Melissa and Grant seemed thrilled.
They walked through the room taking photographs.
They complimented the craftsmanship.
They told Frank how beautiful everything looked.
For a moment, he thought the difficult part was finally over.
Then Grant pulled him aside.
He didn’t look embarrassed.
He didn’t look apologetic.
He simply told Frank that they had gone over their renovation budget.
And they weren’t going to pay the remaining $6,200.
Grandpa actually thought he was joking.
He wasn’t.
Frank reminded him that the price had been agreed upon in writing.
Grant shrugged.
Then he said something that revealed exactly what he thought of the man standing in front of him.
“You’re one old carpenter working by yourself. What are you really going to do about it?”
Melissa stood nearby, sipping coffee as though she were watching an ordinary conversation.
Then she added the sentence that changed everything.
“Everything’s already installed. It’s not like you can take it back.”
Grandpa didn’t respond.
