She knew she needed to get started. This house had cost her just about every dollar she’d made from the condo sale plus a loan from the bank. She’d almost turned it down, realizing she’d have enough for the purchase of the house, but not enough for all the improvements she had planned. When she’d mentioned it to Ed one day in the lumber yard, he’d immediately volunteered to open a line of credit for her.
That, of course, had brought on the waterworks—again. Ed was turning out to be a father-figure of sorts. It was such a foreign and unusual experience for her. He seemed to cheer for her and root her on. Madeline kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far, it hadn’t. He was patient and kind with her, but most unusually, he was proud of her. She remembered their last conversation.
“Ed, I don’t think I can accept this. There’s too much risk involved if the house doesn’t sell right away.”
“Listen kiddo, I’ve seen your work first hand and Kayla won’t shut up about you. Take the credit line. Pay it back when you sell. It’s simple.”
She’d opened her mouth to refuse again when he’d held up a single finger and raised an eyebrow. She’d smiled nervously and nodded. It was a deal.
Somehow the Barrows family had wormed their way into her heart and she was beginning to understand what it meant to be a real family. Of course, so far that only extended to Ed and Kayla. Knox had been conspicuously absent lately and Madeline was beginning to think he was avoiding her.
Now, as she began to unpack her tools, she heard the smooth roar of Kayla’s BMW pull up outside. As per usual, she didn’t bother knocking.
“You look like someone just handed you a diamond ring.” Kayla laughed as she threw her arms around her friend.
“It’s better than a diamond ring.” Madeline smiled as she pointed out the handcrafted built-ins. “Do you have any idea how hard these pieces are to find?”
“Um, no. No I don’t.” She replied as she shook her head. To her, it looked like a gross mess.
“Under these many layers of paint is a masterpiece.”
“You sound like my brother.” She snorted.
“Why?”
“He’s into all that stuff. Restoration and refurbishing. He’s constantly getting calls and referrals from museums and private collectors.”
“Wow. That’s fascinating.”
“I just saw some old dresser being delivered to his shop. He was practically proposing marriage to it.” She shrugged delicately. “I’d rather just buy something new.”
“There’s history in those pieces.”
“Yeah. You sound just like him.” She looped her hand inside Madeline’s elbow and pulled her toward the front door. “C’mon. Let’s grab lunch and talk strategy.”
Madeline smiled as she closed up the front door and locked it behind her. She watched as the woman practically danced down the steps and laughed. They couldn’t have been more opposite if they’d tried, yet there was a real friendship developing here. Madeline couldn’t remember the last time she had a real friend. What friends she’d made in school had gone on with their lives. She’d tried to keep in touch for a while, but eventually they’d moved on and it seemed easier to let them go.
Now, she looked over at her new friend as she babbled about marketing the house and timing the sale. Madeline was happy to relegate those details. All she wanted to do was work on the house and bring it back to life. Kayla pulled up in front of the Touchstone Diner on the corner of Main Street .
“I’m starving!” She announced as she pulled open the door of the retro 50’s style diner.
Madeline rolled her eyes. Kayla’s announcement that she was “starving” meant she’d probably order soup and salad versus her traditional order of salad only. The woman couldn’t weigh more than a hundred and ten pounds.
As if reading her mind, Kayla piped up. “When you’re short, you have nowhere to hide an extra five pounds. Be grateful you’re tall. I’d kill to have your legs.” She practically growled as she led Madeline to a booth by the door.
Maddie shook her head as she slid into the booth across from her. It was almost unfathomable to her that Kayla could wish she looked like her. She looked down at her attire. A navy t-shirt and cut off shorts. Well, at least she was consistent.
“What?” Kayla asked.
“Nothing. We’re just such opposites, you know. You look like you stepped off the ferry to Hyannis and I look like…”
“What? You may be dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, but you wear it well honey. Trust me.”
Madeline puzzled over her strange compliment.
“Oh for God’s sake, Maddie! You’re a knock out. Do you really not know that?”
Madeline quickly buried her nose in her menu. She didn’t want to seem like she was trolling for compliments, but for as long as she remembered, she was told she was gangly and awkward. No one ever really complimented her before.
“You should look up once in a while and notice the men checking you out.”
“Kayla!”
“I’m serious!”
“I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I have enough on my plate right now.”
“Fine.” Kayla pouted as the waitress came over and took their orders. As expected, Kayla ordered a salad, but instead of the soup Madeline had predicted, she ordered a side dish of cottage cheese. Madeline couldn’t help her reaction and the ordered a cheeseburger—and fries.
“I hate you.”
“Why don’t you order what you want?”
“I hate you even more now.”
Maddie laughed as the waitress delivered their beverages. At least she’d ordered water along with Kayla. She didn’t want to endure the woman’s wrath if she’d ordered something that contained actual calories.
“I can’t wait to start stripping those cabinets. I wonder if I should use a water based stripper or maybe solvent?”
“Um, I can’t help you with that.”
“I just don’t want to accidentally damage the soft grain of the wood.”
Kayla blew out a frustrated breath. “You should talk to Knox.”
“Oh, I…I don’t want to bother him. I can just research it online.”
As if the fates had aligned, the man of her dreams and the current topic of conversation came strolling into the diner.
“Knox!” Kayla called out and waved in his direction.
Madeline saw the flare of recognition when his eyes landed on her and as usual, the heat of embarrassment crept upward until she was sure her neck and face were bright pink. She lowered her gaze as Knox’s lanky stride carried him quickly to their table.
“Ladies.”
“We were just talking about you.” Kayla said.
“Oh?” He smiled a half-smile.
“Madeline has some questions about strippers.”
Oh God. Could this get any more humiliating? She was sure now her ears were now a brilliant red.
“Funny, sis.”
“You caught me. Stripping furniture. I told her to ask you. Here.” She patted the seat next to her. “Join us and let Maddie pick your brain.”
Madeline watched the momentary indecision play across his face before he gave in and sat. “I’m just picking up some take-out.”
“No problem. I’ll go tell Nancy that you’re eating with us. Scoot out and let me up.” She gave him a little shove for good measure.
Madeline watched with a combination of dread and excitement as Kayla, the tornado, sped away in search of their waitress. She turned her eyes back on Knox as he refolded himself into the booth.
“So, what are you stripping?” He asked.
“Oh. Um, some built-ins. They’re from the 1920’s, I think and covered in at least five layers of paint. I think there might be bare wood underneath.” She couldn’t help the excitement that crept into her voice and watched Knox raise a single eyebrow.
“Better be ca
reful. Could be lead-based paint.”
“I know. I have to test it.”
“If it’s positive, it would be cheaper just to encapsulate it. Paint over it.”
“No!” She answered emphatically. “I mean, that would be such a shame. There’s real craftsmanship under all those layers.”
Knox laughed at her enthusiasm. “Well, when you get the test done, give me a call and I can take a look.”
“Oh no, I didn’t mean to involve you…again. You were such a help on the arch, but I don’t want to keep bothering you every time I have a problem.” She rushed to get the words out.
“I don’t mind. If I did, I wouldn’t offer.” He grinned at her as Kayla came back to stand next to him. She was only slightly taller than he was while he sat. She roughly tapped his arm and he wordlessly slid across the booth to make room for without ever breaking eye contact with Maddie.
Soon the plates of food were delivered and Madeline focused completely on eating her cheeseburger without embarrassing herself. Still, she couldn’t help herself from casting quick glances at Knox as he ate his cheeseburger. Kayla prattled on about how she was the only one sensible enough to eat salad and had them both chuckling.
“I don’t know how you can stand to eat that rabbit food.” Knox said as he drenched his pile of French fries in ketchup.
“You tall, thin people are so smug. “ She laughed as she snagged a few fries off his plate.
“I’d steal something of yours, but I really don’t want anything on that plate.” He answered and bumped her shoulder good-naturedly.
Maddie felt a swell of emotion in her throat as she watched the brother/sister duo in their easy banter. She and her brother Peter had never been like that. Peter was five years younger and had been treated like royalty from the minute he’d been born. She’d always assumed it was because she was a girl—that somehow her father had been displeased simply by her gender. It was only years later that she began to understand his hatred towards her ran much deeper.
“Maddie?”
Madeline snapped her head up and realized she’d zoned out of the conversation. The two siblings were staring at her with looks of concern.
“Sorry. Just daydreaming.” She tried to cover.
“I’d better go. I’ve got work piled up.” Knox said.
“Wait. I’ll walk with you.” Kayla stated and Maddie watched as a strange, but intense look passed between them.
“Knox…”
“I’m just down the block, Kay.”
“But—“
“Goodbye ladies.” He stood quickly and pulled a ten from his wallet and dropped in on the table. “Have a good afternoon.” He said and then turned and walked out.
Maddie returned her gaze to Kayla and saw the distressed look on her face.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. He’s just stubborn.” She rifled through her enormous purse that perfectly matched her cornflower blue sundress and pulled out her wallet. “Let’s get your back to your dream house!” She chirped brightly as she stood to leave.
Madeline wasn’t sure what had dampened her friend’s mood, but she didn’t feel comfortable digging further. Besides, Kayla was right; she did have an enormous amount of work ahead of her and the thought of getting started was making her downright giddy.
xXx
She’d been so excited when the first two layers of paint had come off easily and the two lead test kits had been negative. She’ d been enthusiastically scraping away layer upon layer of blue, then white, then inexplicably pink, paint when her scraper hit the unmistakable hard layer of paint that usually indicated the presence of lead.
She sat back on her heels and wiped her brow before extracting the third kit that she’d purchased from Ed at Touchstone Lumber. Now, she uncapped the small, Q-tip-like stick and rubbed it on the exposed chip of paint that she suspected was lead.
In less than thirty seconds, the tip turned red; there was lead.
“Shit.”
She knew old homes often contained unseen money pits and this was certainly not an uncommon find in any home built after 1978, but still, she felt deflated. How much would this cost her and how long would it delay the sale? Once again, she felt the fear of financial ruin creeping in.
Of course, she knew there was someone she could ask; Knox. Even thinking about the man with the long stride and sharp jawline made butterflies dance in her stomach. She’d be an idiot if she didn’t bother consulting an expert that had offered his services for free, after all. In fact, he might be insulted if he found out she used a different service.
She pushed up off the floor and grabbed her cell phone before she could talk herself out of it.
She scrolled through her very few contacts and quickly came to “Barrows, Knox” and hit dial.
With her breath held, she waited and waited for the sound of his deep voice on the other end, but after four rings, his voicemail picked up. With feelings of relief and disappointment mixed together, she listened to his brief message: “You’ve reached Knox Barrows. Leave a message and I’ll call you back. Thanks.”
She cleared her throat and tried to give a quick synopsis of the situation. She was feeling proud of the semi-professional message when she realized she hadn’t said her name. She quickly added, “It’s Maddie— Madeline…Roberts.”
Now, she put the phone down and immediately walked across the room, as if it was the phone’s fault she’d left a babbling, idiotic message. Why was this so difficult? She shook her hands and paced through the outdated kitchen. Despite the fact it needed to be retrofitted with modern appliances, she was planning to keep as much of the original footprint as possible. There was a charm to these old homes and too often flippers would rip out the old and replace it with a modern, sleek style that was completely not in character.
Running her hands along the old fixtures soothed her and calmed her somewhat racing heart. There really was no denying it; she liked him. Well, so what if she did? She could admire him. She could even be attracted to him. It didn’t mean anything. It was time to stop daydreaming and get her head out of the clouds. If she couldn’t work on the wooden built-ins, she needed to turn her attention elsewhere and taking down these old cabinets was as good a place as any.
xXx
The rumbling of her stomach was finally enough to make her stop and put down her tools. A quick check of her cell phone revealed that more than four hours had gone by since she began dismantling the kitchen. Now, she moved into the bathroom and thoroughly washed her face and hands. Glancing in the mirror, she saw that she was sweaty and dirty, but otherwise content.
She wished she could go into town for dinner, but she didn’t want to sacrifice the time or the wardrobe change that it would require. Instead, she’d have to settle for her cache of power bars and Gatorade. She grabbed them and headed outside to the back porch. The heat of the day had passed and now the cool air indicated rain was eminent.
She leaned back on the top step and stretched her long legs out in front of her and reveled in the cool air. It was only a few moments later, she heard the smooth motor of Kayla’s Beemer. She smiled to herself and wished fervently that her little pixie friend was packing a pizza with her.
“Hello?”
Maddie bolted upright at the deep voice of Knox Barrows. She moved quickly through the disaster zone that used to be the kitchen, down the long hallway and to the front door. Only the screen was closed, so she quickly unlatched it and pushed it open.
“Hi.” She said a little breathlessly. “Come in.”
She watched him as he looked from her into the darkened house behind her. Her stomach dropped remembering what Kayla had told her about his eyesight. Did he know that Kayla had told her?
Before she could decide what to do, he stepped through the door and into the still vacant living room. “I got your message.”
“Oh.” She laughed as she p
ushed her loose hair back into a ponytail. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting your work. You didn’t need to come right away.”
He watched her intently. He couldn’t quite make out the details of her face, but he followed her movements as she scooped back that rich sable mane and twisted it back behind her head.
“It’s not a problem.”
She smiled and turned. “It’s right through here.”
He followed her dark figure as she moved through a narrow hallway and then into the open dining room.
“So, the first few layers weren’t lead, huh?” He asked as he knelt down in front of the cabinet and ran his hands along the rough layers of various paints.
“Yeah. I thought I was all clear, but layer three was lead. Do I need to call in a remediation company?”
He could hear the slight worry creeping into her voice. “Well, lead is serious business. The EPA needs to be notified and you need to use a certified contractor for proper disposal.”
“Any idea how much something like that will cost?”
Knox straightened up and noticed for the first time the broken panels of stained glass. “Well, I can’t help you on the disposal. That’s regulated by the state and I expect it’ll cost a couple thousand. As far as a contractor that’s licensed to remove the lead, I can do it for you.”
“Oh, no I couldn’t.” She babbled. “I mean, you have your own work to do.”
Knox crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to run out of steam. She was adorable when she was flustered.
“Well, Jerry’s certified too.”
“Jerry? Oh, Jerry.”
She couldn’t believe this was happening! Having Knox here working everyday would be a nightmare—or a dream come true. Would she be able to get any work done while he was here? But if she said no, she’d be insulting him.
Seaglass Page 5
