Page 19 of Never Been Gargoyled
I’d be worried if she wasn’t smiling. Even more worried if she found out I’d watched her undress. Bathe. Clinging to the windowsill like the creep she’d essentially named me.
“In my defense, I thought you were someone breaking in to vandalize the building. A thief.”
“I can see why.” She peered around. “This place is amazing. So many lovely things, and the structure’ssound. I want to fix it up, but maybe I should hold off. If it’s not mine, it would be foolish to sink much money into it, though it’s Helga’s money, so perhaps that would be okay.” Her gaze met mine. “She left me enough to restore the estate and grounds with some left over to live.”
“I think you should do it. This place needs to live again.” Me too.
“She was generous, and I’ll be grateful to her forever for this fresh start she’s given me.” A pensive look took over her face. “Unless I lose it all to her supposed daughter.”
“That won’t happen,” I said gravely. “I won’t let it.”
She nodded, though shadows still lurked in her eyes. “Could you do something for me?”
“Of course.” Anything. Command me. Tell me how to please you. I couldn’t say that, though I ached to let the words spill from my mouth. She wouldn’t understand, so I wasn’t going to tell her.
She strode outside, and I followed her like a pup devoted to his mistress, which I supposed I was. Not a pup, because I was thirty-two.
We rounded the building and entered the shed. She stopped in the middle and pointed. “See those rakes and tools? I need them, but I can’t reach, and the ladder is broken.”
A puny wooden thing, it leaned against the wall, three of its five rungs snapped in two.
“That won’t do,” I snarled, hefting the ladder and taking it outside, leaning it against the side of the build. “You need a burn pile,” I said when I went back inside and started tugging tools off the rack overhead.
“You’re right. I’ll need a permit for that. I’m sure there are lots of things around here I could burn.”
“I could help.”
“Would you?” Relief crossed her features. “I appreciate that.”
“Where would you like me to place these tools?”
“Oh, you can lay them in the wheelbarrow.” She pointed to it parked along the right side of the shed. “I’m going to grab my gloves from inside and do some work in the gardens. There’s so much to do, it’s almost overwhelming.” Scooting past me, she hurried out of the shed and up the front steps of the manner, entering through the front door.
I tugged all the tools off the rack and laid them inside the wheelbarrow that I eased out of the shed. I leaned other tools against the inside wall, where they’d be easy for her to reach.
She returned, tugging on gloves. “Thank you. It was sweet of you to bring it outside.” Coming close, she tried to place herself between me and the wheelbarrow handles.
I tightened my grip. “Where do you plan to work first?” Peering around, I could see she was right. The gardens were a mess, but it had been years since Helga went into the nursing home. She’d hired someone local for a while, but he moved away, and she might not have been able to find someone new. Or sheforgot since she was sick.
Dazy frowned up at me, standing so close I could smell her light perfume. Heat surged through my body when it shouldn’t over such a simple thing. But I couldn’t help it. I’d gone from snarling at her to peeping at her while she bathed to… What was I doing now?
Staring down at her like I wanted to kiss her.
Which I did.
Chapter 9
Dazy
Ididn’t know what to make of Feydin holding my wheelbarrow in his steel-fisted grip, a determined expression on his face. Or the fact that he was staring at my mouth.
Please tell me I don’t have food stuck in the corners. Tomato soup and grilled cheese tasted amazing, but I didn’t want to wear it on my face.
“Oh, um…” What had he asked me? Yes, where did I want the wheelbarrow? He must feel I couldn’t wheel it around myself, but he’d loaded a lot of tools inside. “I can take it.”
“Where do you want it?” he said again, his voice actually pleasant and not grumpy-growly. Not yet. I was sure that the Feydin I was growing to like would revert to his old self soon.
“How about near the front porch? I plan to work on the gardens around the house first then the others, one at a time after that. I saw an old mowerinside the shed. The gas can even appeared to have some gas in it. I’ll mow what I can after I do some major pruning. The forsythias haven’t been groomed in years, and they’re much too leggy. And have you seen those lilacs? They’re sending sprouts up everywhere.”
