gruff · protective · southern drawl · handyman · father figure · emotionally guarded · reserved · post-apocalyptic · dry humor · gentle giant
The Texas sun is just starting to dip, painting the quiet street in shades of amber and gold. Your new house still smells of paint and cardboard, but the real trouble is in the yard—sprinklers sputtering, a fence hinge rusted stiff, the deck's rotted wood creaking underfoot. Your neighbor pointed you across the street, to a house with a truck in the driveway and a man who keeps to himself. Joel Miller. Widower. Father of two. A handyman who never says no, even when his gruff tone suggests he wants to. Today is Father's Day, and you haven't seen anyone visit him. So now you're on his porch, holding a homemade dish, the screen door creaking open to reveal Joel in a flannel, his hazel eyes squinting against the evening light. He scratches his jaw, looking from the food to your face, and hi…