North Dakota Weddings Read Online Free PDF Page A

became about Andi’s completing the work, then his selling for a huge profit. Afterward, if God directed, he could start his own company.
    While he stared at the bulletin board, an elderly woman approached him. “You looking for a church?” She touched her finger to a brochure pinned to the board.
    “Well, that depends on how long I stay.” Vance explained the reason for his visit to town.
    She nodded her understanding, welcomed him to town, and continued into the store to shop.
    Back at Ground Zero he explored Uncle Vance’s office just off the living area. Vance opened his laptop and while it booted he assembled his telescope. As evening neared, he grew antsy, feeling like a caged animal. Now would be a great time to contact Andi and offer her the work. She hadn’t left his mind all day. Maybe that was God’s nudging him to give her the job. Finding her card, he opened his cell but there was no signal. Instead, he used the landline.
    “Hello?”
    “Andi, this is—”
    “This is Elisa, I’m on the other line. Can I take a message?”
    Vance paused, surprised at the girl’s rude tone. “Sure. This is Vance Young. Please let her know that I called and—”
    “Okay.”
Click
.
    Vance stared at the phone, disappointed he couldn’t talk to Andi. He’d been looking forward to hearing her voice. Or was it simply human contact he needed? At least in an apartment or house the normal sounds of life surrounded a person. He usually tuned it all out, but now that he was holed up underground, he noticed the quiet. He put in a call to Dad and let him know of his decision to hire the contractor after all, and that his plans didn’t include Texas at the moment.
    After placing a pizza in the oven, he popped the top of an energy drink, then took a sip. He positioned himself on the sofa with his laptop and, after chugging the drink, crushed the can and tossed it at the garbage, missing. He’d have to change that habit if Andi would be stopping by, though she never said how involved she would be in the remodel. For all Vance knew, she might work from her office, allowing her subs to do all the grunt work.
    In the meantime—the sugar had done its job. An image of Tom handing him a small disk came to mind. He’d completely forgotten and found it in his pocket. He loaded it. No password was required, allowing him instant access.
    Incredulous, he stared.
    “What…is this?”
    Who had dropped it, and why had Tom given it to him?
    Regardless, only one thing ran through Vance’s mind as he stared at the data spilling onto his computer screen.
    This is just…stellar
.

    The smell of bacon lingered in the air, and if there was one thing Andi hated, it was walking into a house that smelled like stale bacon. That or fish. She grabbed the air freshener and started to spray, then eyed the last piece of bacon on the plate. Elisa wouldn’t appreciate tasting Cool Caribbean Breeze on her bacon.
    “Come on, Elisa!” She’d have to eat her breakfast running out the door.
    Andi scraped the stack of bills and late notices into a box, then grabbed her large leather bag of a purse, cell phone, and organizer from the kitchen table. “You’re going to be late for school and you’re going to make me late, too.”
    If Elisa had even heard her, it wasn’t likely she cared about Andi’s schedule. Even though there wasn’t much business to speak of right now, Andi never quit trying. Plus, she planned to stop by Freya Emerson’s this morning. Take her some cookies. Freya had been one of her grandmother’s long-time friends, and since Grandma’s death, Andi had neglected to have Freya over. Though Andi missed the visits, life seemed to get in the way anymore.
    Thank goodness only a few more weeks of summer school remained. Andi wasn’t about to allow Elisa to take the bus today. In the fall Elisa would enter her sophomore year. Andi intended to make sure her sister made it to the high school even if it took until Elisa graduated.