Chapter 4 Project Tension and External pressure

Chapter Four

Project Tension & External Pressure

Narrator: Captain Elias "Eli" Ward

There are two kinds of pressure: the kind that cracks you and the kind that forges something stronger.

I've had both. Combat taught me that much.

But nothing and I mean nothing quite prepares you for standing beside the woman who used to be the future of your best friend's life while pretending to be her husband for a government-funded PR stunt.

Especially not when the entire town is watching.

We'd been living at the inn for five days when the first oversight team showed up.

Two government agents in starched suits, armed with tablets, checklists, and the kind of tight smiles that usually precede budget cuts. One of them looked like he'd never stepped outside a city. The other wore boots too clean to have walked any real dirt.

"This is the historic residence site?" the taller one asked, scanning the entry hall like it offended him.

"Mostly," I said. "Still being stabilized. We've finished the internal framing and plumbing, and the electric's fully replaced. Safety certs are in the folder."

He gave me a cursory glance, then turned to Lily. "And you're Dr. Quinn?"

"That's right." She stepped forward, cool and professional. "I've completed the structural survey and drafted an architectural restoration map based on archival photos and city records. I've flagged historically significant elements we intend to preserve and modernize. Would you like a copy of the documentation?"

He blinked, caught off guard by her efficiency. "Yes. That would be... helpful."

I smirked. She was good, and she knew it.

They toured the property while we trailed behind like awkward hosts at a party we hadn't planned. Ash padded along beside me, his ears twitching with every creak of the floorboards.

"So," the second agent asked, "you two are managing the reconstruction together as... partners?"

Lily didn't hesitate. "Married partners, yes."

I nodded once. "We split responsibilities. Structural management falls to me. Historical preservation and public engagement fall to Dr. Quinn."

"And your living arrangement?"

"We reside on-site," Lily said crisply. "As required."

The agent smiled thinly. "Of course. And how's that going?"

Lily opened her mouth to answer, then paused. Her eyes flicked to mine.

"It's a work in progress," I said.

That earned a laugh. They seemed satisfied. At least for now.

After the inspection, Lily and I regrouped in the kitchen. I leaned against the counter while she made tea like she was fighting a war with the kettle.

"They're going to ask us more personal questions next time," she muttered.

"Let them."

"You're too calm about this."

"I've dealt with interrogations that involved lie detectors and live ammo. This isn't even the top ten."

She gave me a look. "This is about optics, Eli. If we can't convince them we're aligned, they'll shut this down."

I sighed. "What do you want me to do? Hold your hand at town meetings?"

"Don't joke."

"I'm not."

She put the kettle down harder than necessary. "Look. I agreed to this project for Luke. For the town. But if this turns into a circus, I'm gone. Paper marriage or not."

I met her eyes. "Then let's do it right."

She stared at me a moment longer, then gave a tight nod.

"Tomorrow's the contractor's coordination meeting," she said. "I need you focused."

"Always am."

"No snide remarks. No disappearing halfway through."

"I stay for the full punishment," I said. "Scout's honor."

"You were never a scout."

"No, but I was a Ranger. We tend to show up."

She almost smiled at that. Almost.

The next morning, the inn buzzed with the sound of power tools, voices, and general chaos. Hank was managing materials delivery. Lily had set up a large blueprint station in what used to be the dining room. I manned the logistics board and walked the property line with the new safety inspector, a woman named Jen who didn't say much but wrote everything down like it was evidence in a criminal case.

By noon, the whole crew assembled in the courtyard for our first major planning session.

Lily and I stood side-by-side under a half-covered awning while the others clustered in folding chairs. Everyone from the wiring subcontractor to the local volunteer team had questions, complaints, and suggestions. Most were valid. Some were... less so.

"We can't do custom molding on a government timeline," I said, arms crossed. "We're already behind."

"But historical integrity" Lily began.

"We're going to have to compromise. Fast-track methods using pre-approved materials."

"That undermines the restoration quality."

"It gets it done."

The air between us snapped like an electric fence. The crew went silent, watching us like kids listening to their parents argue at the dinner table.

Lily exhaled through her nose. "Let's discuss it in private."

We stepped back inside, voices lowered but sharp.

"You're undermining me in front of them," she said.

"I'm keeping us on schedule."

"They'll stop listening if they think we can't agree."

"They'll stop working if we lose funding."

She turned away, pacing. "This was a mistake."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it keeps being true."

I leaned against the wall, jaw tight. "I didn't ask for this either."

"No. You just signed the papers and moved in."

"I signed to help rebuild the town. Same as you."

She stopped. Looked at me. "Did you? Or are you just looking for a way to make peace with what happened?"

That hit hard.

I didn't respond. I couldn't.

She shook her head. "Forget it. We'll sort out the molding later."

And then she was gone, back out the door like she couldn't stand to breathe the same air as me.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Meetings. Supply delays. A near-miss with a power line nobody marked correctly. I patched a wall by myself just to stop thinking.

That night, I skipped dinner and sat outside on the porch with Ash, staring out across the black stretch of trees where the forest used to be thick. The stars were out. Silent. Indifferent.

I heard the door creak behind me. Lily stepped out, wrapped in a sweatshirt two sizes too bigprobably Luke's. I didn't ask.

She sat on the other side of the porch. No words for a while.

Finally, she said, "You're good at this."

I looked at her. "At what?"

"Managing people. Directing crews. Building things."

"Doesn't mean I should be in charge."

"Maybe not. But you know how to get things done. I respect that."

It surprised me. The way she said it. No bitterness. Just truth.

I nodded. "Thanks."

She looked out at the dark trees. "I was supposed to marry him in this building."

"I know."

"And now I'm married to his best friend. On paper."

Silence.

"I think about him all the time," she said.

"Me too."

"Sometimes I still hear his laugh. That low one. The one where he couldn't breathe."

I closed my eyes. "I hear it when I'm alone."

We didn't talk after that. Just sat there. Two people who knew the same ghost, sitting in the house he never came home to.

Maybe that was its own kind of closeness.

Two days later, Betty announced that we'd be speaking at the town festival.

"Absolutely not," I said.

She ignored me. "The town needs to see you two together. Smiling. Committed."

"We're not" I started.

"It's a picnic," she said, waving me off. "Say a few words about community rebuilding. Shake hands. Kiss a baby if you see one."

Lily looked at me. "We have to do this."

"We're contractors, not celebrities."

"This is part of the job now."

I gritted my teeth. "Fine. But if anyone tries to make us dance, I'm out."

They made us dance.

It was part of the program an old Iron Hollow tradition to open the spring festival. One couple, chosen to represent the town's "renewal," danced under the lanterns before the rest joined in.

Betty had chosen us. Of course.

"I don't dance," I muttered as I stepped onto the pavilion stage.

"You went through Ranger training," Lily said. "This is not harder than jumping out of a plane."

"I was strapped to a chute and half-mad with adrenaline. This is worse."

The music started. Slow. Gentle. A country ballad I recognized but couldn't name. We faced each other, unsure where to put our hands. Eventually, I rested mine lightly on her waist. She placed hers on my shoulder. The crowd clapped.

And we moved.

Awkward at first. Then smoother. I let her lead. She was better at it anyway.

We didn't speak. Didn't smile.

But for the first time, we weren't fighting.

And maybe just maybe that was enough