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“Noticed what?” That had me curious. Maybe they saw something I couldn’t?
“That you two seemed close.”
“Well, if by close you mean I embarrassed myself by staring longingly into her eyes, then yes.”
He laughed. “Maybe she digs you but is too shy to let you know.”
“She’s not shy.” I got hot under the collar just thinking about how bold and uninhibited she’d been. I’d forgotten all about my ex-girlfriend during the hours we spent together.
“Regardless, why don’t you call and see what she needs? Or pop down the hall?”
I was getting the distinct impression that this was about more than just building a gazebo. Were our friends trying to push us together? Married people always thought everyone else should be married too.
“Yeah, I guess I could do that,” I said. “But don’t get your hopes up if you’re trying to get us together.”
“No, sure, I understand. It would be a job, that’s all. One that pays well. You said you need a new car.”
“True enough.” I didn’t think my old Honda would make it through the winter. She didn’t seem to like the cold. “I’ll go out there. Worst case, she says no.” Even as I said it, I inwardly cringed. The wordsshe says nobrought me right back to the humiliation of my botched proposal.
“Good. Also, we’re thinking of having people out to the house this weekend. My mom’s house, that is.” Tiffany and Breck were still living at his mother’s house while theirs was being built.
“How’s your house coming along?” I asked.
“Slow. We’re still waiting on countertops and cabinets.”
“Those are always slow but especially right now.”
“Anyway,” Breck said, “give her a call.”
“I will. Thanks for the heads-up.”
We hung up, and I stared down at my phone. Should I call her? Would it be too awkward? Maybe she’d already found someone. If she’d wanted to hire me, she could have called. All our friends knew I was looking for simple carpentry or handyman work.
“Whatever,” I muttered under my breath. I would call and ask her if she still needed someone. I was making too much of this.
She picked up right away. My heart sped up at the sound of her pretty voice. “Hello?”
“This is Darby.”
Silence for a few seconds, as if she were trying to place who I was. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“Breck called and told me about your project.”
“He did?” Her voice went up in pitch. “That was presumptuous of him.”
Presumptuous? Weird word to use. “You have someone, then?”
Another hesitation before she answered. “No, I don’t. I was going to call you to see if you were interested but then couldn’t decide if that was a good idea.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, me too. But we’re good, right?”
“I mean, I did nurse you back to health the other day,” Jamie said.
“You basically saved my life. Which means I owe you.”
“Do you think you could do it so fast? This woman is fixated on a certain date. There was no budging her.”
“I’ve built a couple of gazebos before. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
