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Adrian finished tighteningthe last screw to brace the final beam to the damaged one, fixing the damage caused by the leaks. By supporting the weakened beams with sister beams, the kitchen floor would be stabilized, and there would be no further risk of the refrigerator ending up in the crawl space.
He wished all foundations were this easy to shore up. After Sofia’s rapid retreat the night before, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how he could help her. If she had less stress in her life, maybe she’d be more open to starting something with him. It never hurt to be the guy who fixed things. He’d had no idea that she was feeling all those stressors so deeply. She hid it well. So often, she was the loud and confident business manager ribbing him. He hadn’t realized that her snarking wasn’t a joke and that he needed to change his habits. He seldom got to see her softer side. It was easy to forget that it even existed.
She needed a little support while they navigated these changes, and he was going to be right there for her every step of the way. It wouldn’t hurt if he could keep her happy about the partnership proposal, too. He had a deep, driving desire to be the man this strong woman leaned on. Her tears last night had unlocked that goal, making him feel like a goddamn hero when they’d stopped.
He could get used to being her hero. Going home alone had taken every ounce of heroism he’d had left, but earning her trust was worth it.
He laid down the fresh subflooring and screwed it into place. One more hiccup handled. That should make her smile. He would also make more of an effort to fill out those damn order forms better. It was a pain in the ass to try and track down part numbers on his phone when his hands were covered in spackle, but he didn’t want to be the reason she was in the office until nine every night. Not when he could be the reason she was in his bed at nine. Maybe they could figure out a shortcut or some middle ground that worked for them both, but until then he could make this work.
Now that the floor was repaired, he could install the cabinets and then start tiling. He liked the part where everything started to look finished best. He would love to see what finishing with Sofia looked like. He shook his head at his own rambling thoughts. He was getting turned on over cabinet installations.
I’ve got to stop thinking about her. These cabinets aren’t going to hang themselves.
“Hey, handsome. The strong, silent type might work for your dating game, but it makes for shit TV. Pull your head out of the clouds, and talk me through what you’re doing.”
Adrian looked up at Trina and grinned. She was an attractive woman who dressed like a twelve-year-old boy, swore like a sailor, and handled that camera rig like a professional wrestler. He couldn’t help but like her. He realized he’d gotten caught up in his thoughts again and wondered how much had shown on his face. He explained his next steps for the camera.
“Now that we’ve got the supports reinforced and the subfloor down, we can hang the cabinets and install the island. Seth and I were able to alter the prefab cabinets to make them fit the existing space by cutting down the door widths and reassembling the trim, creating a custom cookie sheet drawer next to the sink. Once we get the island installed, we’ll start laying tile in here. This space is really starting to shape up.”
“Did I hear something about an island?”
As if his thoughts had conjured her, Sofia rounded the corner of the kitchen door, all smiles.
“Yeah, you did. I hear Hawaii is beautiful this time of year. Want to go?”
“Ha ha. How’s the floor?”
“All fixed. I’m going to hang the cabinets now, and we should be ready for the island by tomorrow. Then we can start laying the tiles.”
“You’re moving along faster than I expected.”
Was it him or did she look nervous? They had the island, right? He’d seen it on her cut sheets. Something wasn’t quite right, but he wasn’t going to call her on it on camera. He’d learned that lesson yesterday. Trina was right there catching the whole conversation. “So, what’s on your schedule today?”
“I was coming to check on your progress in here, and meet up with Trina to go do a walk-through of the Shahs’ current house to see if there are pieces worth moving or repurposing before I stage the house.”
“She’s all yours. I’m going to break for lunch and then hang cabinets with the crew. Will you…” He paused, unsure if he should ask. But he couldn’t help her if he didn’t spend time with her. “Will you be coming back here after that?”
“I think so. I might have pieces to transport. Why?”
“I had an idea I wanted to run past you, but it can wait until later.”
“Okay, if you’re sure…”
“I am.” He was absolutely sure that he wanted to spend more time with her.
“Then I guess I’d better get going. Trina? Are you good?”
“Sure thing. I’ll round up some grunts to follow us in the moving van and swap batteries real quick. I’ll meet you at the car.”
* * *
“So what’sup with the sexy head contractor?”
The non sequitur from Trina as she buckled her seat belt threw Sofia for a loop.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. The camera doesn’t lie. There’s something going on between you, and I can’t tell if it’s good tension or bad. All I know is that Jake is eating it up with a spoon. The sparks between you are a major plotline of this pilot.”
