Page 26 of Inherited Light
She leaned forward in her chair and rested her arms on her thighs. “I see what you’re saying. Taking the history into consideration, maybe you didn’t make a mistake. Maybe she got mad at you because you were right and she didn’t like how uncomfortable it made her. Someone had to point it out before it was too late.”
I held my hands out to the side and gave her the palms up. “I’m glad someone sees my point, but I’ll still have to go over and make it right. But first, I’ll stop at the lumberyard.”
She started to wheel toward the ramp and I stood, grabbing her chair. “Where are you going?”
She glanced over her shoulder at me, her hands still on the wheels to propel herself up the ramp. “To get you some money for the wood.”
I managed to hold onto the chair and step around in front of it, so she couldn’t roll away. “Sweetheart, I don’t want any money for the wood.”
Her head was already swaying back and forth in the air before I finished my sentence. “Ren, you can’t pay for the wood yourself. Especially since it’s only a temporary fix.”
I knelt before her and gazed at her under my brows. “Okay, you can pay me for the wood,” I said, watching her face. Her pupils dilated and she held her breath. “With a kiss from your beautiful lips.”
She put her hand on my chest and gathered my shirt in it. “If that’s all you want, then I’m rich with wealth.”
I leaned in, my eyes going closed the moment our lips met. I was drowning in this woman. If I wasn’t careful, I would never come up for air.
Chapter Nine
The list in my hand was more extensive than Cat and I had talked about, but what she didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt her. I didn’t have time tomorrow to build a whole ramp, but I did have time to repair the current one, and a few other things. Tomorrow is Monday, which is usually a work day, but the electricians will be at the shelter all day running wire, which means my construction will be on hold. I can’t use power saws without power, and they couldn’t run electrical wire with the power on. I would stop over and do some supervising and answer any questions, then I’d get to work on the ramp once she went to the gallery.
I slid the list across the counter to my buddy. “Hey, Dane, how’s it going?” I asked as he picked up the list.
“As awesome as ever, bro,” he replied, his grin wide. “I haven’t seen you around for a few weeks, where you been keeping yourself?”
I took a few minutes to explain the shelter project and Little League. Dane wasn’t one of my drinking pals from the bar. We went to high school together and were close friends. When he graduated from high school, he got a degree in design, so now we work on opposite ends of the same trade. He designs, and I build. He married his longtime boyfriend, Maverick, last year, and kept hounding me about getting married, too. Cat’s face filled my minds’ eye for a split second and I held in the groan building inside me.
I cleared my throat and pointed at the list. “Is it possible to get all of it by tomorrow?” I asked Dane. “It’s an emergency repair project for a friend of mine. Her wheelchair ramp is falling apart, but she needs it to get in and out of the house. I’m going to build her a new one once the shelter work is done, but she needs something safe in the meantime.”
“It’s not a problem, Lorenzo, but what’s with all the paint?” He pointed to the list where I had gallons of paint listed and his brows knitted. “You’re not a painter.”
“Lord, no. I hate painting, you know how much, but I have a couple friends coming to help me tomorrow. The exterior of her house needs some work, too.”
He folded his arms and assessed me with a practiced eye. “It sounds like she’s a lucky woman if you’re doing all this work. Let me guess, you’re not charging her for labor either.”
I glared at him for a moment and he started to chuckle, holding up his hand. “Okay, it’s none of my business. I’m just the guy behind the counter.” I waited while he finished reading the list. He leaned over the counter and pointed at the concrete blocks and wood I had listed. “We have a new product for setting deck posts. It’s a heavy block with space for a post in the center of it, and it has four slots to use a four by four brace as you build.”
“I’m confused,” I admitted and he held up his finger, going out the side door into the lumberyard. I tapped my fingers on the counter while I waited and when he returned, he was wheeling a small wheelbarrow. Inside was a grey concrete block. He set the wheelbarrow down and motioned me over.
“They weigh a ton, but they save you from digging holes and pouring concrete.” He showed me how the product worked and there was relief in my chest for the first time all day.
“What do they run?” I asked as he jumped behind the desk and punched something into the computer.
“They’re reasonable,” he said waiting for the machine to do its job. “I thought of them when you said you were going to build a new ramp eventually. You can reuse them for the new one and only have to pay for the product once.” A few more key strokes and he flipped the screen around to show me. “They’re a hair under five bucks a piece.”
“Sold,” I said quickly. “A ton less time, less work, and half the price of concrete pilings is a huge benefit. I like the idea of reusing them for the new ramp, and since it’s going to be on concrete, it saves me having to try to figure out how to secure the ramp.”
He held up the list. “With that settled, I can have this ready in a few hours. How soon do you need it?”
“I don’t need it until tomorrow, so no rush. Do you want me to stop back right away in the morning?”
“Perfect. We’re shorthanded, so it gives us a little extra time to get it all together. We open at eight.” He tapped the list on the counter and grinned at me in his impish way. “Inquiring minds want to know. Did Lorenzo Dalton finally find the woman who will domesticate him? We aren’t sure, but stick around. More at ten.”
I laughed and tossed a rubber pencil eraser toward his chest. He deflected it with his hand and it fell to the floor harmlessly. “Just because you got married young doesn’t mean everyone has to.”
“Who said anything about marriage?” he asked innocently. “I don’t remember even saying the word.”
I backed up to the door and opened it with my butt, waving. “I’ll be back in the morning. I would appreciate it if you didn’t spread this around. It’s someone who is influential in the community.”
