He stepped back and smiled at her. “That’s dramatic.”
“I’m trying to distract myself.” She sighed. “Change of subject. Oh, wait. Do you want to adopt a cat?”
“No. Next topic.”
“She’s really pretty and except for her killer instinct, basically sweet.”
“Still no.”
“Okay. If you think of anyone, let me know. In the meantime, I’d like to know if you have time to help me with a quick job at the house.”
He frowned. “The house you share with Harris?”
“The house we live in on alternate weeks. The house we now share with his fiancée which means we’re sharing closet space, bathroom space and more significantly, a bed.”
Marcus stared at her for a second, then looked away but not before she saw his lips twitch.
“It’s not funny,” she grumbled. “It’s weird and awkward.”
“And a little funny.” He looked at her. “Okay, how can I help? Put in a third vanity in the main bathroom so you can all have your personal space?”
“I need the junk room fixed up. It’s one of those mother-in-law rooms with an attached three-quarter bath.”
“Moving downstairs, are we?”
“How did you know the room was downstairs?”
“The mother-in-law suite always is.” He pulled a small notebook out of his back pocket and a pen from his shirt pocket. “Tell me what you need.”
She explained about the sad vanity and toilet. “The bedroom and bathroom also need to be painted.”
He made a few notes. “What about all the stuff that’s in there now?” He held up a hand. “I know because you called it a junk room. That implies it’s not empty.”
“The kids and I are sorting. I’ve got a guy coming Wednesday to haul away what can’t be donated.”
“Tell me about the vanity. Any guess on the size?”
“I measured. It’s forty-two inches. And the toilet is, you know, toilet size.”
He smiled. “Standard. The word you’re looking for isstandard.”
“Right. That. So any chance you can fit me in?”
“Not a problem. I’ll swing by about seven tonight and look at the room and bathroom. Have you picked out your paint color? Want me to bring swatches?”
“The kids and I went to the hardware store over the weekend and got those little sample containers. The room now has a lovely collection of painted squares. Gentry wants lavender and Xander thinks I should paint the room black but I’m going with sage. I’ve got the number at home. I can give that to you tonight.”
“Good. I’ll bring you pictures of a couple of vanities I have in my shop. We can get something from a big-box store, but I have one, maybe two, forty-two-inch vanities that are going to be nicer and cheaper.”
She frowned. “Just sitting around? You keep random inventory.”
He chuckled. “I’m a contractor. Things happen. They ship the wrong item. The customer changes their mind. Usually the supplier would rather sell at a deep discount to avoid having me ship back whatever it is. The vanity I’m thinking of is from a custom remodel. It’s excellent quality with a marble countertop and a high-end Kohler fixture.”
“Sounds expensive.”
He offered her a smile that was both sexy and appealing. She liked it.
“I’d sell it to you for about 10 percent less than what you’d pay at a big-box store.”
