From now on, that would be her focus. No more worrying about what Lauren wanted or how much she missed her old friends. She would appreciate those who had her back. She would be worthy of their loyalty.
“I FEEL LIKE IT would be easier to tear these walls down than to spend the rest of my life trying to take this godforsaken wallpaper off,” Aaron said as he scraped another strip of wallpaper. It was tearing into small pieces instead of coming off in a big sheet. At this rate, he’d be stripping wallpaper the rest of this flip.
“It might seem easier, but it would be more expensive for you and more time-consuming for me,” David said. He was busy working on the plumbing in the kitchen because the inspector was coming in a couple days to sign off on the electrical and plumbing. Sasha was in the master bedroom framing out the new en suite bathroom and closet.
Time was an issue. They had basically lost a week of work on the inside while the asbestos had been removed. Aaron had opted to contract out replacing the roof. He didn’t even bother trying to get anyone local for fear that his father had threatened everyone in a fifty-mile radius not to work with him. He ended up hiring some guys from Sacramento and offering to pay for their lodging while they were up here.
Once they could get back inside, they had torn down the ceilings in the living room and framed it out. Next up was the master bath plumbing. Aaron had foolishly chosen to peel off wallpaper while he waited for the other two to finish their current tasks. He figured it was the next logical priority, since after plumbing and electrical, it was time to hang the new drywall and fix any flaws in the existing walls.
“Hello?” Bonnie called out from the foyer. Aaron’s heart jumped. It seemed to do that more and more when she was around. “I come bearing gifts. I hope you guys didn’t stop for lunch yet.”
She walked into the living room carrying two pizza boxes from Aaron’s favorite pizza place in Morris and a six-pack of beer. As much as he appreciated the gesture, David had mentioned she was having lunch with Mary today. It didn’t make sense for her to be back here with food in hand.
“That was thoughtful of you, sweetheart,” David said. “How was your lunch?”
“It wasn’t great, but it doesn’t matter. I want to have lunch with the people who really matter in my life.”
Aaron again had mixed feelings. He was happy to be someone who mattered to her, but disappointed that things with Mary hadn’t gone well. “You want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” she said with a sad smile. She handed her dad the beer.
Aaron had been so hopeful after his visit with Lauren. It seemed like things were moving in the right direction when Mary contacted Bonnie. He couldn’t imagine what had gone wrong.
He touched her elbow. “I’m here for you.”
She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. Her touch was electric. She made his heart beat faster. “I know you are, and that means everything.”
It was as if the whole world dropped away and they were the only two people left. Sometimes he wished he could take her away to some private island far from all of this drama. Somewhere no one could hurt her and where he could have her all to himself. “You have the most beautiful eyes. Did you know that?”
The corners of her lips curled up. “You smell better than anyone else who has ever worked construction. Did you know that?”
“Can you two stop flirting long enough to hand over those pizzas?” Sasha said as he entered the room. “I’m starved and my growling stomach will be heard three states away if I don’t get food.”
Bonnie dropped her hand and set the pizzas on a card table in the middle of the room. “Eat up, my friend.”
Aaron was glad Bonnie didn’t protest that they weren’t flirting, because he knew he was and hoped she was, too. Maybe when they finished this flip and sold the house for top dollar, he’d take her on that trip.
“I can’t believe how much you guys have gotten done. I love this open layout. It’s going to be so nice when you get all the cabinets in here, and that island.”
“Speaking of which, I need to go pick out my fixtures, but I could use some help with the design. You up for going with me to do some shopping?” he asked her.
“Are you asking if I want to be hired as your designer?”
“I am absolutely asking you to be my designer. You have great taste and the most knowledge of what will sell in this area.”
“Let me think about it.” She picked up a huge slice of sausage pizza and took a bite as she mulled it over. She cracked open a can of beer and took a swig. He loved that she could just be one of the guys when she wanted to be.
The four of them ate and commiserated about how things were moving along. Sasha showed Bonnie some new pictures of his niece. She immediately oohed and aahed, offering to babysit if his sister needed a respite. Aaron finished off his drink and made eye contact with David, who hadn’t said much during this impromptu lunch.
David held his gaze for longer than expected. Aaron looked away, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Did he realize how hard Aaron was falling for his daughter? Did he not approve?
When Aaron glanced back over at him, David set his drink down. “Aaron, can you come help me with something outside for a second?”
His stomach dropped, but Aaron agreed as if there was nothing wrong. He followed David outside.
David placed his hands on his hips and stared down at the ground. “I’m concerned,” he said solemnly.
“About the house?”
He lifted his head. “About my daughter.”
Aaron
