Kaden's POV
Waking up at seven in the morning while is snowing outside should count as some type of torture, really.
And you know what's worse than that? Forgetting to wear socks and that your bare feet touch the freezing floor. Now that is the worst way to start the morning.
"Fuck." I muttered as got out of the shower to the chill air of my room. Picking out my bra and underwear from my drawer. I put on some jeans and long sleeve t-shirt along with a hoodie over it and a beanie. It was too cold out to wear anything less.
"Up early." Dyvia stood on the kitchen in her pijamas and cup of coffee on her hands.
"I told you I'm meeting my dad at his office. Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?" I searched around for my house keys.
"They're by the stereo, and no it's my free day. I was just craving coffee." Dyvia said knowing exactly what I was looking for. "Do you want some?"
"Thanks and no, I should go, my uber must be here already. I'll just grab one in the coffee shop across the street from my dad's." I put my keys and wallet on my pockets.
"You could've asked me to drop you off. When do you get your car back?" My roommate asked as she poured more coffee on her mug.
"Later today."
"Do you want me to drive you to pick it up?" She offered.
"Sure, thanks. I really gotta go now, talk to you later." I heard her hum and saying something about being safe before I closed the door.
When I got down the uber was in fact waiting for me. As soon as I got in I took out my phone and texted my dad to let him know I was on my way. I also had a text from Candace telling me good morning, to which I replied with the same—knowing she would start a conversation with me regardless, not that I mind really, I'm not on bad terms with her anymore, haven't been in a while.
Yet...
I shook my head and put my phone back in my pocket. Decided to instead focus on the cars outside the window, rather than to dwell in anything that could potentially ruin my early morning.
I loved to travel on car while it was snowing, not drive, but to travel just so I could see the white snow from outside the window.
I felt the car come to a stop, the uber driver announcing me that we arrived. Getting out of the car, I could see my dad's truck parked in front of the three floors building.
After my dad moved to Canada during my third year in college, he started his own construction company using his life saving. It was a slow start but it eventually did pay off, now he owns a small company, that mostly works in remodeling or building suburban houses. He went from working for one to owning one, I'm really proud of him.
I majored in interior design and work as a freelancer, and I like it and do fairly good money. But when work is slow there, I come and ask my dad for a job in whatever construction work he has available for me.
Going up the stairs to my dad's office on the second floor, I knocked before entering, knowing that he was waiting for me.
However I frowned in confusion when I saw Candace sat on the chair across his desk—my dad on his own seat opposite to her. "Dad... Candace, hi?"
"Good morning Kade." My dad leaned back on his office chair as he greeted me.
Candace on the other hand, stood up and walked to greet me, her hands on mine. "Hello sweetheart, what brings you here?"
I filled my cheeks with air and exhaled it, looking between the two. "Dad said he had a job for me... what are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming over."
"Oh no, he didn't either it was more of a last minute thing. I was around the zone so I brought him breakfast." She looked between my dad and I, and grabbed her purse from the chair. "I need to head to work, but I'll call you later?" Her question was directed to me.
"Of course, I'll call you later today."
Candace smiled and planted a kiss on my forehead, before turning to my dad. "It was nice talking to you Derrick, I will see you two later. Have a good day honey."
"You too Candace." I gave her a smile as she walked out of the office. Turning to my dad I caught him still staring at the door. "It's been almost ten years since she's been back into our lives and yet you still haven't made your move."
"What? I don't know what you are talking about." My dad played dumb, fiddling with his pen as his voice went up a pitch.
"Dad, is painfully obvious you still have feelings for Candace." It has been in plain sight for years that the two of them still felt something for each other, yet none of them has dared to do anything about it.
Why? I have no idea. It better not be because of me, cause I want to see him happy, and I want to see her happy as well.
"Anyway! My love life is not the reason I called you here for today." He stood up from his chair and grabbed one of the bagels my mom have brought him. I noticed he had another two in the bag, so I grabbed one for myself.
"Yeah I know, you said you had a job for me? So, which house I'm I building?" I turned in my chair to look at him and took a bite off my bagel.
"You are not exactly building a house. The house is already built, you are going to remodel it with our team according to the demands of the clients." My dad explained—putting his bagel on a plastic plate besides the coffee machine he had here in his office.
"That sounds easier, it's gonna take a while but not nearly as much as building the house up from scratch. Who is that I'm gonna be working for? I need to be prepared because people are so insufferable when it comes to remodeling."
"A young married couple actually — the O'Connors. I've spoken with them through the phone a few times and the husband came to the office to sign the paperwork the other day. But we should be meeting up with them for some planning at the house in about... half an hour." My dad checked his wrist watch.
"Wait are we supposed to start working today?" I grabbed a napkin after I finished the bagel.
"No, we are just going to hear what other ideas they have for the house so we can prepare. Tomorrow we will start working on it." He leaned against the counter behind him. "And we should probably get going, because it's a twenty minute ride to the suburbs from here with possible traffic."
"I don't know dad, is too early for all this." I leaned my head against my chair, pouting at him.
"Kaden is almost ten in the morning, you'll get over it. Now get your ass up we are heading out." He clapped his hands once and walked to the door, not bothering to even look back to see if I was following. Grabbing the other bagel left in the bag, I followed after him.
The car ride was not exactly torturous, but it was a dread. My dad's obsession for old country music almost made me jump off the moving car. He didn't even let me put the aux, he insisted on playing his cds and that's okay... just not country.
"That was god awful." I complained getting out of the car.
"We should do a road trip!" My dad put his arm around my shoulder. "Oh come on Kaden cheer up, it's excellent music."
"You are from Oregon not Arlington Texas, dad."
"Music is music, doesn't matter where you come from. Now drop the long face because the O'Connors are inside already." He pointed to the car parked in front of the house.
The house was completely built, but was plain. It was like a painting without color, beautiful but missing life. That's where my job comes in. I love interior design, but this is not bad as a side job, they are practically the same thing... almost.
"Yeah yeah, I get it." I walked ahead of him and opened the house's door. Letting my dad in first.
The house was as empty as I imagined to be, only the floors were put, which were some nice white porcelain. While the walls were plain and no decorations in sight. This time I followed my dad as we seemed to be headed to the kitchen, where there was only counters along with the fridge, sink and oven. This room was as empty.
"Derrick, we didn't hear you come in! We were just checking the backyard." A man that seemed to be in his late twenties or early thirties entered the room. He had brown chestnut hair and brown eyes. He looked your regular guy... except for the fact he was clearly a man of money.
"Mr. O'Connor, don't worry we just arrived." My dad shook hands with the guy.
"Oh please don't call me that it reminds me of my dad, Patrick is fine." The guy— Patrick, had the common forced smile that tries to pass off as charming.
"This is my daughter Kaden, she will be working on the house as well so I brought to hear any request you two may have." My dad explained, I greeted the young man by shaking hands just like my dad had.
"Of course! I won't be able to be here as much other days because of work. But my wife will be so she is the mastermind behind any other ideas for the house." Patrick looked at the door of the kitchen, to what I suppose would be catching a glimpse of his partner. "My wife was outside checking the yard but she should be— there she is!"
My world felt almost in slow motion as the woman entered the kitchen. I shook my head several times to make sure I wasn't in some kind of nightmare as I watched the young wife walk in.
The all too familiar Mrs. O'Connor.
"Oh for god's sake..."
No fucking way.
—
A/N - Here is chapter 2! More will come soon sorry for the cliff hanger lol.
Who do you think the woman is?