Alex looked around his new house. The only thing lacking was furnishings. His were sparse - a bed, a sofa, a television and seats at the counter. The granite countertop served as a desk. He had all he needed, since he was rarely there.

After the renovation, his house was worth over a million dollars, although he would net about a quarter of that. People sought after homes on Higgins Beach, but to him, it didn't matter, because it wasn't The Point.

He wanted a house on The Point, but none were available. The minute he heard even a rumor one was for sale, he would grab it. He belonged on that tiny stretch of land. It was home.

He had been lucky to have a steady project on The Point since Labor Day, starting with the renovation of the Brenner house. Then he spent the winter building a large house right on the beach. It was unusual for new construction on The Point. Unfortunately, the house had taken over a large piece of beach, and no one was happy.

His crew was almost ready to start the finish work on that house. It was Alex's favorite part of each job. He learned early in his career that he hated working outside in the extreme temperatures, especially during the winter when he never warmed up. Finish work became his specialty because he was good at it and it was indoors.

On Friday morning, he stopped into The Landing for his coffee and a chat with Rick.

"Big plans for the weekend?" Rick asked.

"My nephew's christening is on Sunday. You know a family thing."

"Your mother is lucky. I know Alice wishes our Jenny would come for a visit. I'm convinced I'll be in a box next time she does."

"Don't say that!" Alex hated Rick talking that way. He was healthy and not old.

Alex couldn't help, but wonder why Rick and Alice didn't go to New York to see their daughter. Maybe there was a falling out he didn't know about. They had The Landing to run, but they could fly down for the day. Perhaps it was the money. Was the market profitable? If he thought they would accept, Alex would offer them the money for the flights.

Alex was lucky to have his stepfather, Hank taught him everything he knew. He filled the gap in his teen years after his father divorced his mother to marry Gwen. When Alex asked if Hank ever hired his father for plumbing, he stated, "Rule number one always use the best subs."

Alex understood that meant his father wasn't the best. He wasn't a good husband when he cheated on his mother with Gwen. His father's infidelity changed Alex's life. If his mother hadn't met Hank, Alex would probably be a plumber working for his father. Because of Hank, his life was very different.

Because of Hank and his own royal screw up, Alex admitted only to himself.

Life experiences had caused Alex to make his own set of rules. His rules were about women and were learned the hard way. Rule number one was to make sure they didn't belong to another guy. Rule number two was only one at a time.