She stood up a little stiffly. “Welcome back.” She tried to brush the paint chips off of her arms. “Sorry for the mess.”
John smiled. “Guess I’ll adjust my quote. Did you get that hole fixed upstairs, too?”
Maddy laughed. “Can I get you a drink?”
“That would be great.” He sat down at the table while she went in to wash up.
She poured lemonade, took a deep breath and went back out to join him.
“So, Mr. Fordham. How does it look?”
“Not too bad.”
They sat down with the contract, which took almost half an hour to review. Maddy wanted to make sure she understood what John was charging for his services, as well as how expenditures would be approved along the way. She basically trusted him, but knew better than to put too much stock in a handsome face. At five-thirty, they shook hands, and Maddy signed the contract.
“I’m more relieved than I can say,” she admitted as she walked him to the door.
He smiled. “I’m looking forward to working together.”
Maddy could have kicked herself for blushing. He probably made that remark to every homeowner who signed a contract with him. Fortunately, Burt came up and pushed his way between them.
“I guess Burt wants to say good-bye.”
John slowly put his hand out, and Burt nudged him with his nose. He obliged the dog and pet him tentatively, while Maddy watched with a smile.
John exhaled and said, “Okay, well, we’ll be here bright and early. Are you sure you want to get started tomorrow?”
“Definitely,” Maddy agreed. “I’ll be ready for you this time.”
three
Maddy awoke to the sound of a woodpecker tapping on the window. It took her a few minutes to realize that this didn’t make sense, but she was glad that whatever it was had awakened her. The sunrise! She sat up and immediately felt the muscles pull in her legs.
“Ow!” she moaned, as she tried to drop her limbs over the side of the bed. She reached for her robe and a stab of pain pierced her right arm. Letting it hang limp at her side, she slid off the bed and stood still, willing some of the pain coursing through her body to stop. Feeling ridiculous and unfit, she hobbled out onto the balcony. The sky was light gray-blue and clear; a few stars were still visible.
“Ow!” she yelped with more feeling. A shell or some small object had flown over the railing and landed on her little toe. Too tired to be alarmed, but still curious, she limped to the edge of the balcony.
She didn’t really expect to see anyone when she peered over the side, and she jumped back in surprise at the sight of someone looking up at her. Her aching legs did not accommodate this sudden movement well, and her expression showed it when she slowly leaned back over the railing. There was no mistaking the person smiling up at her from below. It wasn’t that dark out.
He spoke before she had a chance to think. “Morning, Maddy. I came to make sure you didn’t miss the sunrise again.”
Maddy, a little pleased and a little furious, couldn’t believe that John had awakened her two days in a row. Is there something I don’t know about East Coast people?
“I know, you can’t believe I’m doing this again. Neither can I.” He stood there with his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “I just felt compelled to help you start the day with the sunrise.” He looked like a not-very-sorry little boy trying to talk his way out of getting punished. “I brought more coffee,” he added, nodding toward the porch. “Get dressed and come join me.”
“Thank you for that option, at least,” Maddy finally found her voice. “If you didn’t have coffee I’d send Burt out after you.”
She walked back inside with no choice but to get dressed and share the sunrise with her new contractor. She gingerly pulled on some jeans, and limped into the bathroom to comb her hair and brush her teeth. No makeup for John this morning.
“We’ll see if he keeps coming back at the break of dawn,” she muttered.
She made her way slowly down the steps and into the kitchen where Burt was standing at the door, looking through the window and wagging his tail.
“You should be barking at him,” Maddy complained. Cupping Burt’s face in her hands, she said, “He’s a stranger! Aren’t you supposed to protect me from people like him?” Burt wrenched his face free and looked back out of the window. Maddy sighed and opened the door, happy to let the dog out ahead of her.
John smiled at her and then steeled himself, putting his hand out as Burt energetically approached. The dog sniffed him approvingly and then waited to have his throat scratched. John gestured to the coffee on the table.
“Help yourself.”
“Thanks,” Maddy said, reaching with her left hand and holding the wonderfully warm cup between her fingers. “So,” she said, “you’re here again.”
“Well, you knew I’d be back, of course. I just got here a little early.” At this, John had the decency to look a little sheepish. “You just seemed so sad when you missed the sunrise yesterday, and I knew you’d be tired this morning…”
“Why would you assume that?” Maddy dropped her limp body into a chair. “I just did a little sanding.”
“Yeah, I noticed. Nice job, too.”
“Thanks.”
“I figured you’d be paying for crouching for hours, not to mention your sore arm and shoulder,” John continued, sitting down across from her.
“Thanks for reminding me.”
He smiled. “Believe it or not, I don’t plan to wake you up every morning. But the next few days are supposed to be overcast, not great for watching the sunrise, so I took a chance that you’d forgive me if I made sure you didn’t miss this one.”
“So now it sounds like I’m supposed to thank you.”
“That’s probably more appropriate.”
Maddy grinned over her cup.
“And I brought you coffee,” John pointed out, glad the smile appeared.
Maddy turned her attention toward the horizon; the sky was brightening up. “You can’t expect to charm your way through life with coffee. It won’t always work.”
“It’s the only way I know.”
“I’ll bet.” Maddy gave him a tired version of her ‘look.’ “Well, this is three days in a row, Cafenova.” She was immediately horrified at the pun, which won her a wide grin from John.
“Did you just call me ‘Cafenova?’ ”
“I can’t be responsible for poor puns this early in the morning.” Maddy slunk lower in her chair and held her coffee in front of her face.
“No one’s ever called me Cafenova before. So, what does that mean, exactly?” It was John’s turn to watch Maddy squirm. He enjoyed it immensely.
“It means you try to seduce women with caffeine, I guess.”
“So you think I’m here to seduce you this morning?” John leaned back in his chair and regarded her.
Maddy was mortified. “No, of course not!”
“Maybe at church the other day?” John tried to look serious, but her distress was just too entertaining. “I usually try not to seduce women at church, especially if they already have a date.”
“Okay, can we please talk about something else, maybe something that will horrify you, instead?” Maddy eased out of her chair and stood at the railing, waiting for the sun to come up over the water. Why is it taking so long?
“Of course. I’ll let you pick the subject,” John replied, clearly enjoying the upper hand early in the morning.
“I already told you I can’t think this early,” she replied, focusing, instead, on the sun edging into the day. “Here it comes!” Maddy was rapt as she stood by the railing. Nothing else mattered as the sun slowly eased above the water line.
John got up from the table, and they watched in silence together. He glanced at her as she took in the spectacle; her face delighted and yet utterly peaceful.
“I will never get tired of this. It’s absolutely beautiful.” The sun had risen to the point where it appeared to re
st for a moment on the horizon. It sent a shimmering trail across the water and seemingly right up to Maddy’s own beachfront.
“I sometimes feel like I should be able to walk right down that golden track back to the sun.” She turned to him with a sheepish grin. “I guess that’s a little corny, huh?”
“It is an amazingly precise path,” he agreed.
“I’m surprised that I never see my neighbors out watching the sunrise,” she observed, relieved that he hadn’t given her a hard time. She liked her shiny sun path, and didn’t want anyone making fun of it.
“Most of them probably aren’t here yet,” John answered. “The season doesn’t really get started until later in June. Water’s too cold.”
“That’s the other thing I don’t get,” Maddy continued. “How can people afford to own these homes and not actually live here? It was all I could do to buy this place, and I only got a hold of it because it’s such a mess.”
“Too much money out there,” John mused. “I do get a little frustrated, helping people spend a fortune fixing up a home they only live in a couple of weeks out of the year. Of course, a lot of these places get rented out, which helps make the mortgage payment, if there is one.” He paused, and then said, “Many of them don’t seem all that happy with their money.” He shrugged. “Anyway, it’s not a problem that I share.”
“Me neither. I keep wondering if I’m crazy for doing this. I have limited resources. When those are gone, I’m going to have to start making money on this place, or I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“So, no tips, huh?”
“No way. You’ll be lucky to get a paycheck.”
“I guess I’d better get to work then,” John said. “’Although I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs. Are you up for a quick walk?”
Maddy smiled as Burt’s head shot up at his favorite word. He lumbered to his feet, wagging his hind quarters and almost knocking John back into his chair.
“I guess that’s a yes.”
“Whatever made you choose a dog this big?”
“I didn’t choose him, he chose me.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” Maddy started to jog involuntarily as Burt began his walk with considerable energy. “Burt – wait!” she called, but he was too happy and distracted to listen. Maddy let the leash go and Burt took off down the beach.
John caught up to Maddy, smiling as he watched the dog lope around between the rocks. It was a comical sight, with Burt’s long limbs flailing, but managing to keep his body generally moving forward. John could almost imagine developing some affection for the animal, although he definitely preferred him at a distance.
“I figure the neighbors can’t get too mad if they’re not actually here to see him running loose,” Maddy said. “We’re going to have to start behaving when they get here.”
“Good luck with that,” John replied as they maneuvered slowly around the rocks. “You were going to tell me how Burt chose you?”
“Oh, that. Well, a friend of mine had a litter, and…”
“Those things come in litters?”
“ ‘Those things,’ are Irish wolfhounds. Honestly, you act like you’ve never seen a dog before.” Maddy pushed the hair out of her eyes, and then rolled them expressively at him. “So he’s big; big deal. You’re not exactly tiny, but I’m not freaked out at your size.” Really, Maddy? You just said that aloud? Biting her lower lip, she ventured a look up at him.
He returned her gaze thoughtfully.
“I guess I never thought my size freakish,” he answered. “It’s served me rather well. But I guess it’s a fair analogy; just because your dog is big, doesn’t mean that he’s not just a dog, after all.”
“Exactly my point,” Maddy jumped at the opportunity to make any sense of her comment. “And I don’t think you’re freakish, by the way.”
“Thank you. So, about your friend’s litter…”
“Oh, yes,” Maddy returned to her story. “There were just two puppies.”
“Makes sense.”
“Usually there are more.”
“Really?”
“Sure, sometimes five or six. Anyway, I went to visit and Burt just wouldn’t leave me alone. He kept nuzzling me and climbing in-to my lap; it was crazy.”
“And a bit uncomfortable, I imagine.”
“Well, he wasn’t nearly so big. They are fairly small puppies.”
John looked at her doubtfully.
“Really. Anyway, I hadn’t planned on taking him home with me, but I did, and he’s been with me almost three years. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“How’d you come up with his name?”
“The vet did that. I’d planned to call him Brute, but she read his chart wrong.” Maddy smiled at the memory. “From that point on, he was Burt.”
They circled around and headed back to the house. “You’ll be glad to have him out here,” John said.
“That sounds a little ominous.”
“Oh, it’s not like the community isn’t safe,” he quickly explained. “It’s just that the summer people can be a bit unpredictable. Don’t forget, you’ll have a fair amount of renters out here. Those who can afford these houses,” he gestured, “may behave all right, but a lot of the smaller cottages get rented out to kids who are… Well, they’re kids, and it’ll just be good to have him around.”
“You and Otis are a pair – both convinced that I can’t take care of myself.”
“I never said that. But you’re a single woman, running a business where strangers come and stay in your house. It just makes sense to have a little extra protection.”
“Who said I was a single woman?” Maddy inquired.
“I assumed…”
“How nice.”
“Then I guess I’m a little surprised that your husband let you go for a walk on the beach at dawn with another man,” John remarked dryly. “Maybe you should introduce us? He might have a thing or two to say about the renovations we’re planning,”
“I’m pretty sure you’ve already met,” Maddy replied, looking past him onto her porch. John turned to see Otis waving down at them.
John laughed and Maddy grinned as Burt led the way to say hello.
Otis shared a cup of coffee with Maddy, but left before the others arrived, missing the spectacle of Burt greeting the crew at the door. Maddy almost missed it herself, but came upon the scene shortly after Burt found them. Whining and wagging his tail with fervor, he was fairly determined to find his way out to join the newcomers. The guys on the porch seemed somewhat amused, and more than a little relieved that at least a screen door separated them from the animal.
“I’m so sorry!” Maddy called out as she ran to meet them. “He’s harmless, really; he’s just big. You can come right in.” She came up behind Burt and grabbed his collar. “It’s okay, Burt. These are friends.”
No one moved for a moment, and then John’s partner, Frank, noticed John coming up behind Maddy. “Okay, come on, guys. You first, Tom.” He grinned and shoved one of the men in front of him.
Three young men preceded Frank and filed into the house, smiling at Maddy and doing their best to avoid the dog. Brief introductions followed, and John lost no time in leading them back through the house to get an overview of the job.
Maddy returned to the kitchen and sat at the counter to look at her lists. She knew that she’d have to face her railing eventually, and hoped that some degree of dexterity would come back when she did. A little while later, the men came through the kitchen, nodded their hellos and headed out to their trucks. Maddy stopped John on his way through.
“So, what do they think?” she asked.
He smiled. “They think they’re going to keep busy this summer.”
“That’s a good thing?”
“Of course,” he said. “We’re starting on that wall upstairs. It’s going to get noisy.”
The guys returned a short while later, and
Maddy listened as the house began buzzing with the sounds of hammers, drills and power tools that she couldn’t identify. Burt eventually came to terms with the commotion and resumed his nap on the kitchen floor.
Not to be outdone, Maddy got her supplies together and went out to the porch. She’d completely stripped five rails when John opened the door from the kitchen. Only seventy more to go, she thought with a moan, regretting the impulse to count them earlier. She looked up and forced a smile.
“I’m heading down to the hardware store. Do you need anything?” he asked.
“I can’t think of anything right now, but I do have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Do you know what your guys are planning to do for lunch? I’d like to feed them, but I don’t know what your routine is.”
“I try to have lunch with Blake and Parker as often as I can,” John answered. “The others usually bring theirs.”
Maddy thought for a moment. “Can I offer you all lunch tomorrow, as a kind of welcome?”
“Yeah, that would be nice,” he replied. “But just this one time. Don’t spoil us.”
Maddy smiled. “Okay, so what would you like?”
“You want to pick up some grinders?”
“Okay,” Maddy hesitated.
“Problem?”
“Oh, no. It’s just that… I don’t know what a grinder is.”
John laughed. “It’s a sub-type sandwich. I don’t know what you call them in Seattle.”
“A sub-type sandwich.”
“Brilliant.”
“I know. Okay, please tell the guys that I’ll provide grinders to-morrow,” Maddy said.
“Thanks, I will,” John replied. “I’ll be about an hour. I’ve got my cellphone if you need anything.”
Maddy smiled at the familiarity of the phrase. “That would be helpful if I actually had your cell number.”
“Check your list,” John said, opening the door carefully and looking up at the simple spring mechanism that had long since given way.
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