Page 67 of Housebroke

“Same. I’ll go pour us some iced tea. The food is on the table outside.”

Fortunately, it had cooled off outside, which suited Linc. He spread out the sandwiches and fries on the plates, shoving a fry in his mouth as he did. Hazel came back from the guesthouse with two large glasses of iced tea, setting those on the table. They sat and started to eat while Penny laid her head on Linc’s knee, looking adorable with her sad, begging eyes.

“Not a chance, girl,” Hazel said. “You had treats today.”

Linc picked up a fry that Penny tracked all the way to Linc’s mouth. After he swallowed, he said, “Sorry, Penny. Mom said no.”

With a look of disgust, Penny made her way to the shade and curled up, closing her eyes.

“Gee, thanks, Hazel. Now she hates me.”

Hazel laughed. “Penny doesn’t know how to hate. And the next time you have food, she’ll be right back here, head on your knee, giving you her sad puppy eyes.”

“She’s very good at it.”

“Of course she is, because sometimes it works. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you slip her food.”

He shrugged. “Can’t help it. She’s cute.”

They finished their food, and Linc wrapped everything up and tossed it out. When he came back outside, Hazel was sitting by the pool, her legs dangling in the water. He went over to join her.

“The floor looks amazing, by the way. I love the flooring you chose.”

“Thanks. I think it looks good and makes the rooms appear larger.”

“Agree. So what’s next?”

“I’ll put cabinets in next, and appliances are due in soon. In the meantime, I’m going to start working on the bathrooms upstairs.”

“Oh. You need me to get out of the way?”

“I’ll do one at a time so we have one full working bathroom. I’ll likely start with yours, but you can share mine as long as you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind. I’ll move my stuff out tomorrow.”

“Good, thanks. Fortunately, the floor tile’s in good shape in both bathrooms, and it’s modern enough that it won’t need replacing. But the guest bathroom needs a new tub and wall tile, and I’ll refresh the cabinetry and sinks along with the mirror and faucets. In the main bedroom I’m just going with a new shower like the one that’s there now. No need for a tub.”

“I’m sure it’ll look amazing. How long will that take?”

He gave her a long, studying look. “Trying to get rid of me?”

She laughed. “Well, first, this isn’t my house, so I wouldn’t begetting rid of you. And, second, when you’re done here, I’m out, so the longer you take, the more money I can save for my own place.”

“Noted. I’ll start working slower.”

She nudged his shoulder. “You will not.”

“Okay, I won’t. I’ve actually got a line on a few new houses to work on.”

“You do? Where are they?”

“One’s in Flagstaff. Another in San Diego. And one just outside San Francisco.”

“Oh. Close to home. That could be fun for you.”

She didn’t even balk or say she’d miss him. Then again, did he expect her to? They had never discussed their relationship. Did he even know how he felt yet? “Yeah. Fun. We’ll see.”

“How do you choose? Is it based on location or the condition of the house?”

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