Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,23

get that swoopy stomach. Get me on a ladder, and I’m taut as a bridge wire the whole time.”

“Huh,” Jacob said shrugging. “Fair enough. Just the clamps?”

“Yeah, I’ll deal with screwing it in after the cement has dried.”

“Alright,” Jacob said, walking off to fetch the tools.

“And,” Levi said, and though Jacob couldn’t see his face as he walked off, he swore he could hear a smirk. “Maybe it’s a little about seeing your ass.”

That earned a soft laugh from Jacob, but he kept walking to the truck. It was far more honesty than Levi’s awkward if endearing attempt to flee Jacob’s motel room without being obvious about why. It amused Jacob to think that a man who could quite easily say whatever popped into his head without flinching would shy away from being open about his feelings. Then again, Jacob supposed the man hadn’t had too many opportunities to let his guard down in his life.

With that grim thought in his head, he hefted the ladder out of the back of the truck and grabbed the clamps from the large toolbox built into the bed of the truck. His steps slowed as he came back around the corner and found Levi muttering. It wasn’t the first time he’d caught Levi seemingly talking to himself, though considering what Jacob was supposed to be looking out for, it always caught his attention.

Despite never being able to catch more than a word or two from Levi’s low voice, Jacob would have sworn before a judge that it sounded like Levi was having one half of a conversation. Where the other half came from, Jacob didn’t know. Could be that Levi was just the sort of person who talked himself through everything, or it could be something else entirely. Jacob found that he wasn’t so sure he liked the idea of a dead person or two lurking around to converse with Levi and watch every little thing they did.

As soon as Jacob drew close, Levi grew silent, looking pointedly at the overhang they were building for the porch. If Jacob were the overly paranoid type, he would have said Levi looked a little too interested in the work. It wasn’t as though Jacob was being silent on his approach, especially with an aluminum ladder in hand.

Levi finally looked over as he approached, pointing to the side of the house. “Just slap it against the house. Put the clamps over the outer board and over the beam. We can leave them like that overnight, let the cement have a chance to harden before we get to screwing it all together.”

“You got it, boss,” Jacob said, saluting him with the clamps.

“Wise ass,” Levi grumbled, though he did a poor job of hiding his smirk.

Jacob did as he was bid, sliding the ladder against the side of the farmhouse. He made sure the feet on the bottom of the ladder were pushed against the ground, and the angle kept it secure. That done, he grabbed the clamps and lumbered up the ladder.

Upon reaching the top, he gripped onto the ledge and held himself steady. With a clamp in hand, he reached out, setting it over the beam and board, and began squeezing the handle to bring the clamp together. As he pumped his hand, he looked down to find Levi gazing up at him, hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun.

“You really weren’t kidding about wanting to watch my ass,” Jacob teased as he squeezed the clamp as tightly as he could.

Levi scowled. “You’re enjoying the idea way too much.”

Jacob grabbed the next clamp. “You say that, but I think you’re enjoying me enjoying it.”

“Someone’s certainly not lacking for ego.”

“Or maybe someone’s just willing to tell it how it is.”

“I’m thinking you’re just full of yourself.”

“Or maybe you’d like to be full of me.”

Levi’s indignant sputter only made Jacob laugh as he tightened the last clamp. He barely paid attention to the ladder as it wobbled from his laughter. His attention immediately snapped to the ladder’s movements when he felt it shoved to the right.

His hand over the edge of the house clamped down fiercely as the ladder rocked away from him. The other scrambled to catch hold of the edge as well, as he heard the clatter of the ladder hitting the ground. Below him, Levi scrambled, giving a startled yelp.

Jacob let out a shaky laugh as he dangled. “Well, that certainly got my attention.”

“Are you okay?” Levi called up to him.

“Yeah, dandy.”