“The fact is, this whole campaign was to save the theater from financial ruin,” Tucker pointed out. “If there are structural problems on top of everything else, that kind of money’s so far above and beyond what we could pull off.” He shook his head.
“I can fix it,” said Brody.
Conversation ground to a halt. All attention shifted to him.
Tyler stared at him. “What?”
“I think this can be salvaged,” he said, looking up from the report in his hands.
“Bro, we need way more than ‘salvaged’,” said Tucker.
But Tyler’s heart was already thumping with a spurt of hope.
“No, listen,” Brody insisted. “I know it looks bad, but the main building is structurally intact. It’s the integrity of the balcony that’s in question. If we clear out the debris, shore up the supports of the sections remaining so that they pass code, then we could still pull off the show.”
“Yeah, us and what army?” asked Piper.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I am a licensed contractor.”
“That’s great, but you’re one guy,” Piper argued. “Even with volunteers, we don’t have enough trained labor to pull off something like this.”
Brody laid the folder on the table and crossed his arms. Tyler immediately recognized the stubborn jut to his chin. “I have an entire crew. We’re way ahead on the downtown job, to the point that we’re actually waiting on some deliveries before we can keep moving forward. I can pull them, put them over at the theater.”
“There’s still the matter of the money, boy-o,” said Tucker. “We can’t pay them.”
“A bunch of them would volunteer, and we can pull in others from the community.”
“I know several who would help,” Tyler added, warming to the idea, her mind already spinning, filling with names.
“Even with labor, I doubt the three grand we made from karaoke night is going to cover even the materials for repairs of this magnitude.”
“Hello,” Tyler waved. “I own a building supply store. I’ll donate what I can, and we can put the karaoke funds toward any specialized materials we need.”
“And whatever that doesn’t cover, I will,” said Brody.
Everyone gaped at him.
“I…Brody, that’s potentially no small chunk of change,” breathed Tyler.
He jerked one shoulder in a shrug, his eyes fixed on hers. “I’ve done very well for myself. And it’s worth every penny to me for the chance to preserve a piece of our history.”
Our history. Not the town’s. There could be no mistaking that with the look in his eyes. He meant to save the place where they’d fallen in love. This was important to him. She was important to him.
Tyler felt her heart do a slow roll in her chest.
Swallowing against the words that clogged her throat, she reached up to cup his face. Stubble rasped against her fingers as she leaned in and laid her lips softly over his.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For trying.”
His lips curved into a grin. “If I get that for trying, what do I get for pulling it off?”
Tyler laughed. “Do it and find out.” She started to pull back, but he caught her around the waist.
“I think you’ll find that I’m very serious and very committed to restoration.”