Page 2 of Bullet

“You want to start a business, and there’s no place for me.” Crush looks down at his boots, shaking his head.

“Are you kidding?” I throw my hands up in the air. I’ve spent hours designing a business plan tailored to his talents. “You are the business, bro.”

Crush stares at me blankly. I get it; he got caught up in the financial graphs and shit I put in the plan meant for Guard and the brothers, and he never moved past that part.

“Let me break it down. You’re an electrician by trade, thanks to Risk. You understand the basics of plumbing, and we can both do simple repairs. We both paint, can both put up decks and fences, make repairs, and so on.” I point to the business plan on the table. “This is the business. All I did was make the numbers come together to present to the club. If they invest, then we start this together. I’ll handle the contracts and paperwork and do as much as I can in the way of work, but you’re the fix-it guy,” I explain.

“I’m the fix-it guy?” he asks incredulously. He looks down at himself, then back at me. “Who the hell would believe that?”

“I would.” Guard’s voice is loud enough for us to hear as he walks into the main area of the club, his eyes set on Crush. “In the last six months, you’ve been the go-to man for repairs. Rose’s cooler for the florist shop, Ava’s air conditioner for her dance studio, repainting Vi’s place. Twice, I might add, because the aqua wasn’t aqua enough.” He rolls his eyes, laughing. “Anything that needs attention right here, we call you and Bullet. Lots of people in town who either don’t have time or the ability to do the work can use men like the two of you.”

As Guard steps closer, I open to the business plan I designed. “I think a subscription model will work. We can offer basic, medium, and elite service models. We can contract with senior communities and give them a discount rate to make it affordable. We have most of the tools. We don’t need a physical office yet. The real cost is the backend stuff, like computers and scheduling software, and accounting software,” I say. I am so jazzed about this idea. I’m positive it’ll work. I look to Crush. “What do you think?”

“What if I can’t figure out how to repair something? What, then? I’ll make you look stupid,” Crush says.

I’m stunned, because there hasn’t been a damn thing up to this point that we haven’t been able to figure out.

“Do we have to have another talk?” Guard asks, his focus once again locked on Crush.

“Okay, it hasn’t happened yet. But, what if⁠—”

“Then we’ll hire someone who can and move on. In the meantime, you learn a new trick along the way,” Guard answers.

I push the papers aside and step in front of Crush to get his attention. “It’s something we can both do. If this isn’t right for you, though, then it’s off the table, and we’ll do something else. I won’t do it without you. We’re a team, just like we promised.”

Crush turns to Guard, who, with a sly grin on his face, gives him a nod to urge him forward. Then Crush turns to me. “I’ll be the fix-it guy, huh?”

“The business is called Fix-It Guys. Stress on the S.” I laugh out loud, putting my arm around his shoulders.

“I’ll call a meeting for tomorrow to make it formal, but I know the brothers in the Pride, and they’re going to be behind you all the way,” Guard says before he walks out, leaving Crush and me to brainstorm how to advertise.

Two

Puss and Boots

Amelia

Six months later…

There are days when I wonder why the heck I ever decided to take this job as the school principal. I was doing great as the vice principal at Cedarbrook Elementary School, over in the next county. I had built myself up from teaching and took on more responsibility as I gained experience. I had a nice apartment and good friends. When the job posting came up, I glanced at it for about two minutes, then pushed the thought away.

It wasn’t until George Harrington, the principal at Cedarbrook, called me in that I gave the opportunity a second look.

“You’ve done a great job here. You deserve more, and I don’t plan to retire for another seven years. There’s so much you can offer a new school,” George said, then he surprised me. “Look, I know it wasn’t my place, but I spoke with the current principal, and he’s impressed with your credentials. Just go to the interview. Meet the teachers and get a feel for the school. You might be inclined to change your mind.”

That was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. The school is smaller than the one I left, but the teachers are amazing and the students are great. There are always a few that try to make life difficult, but I nip that in the bud pretty darn quick.

What I found out the hard way is that the school is old and falling apart. The lockers need to be replaced, the electrical needs to be upgraded to accommodate the new computer labs, the plumbing is old and needs a helping hand. I’m going to have to budget to remodel the school room by room. That’s a huge job, and money is tight.

Thankfully, Fix-It Guys, a local business, does our repairs, and since Izzy, a teacher here, knows them well, they’ve given us a service contract and offered the school six months of labor at a generous discount to help us out. I’ve met Crush, one of the owners, a few times. He knows his stuff and has been wonderful at coming up with suggestions that work within our budget. He’s a man of few words, but he manages a grin every now and again.

The other bright idea I had was buying a house. Ugh! What was I thinking? In an apartment, if something goes wrong, you call the landlord, and they come and fix it. I bought a cute cottage by the lake. The kitchen has been redone, and so have the bathrooms. The structure is solid; the real estate agent assured me it was in excellent condition.

Unfortunately, the roof wasn’t tested in heavy rain, and on a Saturday night, while torrential rain is pounding on the windows and roof, I find out I have leaks. LEAKS! Not one; several. I move the furniture out of the way and put down buckets I found in the garage, but I need it fixed.

I look up the Fix-It Guys’ number and hope that Crush is available.

“Fix-It Guys, I’m sorry, we’re not able to take your call at this time. Please leave a detailed message, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible,” the message says, and a beep follows. I leave my name and number. I’m desperate, so I call Izzy, knowing that she knows Crush and might be able to help me out.