Page 15 of The Christmas Lodge
“Well, I think it’s wonderful. You’re going to breathe life into that beautiful home,” Sarah said, beaming.
The lingering tension in Lacy’s heart eased at Sarah’s warmth and she smiled back, glad that she’d confided in Sarah. She was about to respond when a man stepped up to their table, a notepad in one hand and a pencil behind his ear. The two women looked up at him in question.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, ladies,” the man said, “but I’m a columnist for the Evanston Gazette.”
“Evanston is the next town over,” Sarah said for Lacy’s benefit.
The man nodded eagerly. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you’re planning to restore the Spielman mansion?”
Lacy nodded, still a bit bewildered.
“I’d love to write an article about it, if you’re open to it,” the man continued, his words spilling out with enthusiastic haste. “What do you say?”
Sarah impulsively reached out and grabbed Lacy’s hand, her face alight with excitement. “Wow,” she breathed. “Look, word is already spreading about the work you’re doing, Lacy!”
Lacy smiled back, considering the man’s offer. If nothing else, it would drum up more excitement and awareness about her project, which might help when she tried to sell the house or flip it into some other investment. It was a smart business move, she decided.
She reached her hand out to shake the reporter’s. “You’ve got a deal.”
CHAPTEREIGHT
As soon as the doors of Mitchell Hardware opened at ten a.m. the next morning, Lacy was grabbing a cart and moving about the store with a purpose. She had spent the better part of the past week assessing, taking notes, and looking through ideas, and now she was itching to move forward in earnest. No more waffling, she had determined while lying awake in bed the previous night. It was time to actually dive into the project, which meant getting her hands dirty. She knew she didn’t have loads of experience in that department, but the one thing she did know was that she, Lacy Preston, had never backed down from a challenge and she knew how to work hard.
Google will be my best friend during this whole thing, she thought as she threw some paint rollers and disposable paint trays into her cart.And I’ll be hiring contractors to do the skilled tasks. I can handle painting and cleaning, no problem.
“Can I help you find anything?”
Lacy turned to see a man with curly brown hair and a close-trimmed beard standing a few feet from her. He stood only a few inches taller than her, but he was stocky and muscular. He wasn’t wearing any name tag or uniform, and it suddenly occurred to her that some random man might have seen a lone woman in a hardware store and decided that she wouldn’t know anything. Well, she didn’t know anything, buthedidn’t need to know that, she decided, drawing herself up to look as tall as she could.
“Do you work here?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.
The man smiled, his brown eyes kind. “Clark Mitchell, at your service. And yes, you could say that.”
“Mitchell… as in ‘Mitchell Hardware.’” Lacy bit back a groan and hoped she wasn’t blushing.
“That’s me,” he replied, cheerful as ever. “Anyway, like I said, happy to help with anything you need.”
Lacy swallowed her pride, bitter as it was. “Actually, I was wondering if you rent out floor sanders? And maybe shop vacuums that can deal with wet or dry messes?”
“Absolutely. We can take care of that at the register.”
“Great. One less thing on my list.”
“Need help with the rest of the list?”
“No, I’m good, thanks. A lot of this comes down to design and style choices, so it might take me a while. I’m headed to look at your wallpaper selection next.”
“Okay, I’ll get out of your hair then,” Clark said with a grin. “Give me a holler if you need anything.”
Lacy nodded her thanks and turned back to her cart. Over the next hour or so, she wandered the aisles, debating the various merits of paint colors and wallpaper selections and filling her cart with a mountain of cleaning supplies and basic tools. When she saw a small selection of coveralls usually used by mechanics, she went ahead and threw in the smallest pair she could find. Restoring the mansion would be a messy business, and she suddenly realized that not one piece of her stylish wardrobe was suitable. Finally, with great effort, she pushed her heavy cart up to the register, peeking around the corner of it to see Clark watching with an impressed look on his face.
“All right, let’s see the damage,” she joked, reaching into her purse to pull out her credit card. “And please don’t forget the sander and the shop vac.”
“You got it.” Clark began scanning items and, in what Lacy decided was a very thoughtful gesture, packing them neatly into cardboard boxes to make the load easier to carry.
As she watched the total on the register climbing higher and higher, Lacy felt her chest tightening with something awfully close to panic, but she tamped it down with a herculean effort.
This is no different than when you invest in someone else’s business venture, she scolded herself fiercely.You’ve invested in yourself before too, so you’ve got this! Sure, you’re about to take on work you’ve never done before, but you’re Lacy Preston! You figure things out and you come out on top.
