think is a lie at first. But then, when I call the motel out on the highway, they’re booked up too. And so is every other motel, and hotel, and B&B in a twenty-mile radius.
Because I had forgotten—the Revival starts this weekend.
I am idling outside my childhood home when Lowyn answers my call. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“What’s up?”
“Listen, this is gonna sound stupid, and forward, and like I cannot take no for an answer, but I need a place to stay.” There is silence on the other end of the line. “Lowyn?”
“You need a place to stay? But you literally just bought like a dozen houses, Collin.”
“Yes. That’s accurate. But every single one is being torn up for renovation at the moment. Apparently, Amon took it upon himself to hire every jobless man in the state of West Virginia to do the work we had planned on doing in stages.”
“Oh.” Her tone softens. Amon Parrish has that effect on people. I have never really understood why he has this effect on people, because ‘asshole’ really is the correct descriptor for him.
“My place, and every house on the compound, is uninhabitable. Amon is staying with his dogs in the kennel building. Everyone else is staying at Nash’s house. There’s not really room for me unless I take the floor. But… I guess I can sleep on a church pew or somethin’.” I’m guilting her now, but I don’t care. I can sleep anywhere and I have laid my head down on many a rock in my time, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. “It’s only for two weeks.” I cringe as the meme comes flying out of my mouth.
“Two weeks?” She’s mulling it over, always a good sign. “You need to sleep there tonight? Because I won’t be home until tomorrow.”
“There’s a key hidden in the shed out back. But please tell me you changed the locks, Lowyn.”
She blows out a breath. “The locks are the same. I mean, who the hell is gonna break into my house, Collin?” It comes out before she can stop it, but she corrects herself quickly. “Wow. That was a really dumb thing to say.”
“For what it’s worth, I really don’t think anyone is gonna break into your house.” Not after I blew the last guy’s head off, I don’t add. “And I think this says something about your mental health that you’re so totally not worried about it.”