Page 7 of Spark of Attraction

I trailed after him when he headed upstairs, waiting in the hall silently as he inspected each outlet and switch in the two spare bedrooms and made more notes. He even took photos.

I hurried after him when he opened the door to my bedroom.

“I’m not always this messy,” I said, hating how weak my voice sounded.

He turned his head, and there was a hint of amusement tugging at his lips that faded when he looked at me. “I’m not judging you, Ell.”

“I know.” But my eyes welled up at the gentleness of his tone.

He stuck the tape measure, notebook and pencil in his tool belt, and took my hands in his, pulling me until we faced each other. “I don’t think you do. Not really.” He stroked a thumb over my cheek. “I get it, okay? This is your private place, your sanctuary. You weren’t expecting anyone to come in here today.”

Or ever.

“I am not judging you. Hell, you should see my place at the end of the week.” He stroked my cheek again and I found myself leaning into his palm. “You’re taking on all this work, all this responsibility on your own. You know what you want, and you’re going after your dreams. Do you know how amazing you are?”

I swallowed hard against the emotion welling up at his declaration. He didn’t know.

“I’m not,” I whispered.

He pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me, nestling my head beneath his chin. “Oh, baby, you’ve been through a lot. You don’t have to be strong for me.”

The way he whispered it, the heat sinking into my bones made me want to strip him naked and…well, do all the things Gareth had never done but I’d read about. Worse, tears filled my eyes as I realized what I’d missed out on all these years.

“What’s going on in that head of yours? Talk to me, Ell.”

I pulled away and paced to the window, wiping the heel of my hand over my eyes. “I’m tired, that’s all.”

“No, it’s not all. But I’ll leave it be.” He left the for now unspoken but I heard it. When I didn’t turn to face him, he sighed and asked, “Where’s the attic hatch?”

I pointed down the hall. “There are a couple entrances depending on which part of the house you’re in.”

“Right. Look, this is going to take a while. Why don’t you go downstairs and…” He scratched his head. “I was going to say make yourself a coffee, but the power’s still switched off.”

“I’m fine. You do what you have to do.”

By the time I’d gathered myself enough to leave my bedroom, including tidying it, Malcolm trudged back upstairs in a white suit that made him look like a giant marshmallow.

I couldn’t stop my snort as he pulled the hood over his head and tied it tight it, leaving only his face exposed. “Seriously? You look like you’re about to go into a nuclear reactor.”

He shrugged, leaned down and pulled out a respirator from his bag. “It’s an old house, Ell. Who knows what I’m going to find up there. Asbestos. Mold. Mouse droppings. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

I couldn’t suppress my shudder as I agreed with him. While he climbed the ladder that he’d already set up beneath the hatch, I stayed at the base, even once he disappeared from sight. Boards creaked overhead, there was rustling, and a few curse words I don’t think I was supposed to hear.

“Problems?” I called.

“U gog nob and oob.”

Nob and Boob? Bob is rude? “What?”

He repeated it again, but it still made no sense since he was talking through his respirator from the other end of the attic.

He finally reappeared and climbed down the ladder, the white suit now a grubby gray. After he dropped his respirator into his bag and stripped off his marshmallow suit, he said, “You’ve got knob and tube up there.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s the pre-1940s original wiring. Whoever rewired the house back whenever they updated it spliced in the copper wiring to go down the walls but it runs off the old stuff. Did your insurance company put a rider on your policy or offer you any incentives to remove it?”

I shook my head. “There was something about the electrical but I figured I’d get it fixed when I redo the kitchen. Is it unsafe?”

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