AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I felt like I’d walked in on something that was already in progress, and possibly too late to salvage.
“She’s inside,” he said as he opened the door, and we went inside.
I followed Mac to the kitchen, where the plans were spread out on a large box of cabinets in the middle of the room.
I held out my hand to her. “I’m Sam Fletcher, Mac’s brother.”
She shook my hand, her expression tense. “Natalie Anderson.”
“Nice to meet you. Now, what seems to be the problem?”
Natalie gestured at the floor. “The floors are supposed to be real wood, not this fake stuff.”
Mac looked at me. “Dad approved the flooring with her.”
“We discussed the price for real wood. I want to keep with the aesthetics of the home.”
Mac crossed his arms over his chest. “It helps if the owner is present for some of the renovations in case things like this come up.”
We’d already reframed the rooms and had moved to the floors. The first floor had been completed, and if it wasn’t what Natalie wanted, it was going to be a setback. The issue was whether Dad messed up or if she had.
“I need to talk to my dad to figure out what happened, but he’s on vacation.” We’d bugged him for years to take this vacation, and we’d gotten together to pay for their anniversary trip. I wouldn’t call him unless it was an emergency. It was so hard for him to relax.
Natalie crossed her arms. “What are we supposed to do? Just wait for him to get back?”
“Not necessarily,” I said at the same time Mac said, “Unless you have another suggestion.”
I shot Mac a look that saidshut up while I handle this. It was clear these two didn’t get along or had at least not gotten off to a good start. “If you’re positive you want wood floors, we can order the materials you’d prefer and wait to rip up anything until Dad gets back.”
It was nice to be the one handling things for a change, even if I had to defer to my dad. He was the one who made decisions when issues came up.
Natalie sucked in a breath, her eyes suddenly shiny. “What happens if you decide it’s my mistake? Do I need to pay for both?”
My heart rate increased, and I looked to Mac for help. Not that he was any better at dealing with her, but I wasn’t used to handling tears.
The look Mac was giving her made it clear he thought she had bitten off more than she could chew. But I appreciated him keeping his mouth shut.
Natalie wrapped her arms around her body in a protective gesture. “I bought this place after my divorce, hoping for a fresh start.” She shook her head. “Maybe this was too much to handle while still living in South Carolina. But I’m not ready to admit defeat.”
Mac pulled off his cap, running a hand through his unruly hair. “May I ask why you’re still in South Carolina? This isn’t a small project.”
“My daughter’s in school. I didn’t want to move her until we had a safe place to live.”
I exchanged a look with Mac. Did she have a safe place to live now?
“Do you need us to work on the owner’s suite first so you can move sooner?” I asked.
Natalie shook her head. “I don’t want to be a burden.”
“This is your project. We’re working for you. If you need a place to live while we renovate, and you’re willing to live in a construction zone, we could do it.”
It was feasible. The owner’s suite was on the first floor and exited to the rear of the property. It allowed an owner or manager to come and go without walking through the main lobby.
She bit her lip, then released it. “Maybe that’s a good idea. That way I can be on-site.”
“How old is your daughter? It wouldn’t be a good idea for her to have access to a construction site,” Mac said.
“She’s nine. Our suite exits to the rear. I wouldn’t bring her through this way. How soon do you think you could have it livable?”
