Page 7 of Seasoned
“Call it being neighborly.” His gaze rested on her in the silence, and she was reminded of her accusation that he hadn’t been neighborly in the past.
With heat warming her cheeks, she said, “That’s very kind of you.”
“I’m a kind guy.” He smiled a little, softening his features in a way that made her heart flutter.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
What the heck was the matter with her? It was one thing to find him attractive—after all, she wasn’t blind—but quite another to have her heart beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings.
“Would it bother you if I use my recorder? It’s easier to get the information I need, and I transcribe the notes later.”
“I don’t mind.”
Clive removed a small recorder from his jeans. He turned it on and then dropped the device into the front pocket of his T-shirt. Then he removed measuring tape from the tool box and spoke the measurements out loud so that the recorder captured the sound.
Afterward, he said, “I can pick up the door, unless you’d prefer to do that…?”
“I’d prefer for you to do it, to be honest. I’m not knowledgeable about that kind of thing, and if you don’t mind…”
Clive picked up the tool box. “Don’t mind at all. We’re all set, then. I’ll call you with the details later tonight. Oh, do me a favor, would you?” He pulled a little notebook and pen from his back pocket. “Write down your name, number, and email address for me.”
Renee took the notebook and wrote down the information and then handed everything back to him.
He glanced at it. “Perfect. I’ll email you the estimate tonight.”
Renee escorted him to the door. “Um…thank you. I appreciate your help.”
A spark lit his eyes as he smiled at her, and her heart raced a little bit, but she irritably tamped down the excitement.
“Not a problem, Renee. Just being neighborly.”
“Neighborly. Right.”
She watched him walk back to his house and closed the door. She felt a little something that she hadn’t felt in a few years. More than attraction. A type of…longing. A tightening in her chest.
He had a nice smile and seemed nice. He might not be that bad, but she reminded herself that after three failed marriages, she wasn’t looking.
“I’m not looking,” she said firmly to the empty room.
4
She smelled good today, as if she’d sprayed on perfume right before he arrived. The scent made Clive want to get closer and sniff her skin.
“Hope you don’t mind, I brought a helper with me. Margie, say good morning to Miss Joseph.”
Because he was working on her repair during the week when he watched Margie, he’d had to bring her with him on the job.
The eight-year-old smiled and said in her most polite voice, “Good morning, Miss Joseph.”
“Good morning. And of course I don’t mind.” Her face broke into a pleasant smile and the dimples appeared, transforming her face and making the muscles in his abdomen contract.
Tools in hand, Clive followed her to the back of the house where the doorway was boarded up. “First, I’m going to remove this and then get the new doors. They’re sitting on my truck.”
“Do you need me to do anything?” Renee asked.
“Just stay out of the way.”
“I can do that.” Renee lowered her head to engage his granddaughter. “How about you, Margie? Can I get you something to drink or a snack?”
