And most importantly, he had the document Melissa and Grant had signed the previous afternoon acknowledging that the work had been completed, accepted and remained unpaid.
The $6,200 wasn’t a vague verbal dispute anymore.
It was documented.
And their own signatures were on the paperwork.
David explained that Frank had a legitimate contractor claim against the homeowners, and that the unresolved claim could create complications during the sale of the property.
Grant’s expression changed.
Suddenly, this wasn’t about an “old carpenter” who wasn’t worth taking seriously.
It was about paperwork.
Contracts.
Money.
And a property they were about to try to sell.
Their plan had apparently been simple.
Keep the improvements.
Keep the increased value they added to the property.
And refuse to pay the person who had created those improvements.
But Frank had made sure there was a record of everything.
And now that record mattered.
The real estate agent looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Eventually, she pulled Grant aside.
She explained that it would be far better to resolve the contractor dispute before the house was listed.
Grant finally offered to pay the original $6,200.
But by then, the situation had already required legal preparation and collection work.
The total had risen to $6,814.
Grant wasn’t happy.
But he had little room left to argue.
He arranged the wire transfer.
Frank didn’t celebrate.
He didn’t insult him.
He didn’t remind him of what he had said the day before.
He simply waited.
When the money cleared, Frank nodded to David.
The paperwork was completed.
And that was it.
But there was one more problem for Grant.
Tommy.
The former apprentice who had arrived with Frank was now running one of the county’s largest carpentry companies.
And Tommy had been scheduled to take on the couple’s planned upstairs project.
He refused.
