else.
“Yep. Here’s Rusty.” She pointed to the old, blue pickup truck parked on the curb.
“Rusty?”
“Kayla nicknamed him. He’s a little—“
“Rusty?”
She laughed as they climbed in. “Yeah.”
Chapter 4
Over the next two weeks, they’d fallen into a comfortable pattern and Maddie was trying with all her might not to get too used to it. She’d never felt like this with a man before. It was so natural, so easy, that she wondered if this was what it was like to fall in love. Of course, there was absolutely no indication he felt the same way. She smiled to herself as she continued chipping off tiles from the old kitchen backsplash. She was getting way ahead of herself. No one had spoken of love, or anything remotely close to it. So far, the most they’d shared was a couple of laughs in the morning when she picked him up in front of his house and driven them to “the job site,” as he called it.
Today, Knox was sequestered in the dining room with heavy plastic sheeting sealing off all the doors and windows. He was dressed in appropriate attire according to the EPA’s strict guidelines. He was filling special garbage bags with all the materials that had come off the painted surfaces and then taped the openings shut with industrial duct tape.
An air purifier was running and made conversation all but impossible. She donned her headphones and tried to block out thoughts of Knox and focus on the task at hand. It was a little over two hours later, when a tapping on her shoulder had her jumping.
Maddie spun around quickly and watched a mischievous smile form on Knox’s perfect mouth.
“Most of the time, people get the jump on me.” He laughed.
She smiled, a little nervously at his first overt reference to his eyes since the day of his confessional two weeks earlier.
“I guess I was pretty absorbed in the music and the tile.”
Knox’s eyes travelled past her and to the area of the wall she’d been working on. He stepped forward and touched it.
“Looks like you’ve made some serious progress.”
“Not as much as I’d like. I don’t know what they used for mortar in the 20’s, but I think this is cement.”
He laughed. “Nothing surprises me anymore.”
She felt their eyes connect and the force of his gaze was so powerful, she didn’t think it was possible to look away.
Finally, the awkwardness of the moment forced her to speak. “Are you finished?”
“Yeah. The disposal company is coming by this afternoon.”
“That’s great.”
“You’re keeping these base cabinets?” He asked as he opened one of the cabinet doors and ran his hand along the interior.
“They’re original and not in bad shape.”
“No, but...”
“I know it’d be easier to gut it. Believe me; I’ve had this conversation with myself a million times.” She laughed.
“I’m in favor of keeping them, but I think you need to remove them and take down the lathe if you’re gonna run new plumbing and electric.”
“I think so too.”
“So why are you chipping off one tile at a time if you’re going to rip down the walls?”
“I want the sink.” She said softly.
He crinkled his forehead in that adorable way of his as he moved to the sink and lifted the heavy drop cloth. “Oh wow. An original cast iron farm sink. It’s in great shape.”
“Yeah, and it weighs about a million pounds.”
He stopped and put his hands on his hips. “You’re going to work all around it because you can’t get it out?”
She didn’t answer.
“Maddie, we can get the sink out. Let me call Jerry and we can do it.”
“I thought you’d think I was nuts for trying to salvage it.”
“New isn’t always better.” He said.
Again he stared at her with that curious expression that she couldn’t quite identify. She watched his hand as he raised it and touched the side of her head. She could feel herself leaning into him.
“Plaster dust.” He said.
“Oh.” She said simply. She waited for him to remove
“Yep. Here’s Rusty.” She pointed to the old, blue pickup truck parked on the curb.
“Rusty?”
“Kayla nicknamed him. He’s a little—“
“Rusty?”
She laughed as they climbed in. “Yeah.”
Chapter 4
Over the next two weeks, they’d fallen into a comfortable pattern and Maddie was trying with all her might not to get too used to it. She’d never felt like this with a man before. It was so natural, so easy, that she wondered if this was what it was like to fall in love. Of course, there was absolutely no indication he felt the same way. She smiled to herself as she continued chipping off tiles from the old kitchen backsplash. She was getting way ahead of herself. No one had spoken of love, or anything remotely close to it. So far, the most they’d shared was a couple of laughs in the morning when she picked him up in front of his house and driven them to “the job site,” as he called it.
Today, Knox was sequestered in the dining room with heavy plastic sheeting sealing off all the doors and windows. He was dressed in appropriate attire according to the EPA’s strict guidelines. He was filling special garbage bags with all the materials that had come off the painted surfaces and then taped the openings shut with industrial duct tape.
An air purifier was running and made conversation all but impossible. She donned her headphones and tried to block out thoughts of Knox and focus on the task at hand. It was a little over two hours later, when a tapping on her shoulder had her jumping.
Maddie spun around quickly and watched a mischievous smile form on Knox’s perfect mouth.
“Most of the time, people get the jump on me.” He laughed.
She smiled, a little nervously at his first overt reference to his eyes since the day of his confessional two weeks earlier.
“I guess I was pretty absorbed in the music and the tile.”
Knox’s eyes travelled past her and to the area of the wall she’d been working on. He stepped forward and touched it.
“Looks like you’ve made some serious progress.”
“Not as much as I’d like. I don’t know what they used for mortar in the 20’s, but I think this is cement.”
He laughed. “Nothing surprises me anymore.”
She felt their eyes connect and the force of his gaze was so powerful, she didn’t think it was possible to look away.
Finally, the awkwardness of the moment forced her to speak. “Are you finished?”
“Yeah. The disposal company is coming by this afternoon.”
“That’s great.”
“You’re keeping these base cabinets?” He asked as he opened one of the cabinet doors and ran his hand along the interior.
“They’re original and not in bad shape.”
“No, but...”
“I know it’d be easier to gut it. Believe me; I’ve had this conversation with myself a million times.” She laughed.
“I’m in favor of keeping them, but I think you need to remove them and take down the lathe if you’re gonna run new plumbing and electric.”
“I think so too.”
“So why are you chipping off one tile at a time if you’re going to rip down the walls?”
“I want the sink.” She said softly.
He crinkled his forehead in that adorable way of his as he moved to the sink and lifted the heavy drop cloth. “Oh wow. An original cast iron farm sink. It’s in great shape.”
“Yeah, and it weighs about a million pounds.”
He stopped and put his hands on his hips. “You’re going to work all around it because you can’t get it out?”
She didn’t answer.
“Maddie, we can get the sink out. Let me call Jerry and we can do it.”
“I thought you’d think I was nuts for trying to salvage it.”
“New isn’t always better.” He said.
Again he stared at her with that curious expression that she couldn’t quite identify. She watched his hand as he raised it and touched the side of her head. She could feel herself leaning into him.
“Plaster dust.” He said.
“Oh.” She said simply. She waited for him to remove
Similar Books
