Chapter 108

Jake slides an arm around my shoulder, swooping in to kiss my temple in a show of adoration. His way of telling her to move away so fluently that she probably doesn’t realize it. He’s doing what needs to be done to get her to understand he’s not interested. It must work as she seems to have remembered her place and smiles, stepping back further to let us continue, gesturing up the stairs towards a lot more noise, raising an eyebrow at Jake. I let him lead the way, pulling me along at a casual pace.

Upstairs, the sound is far worse than the mess, and I can see that a lot has been done despite the tools and sheets all over. The long, wide hall has plastic covering the thick carpet, and an array of glossy white doors stand open to let light fill the area from each room. It’s like a corridor of doors.

She leads us across the walkway, dodging plugs and wires, to our master bedroom, which is close to the start of the main landing, and I’m met with the vision we created on desi