“I don’t mind. Honestly. Between the two of us we’ll get it finished in a few hours if not sooner. Maybe even early enough to venture out, or watch a movie.”
God, that sounds so appealing.“You sure you don’t mind?”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I minded.” Bailey smiled. “Plus, since I’m being such a good guy, that means I can choose what we do after.”
Tom laughed. “So you’re not really doing this out of the goodness of your heart, it’s all about getting your own way.”
“Absolutely. I can negotiate with the best of them.”
“I have no doubt.” The smile didn’t leave Tom’s voice. He indicated the tool box farther down the wall. “There should be spare chisel and hammer in there. But how about a coffee first? Did you grab something to eat upstairs? Help yourself to some cookies from the jars on the counter.”
After coffee and macadamia white choc chip cookies, they settled into a comfortable couple of hours of working side by side. As the morning turned into afternoon, Tom’s happiness grew. Sunshine streamed in the front windows, tracing a path along the floorboards, the low sounds of music filled the air, and Bailey hummed softly along, looking across and smiling at Tom every so often. A strange fluttery sensation filled Tom’s chest every time their eyes met.
Having Bailey working next to him felt natural. There wasn’t even a niggle of unease at accepting Bailey’s help; instead, what was usually a time-consuming, back-breaking task was almost fun. In fact, he was finding most things done with Bailey at his side, no matter how mundane, put a smile on his face.
