While sitting at the computer, she felt air on her neck coming and going at the pace of someone breathing, and she turned her head to see who was standing behind her. Only, no one was there. She ran to her bedroom, pulled out the gun, and came back downstairs to continue her search. Rather than look for a lap dog, she searched for larger rescue dogs feeling that perhaps she needed a dog that would guard her and the house from intruders. Was this old place a mistake? she wondered.
But then she looked around at the spacious area, the intricate carvings on the wainscoting and knew she couldn’t afford to hire someone to create those details in a newer home, No, it was the house of her dreams. She just had to stop letting everyone spook her into thinking it was a nightmare.
Before Rex arrived on Saturday, she had finished all the windows and started work on sanding the trim in the dining room. She figured that was an area she wouldn’t be using until at least the holidays, so it was a great place to start. No matter how busy she got on the McLaughlin house and as a result had to leave the room unfinished, it wouldn’t matter much. She’d pick at it whenever she had a chance until it was finished just as she envisioned it should be.
She settled into a nice routine and didn’t have any more nightmares that woke her from her much needed sleep, but she was beginning to question if she was getting enough sleep because she started misplacing things. She’d make a list of supplies to pick up at the paint supply shop or grocery store and leave it on the kitchen counter, only to find it near her computer later in the day. She’d lay out clothes before going to bed only to question the order they were piled in the next morning. Had she put the socks on the bottom of the pile? She didn’t remember for certain. Another weird circumstance since she’d moved in: she seemed to be wasting lots of time looking for things she’d misplaced. Maybe it was because everything was new to her and she hadn’t established any favorite places to store things yet. Or perhaps she needed more sleep to remember better. Whatever the issue, it annoyed her.
Chapter Twelve
On Sunday, Travis came to visit as he had promised even though Ashley had told him she’d finished squaring the windows. He pledged to come dressed to work and told her that she could assign any project she might need done as long as she fed him as she said she would.
He arrived at 9 a.m. finding her already working in the dining room. They worked side by side on the molding all around the room stripping several layers of paint that various owners had lacquered on over the years and talked as they went.
“How do you like the area?” he asked her.
“I’ve been here a lot, so I knew I’d like it. My mom and my brother and his family are in Hollis. I’d be there too, but I couldn’t get a steal like this place in their town.”
“It’s been on the market many times over the years; I know that,” Travis said.
“Well, I’m glad it was available when I needed it.”
“Do you have any customers for your business yet?”
She wondered if he was asking for his father’s sake or was just curious or worried that she’d have enough work.
“Yesterday my partner and I contracted with Judge McLaughlin and his wife. That will be the first project for G & J New Hampshire. I’m really excited. We start next week. We interviewed crew members yesterday, too, but if you know of anyone looking for construction work, especially skilled, experienced workers, I’d appreciate you sending them my way.”
“My sister’s best friend, Kia, is looking for work; she’s experienced with hardwood floors, some carpentry, but hasn’t done any painting that I know of. She’s dependable. We’d hire her, but with everyone in the family working for the company, we really don’t need more employees.”
“She sounds perfect. Give her my information, please, or have her stop here anytime this week. I’ve only got this week to get lots done on my place before I start working for the company again. And I’m lucky to have that time. My partner’s pulling his weight and mine in Vermont.”
“Sounds like a nice guy.”
“He is. He and his wife and I have been best friends since elementary school.”
Travis stood up then and wiped his forehead. “Oh good. I thought maybe you and your partner were a couple.”
“Oh, God, no. He’s like a second brother to me. I love him, but certainly not like that,” her answer came so quickly, she didn’t even stop to think what his comment really meant—he was interested in her.
As he stood looking so tall because he hovered over her while she was on her knees bending over the floorboards, she looked at him not as the man who would on Monday deliver her much-needed windows and supply windows to all the future projects G & J had in New Hampshire, but as a possible date. Suddenly, their easy conversation about her work, her home, and the area they lived in took on greater meaning.
She was flattered, but didn’t feel ready to take on a relationship so soon after what she’d been through with Brody. She wondered if she’d ever trust again. So, she decided to deflect the conversation.
“I think we’ve worked enough. How about I start dinner?”
“Do you need help?”
“No, I’ve got this.”
“Then, I’ll just get this one closet door finished before it’s time to eat if that’s okay.”
She thought she’d enjoy his company while she cooked, but given the speed with which he was moving their relationship, having him work in the next room sounded like a better idea.
“If you’re sure you want to, go ahead. How about I get you a beer or wine?”
“Sure, I’ll take a beer, thanks,” Travis said.
She disappeared into the kitchen and delivered a bottled Bud to him. She only had the beer left over from the move. Beer was not her thing.
“I’m covered in sawdust. I’m going to take a quick shower before cooking.”
“Sure,” Travis said, and he followed her with his eyes as she ascended the wide, curved staircase.
When she returned what seemed like just minutes later, she said, “I left towels for you in the bathroom on the top left if you want to wash up before dinner too. There’s a shower, but no tub.”
“It is pretty dusty work. I’ll pick up some of this mess and vacuum up the dust before I go up, so you won’t be breathing it in all night. Okay?”
“Great,” she said, “I’ll start the meal.”
He cleaned up the area they’d been working in just as he promised. When Travis slipped into the shower, he literally slipped. He felt like he’d been pushed by a gust of wind, but when he got up he noticed that the only window in the bathroom was closed. His knee was bleeding, so he looked in the cabinet, but it was empty. This clearly wasn’t her bathroom, and she hadn’t stocked it with supplies yet. He figured he’d just wash it off and by the time he’d showered, it would be no big deal. When he turned the spigot off, it was still bleeding, so he used tissues to stop the bleeding and slipped back into his jeans and T-shirt that he’d shaken off in the shower.
The smell of onions, peppers, broccoli, and other veggies greeted him as he descended the stairs.
“Something smells great!” he said.