Finn Part 3

It was a little over a year later that Finn stood in her brand new apartment. The walls had been bare when she’d bought it. She’d fitted a new kitchen, bathroom and everything. Most things she’d done herself. Not only to save money but also for the cathartic feeling, it gave her. Everything brand new, exactly the way she wanted it. Only for a few things she’d had help. Her father had claimed he was useless in that department. Of course, he was. He was a man of words, not of mechanics. Before his early retirement to take care of his wife, he’d been an editor at a renowned publishing house.

The apartment perfectly reflected Finn’s love for new and modern things. It was very open. A stainless steel fitted kitchen. Even a bedroom without a door to lock it away from the living space. Open and fresh, she called it. Her gear was again in a locker close to home. It was only a few minute’s walk.

Over the year she’d had a few dates. Nothing substantial though. She enjoyed going out, but as soon as men found out that she was a strong, independent woman who spent so much time abroad in the company of men, they thanked for the honour of a second date. She was too damn smart she had to conclude. Brent had left her with a confidence crisis. It had not lasted very long. Mostly she congratulated herself on being happy and single. And most of all self-sustaining.

It was the beginning of Fall. The weather was still nice out. In a few days, she’d fly out again. She decided to visit her father. Normally she called in advance, but this was a spur of the moment thing. She’d been to a hardware store for some specific equipment and decided to drive by Dumbarton. He was rarely away from home. He did some editing for writers on the web. She loved that he was so handy on the internet and Social Media. It made her feel a little less guilty about not visiting him very often.

She’d been around a little more over the winter because he had been sick. Not very serious, but bad enough to make her worry. She’d tried to talk him into moving out of that big, draughty house. He had told her he wouldn’t. He had planned to remain there until they had to carry him out. It had been his home for over 40 years. He had been through heaven and hell there. Why would he want to live somewhere else? He did convey with her that he wanted the place renovated though. “So you can sell it at a good price when I’m gone.” It had been said in a very matter of fact tone. He didn’t want to guilt trick her into anything. Those had been the tactics of her mother, not him.

Upon arrival, she saw a strange car on the parking beside the house. She assumed her father’s to be in the garage. Or maybe he’d bought a new one. Not inconceivable. Not like she was around often enough for him to tell her things like that.

Through the back door, she entered the house. It was the end of the afternoon. The housekeeper had usually gone home by this time.

“Dad?” She yelled out. He wasn’t in his library, where he usually was. His laptop stood closed on the desk. Noises from upstairs caught her attention. Listening closely she walked up the stairs. The steps creaked under her feet. “Dad?” She yelled out again. It didn’t sound like her father. And why would he be in the bathroom across the landing when he had a perfectly good en-suite?

“Crap.” She heard someone groan. That wasn’t her father. Frozen she stood on the landing, torn between walking on and checking it out, and running back down to call the cops.

“Shite!” The voice sounded again, followed by the sound of water splashing to tiles.

Finn’s worries won. She took two steps and turned to see what was going on.

It was a view she was not prepared for. A tall man in a blue T-shirt and jeans stood in the bathtub, trying to stop the water from streaming out.

“Oh, could you hand me the adjustable wrench?” He said without introduction. “It’s…”

“Yes.” Her voice sounded cold. “I know which one that is.” She handed him the tool she’d had automatically grabbed from his toolbox when she assessed the situation.

“Oh, great.” The water was still splashing around. Finn took something else from the toolbox and disappeared from the bathroom. Several seconds later the water stopped flowing.

“Better?” She asked upon returning. She took great care to put the wrench back into its rightful place. Most people she knew were very OCD about where to find their things. They needed to be able to grab them blindly.

When she saw him stand there, hair and clothes soaking wet, long curly hair sticking to his face and shirt, still holding up the wrench she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Every floor has its own valve. It’s underneath the floorboards on the landing.” She merely said, upon seeing his stare. “Who are you?”

“I’m sorry.” He lowered the wrench.

“Where’s my father?”

“Oh, you’re Finn, right.” He stuck out his hand to her. Seeing the water drip off of him, she stepped back. Finn looked like her unusual self that day. Again a short skirt. She’d lost her size 8 to a size 14, and she didn’t care one bit. Under the skirt, she wore sneakers, in a colour that matched her purple top.

It clashed with her red hair, which was as short as ever.

“Your father had to go into town for a few things. I’m Jaime. I’m…” He thought a moment about how to explain what he did there. “I’m helping your father in fixing this house.”

“Good job.” Finn turned on her heels, and from a linen closet on the landing, she got some towels. She handed them to Jaime. “I’ll see if I can find anything to wear for you.”

He was sturdier than her father. So that wasn’t an option. Instead, Finn ran up the stairs to the attic. There was a closet there with clothes that time forgot. She found a pair of joggers and a light sweater that might fit him.

“It’s old, and I hope it’ll fit.” She walked back into the bathroom. He’d taken off his shirt already. Finn had to swallow. Brent had a perfectly trained body. Jaime, however, had the muscle toning of someone who did hard, physical work. And to complement that, a bit of a belly. Why that made her blush, she wasn’t sure. Not that she imagined herself stroking that soft skin.

“Ah, thanks. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be downstairs.”

“Wait.” He didn’t want her to leave like that. She averted her gaze. He had to have noticed her stare at him because he smiled sheepishly. “I have to fix this. Otherwise, your father will be stuck without water until I do. Before I put on dry clothes, I better close it up. Maybe you could turn the water back on, so we don’t get anything else wet.” He could bite his tongue. He’d not meant anything by it. It sounded bad. Very bad.

“Sure. Call if you’re ready.” She had to walk out.

She heard him chuckle when she stood around the corner waiting for his call. The entire situation was too ridiculous. Finn had to laugh as well. As long as he wouldn’t hear it, she’d be fine.

“Give it a try.” He said. She bent over and opened the valve.”

“We’re good.”

“That’s a relief.”

She turned and saw him stand in the door frame. He smiled at her. He had a very pretty smile she had to assess. Suddenly she didn’t know how to act. “I’ll be down.” At that moment Alex’ voice sounded. “I’m home. Finn?”

“Coming, dad.” She yelled and rushed down the stairs.

“Ah, I guess that means you met Jaime.”

“I did.”

“He’s going to help me fix this place up. Or maybe it’s more honest to say that he’ll do all the work. I think he’s mapping out what needs to be done.”

Alex had started tea. “Anything I can do for you?” It hit him that her visit was unexpected.

She shrugged. “I was in the neighbourhood, decided to drop by.”

“Good thing I bought these then.” From the grocery bag came her favourite biscuits. “Good thing indeed.”

Jaime came down the stairs. Before Finn could speak, Alex had invited him for tea. “Finn, I would appreciate your involvement in this. I mean, you know all about modern and sustainable. I want this house to be ready for the future. And Jaime knows all about restoring old homes into former glory.” Alex threw out there when they sat down in the back sitting room. The sunlight shone in on them. It took away some of the cold Finn always felt when she was at this house.

Jaime threw in his two cents as well. “I believe it’s your house too. I would love your input.” He was right of course. The house, on paper, was hers. With the condition that her father could live there as long as he wished.

Now Alex noticed Jaime’s wet hair and odd attire.

“I had an accident up in the bathroom. One of the taps wasn’t properly attached. Good thing Finn was there to rescue me.”

“Good thing indeed,” Alex confirmed.

“I took the clothes from the attic. We have quite a stock there. Surprised it’s not weathered away yet.”

It was Jaime who answered. “The house is old, and not in very good condition at points. But the base is solid. Most of the work is cosmetic. Although adding double glazing and a better heating system wouldn’t go amiss either. If you want to bring it into the 21^st century.” He stared at Finn. Clearly, she didn’t want to bring it anywhere. Her feelings towards the house were ambiguous at best. He didn’t need anyone to tell him that.

Alex had said something about Finn not being around very much. She didn’t answer.

Alex decided to let it sink in with her. “It’s getting late. How about we go for some food out in the pub?” He suggested instead.

Finn immediately got up. “Nah, I better head back home. I still have a lot of work to do before flying out again.”

It was her to-go-to excuse. Alex had stopped believing it. He granted her the lie though. It was her polite way of saying ‘get me the fuck out of here’. The last thing he wanted to do was push the house, the community, and Jaime onto her. Maybe if he gave her enough time, she’d come around. Even minimum input on the house would be welcome.

“Sure, Sweetheart.” The gentleman got up with her. It made her smile. Such courtesy. “Where are you off to this time?”

“Portland.” It was a favourite place of hers. Together with Seattle the city was booming and groundbreaking things on her field of expertise where happening there. So much that she’d had considered moving out there several times. In the end, she was a real daddy’s girl though. She couldn’t bear the thought to be that far away from him. London had been a stretch in that respect already.

“Jaime, good to meet you. Good luck with the renovation.”

“Thanks.” They shook hands. She stayed well out of his way otherwise.

Alex walked her to her car. “Jaime is a nice guy. He’s ace at this.” He reassured her.

“That’s cool. The house deserves that much. And so do you. Dad…” Her look was serious.

“Yes?”

A bit uncomfortable she fidgeted with her hands. “If you need money, for this, I don’t know how much there is left from Mom’s fund, come to me. I have some savings left after doing the apartment.”

“I think we’ll be fine. Jaime will work for free, mostly. Given loads of tea, coffee and lunches.”

“Why?”

“Because he loves doing this and doesn’t need the money.”

He correctly interpreted her frown. “What, because you don’t love this house, doesn’t mean anyone else can?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know, Sweetheart. I’ll keep it in mind. And I really would love your input. It will take a while yet to figure out what needs doing and to make a plan.”

She should grant her father this. He had made many sacrifices for her. Least she could do was pay attention to what he found important.
”I’ll see what I can do when I get back.”

She hugged her father “Going to miss you.”

“Likewise, Finn. Be careful, will you?” Sometimes on Facebook or Twitter, he saw pictures of her at work. Preferably in the most horrible conditions and positions that made him seriously doubt her safety. “Of course. Safety first.” It was a mantra in her line of work. Not that they always lived up to that. Those were things you didn’t tell your father though. Finn suspected he’d never sleep again if he knew what she was really up to on occasion. In her car she smiled widely, remembering two weeks ago when she had been dangling off a skyscraper. Some jobs she took for the fun of it. She had to admit to that.

Jaime had finished up on his tea when Alex came back.

“I’m still up for that dinner at the pub if you want.” He suggested. He’d met Alex a while back, in said pub. Alex often went there either for dinner or a drink. The house could be pretty lonely. He’d sat outside on the terrace having a beer.

Jaime had moved to Dumbarton a year before. He’d completely renovated the house that had been more or less a ruin when he’d bought it. It was as if he was building his life from scratch again. It had felt good after all he had been through, to make a fresh start. When he had felt better, and emotionally up to meeting people again, he’d been exploring in the neighbourhood. He’d come across Alex’s estate.

At the local bar, he’d asked some questions. And months later, the barmaid pointed Alex out to him.

“Can I sit down?” Jaime had asked politely. Alex had liked the company. Jaime was an intelligent man. They had talked for a while when Jaime dared to ask about the house.

“It was from my wife’s family. She passed away a long time ago though.”

“Ah, sorry.” It was a pain Jaime felt all too well, being a widower himself. He had hinted that he’d love to look inside since he loved restoring old homes. Alex had been all for it from the start.

A few beers later, they had become friends. Alex liked the laid back Jaime, who was about Finn’s age, he guessed. They regularly met up for meals or a drink. Slowly the idea that Jaime could play a key part in restoring the house grew on both of them. For a long time, Alex didn’t dare ask, and Jaime didn’t dare suggest. A few weeks before though, when they’d sat in the garden, watching the house, they’d discussed it. It was Jaime who had started it. “If you ever consider restoring this property, I hope you’ll let me have a stab at it.” Alex had laughed and confessed that he’d been scared to suggest it. That settled it. Jaime had to finish some other projects first though. He’d taken up some smaller assignments to fill his days. His wife left him with plenty of money, so that wasn’t an issue. He could do what he loved. There was very little better than watching old houses rise from the greyness and neglect and seeing them start to shine again.  

“What’s eating you?” Eddie asked Finn. They sat in a coffee shop at an outskirt of Portland. They stared at the building across the street. Bad weather had put the build on hold for three days. The builders had continued that morning, but the team had to wait until certain things were caught up before they could install their hardware. There was dirt on their clothes, from crawling through some mud earlier.

“Yeah, we’ve not seen you like this before. Not even after… what happened with that guy anyway?” Finn had not told them exactly what had happened with Brent. Only that the wedding had been called off last minute.

“What guy?”

“Seriously?”

“Oh, him. Brent. He knocked up some girl who did meet his parents’ approval and decided to dump me.”

“On the morning of your wedding? That’s cold.”

“Very. That’s why I sold his Jag. He loved that car.”

Cameron spat out his coffee. “You bitch.” It was a compliment. “Good on you. That bastard.”

“Couldn’t agree more. In retrospect, I’m not quite sure what I ever saw in him.” She hoped she’d diverted them from Eddie’s question. She hadn’t.

“So, if not that, what’s eating at you now?” The guys were very open to each other. Eddie and Dave were married. She’d met both their wives. Finn was quite sure they shared things on their team, they would never say at home.

“It’s my father. He’s going to redo the house. And he wants me involved.”

“So? What’s the problem? Not like it’s your first build.” Dave said.

“It’s old. And, I don’t know. I want to do this for him, but I hate that house. The best thing I could do with it is ram a wrecking ball right through.”

The guys stared at her. They knew her to be a reasonably balanced person. She didn’t carry around grudges and hatred. To hear that she felt this strongly about stones and mortar came as quite a shock.

“Why?”

Finn shrugged. Finished her coffee and glanced to the other side of the street in the hope of a rescue. She wasn’t disappointed. “I think we’re on.” She grabbed her backpack and got up.

“Hmm, I hope you wore your flattening bra,” Cameron said when they arrived on the scene. Finn was the smallest of the three and was therefore usually bequeathed the honour of crawling into little spaces. In this case, it was underneath an installation to pull the wiring through. She laughed. Her boobs got the same treatment as Dave’s belly. They regularly asked him when he was due.

“A little push.” She asked. She lay flat on her back underneath the machinery. Dave shoved her feet a bit further. Then stayed with her to hand her the tools she needed. Cameron and Eddie had teamed up at the top of it.

They’d been at it for a while when Finn’s phone rang in her backpack.

“Want me to get it?” Finn didn’t get phone calls very often. Not since she was single again. Brent had had a habit of calling her at the most inappropriate times.

“Yeah, sure.” They answered each others’ phones all the time.

“It’s your dad,” Dave said.

“Anything wrong?” Finn asked. Her hands paused for a second.

“In the middle of a job, sir.” She heard Dave say. “No, nothing’s wrong. Plans for the house are ready. If you can come over for the presentation.”

He heard Finn snort. “No, sir. We’re still in Portland. The weather got us into a delay. We’ll fly home next Thursday. Friday at the latest.” To her father en then to her: “He’ll hold off the presentation until you’re back.”

“Grand.” The word didn’t cover the message. Dave was smart enough not to convey that.

“She’ll be delighted.” He said instead.

“Tell him I love him, and I’ll see him when I get back.” Finn took her revenge

“She says she loves you and will see you when she gets back,” Dave repeated without as much as a blush. “He loves you too, Finn. And he tells you to be safe and take care.”

She groaned. The screwdriver fell out of her hands and hit her square in the face. She waited until Dave had hung up. “Fuck you, Dave.”

“You’re welcome.” Over the next hour, he only got short requests for tools. He knew not to take it personally. Finn was unlike lots of other women they knew in that respect. Maybe that’s why she had such a great fit in a man's world. Quirky, skilled, stone cold professional. And yet driven, knowledgeable and on occasion very girly. She didn’t try to be a man in a man's world.

They worked until ten in the evening to make up for lost time. That way they wouldn’t be in the way when the constructor came in the next morning. They’d be in another area then.

That late in the evening, they skipped dinner, got some takeout on the way to their hotel instead.

Finn considered calling her father back. But it was in the middle of the night back home now. She opted for dinner in the tub and then a blissful lie down on the bed instead. The cold hard underground had not been very good for her back in that respect. She’d not wanted to delay things anymore by making all kinds of requests. She could already see the look in the contractor’s eyes when The Princess would request a blanket to lie on. She was very lucky with Dave, Eddie and Cameron. Sadly not all men were like that. Frankly, a lot were as much as openly hostile to women on the workforce. More than once she’d had to look for the confrontation. It wasn’t her style. But she wouldn’t be meddled with either. Until now she’d been able to keep it decent, but the contractor and Finn weren’t a very good match. It had been ‘sweet cheeks’ and ‘sweetcakes’ from the very beginning.

The team slaved through the weekend and managed to finish their business on Wednesday. From here on in, it would be the local crew to finish up. Cameron, as leader of the team, would stay behind until it was all done. The rest flew back to London that Thursday.

Finn was happy to be on her way home. She’d never minded the travel and poor working conditions much. And she wasn’t sure why she did now. Maybe because her new apartment felt more like home than any other place had ever done. She’d never really invested in a home of her own. Mostly she’d rented cheap apartments. Since she wasn’t around much and wanted to save up. 36, was that the age to settle down, she wondered. Eddie and Dave were younger than she was. Cameron was a bit older. He mainly supervised and planned though. Finn was the specialist for the detailed work and designing the hardware. Eddie for the heavy stuff. And Dave was the irreplaceable assistant to the team.

It was early in the evening when she arrived. She called her father to tell him she’d arrived safely. He repeated his invitation.

“Sure.” Finn caved. “Next week somewhere? I need a few days to recover.”

“That bad?”

“It was cold, wet, and dirty. Cool project though.”

“Good. I’m proud of you. I’ll talk it over with Jaime and let you know when.” Her stomach plummeted. She had promised it. And she really should give her father this.

“There’s something else. Your aunt was going through the family’s paperwork.”

“Aunt Abigail?”

“Yes. And she…”

“Dad, I don’t want to know.”

“I’ll come by your place tomorrow. Okay? I’ll take care of lunch.”

She tried to reject it. He wouldn’t budge. This was too important.

“Not too early. I need a sleep-in. Jet lag and stuff.”

For a long time, she soaked in her bathtub. Eating pizza from the box on the stool next to it, and drinking a glass of red. If Brent could see her now, he’d be utterly disgusted with her, she was sure of it. The image of Brent was quickly replaced with that of Jaime, standing in the tub she’d bathed in as a kid. In his dripping wet clothes, showing every line of his body. She shouldn’t allow herself to think about those things. No relationships, she’d promised herself. And seeing how he was a friend of her father’s, a date, or even a one-night-stand might not be as simple.

She didn’t get out of the tub until she almost fell asleep. Then she put on her warm flannel pyjamas and dove into bed. If she’d have to give her idea of heaven, that evening would be it. There was a short moment wondering what her aunt Abigail had found. She truly didn’t care. She’d broken with that part of the family a long time ago. If her father didn’t insist on remaining in that house, she’d have broken loose from it entirely.