Page 43 of Enchanting the CEO

How had he concluded that she was my partner? I certainly hadn't introduced her, yet the idea didn't scare me away. Quite the contrary, I found the idea appealing.

What the hell?

"She's my neighbor," I clarified.

"Oh, okay. Yes, you can go inside. The guys and I are preparing to leave anyway. We need to buy some materials, and it's best to do it before all the DIY people line up."

That was one thing I hated about building my own house. I couldn't understand why construction crews couldn't get the hang of things; how would they not know what they would need and buy it the day before?

"Right. You don't need to lock up because Diane and I will be inside."

He nodded. "Thank you, boss. Boys?" He turned, looking at the two other workers. "Come on, let's go."

"We both need to come?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, we can't carry all we need with just two people."

I didn't bother asking what "all" was. Mateo was working at his own pace, but he knew what he was doing.

Diane stood on the front porch. Her smile was even wider.

"What did he say?" she asked as I walked back over to join her.

"We can go inside and explore."

"Yes." She clapped her hands once, grinning.

"But we need to be careful where we step."

We headed up the stairs. I instinctively put an arm around her shoulders.

"I can keep my own balance now that I'm completely sober," she said in a teasing tone.

I leaned in, whispering in her ear, "It's for your own safety. The floor isn't very stable."

"I see." She laughed nervously.

As we stepped inside, she looked around. The ceiling was high with an intricate post-war molding around the corners.

"Before we begin, I have to say that most of this will be stripped away."

She turned her head to me abruptly. "What do you mean? The house isn't in such a bad shape.”

“It’s old as dirt.”

"But it's so beautiful," she murmured.

"If you like old buildings."

"Well, I do. Though I also like modern ones. But why buy it if you plan to change all of it?" she asked as we proceeded farther inside.

"Because I like the location. And it needs a thorough renovation because all the walls were infested with mold."

She winced. "Yikes. Okay, well, that's tough. You can't take that crap out properly no matter how much you try."

"I agree. That's why I prefer to rebuild. Here I'm going to have an open space that will serve as living room, dining room, and kitchen. The living area is going to have three couches."

"Wow," she exclaimed.

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