I paused and pointed at the front door. “I never pegged you as a hot pink kind of guy.”
“Well yeah, I love me some hot pink.” He smirked at me. “Get real, it's ridiculous. But it's better than nothing, which is what was here before. I found this for free on the curb of some house. It was the right size, and the right price.”
“But pink?”
He shrugged. “I know, but I figured it'd be a waste of money to paint it right now. When I decide on the outside colors, it'll be a nice respectable door.”
He had a point. And I couldn't help but like him a little more. A guy who wasn't embarrassed by a pink door had a hell of a lot of confidence. I looked at him again, sizing up his tall frame, his relaxed manor.
“What are you looking at?”
I shook those thoughts away. “Nothing. I just think it's great that you aren't too concerned with how the place looks, that's rare I think.”
He pulled his keys from his pocket and turned to unlock the door. “Don't get too crazy. This thing is butt-ugly. But for right now, cheap trumps ugly.” He winked at me as he pushed the door open.
“Wow,” I whispered, as I walked through the door. “You weren't kidding.” I couldn't believe how different the inside looked. It was a small place, but the ceilings were vaulted, making the room feel airy, and there were exposed timbers running above our heads. He'd painted the walls a clean white, so the entire room was filled with light.
At the far end of the room was a compact kitchen. There were a decent amount of cabinets, all sanded, but not yet painted. There were also no counter tops. I assumed these were probably also low on his list of things to do.
One thing that was finished was the floors. Wide planked wood floors ran through the entire room, gleaming in the light. I couldn't help it, I crouched down and ran my hand across the silky finish, admiring the beauty of them.
The sound of Drew's laughter made me look up at him. “What?”
He shook his head. “It's just weird. I got the floors finished a couple weeks ago. Once the three days were up and I was able to be in here again, I walked through the front door and did exactly what you're doing right now.”
Still crouched down, I asked, “Really? That's funny.”
He crouched down next to me. “Yeah. These were such a mess, they'd been neglected for decades. My Grandpa wasn't too worried about appearances.” He smiled to himself. “But I just knew that if I got them sanded down they'd be like new again.” He ran his hand over the wood. “And I was right.”
Our faces were about a foot apart as we crouched together near the floor. We both smiled at each other for a few seconds. It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he never did. We just kept looking at each other. It was so quiet that I suddenly felt self-conscious. I stood back up. “I give the floors a five star rating, that's for sure.” Hoping to get him talking again, I moved toward the kitchen. “What are your plans in here?”
He came up behind me. “I'm not sure. I have the cabinets ready to be painted or stained, but I haven't decided what I want to do yet. Any suggestions?”
I thought about it for a second. “What kind of counter tops are you getting?”
“I'm not sure about that either, why?”
I walked further into the kitchen and ran my hand over a cabinet door, the wood cool and smooth under my hand. “If this were my house, that's how I'd decide about the cabinets. If you wanted something classic like butcher block or a dark granite, then paint the cabinets bright white. If you're thinking about a light granite, or something white for the counters, the cabinets would be really beautiful with a stain, or even a natural finish.”
He didn't respond so I turned around. “What? Am I being annoying? I am, aren't I? I'd hate it if someone came into my place and told me how to decorate.” I waved a hand, dismissing my comments. “Just ignore my rambling.”
He shook his head and stepped closer. “No, that's not it. I'm just surprised that you have so many thoughts. Most of my family thinks I'm wasting my time, and Trina barely wants to come inside, much less talk about kitchen finishes.” He looked around the kitchen, relief on his face. “I was starting to think that maybe everyone else was right, that I was just holding onto the place because of my grandpa.” His eyes met mine again. “Thank you. Seriously, thank you for seeing some potential in here.”
I was surprised and touched by his words. I suddenly felt for him. How awful it must be for everyone in your life to disagree with your choices. Once again I found myself admiring him more for going with his instincts, even if he had to go it alone.
He clapped his hands together. “Well, now that you've seen the kitchen, let's see if you can give me some ideas for the upstairs.” He led me up the staircase to the second level, which also had the same beautiful hardwood floors. The first door on the right opened to reveal the only bathroom in the place.
“Well at least the one bathroom is roomy,” I said as I stepped inside. There was more than enough room for a separate bathtub and shower. If he was creative, he might even fit in double sinks. I looked down. “No hardwood in here, huh?”
He shook his head. “Nah, not in the bathroom. I'm going to do some kind of tile, easier to clean. Trina always likes her bathrooms to be spotless.” He walked into the room and motioned to the far corner. “I'm thinking about a jacuzzi tub in this corner, and a glass shower on that side.” He waved to the right of where the tub would be.
Jacuzzi tub? I hated the idea immediately. When I saw the space, I imagined a claw foot tub, a nice clean pedestal sink, maybe a built in cabinet for towels. I had a hard time envisioning such a modern bathroom in this old house. But I also knew that Drew was designing this for his girlfriend, hoping that the bathroom would make her love the house. I was not about to crush that dream. “Sounds like a bathroom that Trina will love.”
He nodded, a smile on his face while he studied the empty room. “That's what I was hoping.”
We moved on to the two bedrooms, they were at the end of the hall, across from each other. Both were identical in size, big enough to fit a queen size bed and a couple dressers. Again, I held my tongue when I saw the rooms. Neither one had a large closet, and there was no way either room could hold a king size bed. I started to feel bad for Drew; there was no way Trina would want to live here. I knew enough about her from the day Slick and I had shown her houses. She wanted a spa en suite, walk-in closets, and a custom kitchen. If we'd shown her something like this place, she would have laughed in our faces, and probably found a new agent.
“When's the last time Trina was here?”
“It's been a while, she hasn't even seen the floors yet. Why?”
“Just wondering. She seems to have such extravagant tastes, I just wondered if she'll ever warm up to such a small place.” We made our way back downstairs, and stood in the middle of the living room.
“Maybe she does like the finer things, but she's a good person. She knows how much this place means to me.” Drew's tone was sharp, “Once she sees how much I've done out here, she'll love it as much as I do.”
I could tell that I'd hit a nerve. Why did I open my big mouth? Where Drew and his girlfriend lived was none of my business. “You're right, I didn't mean anything by it, sorry.”
He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “It's fine. You just don't know her, that's all. You can't judge her based on a few hours of house hunting.”
“I know. Like I said, I'm sorry. I'm sure she will love what you've done here. Anyone could see how much effort you've put in.”
He let out a long breath, and with it, seemed to blow off his bad mood. “Should we head back to the campsite? I don't know about you, but I'm starving.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Drew locked up the house and we got back in the truck. Brillo sat between us again, and as Drew backed out, I looked at the cabin as the sun set behind it. “Thanks for bringing me out here, for trusting me.”
“Hey, like I said, thanks for wanting
to see it. Sorry I snapped a little back there. I shouldn't have. You're right, Trina does have extravagant tastes. I know she may not like it, even once I've finished all the work, and that worries me, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you.”
I shook my head. “I never should have mentioned it. None of my business.”
“Let's just forget about it.” He smiled at me. “Hope you like hot dogs. Brillo picked out the dinner tonight.”
“Hey as long as I get the s'mores you promised, I'm a happy camper...get it? Happy camper?”
He eyed me for a second. “Yeah, I got it. Stick to real estate.”
Chapter 23
I crouched behind a tree, hoping to God that I wouldn't end up with poison oak on my ass. Why had I decided to go camping with Drew? I knew why of course. Because in the movies, when two people go camping, there's the soft glow of the campfire, skinny dipping in the lake, the intimacy of the tent, a good time in the sleeping bag.
What a load of crap, I thought, as I tried to use the fast food napkins that Drew gave me. He hadn't brought any toilet paper. That was the reality of this camping trip. Along with other ugly realities, such as mosquitoes, dropping your hot dog into the fire, having your clothes and everything else smell like smoke. Oh, and having to crouch in the woods to go to the bathroom.
I brought this on myself, of course. When Drew had started heading back to the campsite, I'd had a moment of insanity, and told him that I wanted to camp where he usually camps, you know, really rough it. And unluckily for me, he'd taken me up on it.
When I had finished behind the tree, I made my way back to the fire where Drew and Brillo were waiting for me.
“Ready for some dessert?” Drew asked as he held up the bag of marshmallows.
“You have no idea,” I said with relief as I sat down. After this experience, I was definitely ready for some chocolate.
We were quiet as we prepped our marshmallows. After we'd had them over the fire for a few seconds I heard Drew chuckle.
“What's so funny?”
“You. I don't think I've ever seen someone so focused on a marshmallow before.”
“Do you spend a lot of time observing people and their marshmallow techniques? That's a little weird.” I laughed. “Besides, I already dropped a hot dog earlier, and I'm not about to lose the good stuff.”
“No pressure.” He angled his head to his right. “We've got a whole bag over there, plenty of back-ups.”
I'm glad to report that the rest of the night, there was no pressure. We ate our s'mores, put out the fire, then climbed into the tent. I felt a little weird about sleeping in the same tent with Drew; even after our fun day, I still didn't know him at all. As I snuggled down into my bag, I reasoned that if he had wanted to rape/torture/kill me, he'd already had plenty of opportunity.
I let out a long breath, relaxing into my pillow when I felt movement by my leg. I stayed still as I felt a hand firmly push up the length of my calf.
“Looks like you need some company, huh?”
I jumped a little at Drew's voice, but calmed when I realized it was on the other side of the tent. I looked down to see Brillo's head rubbing on my leg. After a minute of nudging me, he twirled around in a circle three times, then plopped down against the back of my legs with a contented moan.
“Traitor.”
I laughed, “Maybe he's being protective, since I'm the only girl here.”
I heard Drew's laughter in the darkness. “I think you give that mutt too much credit. I think it has more to do with the fact that you smell a lot better than I do.”
I completely disagreed with that, but decided to keep it to myself.
Chapter 24
I waved at Drew as he pulled away from my apartment. It was still early, only seven. If this was any other Saturday, I'd still be asleep. Smiling to myself, I turned and unlocked my door. As I was locking it behind me I considered climbing into my own bed. The camping had been fun, but sleeping on the hard ground didn't amount to a good night's sleep.
As I turned toward the bathroom, I caught a movement on the couch. Startled, I whipped my head over to see what had moved.
It was Kami. She was curled up on the corner of my couch, her eyes swollen and red. The movement I'd seen had been her reaching for another tissue.
The last time I'd seen her was weeks ago when I had stormed out of her house. Seeing her like this made me forget the anger. I rushed to her side. “Kami? What's wrong? Are you okay?” I looked her over, seeing no signs of damage, at least physically. “Is Jack okay? LBJ?” I felt myself panic more with each second she didn't respond.
Finally, she nodded her head. “They're fine. Everyone's fine.” Her voice was shaky and so quiet that I had to lean in to hear.
“Everything isn't fine. What's wrong?”
Kami turned to look at me, her face wrinkled up in pain as a new rush of tears came over her. “I lost it, Estelle, I lost our baby.”
“What?” I leaned back in shock. I hadn't even known that Kami was pregnant. I knew she and Jack wanted more kids, but she hadn't told me about the pregnancy.
“I was eight weeks along. Only Jack and I knew. The doctor said that...” she paused to take a breath, “That this can happen.”
“Kami, I am so sorry. What...what can I do?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. There's nothing anyone can do. Jack and I are both devastated. You know how much we wanted...” She shook her head, unable to continue.
I shushed her, and pulled her into a hug. I had no idea what to say, I had never been pregnant, so I couldn't imagine what she was feeling. Since I didn't know what to say, I just sat with her, hoping that would help.
After probably fifteen minutes, she moved to sit up. I sat still and watched her as she leaned against the couch and let out a long slow breath. “Sorry to drop this on you, we just found out yesterday. Jack and I were both so upset. This morning he wanted to take LBJ to the park, to try and cheer himself up.” She shook her head. “I know he's right, that we should focus on the good we have in our life. Little Jack is happy, healthy. But I just couldn't go with them, I wasn't ready...” She trailed off again, on the verge of tears.
“Hey, you stop it. I see what you're doing, I know you. Don't feel guilty about not wanting to go to the park with the boys. Everyone handles grief differently, and you know that Jack doesn't blame you in any way.”
She nodded. “I know. It's just really hard. I keep telling myself that there's a reason for everything. I think it'll just take some time to feel better.”
“I think you're right. The most important thing right now is to take care of yourself.”
Kami let out another long breath and rubbed her eyes. She sat up straight and tilted her head from side to side, stretching her neck. I tried not to smile as I watched her; I knew these movements; this was Kami's way of getting herself ready for battle. Whether it was time to convince LBJ that it was time for bed, or when she was in line for Black Friday sales. Or when she needed her strength the most; when her mother-in-law was visiting. I knew it meant that Kami was stronger than she even realized. She would get through this.
I feel like an idiot coming here, Estelle. I know we aren't talking, but I didn't have anyone else-”
I cut her off. “You don't have to explain it to me, Kami. Even though we haven't been talking, you're still the only person I want to talk to, you know?”
She nodded and grinned. “That made no sense at all, but I completely got it.” She met my eyes. “Does this mean you finally believe me, that I didn't tell Charlie?”
I took a deep breath and considered how to answer her. “Kami, I don't think we need to worry about that now, okay? What you're going through now is bigger than anything else.”
“No, it's not!” She insisted, “This whole thing about Charlie is huge! You know me Estelle! I would never screw you over like that. And even if by some freak accident, I lost my mind and did screw you over, I would own up to it. Don't you know that?”
I watched her watch me as I thought about her words. I knew she was being honest. I knew she wouldn't ever hurt me like that on purpose. I reached out and hugged her again. “I am an ass, Kami. I'm so sorry. I know you'd never do anything like that. I think I was just so shocked to see him, and I was so confused. Really, I'm still confused. Besides you, I don't know anyone that we have in common. But I know that you're not the one who told him.” I grabbed a tissue to wipe my eyes. I was so ashamed that I'd accused her like that. “I'm so sorry that I acted like an idiot.”
She bumped my shoulder with her own. “It's okay, I'm used to you acting like an idiot.”
We grinned at each other, both relieved to have the tension that had been between us disappear.
“I'm so glad we made up.” But my relief washed away when I remembered what brought her to my apartment. “Can I do anything to help you? I mean, I can't imagine how you must be feeling. Do you want me to take LBJ for a couple nights? Let you and Jack have some time alone?”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but no. I think it really helps Jack to hang out with LBJ.” She paused to take a deep breath. She let it out and looked around the room. “I'll be okay too, I just have to distract myself with other things.” Clearing her throat and zeroing in on me, she said, “For example, you. Where were you last night?”
“Uh, I was just...I was just out for the night.” I stood up and walked toward the kitchen. “You want something to drink?”
I opened the fridge as I heard her voice from the other room. “No, I want you to get your little stalling ass back in here and answer my question.”
“Please, my ass is nowhere near little.”
“Estelle! Get back in here. Distract me with the dirt.”
I came back from the kitchen with two Pepsi's. “How do you even know there's any dirt to share?”
She took a soda and popped it open. “Because you wouldn't have bothered to leave the room otherwise. Spill.”
The Millionaire Myth Page 11