Page 97 of A Dream for Daphne

He took note of the make and model. They were going high-end. “I’ll break up everything,” he said. “The cost of the patio and kitchen, then the cost of the fire pit. If you’ve got the appliances you want to buy, you can text them to me, they won’t be part of the quote. We’ll figure it out when we get to sizes closer to the date of the project.”

“Great,” Brittany said. “Do you think this is something you can do in the spring at least? So that we can enjoy it all summer.”

“Depending on how early of a spring we get, I think so,” he said. “I can’t put a firm date on it. If the fall stays warm, I’m pushing projects up for people who are interested from early spring to now. You can let me know if you want to be on the list. Some people haven’t budgeted for it or don’t want it done until next year.”

“Oh, I want this done as fast as possible. So if there is a way this year,” Brittany said, “put me on that list.”

“I can’t guarantee it,” he said, laughing. “There is a greater chance it won’t happen, but it might push you earlier into the spring. Worst case, I’d say we can get this in by late May of next year.”

Which sometimes lost him the contract, but he wouldn’t lie to people either.

“That works for me,” Brittany said.

He nodded, walked around some more taking notes, and then closed his book and handed over his card.

“If you’ve got any questions or think of anything else, let me know. I probably won’t get a quote to you until Monday. I’ll put this all into my software and give you a design and layout so you can see your vision in 3D. That takes a bit more time than crunching the numbers.”

Brittany was almost dancing on her toes. “I had no idea. That’s exciting. I’ve heard great things about you. I know that you’ve got this huge project at the McGill Estate. Do you have pictures I can see of it?”

He pulled his phone out. No way he was showing pictures of the house. He’d honor Poppy and Reese’s privacy.

“We’ve been putting in walkways from the house to the water,” he said. He wasn’t volunteering more on the property. That Reese had a massive work barn or there was a cabin for a nanny.

“I love that stone,” Brittany said. “I’m sure that’s crazy expensive.”

“It’s pricey,” he said, grinning. “Might go nice with detail and edging work around the fire pit though. Looks as if it’d match what you want.”

“I’d love something like that,” Brittany said. “Ella told me you did great work.”

“Ella?” he asked. He kept his grin in place. “You know each other?”

“We work together,” Brittany said. “I know you two had a thing for a few years. Kind of off and on. I know she never got over you.”

He snorted. “I’m sure that isn’t the case,” he said. Considering Ella was the one who ended things twice and the third time it was just mutual.

They’d been fighting way too much and he was just done feeling as if he couldn’t give her what she wanted.

Not without being someone else and he wasn’t changing.

“She still talks about you. I know she’s dating Nash and all, but I can see it. He’s not you.”

Nash? What kind of name was that?

Someone that didn’t get his hands dirty, he was betting.

“I’ve been told I’m one of a kind,” he said, laughing. “If there is anything else, just let me know.”

“Uh, how about some plants around the patio too. What do you think? Should I put urns with plants in them or in the ground to kind of surround it?”

“You could do both,” he said. “Do you want low-growing plants that are easy to maintain? Like hostas?”

“I know hostas are easy and my husband mentioned them, but they are so basic and boring.”

“They’ve got colorful ones,” he said and pulled his phone out to show her.

“Oh,” Brittany said. “Yes. That would look great.”

“Easy enough,” he said. “I’ll add that to the design.”

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