Page 56 of To Have and to Scold

But, boy, do I want to.

I extend my arm and she takes it. My other hand covers hers. It’s a simple move, but here I am, touching the top of her soft hand and feeling like I’ve never done anything so sweet, so intimate.

I help her into my pickup since she’s so short, grasping her waist. Yes, my hands linger for a second. On the drive over, we quickly revert to work mode, discussing the plan for the night and strategies we’d discussed. It was a little unnecessary to go over this early, but Dallas insisted, and now I’m glad we did. The more time with her, the better.

We hurry inside so we can dust and vacuum. Dallas helps me install a couple of remaining can lights in the hallway. We turn on the lights and add the flameless candles for the proper ambiance. The evening light is just sparkling enoughacross the water. The mansion smells a little like paint and as a construction guy, I have to say it’s to me like the scent of beef jerky to my golden retriever.

Within an hour, the mayor, her husband, her daughter Lila, Lila’s fiancé Ryan, and a few others from the city council arrive. We give them a tour of the main floor, answering questions, explaining the various phases of the project and how close we are to finishing all of them.

Dallas and I work seamlessly together, each of us offering insight into how the renovation has transpired and about the couples who’ve booked weddings here this summer.

The tour flows smoothly and the guests are complimentary about what they see.

I find myself relaxing, especially when Dallas catches my eye after the mayor’s husband gets particularly enthusiastic over the new hardwood floors, which my crew just finished installing the day before.

“It’s even better than I imagined, you two. Way to come together and make it all work,” Mayor Dobbs says, her gaze going from Dallas’s to mine.

Lila even gives both of us a hug before grabbing Ryan’s hand.

“I’m grateful to you both for making this happen. The wedding’s going to be a dream come true.” She meets Ryan’s gaze, and he kisses her temple.

“It’s perfect,” Ryan says.

After they’ve gone, we turn off the candles and lights and lock the door behind us. We linger on the front porch in the waning light. “One week until the Dobbs wedding,” I say, and I can’t disguise the thrill of excitement in my voice.

She gives a warm smile. “I finally feel like we might actually pull it off.”

I bump her shoulder with mine. “We will.”

“I still have my evil plan of converting the library upstairs into a bride’s room, though.”

“Really? I didn’t think that was going to work.”

She cocks her head to one side. “Why not, Beck? All the room needs is a deep clean, some nice curtains and chairs, baskets for storage, the podium, and mirrors.”

“See? It’s going to be hard to pull it off in time.”

She bites her bottom lip. “Saying all of it aloud makes me wonder if it’s too much, too. But I want to try.” Her hand squeezes my arm. “And before you say anything about the budget, just please know that I want to do this as my wedding gift for the happy couple. It won’t affect the budget at all, I promise.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Why not? It won’t cost that much. I’ve already been getting things from thrift stores. I ordered new drapes. That was my one splurge.” She clutches my arm. “You have got to see the drapes!”

“I’m sure I will. But when do you plan to be able to pull the room together? You have enough to do with the wedding itself.”

“I was hoping to still come here most evenings until then. It’s fine. I’m happy to. Lila and her mom are going to love it.”

“I’ll help as much as I can but…”

“Let me guess.” She smirks, her eyes narrowing. “Volleyball?”

“Some volleyball, yes. But one thing is that Prom is next Friday night. I’m letting Leo and some friends use the mansion for their dinner. They won’t be cooking there, just bringing the food in. I was thinking of it as something of a dry run before the wedding the next day.”

“That’s so cute. And it’s fine. I won’t be in their way. I’ll be upstairs in the library all that evening anyway.”

“I’ll be there, too, supervising just to make sure everything’s okay. I’m sure I can come upstairs off and on to help you.”

“I’ll probably need to use you for grunt work. I can see myself not being able to decide where to put the podium. That thing is kind of heavy and I’m not dragging it from one side of the room to the other by myself.”

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