“Yes, I have plans for the kitchen. I’m not just renovating by vibes.”
“Can I see them?”
“Why?”
“Because if you’re not going to let me help pay for them, then I want to see what we are working toward so I can at least help with the heavy lifting when the time comes.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him no, but I closed my mouth, my dad’s assessment that I was “needlessly contradictory” running through my mind.
“Fine.”
Trading my outside boots for inside slippers, I shuffled across the house to retrieve my laptop from my nightstand. I brought it back into the kitchen and set it on the counter before pulling up the plans I had for the kitchen. Instead of letting me hand the computer over, he came to look over my shoulder, his body radiating heat. I took a quiet breath and focused on anything other than the way standing this near him made me feel tingly all over. Made me remember his hands all over me.
The slide deck was mostly for my own organization, mood boards, color pallets, inspiration pictures, measurements, quotes from different contractors and supply companies, and even a sequence of events for the renovation. Barry clicked through each slide silently, his lips turned down in concentration as his arm brushed casually against mine. I felt itchy watching him look at my plans, first for the kitchen, then for the bathroom, the living room, the basement. Minutes passed like this, himcarefully reviewing my ideas, me looking over his shoulder and feeling nervous about it.
“Hannah, did you make these?” he said after moving through the entire renovation plan.
“Yeah.” I crossed over my chest. “I’ve been working on it for a long time. Had a lot of time to think about it.”
“This is amazing,” he said, then looked up at me like I was something astounding. We still stood too close for comfort, barely a foot between our faces. “Seriously, it’s incredible.”
I blinked, shocked. “I—it’s just a PowerPoint.”
To be honest, the plans were awesome. I had thought so much about them, done so much research, had clearly outlined what I needed to save for and the order in which I wanted to get them done. It was going to take me years, and my plans might change for certain rooms in that time, but it really was going to be great.
“Have you done this before? Like as a job?”
I frowned and shook my head.
“No, but I learned a lot from helping my mom redo one of her bathrooms. Watched a lot of home renovation shows and series online. Still a lot I have to learn.”
“You could give this bible to anyone, and they could figure out how to build you the home of your dreams. It’s incredibly thought out.”
I thought of it as the house bible, too. I loved making it, researching, finding the things I wanted and then locating the best prices was exciting to me. I loved thinking about it because I loved the idea that I could take something and make it mine.
“Well,” I started, but didn’t know exactly what to say. I felt defensive, but he was complimenting me, looking so earnestly impressed by my work I felt embarrassed. I swallowed and took a step away from him, needing the distance before I started staring at his mouth and remembering what it felt like on mine. “Thank you.”
“I want to help you with these, I mean it,” he said, and Ibelieved him. He was always so sincere, so honest. It’s what I liked about him that first night, and what’s still so nice about him now. He’s justgood.
“What project are you working on next?” he asked.
“There are a bunch of little things I want to get done before the baby, but redoing the bathroom will be the next big project I tackle. I already have some of the supplies, but not everything. It’ll be a lot. I need to demo everything, then build it all back.”
Barry thought about this for a minute, then nodded, something decided in his mind. I didn’t like the look, but he didn’t explain or offer to buy me anything again, so I wasn’t going to question it.
He reached his hand across the counter and rested it on my wrist, sending heat radiating from the five points of contact of his skin and mine all the way up my arm. Did he know the effect he had on me? Could he see it from just my face alone? It embarrassed me how much I craved closeness to him.
“I meant what I said about the plans. They’re really, really good. You have a talent for this.”
I squeezed my lips together, then pushed them up into a smile. “Thanks.”
Barry nodded and headed for the basement door.
“Do you work again today?” he asked before descending the flight.
“Not tonight.”
“Come to the game? It’s the last one before a road trip,” he said. “I’ll get seats for whoever you want.”
