Page 3 of Show Me
Really? That’s not what the internet said. I’m not going to say that either. “You’re ruining my vision.”
“You don’t have a vision.”
“I have a Pinterest board.”
He huffs a laugh. It’s low and brief, making my stomach flip.
I shove one can of paint toward the back of the cart, settling on Winter Linen. I’ll return the other two to the shelf. And if Winter Linen doesn’t look right, I’ll paint over it. “There. Happy?”
“I’m not invested enough to be happy.”
Lie. He’s been standing here for five minutes. “Then why’re you still here?”
His jaw flexes, like he’s about to say something else, and then thinks better of it. “Because you’re about to spend a lot of money on things you don’t need.”
“I need insulation.”
“You need insulation in the right place.”
“I have a right place.”
“You have a cart.”
His eyebrows raise, something like respect threading through his expression. “I know.”
My fingers twist together. “The house… needs work.”
I hold my lips together to keep from smiling. I will not smile. He’ll think he’s winning.
“I’ll figure it out.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and shift on my feet.
If I’m able to renovate this house, it’ll prove that I’m capable. Resourceful. Not left behind while my friends charge successfully through life.
“Everything needs work.”
We stand there, the humming of fluorescent bulbs overhead, the distant rattle of someone loading lumber, the subtle smell of cut wood settling into the air, the bell over the front door jingling as another customer walks in.
I clear my throat and lick my lips. “So. If I were… hypothetically… going to start with one room, where would you suggest?”
He taps the cart with the toe of his boot. “Kitchen.”
“Why?”
“It’s where you’ll spend the most time.” A beat. “And it’s where the pipes freeze first.”
I don’t have replacing frozen pipes on my Pinterest board. “That’s a horrifying combination.”
“It’s reality.”
“I hate reality.”
“Reality keeps your house standing.”
I glare at him. “Do you ever say anything comforting?”
“No.”
“That sounds about right.”
