Page 17 of Unforgiven in Cheshire Bay

“That won’t be necessary.”

“I don’t mind. I’d hate for someone else to try and assemble it only for them to crack it or something bad to go wrong.” And I’d be out the money to repair it. “I promise a finished project and to give it to you in pieces for someone else to put together, well, it doesn’t feel right.”

“Fair enough.” He took a sip of his beer and handed me back the drawing, his fingers grazing against mine like a shot of static electricity.

It caused me to stare at our brief connection. My heart hammered in my chest. It wasn’t supposed to do this, get all excited by a simple little touch, and yet I swore it was beating hard enough to make my shirt dance.

David raked his gaze up to my eyes. “And dare I ask what this particular piece will set me back?”

From under the drawings, I pulled out the itemized list for the project he selected. Naturally, it had been the most expensive one, so first I softened him up with the table pieces and a slight flutter of my eyelashes, the way Francesca had instructed me to flirt a little to make it easier. I felt utterly foolish.

“Let me show you the table pieces first.”

Our server arrived and set down two steaming plates of appetizers. The scents were mouthwatering, and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into one of the bacon-wrapped scallops.

I set out the table pieces, each a different element of the grand mural.

“Ooh, I like that idea.” He plated some appetizers for me. “Dig in. They’re better warm.”

I popped one into my mouth and sighed with each heavenly bite. I wiped my mouth before speaking. “And here is the cost.”

“Each? Or total?” His eyes bugged out for a fraction of a second.

“Oh, gosh, sorry that’s the total for the seven pieces.” I pointed to a line further down. “That’s the breakdown per item.”

A gentle whew blew out of him. Suddenly, I was worried he was going to reject the mural.

“And this is the cost for the mural.” I slid him the paper with the estimated labour hours, and the cost of materials while I munched on a mushroom stuffed with crab and cream cheese.

He grabbed a scallop while reading over the invoice.

Time seemed to slow down, and I finished another mushroom before he finally spoke.

“This is a little steep.”

Which I knew because I’d inflated the price like Libby said, but it wasn’t astronomical the way she wanted. I only added in what I’d lost in wages because of his poor food handling practices, and that price hadn’t even been adjusted for inflation, however, I did add a tiny five percent increase to my hourly wage and a ten percent upcharge on the materials. He didn’t need to know I got a deal at the hardware store, not the one in Cheshire Bay because they were too expensive, but rather at the national chain in Courtenay, a few hours drive away.

“May I think on this? It was a little higher than what I’d been preparing for.”

“Oh, of course.”

“Can I keep this?”

“Absolutely.”

Beads of sweat built across the nape of my neck. Was he going to compare prices and ask me to price match? I hoped not. It was crazy to think but once the design popped into my head, it was all I could think about, and adding up the cost versus what I was charging him was going to provide a nice little cushion for Vera and me, something we’d never really had.

“Let me think on it for the next couple of days, and I’ll get back to you by Friday.” His phone vibrated on the table, grabbing his attention.

“That’s fine.” My mouth started to dry out, and I took a ladylike sip of the beer, which helped. I grabbed another mushroom and popped it into my mouth. I’d been foolish in thinking I was going to get away with it. No doubt, he’d call me up on Friday and tell me he’s going to go a different direction.

David cleared his throat and grabbed his phone. “Forgive me, I just need a minute.” His thumbs typed frantically, and when he finished, set it screen side down. “Well, that concludes the business portion of the evening.” Tucking the estimate into the inside pocket of his suit jacket hanging over the back of his chair, he returned his attention to me. Fully and undivided, with his hand on the beer and his gaze set on me. “Let’s get to the real reason I invited you out.”

I swallowed and crossed my legs together at the ankles, my heart hammering loudly as I leaned in just ever so closer.

“There’s something I need to find out.”

Chapter Six

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