Page 3 of Nailing Studs

“Ah, yes, I can see that,” I said. Tabitha, you went for the cheapest company, didn’t you? At least the Fix-It Guys weren’t the ones who’d half-way destroyed her lovely home.

“It’s a great house,” Taylor continued. “The kind that makes guys like me dream of restoring the entire thing.”

“You do full-on restorations, too?”

“Yep, focusing on historical renovations. Are you looking to restore the place?” he asked hopefully.

I wish. “Not sure yet but I’m keeping my options open. Anyway, do you think you can come tomorrow for the sink?”

“I can come at nine AM. That too early?”

“No, that’s perfect, actually.” I’d get out of bed at a decent time to start my job search, tidy up the house, and wait for the movers to deliver my few boxes of stuff.

Taylor asked a couple of questions about the leak, and from what I told him, determined that the faucet needed a full replacement. Replacement wouldn’t be too difficult, he said.

“That house…” Taylor added with hesitation. “It needs a lot of work.”

“You’re telling me,” I said, my voice laced with amusement but also a weariness I hadn’t meant to disclose.

“Tell you what. I’ll bring my business partner with me, and we’ll do a full-home inspection. Give you a quote on what it needs. Sound good?”

I hesitated. “What’s that going to cost me?”

“Nothing. The inspection is free. We’ll come out and do a visual assessment. Afterward, I’ll send you a quote. You decide what you want to do after that. No pressure.”

I liked that Taylor was easygoing and not pestering me for money. “Sure, that’d be great. It’d be good to know how much it would take to fix it before I sell it.”

“Oh, you’re selling the place?” He sounded disappointed.

“Maybe. Can you recommend a realtor to me?”

“I have a few names I can pass a long. Too bad though. Tabitha talked about you a lot. She always said you loved her house.”

“How do you know it was me she talked about? She could’ve had several nieces.”

“Your name’s Kayla. And you’ve got the New York City area code. Two-twelve. She couldn’t have been talking about anyone else. She said you used to visit her in the summers. You loved baking.”

Wow, Tabitha really did talk about me. “Yep, that was me,” I said, then suddenly felt guilty for even thinking about selling the place. I wish I could keep it, Tabitha, but I don’t see how.

“Hey, you okay? I wasn’t trying to upset you. You know, a lot of people in town loved her.”

“Thanks.” I bit back tears. I didn't mindhim thinking I was sad because Tabitha had passed—that was true. But I was also sad that I didn’t have the finances to restore her beautiful home, although Taylor didn’t need to know that. Times like these made me regret taking journalism in college instead of becoming an engineer or a lawyer, or…I don’t know…a plastic surgeon. Money could sure come in handy sometimes.

“And you’re a good niece for coming out and seeing to the property yourself. Anyone else would’ve called someone local handle it. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen a few times. You flew across the country. That says a lot.”

My heart melted at the compliment. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So nine AM, bright and early then, Miss, uh…”

“Pratchett. Kayla Pratchett. Hey, uh…how much do you think you’ll charge to fix the sink?” I hated to ask that up front but I honestly needed to know if it was even worth his time to come out. Knowing my bank account, I might need to call “the more economical guy,” too.

Taylor threw out a number lower than I’d expected and relief coursed through me.

“Of course,” he added, “if you wanted to bake something and throw a few goodies my way, I wouldn’t complain.”

I didn’t know ifthe wine had made me loopy, drowsy, dreamy, or what, but it dawned on me that this guydidn’t just have a nice voice, he had a really, really nice voice. My mental image of an old guy with a sagging tool belt was rapidly fading. I didn’t know what kind of man I’d see in the morning, but at the very least, I’d sure enjoy listening to him. And besides his nice voice, and great taste in people because he’d really liked Tabitha, any guy who wanted me to bake for him was a good guy, in my book. “Sounds like a deal. See you in the morning.”

Task 1—call a repairman. Complete.

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