Chapter 30
Chapter 30 — The Quote
Alex wakes early and helps the commune kitchen crew make breakfast — omelettes with peppers, onions, and fresh salsa. He cleans up and does dishes afterward, then gets dressed and drives to Holloway's Hardware with an omelette, salsa, and coffee for Gene. Gene teaches Alex how to create a material list and write a full quote for the shed job Linda Carr inquired about, including labor costs for Gene and Alex together versus Alex alone, with a discount for choosing Alex solo. Gene tells Alex to deliver the quote in person to Linda Carr, who lives behind the Danforths. Alex drives there and delivers the quote. Linda is surprised — she expected a phone call. They discuss the project and she reviews the quote. Alex heads back to the commune in the late afternoon.
The alarm went off at five-fifteen. Alex killed it before the second beep, rolling onto his back in the cool dark of the cabin. The sheets were tangled at his feet, and his body ached with that familiar summer soreness — a low burn in his shoulders, his lower back, his forearms. Tool work did that. Other things did that too.
He sat up. The pine knot eye on the wall watched him like it always did. The notes on the wall had grown again — a dense patchwork of measurements, reminders, and half-finished thoughts. He reached for the pencil stub on the nightstand and added two words at the bottom of the latest entry: "Dado cuts." Then he dressed. Gym shorts. Work boots. He'd change into real clothes later. He grabbed a towel and stepped outside.
The sky was gray — not the gray of overcast, but the gray of not-yet-light. The trees stood as black silhouettes against it. The air smelled of dew and pine and the mineral tang of the hot tub, which still held heat from the night before. He walked to the kitchen.
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