“Want to come along?” she asked. “We could get those items while they’re mixing paint.”
As they walked down Main Street in their work clothes, George felt conspicuous, but Willow, in paint-splattered overalls, seemed oblivious to the curious glances tossed their way.
“I think you’re right that this project is good for Josie,” he told Willow. “She seems different to me.”
“She comes and goes. Right now, she acts okay. But she and Collin have been going at it, off and on, all week long. To be honest, I was a little worried that she would lash into you, but you must have won her over.”
“Maybe for the time being.”
“You got that right.” Willow sighed. “Being around Josie is like living in a minefield. You never know what will set her off.”
“Similar to teaching high school.”
Willow chuckled. “So, you really are more cut out for this sort of thing than I had assumed.”
“I enjoy helping Collin,” he told her. “He’s a hard worker.”
“I’m selfishly sorry he got that bookstore job. When he starts work tomorrow I lose my best laborer.”
“I feel somewhat to blame for that,” George confessed.
“Well, maybe I can guilt you into filling the gap for him.” She gave him a sly look then laughed. “Just kidding, George.”
“Oh.” He opened the hardware store door for her and, with list in hand, proceeded to gather hardware and sandpaper while she ordered the paint. Before long, they were headed back with their purchases.
“Do you think getting that apartment done will encourage Josie to remain in Warner?” George asked.
“I honestly have no idea what that girl will do—from onemoment to the next.” She shook her head. “But since I like to live in the moment, well, I suppose I should just enjoy the ride.”
George wondered how anyone could possibly enjoy the unexpectedness of living around someone like Josie on a full-time basis. But then again, Willow appeared to thrive on craziness, unpredictability, and stress. And with Josie she would get plenty of that. For the life of him, George couldn’t fathom how Willow could stand it.
fifteen
Back at the apartment, George was pleased to see that Collin was about half done with the first round of sanding. “I’ll go over this with the finer paper now.” George picked up one of the sanded doors. When he was done, he wiped it with tack cloth, then showed the results to Collin.
“Wow, that really makes a difference,” Collin said. “That’s smooth.”
“The smoother we get it, the nicer the paint will go on.”
“How did you learn all this stuff?” Collin asked. “I mean, I always think of you as an English teacher—very proper in your suit and tie.”
George explained how he and his grandfather had spent a few summers working on George’s rental properties. “After my grandfather retired from the lumber business he had time to get serious about woodworking. Turned out he was quite the handyman too. He taught me a lot.”
“My grandpa wasn’t very handy,” Collin said. “If something needed to be fixed around the house, he’d just call in someone else to do it.”
They were just getting ready to start painting when someone knocked on the door and Willow announced it was time for a lunch break. She’d ordered sandwiches and salads from the local deli. No one said much as they sat around on paint buckets and crates to eat. George wasn’t sure whether they were too weary to converse or simply at odds, but it was a relief when everyone got back to work. Willow and Josie got busy painting in the bedroom. Not surprisingly, Josie had chosen another bold color for that. George took a peek, trying not to cringe at the purple-fuchsia tone that would’ve kept him awake at night. But at least Willow had talked Josie into a nice milky white for all the doors and wood trim. That might help.
George and Collin painted the kitchen cabinets pimento, with Collin making a few vampire jokes, but before long they got into a steady assembly-line rhythm, visiting pleasantly as they worked, which helped the time pass more quickly.
Finally, surrounded by a sea of red doors and drawers, George and Collin paused to survey their accomplishment. “Good work,” George declared with satisfaction. “Now these will need time to dry. I wouldn’t recommend putting on hardware until tomorrow.”
“Then we’re all done?” Collin asked.
George checked his watch, surprised to see it wasn’t yet four. “What about the bathroom vanity and cabinet? That shouldn’t take long.”
Collin let out a low groan, but before long, they had the bathroom cabinet dismantled and, while George removed hardware, Collin got to sanding. With both of them working, they had it knocked out by five thirty.
“Nicely done,” he told Collin.
