Page 39 of Damien
“What am I gonna do with you?” He chuckles. “Come on,” he says as he squeezes my hand. “Let me give you the tour.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” I tease as I eagerly look around.
Man, this place is amazing.
It’s obvious he’s done some major renovations. The dark wood throughout looks perfect with the cabinetry he’s installed in the kitchen, even if it’s missing countertops. I can’t believe he’s done this all himself. From the hall, he shows me a makeshift office and his guest bedroom. He’s put crown molding and painted accent walls in each room to give each its own unique feature.
When I see the window seat he’s installed in the guest room, I gush, “Oh, I’ve always wanted one of those. If I ever get the chance, I’m putting one of those in my bedroom. I love reading and would love to just curl up with a book.”
“My sister was a huge influence in me using this space this way. She’s always had her nose in a book.”
“She sounds like my kind of people,” I admit.
“Oh, I’m sure the two of you would get along.” He nods in agreement, then shrugs. “Though I’ll admit, I also put that there for some built-in storage. This house doesn’t have a ton of it, and I know that’s a hot commodity when looking for a new home.”
“True,” I say as he leads me to another door.
“This is the master bedroom. You have to see the tile work I completed in the bathroom. I’ve never done it before, but I’ll admit I think it turned out pretty kickass if I do say so myself.”
I’ve been impressed with the entire house so far, but his master bedroom is by far my favorite room. Not only does it smell incredible—just like him, but there’s a huge king-size bed as well as enough room for a sitting area if you wanted furniture in your bedroom. I can easily picture my favorite over-sized chair in the corner and a love seat along the wall, to become a special place for someone to just relax.
When we walk into the bathroom, my mouth drops.
There’s an over-sized walk-in shower to one side and an enormous sunk-in tub I could practically swim in, lining the other wall. Between the two is an entry to a walk-in closet I will kill for. He’s got custom built-in shelves on one side with a few shelves occupied, as well as clothes hanging on the other side. But it’s nowhere near capacity.
“You okay?” he asks when I still haven’t said anything.
“Oh… don’t mind me. Just wishing I could have a bathroom like this. Vince took the master bedroom, so I share my bathroom with Julia since our rooms are next to one another. Someday, when I get a place of my own, I’ll have to hire you to custom build it.”
“Oh, I don’t build, but I can remodel,” he teases. “Some things are worth hiring out for.”
“You’ve done an amazing job. Why are you working on apartments when you could be doing this?” I ask in wonder.
“Well, for starters, this is just a hobby. I like the challenges of orchestrating big projects and watching them come to completion. Let’s be real… the other one has great benefits that include a 401K. Maybe someday, after I’ve flipped a few homes, I can do this full time but in the meantime, I’m happy being the lead engineer on the biggest project of my career. But enough about me… we’ve got a baseball game to get to.”
The way he says it, I can tell he means it with all his heart. Could Damien be cuter? His humility is just another characteristic I’m beginning to like about him. “That’s impressive—on its own,” I say, not letting him dismiss his accomplishments.
“What can I say?” He shrugs again. “I moved to a new town and didn’t know anyone, so I picked up a project to occupy my time.”
“Do you miss your family?” I ask as we reach his living room. I’d be lost without Vince. Maybe it’s a twin thing—or the fact it’s just the two of us now. But Damien comes from a bigger family.
“Yeah,” he sighs. “We get together as often as we can. But even though we’re miles apart, we’re only ever a phone call away.”
“I can’t imagine having so many siblings. Are you closer to some of them more than others?”
This earns a laugh. “Oh… we all have our moments. Growing up, I was naturally closer to Davis as he was my younger brother. Dani and Derek paired off because they were older, but honestly, I’m close with all of them. It was a built-in friends thing with three siblings. We either loved each other—or loved to hate each other and would gang up accordingly—at least that’s how Mom described it to anyone who asked.”
“That’s Vince and me. We’d be the best of friends and the worst of enemies when we were little. But in recent years, I can’t even remember the last time we had a disagreement. I guess it was something we outgrew.” I shrug.
“That is one benefit of growing up. Petty things don’t become disastrous. Now that we all live on our own, we’re just grateful to be around each other. Though we haven’t forgotten how to bicker if we’re pitching each other shit about something. There’s just some things you can’t let your siblings get away with.”
“Oh, we can still bicker, too.” I giggle. “Especially when it comes to deflating egos.”
“Right?” He conspiratorially nudges me with his elbow.
“I’ve already put a blanket in the truck in case it gets cooler this afternoon. Do you need anything before we leave? I have an extra jacket if you need one.” He looks me over from head to toe, and I feel every inch of his gaze, which emboldens me to make my next move.
“I just need one thing,” I say, taking a step toward him.
