Lydia squealed, jumping up to try to get the phone from my hand as I held it out of reach. “That’s not fair. Just because I’m short, doesn’t mean you have to be so rude! I hope you realize this is a live video and everyone saw your paint chipped face with the painters mask on!”
“They didn’t,” I breathed, pausing in shock. “Lydia!”
“They did. They also saw your frizzy hair." Lydia grabbed my arm, pulling down as she jumped, managing to grab her phone. She quickly went to the other side of the room, checking the settings and her viewers. “I hope all of you didn’t get motion sickness from my sister.”
A low voice behind me said, “That was interesting.”
I straightened too fast and nearly dropped the paint scraper in my other hand. Dex leaned in the doorway, sleeves rolled up, hair still damp from a shower.
“I thought you were meeting Braxton at the hardware store,” I said dumbly. Really, I had wondered if he would be leaving us to go to the ski lodge to meet with Carly.
“Braxton can manage. I wanted to check the paneling first. I might be able to help,” Dex offered.
“This isn’t your forte of architecture. It’s more like archeology,” I noted.
“One builds forward, the other backward,” Dex mentioned.
“Philosophy before coffee. Ambitious." I had an awkward smile.
He smiled, a small, quiet expression that softened the lines around his eyes. He crouched beside Dad, tapping the wood with his knuckles. “That'sa beautiful leaf motif. I don’t think there are many of the original ones left. It’s worth saving.”
Dad grunted agreement. “That’s what I thought.”
For a while, the only sounds were scraping, hammering, and the occasional sneeze. The rhythm steadied me. When Dex reached past me for the crowbar, his sleeve brushed mine, and my pulse jumped like it had been waiting for an excuse. I focused very hard on the wallpaper, pretending it was the most fascinating pattern in the world.
Lydia, of course, caught the moment. “Look at that teamwork. We should start a renovation channel. They are very popular at the moment.”
“Keep filming rather than helping, and I will think of somewhere to hide your phone permanently," I warned.
By midday, the air smelled of sawdust and lemon cleaner. The walls were stripped of the panelling, the wainscotting was half stripped of paint, wood showing in uneven patches. Mom declared it “magical,” which she said about anything that looked more promising than hopeless. Meri vacuumed the debris while muttering about lead paint. Lydia left to edit her footage. Jane brought sandwiches and lemonade which was a welcome break. We brought the chairs back in from the hallway so we could sit down and relax for the refreshments.
Dex sat beside me, dust streaking his sleeve.
“You should be proud. Most people would have given up by now,” he said quietly.
“Most people don't have my mother,” I said.
“That’s true. Your mother could rally a small country,” Dex dryly replied.
I glanced at him. He looked different here than at the architect firm. He was less sharp and more real. There was a streak of pain thinner on his wrist and a smudge of dust on his jaw. I wondered what Carly would think if she saw him like this, sleeves rolled up, surrounded by chaos and women armed with paint scrapers. He caught me staring. “What?”
“Nothing. I’m just surprised you can handle manual labor,” I said quickly.
“I can adapt,” he responded with a frown.
“Is that your superpower?” I teased.
“That, and refusing to quit when someone tells me to.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. He could just as easily be describing me. I glanced at Dex and he looked startled but pleased.
Mom clapped her hands suddenly. “Everyone, look! Just look!”
We did. The dining room looked entirely different. The exposed wainscoting glowed gold where the sunlight touched it, and for the first time since we bought the inn, I could see the bones of what it had been. For a moment I imagined the room finished with tables set for guests, candles reflecting in the wood, the sound of conversation filling the air. Our dream was possible.
“All right,” I said, grounding myself. “If we keep pace, we can finish this section by the end tomorrow perhaps.”
“Ambitious,” Meri said.
