Too bad I find that side just as sexy as this laid-back one.
“I’ll go easy on you,” I reply, then look over at the wall. “How long is this going to take you? I really wish I could help.”
“I can probably have it done in five days. I’ll hire someone to come over and paint it.” He takes a swig of his beer. “I’ll finish some of the cuts after this beer, then call it a night.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I grab my beer and lean back against the wall. “So, how did you and Walker meet exactly?”
He chuckles to himself. “Freshman year of college. We were waiting in line for a cart at our dorm to bring our stuff in. Bonded over how much we couldn’t wait to get rid of our dads, who were helping us move in.”
“Ah, I know Walker’s reason for wanting our dad to scram. What’s yours?”
There’s a sadness reflected in his eyes. It’s enough to make me want to grab his hand and give it a squeeze, but I refrain. “My father wasn’t the man I’d thought he was as a kid. He cheated on my mom, left her for someone twenty years younger than him, then neglected his alimony to take care of his new wife’s kids.”
I wince. “That’s terrible. Why didn’t your mom bring him to court? Surely, they would have sided with her.”
“She said she didn’t want to deal with the hassle. She just wanted to live her life without him in it anymore. It doesn’t matter now.She’s retired, and I have more than enough money to make sure she is comfortable.”
“That’s sweet of you to take care of her.”
“I owe her everything. She deserves every last dime that I make.”
It feels like I’m talking to a different person from the one I have known for weeks. He’s a contradiction of so many competing characteristics, all bundled up in a much-too-easy-on-the-eye package.
He takes the final sip of his beer, then stands up and stretches. I divert my eyes so as not to ogle the man in front of me.
I try not to bother him while he does his cuts because I can see there’s measuring involved, and I don’t want to mess him up.
He uses the handsaw one last time, then reaches for the cord and unplugs it. We both survey the sawdust scattered around the floor in the area he was making his cuts.
“Do you have a dustpan I can use to clean some of this up?” he asks.
I wave my hand at him. “I can do that. You don’t need to worry about cleaning anything up.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind. It won’t take long.”
I walk toward the door as he follows me. “It’s a job that I’m finally capable of doing. Let me do the cleaning. It’ll make me feel better.”
“If you insist.” He nudges me with his arm. “I’m not going to fight for that job.”
I smile. “Good. I’m a master at arguing. My brother is a lawyer after all. I learned from the best.”
“He’s cocky too. Sounds like you also got that from him.”
I feign offense. “Well, if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black.”
I can see him trying to hide his smile.
“All right, you got me there.” He turns to me at the front door. “I have a dinner at my ma’s house tomorrow, but I can be back on Thursday, if that works for you.”
I reach for the knob and pull the door open for him. “I’ll be here with food and drinks.”
We stand in a moment of silence for a few beats.
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow?”
“See you tomorrow,” I reply with a small smile.
“Good night, Eva,” he says as he walks out the door.