Page 16 of Raspberry Cake
“Hey,” he greeted shyly. “Mira asked me to fill these out.”
“I’ll take them.” She reached out and he stepped into the office, handing the papers over. “She stayed home today. Are you settling in well?”
“Yeah.” He took his hat off, running his fingers through his hair before replacing it on his head. “The guys are nice.”
“Ah, so you passed their initiation.”
“I was so fucking drunk. I don’t even know how I got home.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “Sounds like a good night.”
“It was.” He glanced around the office. “You’re all alone?”
“It seems that way. Jeronimo was supposed to be back by now but I guess he got held up at the Bolton property.”
“So, you have more than one?”
“Two at the moment. Want to see?”
With a bright smile, Renley took the chair in front of her desk. “Can I see the one I’m working on too?”
“Of course.”
“Unless you’d rather go home. I don’t want to keep you longer.”
“That is very kind of you, but I usually stay much later than this.” She turned the screen towards him showing him the 3D model of the house he was working on. “They’ve decided to keep the fireplace, so we’re adjusting it to be electric.”
“That’s why you came last week, right?”
“Yeah, I wanted to see what else we could do if they decided to get rid of it entirely.”
“And you just come up with ideas on the spot?”
“Not always, but I guess I have an imagination for things like this.”
“Like an artist with an empty canvas.” He leaned closer to admire all the fine details. “I worked on that room today. It just looks like a construction site, I could never come up with a floor plan from scratch.”
“The owners help out a lot.”
Renley levelled her with a flat glare. “Take the compliment, woman.”
She couldn’t help but grin and judging by the heat washing up her neck, she was blushing as well. “Fine. Thank you.”
Renley’s shoulders shook with laughter. “What made you want to become an architect? That’s what you are, right?”
“Yes. I always liked the idea of creating something new or improving something old. I guess I’ve always had an eye for design.”
“Was that before or after Europe?”
“After. I got myself an internship after I got my bachelor’s.”
“And then you decided to be your own boss.”
“Not quite that quickly. I worked for a few firms over the years, but then I met Jeronimo and I offered to help him. He made me his partner instead.”
“I haven’t talked to anyone who doesn’t enjoy working for you, so you seem to be doing everything right.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but remembered the glare that had earned her before. “Thank you.”
