“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to disturb Caleb, and I thought you’d be right back.”
“I suppose I shouldthank youfor your help.” Crystal’s tone sounded sarcastic. “But in the future, I’d prefer to handleourcustomers myself.”
Wendy suddenly remembered the commission Caleb had added to her check. How would Crystal react to that? Hopefully Wendy would never have to find out. “Sorry to interfere.” Wendy moved toward the door. “See you around.”
As she hurried out, Wendy felt like she’d poked a hornets’ nest. For whatever reason, and there were probably plenty, Crystal appeared to have targeted Wendy. And like Jackson had pointed out after Thanksgiving, Crystal made no secret of her interest in Caleb. Although Wendy felt fairly certain that Caleb’s interest in Crystal was minimal, Crystal was clearly marking her territory wherever Caleb was concerned. And that was fine. Because really, why would Wendy want to upset anything? She and Jackson would be long gone in a few weeks—maybe sooner if all went well. Wendy’s best hope of getting out of debt and putting their lives back on track hadn’t changed. She needed to sell that cottage, hopefully soon, and go back to her job in Cincinnati.
ten
WENDY FELTa sense of accomplishment as she carried her packages into the cottage. Her trip to town had paid off nicely. Not only had she deposited money to cover Gordon’s check, she had enough remaining to buy groceries, get gas, and have a little cash left over. She opened a credit account at the hardware store and got Jackson’s paint and a number of other things necessary for getting the cottage into tip-top shape. Finally, she stopped by the veterinarian clinic to check the “lost pets” bulletin board. Unfortunately, no one had reported a missing dog that sounded anything like Oliver. Just the same, she’d filled out a “found dog” card and prominently posted it. It wasn’t as eye-catching as the ones with photos, but it was better than nothing. Hopefully someone would claim Oliver before it was time to return to Ohio.
“I got your paint,” she called up the stairway.
“Great,” Jackson bounded down the stairs with Oliver behind him. “I got my room all cleared out and just finished masking off the baseboard and window like you told me to do.”
She handed him the can. “It’s called Sailor’s Sea Blue.”
“Cool name! I wanna get started right now.”
“I need your help first.” She explained that her goal was to get the kitchen cabinets painted today. “But before I begin, I want to peel the old floor covering up. Otherwise it could mess up the freshly painted cabinets. Anyway, I could use some help.”
“Yeah, I was wondering about that floor. It’s pretty creepy.”
“Hopefully it’ll come up easily. It’s been there for as long as I can remember.”
Jackson started to tug on a curling corner. “There’s not much holding it down.”
“I thought we might put down more checkerboard floor like in the bathroom.” She jerked up a large piece, pulling it back to reveal wide planks of wood. “But, hey, this is nice.” She touched the pale grain. “I think it’s pine.”
“Can we just use it as our kitchen floor?”
“I don’t see why not.” Before long, they had all the old ugly vinyl removed and piled in the junk pile that Gordon had promised to remove on Monday. Back in the kitchen they both admired the rustic yet handsome wood floor. “We can probably sand down these old patches of glue.” Wendy swept the debris into the dustpan.
“I think it’s lots nicer than that other floor. I wonder why they ever covered it up.”
“They probably thought the vinyl was more modern.” She dumped the dustpan. “But I love this.”
“So can I go paint my room now?” he asked. “I really want to see what color it’s going to be.”
“Let’s keep Oliver down here while you’re painting.” She patted the dog’s head. “I got him some dog food.” She reached into a bag from the hardware store. “And this.” She produced a sturdy red leash.
“Thanks, Mom!” He hugged her then turned to the dog. “Okay, Oliver.” He pointed a finger. “You stay here with Mom until I get finished and then, if there’s time, I’ll take you down to the beach.”
Oliver wagged his tail like he understood as Wendy dug out a chipped mixing bowl and filled it with dry dog food. She carried this and his water bowl out to the laundry room. “You stay here for a while,” she told him. “I’ve got some painting to do.”
As Wendy opened the can of turquoise paint, she hoped it wasn’t too bold. A potential buyer could be turned off by a strong choice. Even so, she liked it. She’d already masked off the glass panes in the upper cabinets and spread out the plastic drop cloths that Caleb had encouraged her to buy to protect the countertops and wood floors. Feeling a bit nervous over this color choice, she started to paint.
By that evening, she had all the upper cabinets painted. She stepped back to survey her work. Was it too much? She wasn’t sure, but the turquoise color simply made her happy. It was alive and fun and suited the cottage. She’d gotten some nice kitchen knobs at the hardware store, just simple rounds of pewter color, but when she held one up, she knew it was a huge improvement over the old chipped wooden ones. In fact, it looked perfect! Who knew hard work could actually be this fun? But now it was time to call it a day and throw some dinner together. The lower cabinets would have to wait.
Since the kitchen was so chaotic, Wendy suggested they roast hot dogs in the fireplace, and Jackson was more than happy to make a fire. Even with the disarray all around them, Wendy couldn’t help but notice how cozy it all felt. It would be hard to leave this behind.
The next morning, they both went back to work. Jackson was determined to finish his room and put it back together, and Wendy wanted to paint the rest of the cabinets. As she steadily worked, she lost track of the time and was surprised when Jackson announced it was almost time to go to town.
“What?” She looked up from painting.
“To help Caleb put up lights.” He grabbed Oliver’s leash. “I’ll take him out for a quick run, but we should go pretty soon.”
It was hard to stop painting with only one cabinet left, but when Jackson and Oliver came back, she set down her brush and got her keys.
