Holly turned and headed up the stairs.At the top was a door.She opened it and stepped inside.He followed her.He wasn’t sure what he expected to find, but it wasn’t a wall of cardboard boxes.
He took a couple more steps between boxes.He couldn’t tell if she was still unpacking or if she’d changed her mind and was moving out.
Once he stepped past all of the boxes, he entered the kitchen.It was like he’d gone back in time.The clash of colors was the first thing he noticed.There was faded yellow-gold wallpaper on the walls.The cabinets were mint green with no backsplash and a scarred butcherblock countertop.The white laminate table with chrome legs was paired with red vinyl chairs.
And if that weren’t enough, the floor was done in black and white tile.It had cracks here and there along with a lifetime of scuffs.This kitchen had seen a lot of life but not recently.
Drip...
Drip…
Drip…
His head turned toward the white porcelain sink, and he noticed the faucet was leaking.The yellow-green refrigerator, with a big dent in the bottom door, turned on.The compressor made a loud rumbling sound.It didn’t sound like it had much life left in it.
Oh boy!He had no idea this was how Holly was living.When he caught her gaze, she frowned at him.
He opened his mouth to say, well, he wasn’t sure what to say, but before he said anything, Holly held up her palm.“Don’t.”
“What?”He was confused.He hadn’t done anything.
“Don’t tell me how sorry you are or whatever it is you were going to say.”She leveled her shoulders and tilted her chin upward ever so slightly.“I don’t need your sympathy.”
“That wasn’t what I was going to say.”
She arched a disbelieving brow.“You weren’t?”
He shook his head.“I was going to say that I’m in the process of renovating my house.”
“You are?”
He nodded.“The place is ancient, and the owners before me didn’t do a whole lot of work on the place.”
“Oh.”She blinked, as though she were computing his words.“Why did you buy it?”
“Because it comes with a double lot, and that is hard to find in Kringle Falls.”
“Oh.”And then she looked guilty.“I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.I guess I’m just a little self-conscious about the place.I’m saving up to hire some contractors.”
He nodded.“Let me know if you need any recommendations.”
“I will.Thank you.”
The puppy was squirming in his arms.“Where do you want me to put him?”
“Uh.”She glanced around.“Anywhere.I guess.”
He hesitated.“You might want to keep him contained for a while.You know, until he gets acclimated to your place, and you’re sure that he’s housebroken.”
Her eyes widened.“I hadn’t thought of that.I tried to tell you and Merry that this wasn’t a good idea.”
“It’ll be fine.”He glanced around.“You’ll want to keep him away from carpeting and rugs until he hasn’t had any accidents for a couple days.”
“He won’t be here that long.”She frowned.“Shouldn’t he be housebroken by now?He’s what?Six months old?”
“Merry told me he’s three months, so he’s probably still in the process of being housebroken.”
“Oh.Well…” The frown on Holly’s face returned.“Obviously, there’s no carpeting in here, and I ripped it out of the living room.”
