AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t know what to say. I was aware that I looked like shit but I was seriouslynotabout to spill my guts to him about my monumentally dysfunctional relationship with my mother and my most recent visit with her. Instead I went with, “Sure, I’m fine.”
“Okay, because I can easily come back another time. I was just driving by and thought I’d drop in…”
The gentle concern in his eyes calmed me a little. “No, really, I’m fine. Come in.” I swung the door wide, moving aside to allow him to enter, following him as he walked to the kitchen, wiping my hands over my face before running them through my hair. “Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?” I turned the kettle on. The last thing I wanted was another hot drink, but it gave me something to do.
“Coffee would be great, thanks.”
I switched the kettle off and the coffee machine on. “How do you take it?”
“Milk and one sugar.” He gestured to the teacups on the dining table. “You’ve had a visitor?”
“My mother.” I didn’t look at him as I moved to the dining table, gathering the tea things back onto the tray and dumping them in the sink.
Dropping some brochures on the counter, Matt said, “Check those out when you get a chance,” and, pulling out his measuring tape, started making notes. I picked up one of the flyers as I waited for the coffee, flicking through it idly, not really able to focus on it. Matt worked in silence as he moved around the kitchen, stretching out the measuring tape, taking notes, measuring again. I was grateful he wasn’t attempting polite conversation: I wasn’t up to it. The coffee machine beeped, jarringly loud in the quiet of the kitchen. I poured the coffee and passed Matt his mug. “Thanks.” He smiled as he took it and I felt a little flutter in my stomach, found my lips curving in response in spite of myself. His smile widened, his eyes crinkling appreciatively as he took a sip of coffee. “Nice. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
He looked at me a moment longer before placing his mug on the counter. Then, grabbing a brochure, he handed it to me. “Have a look through this one first, to get an idea of the general style you think would work, then we can break it down from there with the other ones.”
“Okay. Great.” Grabbing the brochure, I moved out of Matt’s way and leaned against the end of the counter as he started measuring the cupboards above the stove. Flicking through the glossy pages, there were images of complete kitchens ranging in style from traditional and old-fashioned to super sleek and modern and everything in between.
“See anything you like?”
“Yeah, a few good options. I think I’d like something that suits the style of the house, maybe like…hmm…this one?”
He came over and stood next to me when I placed the brochure on the counter and pressed the palm of my hand along the center spine, so it lay flat. He looked at the picture, then glanced around the kitchen. His eyes narrowed as he considered. “You know, we could probably do that with the existing structure.”
I tilted my head, eyeing him curiously. “You think?”
“Yeah. The bones of the kitchen are pretty good. I could paint the cupboard doors, replace the countertops, change the door handles. Yeah, I think that would look really good. Keep the colors neutral, add some pendant lighting over the island, some strip lighting along the bottom of the top cabinets. You could put in a sink like this…” He reached for another brochure, flicked to the page he was looking for and showed it to me, then pulled out another brochure. “Tiles like this on the backsplash.”
I could picture it exactly and I smiled again. “I think that would look great, plus it would go with the rest of the house so well. It would be amazing if I didn’t have to replace the whole kitchen from scratch.”
“Okay, great. You’ve got a few options in terms of finishes and materials to get this look—” He glanced at his watch. “Sorry, I’ve got to go. Sunday. Family dinner at my parents’ place.”
“Oh, that sounds amazing,” I said, the sad edge in my tone taking me by surprise. Did I really care that much about Sunday lunch with family? Maybe. Or maybe I was just having a strange day. The low from my mom’s visit to the relative high of Matt’s was throwing me off.
He looked at me, his green eyes intense on mine. “Yeah, it is.” He seemed about to say something more, then stopped himself. “Well, I’ll leave these with you for now. Text me the specifics of what you like, and I’ll bring some samples next time.”
“Okay, sure.” Following him to the door, I watched as he turned around on the step, looking back at me. “Thank you,” I said softly.For more than the brochures, I wanted to say, but couldn’t. I’d still be a sobbing mess at the kitchen table if he hadn’t come by when he did.
His smile pulled at my heart strings. “No problem.”
CHAPTER9
Matt
Iheld the flowers behind my back as I knocked on the door at my parents’ place, hearing the boisterous noises from inside, then someone calling out, followed by footsteps. I smiled as the door swung open. “Matthew! Why on earth are you knocking?”
“Just wanted to grab a moment before the chaos.” I produced the flowers I’d grabbed on the way over from Zara’s, purple dahlias tied in a white ribbon. “Hi, Mom.” She returned my kiss and hugged me.
“What on Earth are the flowers for? Not that I mind, of course.” Her hazel eyes twinkled.
“Just my way of saying sorry for not making it last week. I got caught up with work and couldn’t get away.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. The funny thing about family dinner on Sunday is that it happens every Sunday. It’s fine if you can’t always make it.”
Any reply I might have made was cut short by two blonde streaks racing through the doorway and hurling themselves at me. “Ouff. Hey, squirts! Careful, you’re getting so big you could break my legs running into me like that.” I hoisted a twin niece in each arm and turned sideways to get through the door my mother held open for me.
