CHAPTER SIX
Waylon
I drive the sledgehammer into the wall. It crumbles with a satisfying rumble, and I take a break, leaning against the handle of the hammer.
“Taking a load off, huh, big guy?” jokes a voice.
I turn to Philip, a young carpenter I’ve hired to help me remodel the clubhouse at the local golf course. He grins mischievously at me, and I shake my head. “Did you borrow that one from Stereotypical Phrases for Dummies?” I ask.
He shrugs, still smiling mischievously. “It just seems like something someone would say to an older man taking a break from a demanding day of hard labor.”
“Watch it,” I warn. “Or this old man will have your ass in a bag faster than you can say I’m sorry, Waylon, I didn’t mean it.”
“You’ll have to catch me first,” Philip retorts. “So, how’s your little girl?” Philip is in the lifestyle, though he doesn’t have a little girl of his own. He’s a good man with a promising future, and I hope he finds his own forever little girl soon. He deserves it.
“Lena’s amazing,” I answer. “She’s just completed the first draft of her novel and emailed it to an agent to see about representation.”
“Wow!” Philip exclaims. “Already? It’s only been six months!”
My chest swells with pride. “That’s what Lena can do when she puts her mind to something.”
He nods admiringly. “Well, tell her I said congratulations. That’s quite an accomplishment.” He adopts a serious expression. “I’m happy for you, Waylon. I’m glad you found your future.”
He’s right. Lena is my future. I was sure when I met her that I’d spend the rest of my life with her, and the past six months have only cemented that certainty in my mind. She is my forever, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of our life will bring. My phone rings. It’s Lena.
“Excuse me a minute,” I say.
He smiles knowingly. “Take your time. Tell Lena I said hello.”
I answer, rolling my eyes. “Hi, princess. Philip says hi.”
“Hi, Daddy. Hi, Philip,”she responds brightly. I hear two other voices giggling in the background, and I recognize one as Rollie. I don’t know the other voice.
“Daddy, my friend Joyce surprised me with a visit!”
“That’s wonderful, Lena,” I say.
“I know,” Lena squeals on the phone. “I haven’t seen her in so long! Say hi to my Daddy, Joyce.”
The third girl calls out, “Hi Lena’s Daddy!”
I hear fits of giggling, then Joyce says, “Hi Waylon!”
I smile. “Hi, Joyce. It’s lovely to meet you. I hope to meet you in person soon.”
“Ooh, that’s what I’m calling you about,” Lena says excitedly. “Can I invite Joyce, Rollie, and the other little girls over for a playdate tonight? I’ll invite the Daddies too, and you can bring Philip.”
I hear more giggling after Lena mentions Philip, and a moment later, Joyce playfully cries, “Shut up!”
I smile and glance up at Philip, who does a terrible job pretending not to listen in on my conversation. “Say, sonny,” I say to him. “My old lady and I wanted to know if you’d join us for dinner tonight. We can smoke corncob pipes, look at scrimshaw, and talk about how much better music was fifty years ago. I’ll let you clean my dentures.”
Philip shakes his head sadly. “It’s a shame those bulging muscles don’t come with a sense of humor,” he jibes. “That said, I would love to join you for dinner tonight.”
“Well, gee, that’s just great, Philip. I sure do love having young folks around.”
“Stick to construction,” he says. He claps me on the shoulder and leaves for his workshop. He’s designing a set of hand-carved mahogany desks for the offices of the clubhouse.
I return to my phone. “Philip says he’ll come.”