Ruth looked through the glass on the doors to the backyard.
I quickly flicked on the light switch, so she could see outside since it was already dark.
She took a step back and cocked her head to the side, glancing at the wall. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a light switch there before.”
Uh-oh.
Ruth wouldn’t have a problem with me adding something that wasn’t part of the original plan, would she? Most clients would be thrilled that I had thought of that extra detail at no charge. Dee had warned me that Ruth wanted things the way she wanted them, and the way things were agreed upon.
I hadn’t asked her permission to install the new light switch.
Dee’s words about Ruth bounced back and forth in my head.
She’s a perfectionist. As long as you remember that and deliver what you promised, there won’t be any problems at all.
Hopefully, I hadn’t overstepped my boundaries here. Ruth was a workaholic. She should have been able to appreciate anything that would save her time, even if it was just thirty seconds. That had to be my angle for the explanation.
I cleared my throat. “I installed it in case you ever wanted to turn on the backyard light from here in your office and enjoy the view outside while you’re working at night. I linked this light switch to the other one next to your sliding glass door in the family room. Now, you can turn the backyard lights on and off from either room. Convenientanda time saver.”
She did that staring thing again.
“No charge,” I added, in case she was thinking that she had to pay extra since it wasn’t part of the original plan. I had no plans on charging her for it anyway, but it was good to spell things out for my clients so there were no misunderstandings.
“I like it. Good call, but”—she shook her finger at me—“You will get paid for all the work you do here.” She gestured to the doors. “May I?”
“Of course.”
She opened both of the french doors, swinging them all the way open, and standing back to inspect what I had done. I had also installed the screen doors to keep the bugs out, but that wouldn’t keep her from hearing and enjoying the crickets singing.
A wonderful ocean breeze entered the office.
“I needed this badly today.”
I nodded. “Rough day?”
“You have no idea.” She watched the blinking lights of a plane fly by and her face and shoulders tensed up again. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get some work done.”
What was that all about?
Who knew what she had going on? It certainly wasn’t my place to ask. The best thing to do was just get out of her hair.
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll be back in the morning at eight to get started on the backyard, starting with installation of the fountain.”
“Thank you. Oh . . . and I do hope that Brandon was able to get that screwdriver to your truck without any difficulties.”
“I’m confident he succeeded.” I grinned, appreciating her sarcasm. “Sometimes, I let him carry three or four at the same time.”
The bottom of her mouth curved up just enough to let me know she wasn’t mad about Brandon’s wedgie comment.
Still, we needed to be careful.
Ruth seemed to be the type of woman who could snap at any moment.
Chapter Seven
RUTH
The first thing I did when I woke up the next morning after I washed my face and got dressed was walk over to the local bakery around the corner to grab my favorite croissants.
