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I spread the spackle as I continued to think about the perfect woman for me. She’d like to get her hands dirty, maybe help me once in a while, but still be able to slip on a dress and heels and be feminine.
Speaking of femininity, I pursed my lips as I thought of Kayley’s friend, Nolan. I shook my head. Seriously, how could anyone name a baby girl Nolan? That was about as unfeminine as you could get.
Chapter Three
Nolan
Four weeks later, the papers were signed, and I had the keys in hand. As I climbed the rickety front steps to the porch, I was grinning as if I’d just won the lottery.
Even as we went to the table to sign the papers this morning, Kayley had been actively trying to talk me out of this house, but I was determined. Every night for the last two weeks, I had dreamed of the place. I would admit that a few of those dreams had been little nightmares, but I’d only admit that to myself.
It wasmyhouse, and I was sticking by it. I could not wait to begin tomorrow. Even though I had just started my new job, I’d taken Wednesday through Friday off to be here for the delivery from the home store and start working on my place.
I had it all planned out. For the first week and a half, I would remain at Kayley’s house and come here each night after work or coaching to clean. My priority was to clean the master bedroom and get the bathroom useable. It shouldn’t take me more than a week to get those two rooms cleaned, painted, and ready to use. Next weekend, I could move in and begin working on the kitchen.
I let myself into the house, giggling as I bounced on my toes, but then I felt the wood under my feet give a little bit, and I jumped off the porch and into the foyer of the house. The porch would need to be replaced soon, or someone would get hurt walking into the house.
In the foyer, I stood, my heart filling with excitement as I stared up at the grand chandelier. It had seen better days—much better days. I wondered if I’d be able to find replacement crystals for that. There had to be someone out there that made and sold those. I’d have to add that to my list to search for replacements.
I headed toward the kitchen, grinning the whole way until I heard something scuttle along the floor. I paused and listened. It was probably a mouse. I had already purchased mousetraps because mice were bound to move in when a house was unoccupied. I reached the threshold of the kitchen and peered in but didn’t see anything.
The little critters were more scared of me than I was of them. It wouldn’t be long before they realized that I was the new owner, and they were being evicted.
I grinned as I stood in the kitchen and looked around. I could imagine this room with clean windows, new curtains, and all-new cupboards and counters. It was going to look amazing. I scuffed my foot along the wood floor. Wow, that was a lot of caked-on dirt. It would take a lot of hard work to redo these floors, but they would look amazing once they were finished.
I walked from room to room, picturing in my mind what it would look like completed. Maybe I was crazy for taking on this project, but I knew I could do it. I might need help once in a while, but that was okay. I didn’t have an aversion to hiring someone to do certain things, like plumbing and electricity. I could fixthings, but water and electricity were not things I wanted to mess around with.
I continued through the house and stood in the master bedroom, staring at the windows. Once I washed the panes of glass and added new window treatments, it would change the entire room. The floor here wasn’t quite as bad as the central part of the house, and I was excited about that. I pulled open the door to the closet, and the handle fell off in my hands. “Whoops!” I messed with it for a few moments, trying to put it back on, but it wasn’t going to stay. I set it aside on the floor and mentally made a note to add another one to the list. Maybe I should change all the doorknobs in the room.
Inside the closet, I grinned. It was huge for an older home, almost the size of a small bedroom, and I was thrilled to be able to design shelves for it and give myself a fancy dressing room of sorts—all this space and no one to share it with. I giggled as I danced in a circle. I had it all to myself.
I made my way into the bathroom and stared at the shower. Where the closet was large, the bathroom was tiny. I pushed on a few ceramic tiles on the back of the shower wall, and they shifted—of course. The wallboard behind them seemed soft. I’d have to replace it eventually, but hopefully not at first. I took in the showerhead and shivered. Good thing I had already bought a new one of those. The relic hanging there was no doubt filled with rust.
I stood back and surveyed the bathroom. I could make the shower a little bigger. It might make the bathroom smaller, but it was possible. If I removed the cast iron tub, I could make it a walk-in shower. That would make the room seem more open. I wasn’t one to soak in tubs anyway, so I wouldn’t miss that.
I would need the plumber to tell me if the pipes were in good order. I could figure out the best kind of shower to install after he did. Good thing I had already called one, and he was going to come first thing tomorrow to look over the pipes in the kitchen and three bathrooms to give me a quote on what was needed.
I might have called three plumbers back in New York to make sure I got a fair estimate, but Kayley told me I could trust this guy.
The house had five bedrooms upstairs and two full baths. Downstairs, it had a traditional living and dining room and a large eat-in kitchen with a half bath and laundry room next to the family room at the rear of the house. It didn’t have a garage, but that was okay. I had land on the property to have one built—but that was a project for the future.
As I looked around, I realized that I did have a lot to keep me busy, and I tried not to let it overwhelm me. The patching and painting alone would take a while.
There was a knock at the door, and then I heard it open. The squeak was undeniable. Add a spray can of lubricant to my list, check!
“Hello!” Kayley called out, and I went down to meet her.
“Hey, I thought you were busy this afternoon,” I told her as I came down into the foyer.
“Brad found someone to help him, so he didn’t need me after all. Besides, what kind of a friend would I be if I wasn’t here to help you on your first day?”
I hugged her tightly. “You’re the best, Kayley.” I stepped back and studied her. “Really, you are the best. I’m not sure where I would be right now if it weren’t for you.”
“I’m going to accept that compliment quickly because I have a feeling in a couple of days, once you start tearing into this house, you’re going to change your mind.”
“Change my mind?”
“Yeah, you’re going to hate me for not talking you out of this house.”
