“That’s wonderful. But I’d actually hoped to ask your advice about the project I’m working on right now.”
“What are you working on?”
“Well, Josie and I are renovating the apartment she’s been occupying.” She lowered her voice. “I sort of convinced her to stick around here ... by enticing her to work for me on it.”
George felt a small wave of concern. Josie was such an unpleasant person. Wouldn’t Willow and Collin be better off without her? “So how is that going?”
“Well, we’ve had our ups and downs. I won’t say it’s easy.” She glanced up the stairs. “But I think it’s worth the effort. And I’ve even gotten Collin to help out some.”
“That’s interesting.” George shifted his shopping bag to the other hand. “So, he didn’t get the bookstore job?”
“No, he got it. But he doesn’t start until tomorrow, so I offered to pay him for helping Josie with the apartment this week.” She gave a sheepish smile. “I suppose it really has more to do with them learning to get along than anything else. But it seems to be working.”
“That’s good.”
“Anyway, we’re trying to figure out what to do with the kitchen cabinets today. Originally I had planned to completely gut the kitchen and order some cabinets online. But Collin thinks they can be fixed.” Willow pointed to George. “But we need someone with some woodworking skills.”
“I see.” George was trying to think of an excuse to make a hasty escape now.
“Would you have time to take a quick look?” she asked. “Give us your expert opinion?”
“I’m not an expert.”
“Compared to us you are.”
He held up his bag. “I have my groceries. Perishables, you know.”
“Yes.” Her smile faded. “I understand. I shouldn’t have asked. Besides that, it’s sort of crazy up there. Paint and messes everywhere. My apologies.” She brightened. “But it is good to see you, George. I hope you’re doing well.” She pointed to his bag. “I’ll let you get on your way with that. Hopefully you don’t have ice cream in there. It’s already pretty warm out.”
Now he felt guilty ... and perhaps something else he couldn’t quite identify. “How about this, Willow,” he said. “I’ll just run my groceries home, put them away, change into some, uh, woodworking clothes, and come back. How does that sound?”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up. “That sounds wonderful!”
As George hurried toward home, he felt—once again—torn. On one hand, he wanted to maintain this connection with Willow. On the other hand, well, it could quickly turn overwhelming. Especially with her daughter involved in the mix. He tried not to consider the ramifications as he put away his groceries then changed into khaki pants, a plaid short-sleeved shirt, and his old shoes. As he headed back to town, he gave himself permission to simply survey the cabinets, give his opinion—if he had one—then excuse himself to go home ... to peace and calm and quiet.
George had just knocked on the door when he heard yelling. Tempted to turn and make a run for it, he jumped when the door jerked open. Josie stood there in a paint-streaked tank top and shorts—and a sour expression. In her hand was a paintbrush that was dripping right onto the floor. “What do you want?” she rudely asked.
“Your mother asked me to—”
“Mr. Emerson.” Collin hurried over. “Come in. Nana said you were coming.”
“Why?” Josie demanded. “We don’t need another person in here. It’s already too crowded.” She glared at Collin.
“You’re painting in the bathroom,” Collin told her. “Nana said Mr. Emerson was coming to look at the kitchen cabinets.”
“Like I already said, the kitchen cabinets need to be torn out,” Josie told him.
“I don’t agree,” Collin countered. “I think they’re sturdy.”
“But this is MY apartment,” she yelled. “I should have the—”
“It’s Nana’s apartment,” Collin yelled back. “She’s only letting you—”
“Where is Willow?”George asked loudly.
“She went to the hardware store for something,” Collin said tersely. “Hopefully she’ll be back soon—before Josie takes over completely.”
George looked from Josie to Collin—both scowled darkly. What kind of hornets’ nest had he just stepped into—and what was the best way to handle it? He turned to Josie. “I don’t want to interrupt you from painting your bathroom.” He pointed to her dripping paintbrush. “By the way, that’s a nice shade of blue.”
