After a nerve-wracking long moment the door opened. Derek stood there surveying me with a bemused look on his rugged face. He was clad in a tight white t-shirt with a hint of perspiration on his forehead. He looked positively dreamy, in an all-American kinda way.
“Hi?” he said tentatively mopping his head with the cloth he held.
Even that simple motion flexed his bicep in a very distracting manner.
“Hi, I—er…” I tried to quickly recover from the sudden quickening of my heart. “I brought a peace offering. I don’t think we got off on the right foot. Entirely the wrong foot in fact. So I was hoping we could start over? We can forget what happened, actually let’s just forget the last twenty-four hours.”
Derek seemed reluctant to welcome me in, the door only part way open, his muscle-bound form blocking the way inside. The only reaction I detected in response to my rambling was the slight raising of his eyebrow.
“Of course I still want to make amends for the breakage last night,” I quickly added. When he didn’t respond I continued rambling on like a fool. “It’s just mac and cheese, but I thought it might be good for Kadee too?” I raised the covered dish up higher, letting the comforting creamy scent of my creation waft his way.
His eyes noticeably lit up at this.
“Kadee’s taking a nap after the long journey. But I love mac and cheese myself. And I have to admit it smells great.”
The unquestionable good manners of his upbringing seemed to be bubbling to the surface in response to my new approach. He was about to reach out to take the dish when he paused.
“Wait, how about you, have you eaten?” he inquired.
“I have plenty, don't worry, I just wanted to—”
“Oh, that won’t do, come in. I could definitely use a quick meal and I'm sure you've been busy with the move. There’s plenty here, I insist. To making amends?”
This had not been my plan, but his sincere insistence and the hunger I felt at the aroma drove me to accept.
“Okay, sure.” I nodded my acceptance as he took the dish and headed back into the house leaving the door wide open.
“Come on through to the kitchen,” he called behind him.
I stepped in, closing the door quietly behind me and followed him through the lounge. The place looked amazing even at a glance, there was only a little clutter here and there like on the coffee table; papers, a coloring book, and a few of what I presumed were Kadee’s toys. What stood out though was all of the fittings and fixtures around the interior of the house. I’d been studying enough home décor magazines to notice all the immaculate and thoughtful detailing that had been installed in the place. I spied hardwood-trim baseboards that must have cost a small fortune. Not to mention the gorgeous crown molding around the windows or the decorative columns that surrounded the edge of the archway through to the dining room. It looked how I imagined my new place being fitted out.
“Your place looks incredible,” I called to the sound of plates in the kitchen just ahead.
“Thanks,” came the reply as he popped his head back around the kitchen door.
“Have you lived here long?”
“Yeah you could say that. And I’ve been working on this place for years now. I think I'm just about done. Ready for my next challenge.” He looked away as he said the latter, his eyes storming over.
“Seriously, you did all this?” I asked with disbelief, taken back a little by the beauty of the kitchen that met my eyes. “By yourself?”
“No need to sound so surprised, this is what I do.”
The casserole dish, plates and cutlery had been arranged welcomingly on the large island; a hardwood top that I longed to run my hands over.
“Please,” he said offering me one of the stools to sit at. “Do you want a drink?”
“No no, I'm fine.” I said taking a seat and studied the rest of the kitchen, sucking up as much detail as possible. It was an almighty good thing I’d left my phone back at the house otherwise I would’ve been tempted to take shots of his handy-work and upload them to my Pinterest board.
Derek dished out his own healthy sized portion and began to tuck in. He seemed much more laid back in his own surroundings, almost adorable. It felt so good to be defusing the tension of our previous encounters. I scooped out a good dollop and joined in, munching on the food.
“This is great,” he said through the side of a half chewed mouthful, jabbing his empty fork at what remained of his portion.
“It’s a secret family recipe,” I joked and smiled. “You’ve lived here years then, what’s the area really like?” I asked, picking a conversation topic that hadn't already brought us into conflict during our brief times together.
He paused his steady intake of food for a moment to consider this.
“It’s fairly quiet. Certainly never any trouble, there are some great local places with good people and fair prices that won’t gouge you like the city. The cafe down on Main is really good too for a bite to eat, and I think a new place just opened up. Oh and Edgar runs the hardware store if you need it. Which you no doubt will.”
“Great, that sounds perfect. How about you two, what’s the story with Kadee?” After his obvious hesitation I followed up with, “If you don't mind me asking? You can tell me to mind my own business if you want. I won’t hold it against you.”
He shrugged, “It’s fine. I’m divorced and Kadee lives out west with her mom for the most part. I hardly get to see her.”
I decided to tip toe around the emotion creeping into his tone at this new line of discussion.
“That must be tough. She seems like a great kid,” I offered in tactful support.
“Yeah, she’s everything,” he said, sitting back from his empty plate.
He was watching me now with a look I couldn't quite decipher, was it curiosity? Or had I overstayed my welcome? Before his stare unnerved me too much I continued my questioning.
“And what about you? You said “this is what you do”, how do you mean?” I asked gesturing my arms at our surroundings.
“You’re full of questions aren’t you?”
I took a bite and swallowed. “If you prefer we can sit in silence and eat like two strangers?”
Derek chuckled and shook his head. “Full of sass too.”
I smiled. “I try… it’s practically the only thing I’m good at.”
“I’m sure that’s not true. What’s your story then?”
“We aren’t talking about me. Besides I asked you first.”
The edge of Derek’s lips curved upwards, the half-smile almost reaching his eyes. “Fine, well, I’m a carpenter by trade. Interior finishings are my specialty you might say, though I’ve fixed up pretty much everything in this place over the years. You name it, I’ve fixed it. Maybe I could give you a few tips?”
I bristled at his boastful bravado on this subject and his assumption that I, a woman, didn’t know what I was doing. And sure his place looked great, but steady on there fella. I was suddenly reminded of our remarks earlier about my porch and his insistence that he knew better. Well there was always more than one way to get something done and this gal needed help from no one! Even if he looked as dreamy as Derek.
“I’ll manage just fine, thank you.”
Derek shot his hands up. “Suit yourself.”
A lengthy and uncomfortable silence sank into the room like an unwelcome fog. Derek glanced at his watch. He tried to do it without me noticing but he wasn’t exactly subtle about it either. I shifted on my stool, it squeaked and I winced.
“Are you finished?” Derek asked pointing to what remained of my mac and cheese. There was still a couple of mouthfuls but my appetite had fled.
“Yeah. I’m done. I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll just clear these up and walk you out, give me a sec.”
With my own sudden gush of good manners I reached for the plates to clear up before he had the chance. However without looking it only resulted in me awkwardly grabbing his re
aching hand… his warm strong hand. I let out a gasp as sparks zapped up my arm, sending my heart into overdrive for the second time that day.
We froze for a moment, the once relaxed atmosphere of our little mealtime now completely shattered by the intimacy of this touch. I met his eyes for an instant, but before they captured me completely and I surrendered all sense, I broke free. The abrupt motion caused the plate to spin out of control and I could only look on in horror as it careened towards the edge.
Thankfully, Derek had quick reflexes. He shot out his hand, palm flat and managed to subdue the wayward crockery.
“Shit sorry, that was close. I’m not normally this clumsy, I promise.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. He sounded annoyed, grumpy and irritated. I’d definitely outstayed my welcome now.
“I should be getting back, I’m expecting a friend soon,” I said heading for the door before he could stop me.
“Sure sure, no problem,” I heard behind me.
I reached the front door trying to shake the moment off, where I spotted Kadee sat near the top of the stairs, a bear next to her. She was huddled with her arms wrapped around her knees, in the quiet mode of a child who’d sneaked out of bed to listen to the grown-ups talk below. I smiled and sent her a small secret wave. Her little face brightened and she lifted her hand to wave goodbye in response.
Derek had caught up to me and took hold of the door. I left him in the doorway and headed back over to mine. It was perfect good timing as my friend Fiona was just getting out of her car and looking around to see if she had the right place.
“Hey Fee!” I called out to her as I crossed the road.
She looked up a little confused that I had appeared from the wrong side of the road. Fiona was my oldest and only real friend, we had met in college, and even though she had continued through law school while I dropped out we had remained in touch ever since. The fact that she worked in the city an hour away had certainly helped with my decision on the house.
“Hey, I have the right place don’t I?” she asked pointed back to my house behind her, “and just who is the hunk, you minx!” she inquired in a quiet voice as I neared.
“Just the neighbor, don’t get excited he’s a bit of a dick,” I said hugging her.
“Well who wouldn’t mind a bit of that!” she replied in her usual filthy tone.
“Oh, I’ve missed you,” I laughed. “Come on, let me show you around. See what your scheming has gotten me into.”
Chapter Five
Derek
“But why can’t I go outside, it’s so sunny?” Kadee pleaded, her little feet stomping the wooden flooring. Her face started to turn a funny shade of pink as she didn’t get what she wanted.
I’d had such a fun morning with her, being woken up by her gleeful face. She’d jumped on the bed and I’d tickled her until she could barely breathe. Hand in hand we’d ventured downstairs and we’d made breakfast together. I was all set to make her favorite; scrambled eggs with toasted soldiers, but it seemed a lot had changed since the last time she’d visited. Now her favorite was pancakes and crispy bacon with lashings of syrup. Yet after our morning fun things were escalating. Note to self: don’t get your kid hopped up on sugar first thing in the day. I needed to put the brakes on this little tantrum so I could get some things done around the house and figure out my next project.
“Sorry sweetie, I have some important work stuff to do first,” I tried to explain. But you try and convince a sugar-glazed five-year-old that sometimes you couldn’t always have fun all-day nonstop.
“Boring! You’re not fun! You’re just like mommy! Why can’t I go out?” The “I” was drawn out in loud desperation. “I don’t have any boring work to do.”
“You’re not going out on your own, not without me. Not even in the garden. I seem to remember you walking off yesterday to the neighbor’s, crossing the road without waiting, despite me telling you not to. That’s not happening again, do you hear me?”
Kadee deflated and looked at her feet. Her lips pushed out into a pout and her brows furrowed. She was either going to cry or scream. I braced myself.
“Look sweetie, we’ll definitely go outside soon. I won’t be long. I promise. I actually have a surprise for you that’s coming tomorrow,” I said trying to reassure her. But I guess to a kid her age, tomorrow was like waiting for Christmas day that seemed reluctant to arrive.
Thankfully, I breathed a sigh of relief when the seesaw of Kadee's expressions tilted once more. The smile on her face at the mention of a surprise was simply a picture.
“What is it?”
“You’ll find that out tomorrow, in the meantime…” I presented her with a copy of Minions 2 from behind my back. “How about a movie instead, you’ve only seen the first one right?”
Kadee's eyes lit up further.
“Yes, Mommy said it was stupid so I wasn't to watch anymore,“ she said with heartbreaking disappointment.
“Well Mommy isn’t here now is she?” I said grinning mischievously. “You get comfy on the sofa and I’ll set up your movie and get you some snacks. I’ll just be in the kitchen on my laptop, okay?”
Kadee nodded, grabbed the Blu-ray case and sprinted to the TV. With Kadee settled it was time for me to put my paper work in order and finish up some wood working in the garage. After that I had a couple of invoices to finalize, and a few of phone calls I’d been putting off. Above all I needed to find a new house to buy and renovate for my grand plan to work.
That woman, bloody Georgie, had pretty much ruined everything; sneaking in at the last minute and upping her bid on the house that was supposed to mine. It was supposed to be my ticket out of here, it was going to afford me the chance to be with my daughter, now the mortgage offer I had from the bank was on a countdown to expire. The time it had taken going back and forth with the realtor and the bank was coming back to bite me in the proverbial ass. I had even refinanced my own place in order to put this plan into action. I shouldn’t have put all my eggs in one basket. I could have been looking further afield and edging my bets but it had been so perfect; literally right on my doorstep. I would’ve been able to work on it before and after my daytime handy-man and carpentry jobs that I did around town. Over the street would’ve been a breeze and I would’ve been able to get it done twice as fast.
It had all seemed too good to be true… and it was. I should have known something was going to go wrong.
Of all the people that had to win the purchase, she had to be the most infuriating and she did not seem to have a clue. Moreover, now I had to watch whatever mess she was going to be making every day as a reminder. It was a travesty really. I had to find a new place and soon, everything was ready. I had saved up supplies and resources, but now not only did I have to find a new house in super quick time, but figure out a schedule where I could work on the house and keep up with my regulars, because the way my luck was going I’d find a house hours away.
With the majority of my paperwork done I set about making another cup of coffee. As I listened to the drip and hiss of the percolator, the quietness of the rest of the house shone through. The movie had finished and Kadee was napping peacefully on the sofa. But the peace and quiet was short lived when I heard some sort of commotion outside. I strained to hear. Was it coming from across the street?
I held the back door ajar to listen to the bangs and shouts. Yep, there was definitely something up judging by the expletives that were being broadcast over the street like angry radio waves. I shook my head and let out a long breath. Don’t interfere. It’s not your problem…
With one more high pitched scream I couldn’t take it any longer. I checked on Kadee napping on the sofa and started to head on over. Kadee would be fine sleeping I just had to check things out. For my own sanity really.
There was no answer when I knocked on the door. Georgie—or someone she was potentially beating into submission—sounded in real trouble so I tried the door. It was open and I darted in, followin
g the sounds. I didn’t have to go or look far… water sloshed under my feet.
Georgie was crouched in her kitchen. She was drenched from top to toe. Water was spraying from under the sink and she looked almost in tears. Though I couldn’t be sure what with all the goddamn water. What the hell was she trying to do? Drown herself? Install a swimming pool in the kitchen?
“What on earth is going on, you need a hand?” I asked already heading for the sink to take stock of the situation.
No more expletives were forth coming, she just waved the wrench she was holding threateningly towards the sink.
“I was trying to… I just wanted to…” she stuttered in cold wet bemusement.
“It’s okay, don't panic. We can sort this out,” I said doing my best to block the spray with a rag.
“Wait, you’re getting soaked too.”
“Georgie, is the mains valve not turned off?” I said looking up at her, her usual snarky composure was all but abandoned in this moment. She just blinked her big brown eyes at me, probably the only feature right now that could distract me from the sopping wet white blouse clinging to her.
“How about the electricity? This water’s getting everywhere now.” There was still little reaction from her.
I stood her up and held her shoulders to shake her. “Georgie! We need to act fast. I can get the water and the fuse box. I want you to grab some towels and turn on any other cold taps in the house. Quick.” I took the wrench from her hand. “Are you with me, Georgie?”
This call to arms finally broke her from her reverie.
“Okay, I can do that.”
We headed off to our respective tasks, fortunate that I already knew every details of the house and its layout. With everything turned off I returned to meet Georgie back at the sink. The leak had almost abated and she was diligently packing the towels around the area and damning the flood from escaping any further down the hall. Brushing past her I ducked down under the sink to connect the necessary fittings.
“Are you crazy? What the hell were you actually trying to do here?” I shouted out from under the sink. I mean, how clueless could she be? There had been no need for this mess. Just like the steps this was creating more work. Not that I should give a damn, the house wasn’t mine, but still.
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