“Right now? But I'm so close to finishing the design for the Maplewood Avenue house. Can't it wait?”
I love my new life. I never thought I'd actually say those words. Yet here I am.
I have a job I absolutely adore, and Oliver and I are strong as ever. We work amazing together. He meets with the clients about the big renovation projects, and then he brings me in, and we go over the details.
The current home I'm working on has a vintage sixties vibe. The new owners are older and really want to enjoy a modern twist of what they love. There are going to be archways throughout the home, and I'm going to use a new technique I came up with to create a wall with actual texture.
I'm going to use this method in their kitchen to put sixties style flower shapes on the wall. I'll hand apply a paintable epoxy with a caulk gun, then paint their color of choice over it. I know they'll be happy once it's done, and right now, I only have one room left to mockup for them, and then I'll have the designs finished to show them.
“Don't shoot the messenger. It's boss's orders,” Hardin says as he widens his eyes and holds up open palms. “Maybe the new owner is famous or something, and that's why he's calling you away right now. I'm not really sure, I was just told to let you know.”
I straighten the drawings on my desk and put them back in the folder. Rolling up the blueprint for the house, I slide it back inside the tube. “Okay, I guess this can wait a little bit,” I say with a sigh. “What's the address?”
Hardin tells me where the house is, and I type it into the GPS on my phone. “Well, I've got to go check on the walkway I poured yesterday. Tell Oliver I'm heading to Gaston tomorrow to start tiling the bathroom.”
“I will.” Pulling my purse up my arm, I leave and head to the new house. It's a fifteen minute drive to the neighborhood. I turn up the quiet road, following the voice as it guides me to the address.
My tires crunch over the pebbled driveway and I'm staring at a house that looks old, but not as rundown as I expected. Oliver loves to take jobs that turn a monster house into a ray of light on the street. This doesn’t really fit the bill.
The vinyl siding is peeling and bubbled in some areas. The windows look old, with chipped paint around the frames and shutters that are missing slats. There are holes in the detached two car garage exterior and the door is crooked and dented. Other than that, it looks pretty good.
I'm parked behind Oliver's truck, but I don't see any other cars as I look around. Shit, I hope I didn't miss them. I can't afford to lose another day on my designs. I promised the Maplewood couple I'd have them done no later than tomorrow. If this meeting takes more than an hour, Oliver will have to make do without me.
My heels dig into the soft sand causing the tiny rocks to kick up and hit the back of my calves as I walk. I know the first thing we should do here is pave the driveway. That should be number one.
The rickety wrap around front porch buckles under my feet. I walk lightly on the tips of my toes, afraid the spike of my heel might drive holes through the wood. As I reach the front door, I pull open the storm door and poke my head inside.
“Oliver.” I call out his name as I take a step inside to what I assume must be the living room.
A huge stone fireplace is against the far wall. The floor is real wood, and there are vaulted ceilings that make the room feel huge. Taking another step in, my voice echoes as I call out to Oliver again.
“Hello?”
“I'm in here!” he yells back.
I follow his voice, heading down a hall and finding him in a room full of windows. “Hey, where are the clients? Did I miss them?”
Oliver lets the tape measure snap back and stands up. Turning to face me, he smiles, coming in and wrapping his arm around my waist. He pulls me in and kisses me with a long and passionate kiss.
“Hey, beautiful.” Oliver's smile spreads across his face as he wraps his other arm around my back. “Took you long enough to get here.”
“You didn't call me or message me. If it wasn't for Hardin, I wouldn't be here.”
“I know that. I sent him to tell you.”
“He also told me there were new clients, but I don't see them. You do know I have a deadline, right?” Pursing my lips, I curl my arms around his neck and arch a brow.