I gestured in reassurance, using it as an excuse to put distance between us. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. We have the art nailed down, and if I’m not sure about something, I’ll call you.”
“Like I said before, I leave it all to you. When I gave you the key to my house, I also handed you my trust.”
It was such a corny line that I couldn’t help grinning.
Before I could reply, he bent his head and kissed my cheek. “Goodbye, Jesse. I’ll see you in a few days.”
After he left, I got back to work, still hungry and fantasizing about a cheesy pizza. I put in another six hours before I headed home and stopped by my favorite pizza place for a salami and pepperoni with double cheese.
There wasn’t a single muscle in my body that didn’t hurt like hell. I could have killed for one of Sebastian’s head-to-toe massages. Instead, I added the fancy bath salts I found in the bottom of my bathroom cabinet to hot water, and took a long soak. Lily had given me the purple jar of scented beads for my birthday a couple of years ago. It was probably expired, although salt wouldn’t go bad. I didn’t care enough to check the label. All I wanted was some relief from the pain, and something to relax my abused muscles. I shuddered when I thought of the days when a power sander had been a tool of the future or the rich, and sanding had been purely manual labor for my dad and me.
I wanted to soak longer in the warm water, but exhaustion made my eyelids droop. Fifteen minutes later, I climbed out, toweled off, and padded into the bedroom. I donned a pair of comfy panties and an oversized T-shirt, and plopped face down onto my bed. The last thing I remembered was the feeling of the soft pillow under my cheek.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jesse
The next morning, I decided to recruit help. I stopped by the hardware store and found Lucy behind the counter.
“How would you feel if I asked you to help me with my project, just for today?” I named a sum that made her eyes widen.
“Sure. But what about the store?”
“We can keep it closed for one day.”
Lucy grabbed a power sander from the back, and we headed to my truck together. I got behind the wheel and drove to Staten Island. My old truck didn’t have any modern amenities like wireless internet or a modern sound system. When I told Lucy she could pick whatever CD she wanted, she stared at me.
“A CD? My grandpa has some of those.”
“Very nice,” I said dryly. “These were my dad’s. There’s one from Santana, Boney M, Bob Dylan…”
“Never heard of any of those names.”
I smiled, chagrinned. “Don’t worry, we have radio. You have heard of that, haven’t you?”
She giggled. “In a history book.”
“Smartass.”
When we finally arrived at Ben’s house, Lucy’s eyes widened as she stared at the mansion.
“This place is huge.” She shaded her eyes from the sun.
“I know. I almost finished the downstairs yesterday.”
I fished the keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, ushering Lucy inside.
“Can I take a look around?” she asked.
“Sure. There’s water and food in the fridge. Don’t be shy, whenever you need a break, go and get something to eat or drink. Do stay away from the champagne though.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t like alcohol, Mom, so don’t worry about that.”
Grinning, I turned up the AC, prepared the tools, and carried them upstairs. With Lucy here, I wanted to tackle the three bedrooms.
I’d just shoved my hair under my cap, when my phone rang. It was Malcom.
I bit my lip. It was weird, but in this empty house I felt isolated from my ordinary life. It was an escape from everything that had happened only a couple of days ago. Malcom’s call had my two worlds colliding.
