Two hours later, papers crumpled loudly and small receipts fell to the floor as Daisy rifled feverishly through every stack of paperwork she could find.
Every scrap of paper in the kitchen and living room had already been searched, and she was pouring through every inch of her bedroom. If Daisy didn’t find the permit in here, Hawthorne’s room was next. It didn’t matter if there was no logical explanation for it to be in his room—enough years of misplaced jewelry, sweaters, cellphones, and retainers had taught her that logic wasn’t usually a factor when it came to her tendency to lose things.
Daisy had definitely pulled all the correct permits, a mistake narrowly prevented by Greg when he started working with her.
But where on God’s green earth was her copy of the permit? The previous inspector had signed it when he inspected the new support beams and then again when she and Lance finished all the electrical work.
Daisy gasped. She remembered it perfectly now! Lance had handed the signed permit to her after her jubilant celebratory hug.
With a wink, she had tucked it inside the roof of her hardhat, and said, “For safekeeping.” It had taken her a few stressful minutes too long to find it ahead of that inspection, and Daisy didn’t want to lose it again.
Daisy tore down the stairs, desperate to find her pink hardhat—a gift from Lance’s father—and the critical paperwork held within.
This new inspector was on an absolute power trip. What had happened to the other guy? He was nice. He never threatened them or made Daisy want to practice her aerobic kickboxing moves on his squishy frame.
Finally, after looking in every room at least twice, Daisy found her hardhat, mostly buried in a box of packing peanuts. How on earth had it gotten there?
With a silent prayer, Daisy flipped over the hardhat and felt a wave of relief when she spotted the yellow carbon copied document.
Carefully, she pulled it out and gingerly unfolded it. There it was, only one signature line remaining for final inspection. Hallelujah!
Unfortunately, this was only half the battle. Maybe not even that much of it. A quarter.
The real challenge would be convincing the power-tripping Mr. Havershem to approve them to start work again. He seemed determined to delay their progress, no matter what she did.
And Lance’s other projects, too.
Now that she had the permit in hand, she had to face the reality that her careless attitude had caused real consequences. Not just for her, either, but for someone who had only ever been helpful to her.
And where did that get him? Out of work for two weeks through no fault of his own. What could she do? Since the beginning, they had both agreed they were all wrong for each other. Now, she had practically ruined his business—and her own!
Why would he want to spend his life permanently attached to someone like her? The last few weeks, Lance had been the only bright spot in a whirlwind of hospital visits and anxiety-laced prayers. For some inexplicable reason, Lance had readily shouldered her burden after Thanksgiving. Since then, they’d grown closer every day.
Her mom always said Daisy would lose her own feet if they weren’t attached! With the events of the day in retrospect, it was probably a pretty accurate statement. Lance was probably realizing what a mistake it had been to enter a relationship with her. They were too different; being together could only frustrate him and cause more trouble. Daisy knew how important his business was to him, and Lance didn’t deserve to have it threatened because of her carelessness.
No, Lance was definitely better off without her. Even if it sucked to admit it to herself. Would she be okay without him, though? She couldn’t decide if being with Lance forever would be the best thing that ever happened to her, or if he would slowly suck the spirit out of her. It seemed an awfully big risk to take. It didn’t matter though, because being with her would mean nothing but trouble for him.
The project was close enough now that she could finish it herself with Hawthorne’s help. And Andi said she would be home for two weeks at Christmas. Daisy could bribe her to help.
It was time to put Lance out of his misery. He’d only taken on her project as a favor to his dad anyway. He wouldn’t mind.
She did need to straighten things out at the county though, and make sure he and his business didn’t suffer the consequences for her carelessness. The idea that everything Lance had worked so hard for would be ruined because of her made her sick to her stomach.
She texted him, ignoring the sting of tears in her eyes.
Found the permits. I promise I’ll fix it. I’m fine, don’t worry about coming back.
There. Letting him off the hook was the right move. Now, she just had to convince her heart.