Page 11 of Just Breathe

“If at any moment I don’t feel like helping, I promise I’ll let you know.” I tried to give him a cheerful smile that didn’t feel too forced.

He looked at me like he wasn’t buying it, but he nodded anyway. “Go get me some money, woman.” He opened the door for me, and I slid into my car.

“If I get her approval, you owe me dinner,” I joked.

“Deal. Good luck, Jane.” The way he said my name gave me chills. He winked at me and closed my car door. That man was sex on a stick, and he knew it too. I drove away wondering when all this was going to catch up to me or if it was going to happen.

* * *

Mrs. Montgomery’s house was cute. It was a Victorian-style house that desperately needed to be updated. The paint was chipping; the windows looked like they need to be replaced and the roof didn’t look so great either. I reorganized my bag with samples, throwing a few catalogues in and my iPad, wanting to look a professional, hoping that would give me some credence. After getting out of the car, I took a deep breath and walked up to the door. I might have talked a big game, but I didn’t want to mess this up for Aiden either. I rang the doorbell and waited patiently for Mrs. Montgomery.

The door opened a minute later. “Can I help you?” Mrs. Montgomery snapped, already looking irritated.

“Hi, Mrs. Montgomery, my name is Jane Ramos and I’m here on behalf of Aiden Miller. I have those samples you requested, and I want to apologize for taking so long on those.”

“I ordered those weeks ago. I figured he’d forgotten about me again.” Her look of irritation deepened.

“I’m so sorry; my fault entirely. I’ve been trying to help Mr. Miller and unfortunately, he isn’t the most organized, so I’ve been trying to get everything in line. He mentioned you when I started and with all these other files, it slipped my mind.” I felt bad for throwing Aiden under the bus, but I had a feeling that she might be a little more lenient on me.

“I swear that poor man has needed help for years. It’s good to see he’s gotten himself some help. Why don’t you come in?” She opened the door to let me in.

Jackpot. I took a step inside, noticing how dark it was. There was very little natural light coming through, making everything look dingy and worn. Her taste was impeccable, though. Mid-century furniture decorated the living room, giving it a very chic feel.

“Oh Mrs. Montgomery, I love your furniture.” I walked towards them, loving everything she paired them with. If only she had better lighting and a better rug, the room would be perfect. “Mid-century furniture is my favorite.”

“Oh, these old things?” She pretended to be surprised. “I’ve had these for years. I’ve always loved this type of furniture.”

“Wow, they look brand new.” And they really did.

“Thank you, honey. Shall we go to the kitchen?” She ushered me through a dining room that was just as cute as the living room.

I walked into the dimly lit kitchen, noticing that it desperately needed updating..

“So, Mrs. Montgomery, here are the cabinet samples you requested. I’ve added a few just based on what Aiden and I discussed, just to give you more variety.” I laid them out on the counter tops so she could see them up against each other, hoping she would see that she needed new counter tops as well.

“Oh, thank you. I enjoy variety.” She looked at the cabinet samples in different whites; soft grays, and I threw in one sample of a soft pine. Now, looking at her living room, I think it would be a brilliant choice.

“So let me know your thoughts. Anyone of them you don’t like right away?” I tried to sound as friendly as possible.

After touching the pine-colored sample, she looked at the other samples. She quickly pulled away the gray samples, leaving the whites and pine samples. She touched the pine again and I think it looked very similar to the pine color she had in the living room.

“I think I like this pine color, but I don’t know how it would look with what I have now.” She picked it up to inspect it more closely. “I feel like all these samples make my counters look dingy and old.”

“Do you know how old these counter tops are?” I asked.

“Oh, honey, these counter tops might be older than you.” She chuckled, finally relaxing with me.

“Well, as much as I would love to say, counters get better with age, like I do, they unfortunately don’t.” She mirrored my small laugh.

“I guess you’re right, they are pretty old. Do you have any suggestions on what to pair these pine cabinets with?” She looked at me for inspiration and I was glad I came prepared.

“I do. I have four samples, but before I lay them out for you, I want to know. What do you picture your kitchen looking like?”

She looked taken back at my question. “I don’t know, more updated?”

“Ok, what does that look like? Is it all white? Do you see pops of color? Or something more neutral?” I laid the samples out while she looked around at her kitchen. I also took my iPad out in case we needed to look at some pictures.

“I honestly don’t know,” she said, looking at me confused, like she hadn’t really thought of it before.

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