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She grins. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“I know,” I say. “I already told you. I’ll take the tools in exchange for fixing your plumbing issues.”
Harlow immediately shakes her head. “Absolutely not,” she says. “I won’t let you work for less than you deserve. I’ll pay what you would charge anyone else.”
I sigh. I’d had a feeling she would argue. She seems to enjoy arguing with me. Plus, she’s not the type of woman to take the easy way out. She’s busted her ass to get where she is now. I can respect it. Hell, it’s kind of hot. But this is different. She’s a friend. I would do the same for Piper or Luke. The idea of charging her for my time seems ludicrous. I smile at her, planning to explain my thought process.
“It’s a fair trade,” I say. “Besides I don’t charge my friends for my time.”
“Shitty way to run a business,” she says in a dry tone that makes me laugh.
“That’s what I’ve been doing wrong,” I say as though the idea is brand new to me. “Listen, Harlow, I know you don’t know much about what I do. Just like I don’t know much about what you do. But trust me when I tell you that the work you need isn’t all that hard. It’s a little time-consuming. Which means that any other contractor would come in here and quote you some ridiculously high price to fix your broken pipe. All because he’d be able to work the time aspect to his advantage. The parts themselves aren’t all that expensive.”
She bristles. “I can buy them myself. I don’t need charity.”
I keep my voice easy. “That’s not what this is. Much as I’d love to be able to do it all for free, you were right before. I have a business to run. And a child to support. Offering my own free labor is one thing. That’s just my body and my time.” I ignore the way those words sound and keep going, hoping Harlow didn’t notice me stumbling over my words. “If I paid for the supplies, I’d have to cut back on John’s hours. And I know he needs the money. Then I’d also have to work those hours myself to make sure my contracts get completed. I’m not an idiot, Harlow. This isn’t charity. You didn’t let me finish.”
I can see a muscle ticking in her jaw. She crosses her arms over her chest and looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue. The sight is almost enough to make me smile, but I can guess how she’d take that. Instead, I keep my expression neutral.
“I’ll do the repairs in the evenings after I finish work for the day. That way it won’t cut into my business since you seem concerned about that. And I won’t charge you for my time, because I’m not an asshole who takes advantage of his friends. But if you trade me the tools for my time, that leaves me with the money I would have spent to buy those tools. If it’s just repairing broken pipes, that’s not all that expensive. I promise, it won’t break the bank. And I can use my contractor discount to get the best deals on quality materials.” I pause. “Do we have a deal?”
Harlow still looks like she wants to argue, but I can tell she knows she doesn’t have a valid argument. This is the best deal she’s going to get in this town, and I don’t think she can afford to pay an exorbitant amount to have the repairs done. Part of me wonders why I’m so set on being the one to fix this problem for her. I don’t have a real answer for that. I can claim I’m helping a friend, but until recently I hadn’t spoken to her since high school. It’s only because her friend started dating my friend that we interacted at all. She’s more of an acquaintance than a close friend. So, why am I being so insistent? Before I can delve into the inner workings of my own mind, Harlow speaks.
“You’re right,” she says. I can tell the words don’t taste good on the way out. I manage to keep my smile contained. “I do need help. I can’t do the work on my own. I wouldn’t know the first thing about plumbing or electrical work. YouTube probably has some great tutorials, but I want everything up to code and I don’t trust myself to do the job of a professional. And no, I probably can’t afford your hourly rate. Or that of another contractor.”
I can see how much that admittance costs her. Harlow isn’t the type of woman who likes to admit she can’t do something. And she’s certainly not the type of woman to ask for help. In her roundabout way, this is her asking.
“I accept your offer,” she says. Before I can say anything, she adds, “On one condition.”
I huff out a laugh. I should have known she’d have something to add. “Which is?”
“I want to help,” she says. “I want to learn. At least the basics. I don’t want to be helpless if something like this happens again.”
I grin at her, shaking my head. “Harlow, you’ve never been helpless a day in your life.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “I’m going to choose to take that as a compliment.”
I shrug. “If you want.”
Now she’s outright glaring at me. I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. Teasing her is a lot more fun than my usual haggling with clients. I can tell she wants to say something snarky, but I hold up a hand to stall her.
“Fine,” I say. “I’ll teach you. But you know it’s going to take longer than if I just do it myself?”
She nods. “Maybe a little. But I’m a quick learner.”
I shake my head, wondering how the hell I ended up here, agreeing to spend hours working with the woman I used to spend hours obsessing over back when we were kids.
“I’m sure you are,” I say, pretending to be unaffected by our new agreement.
“So, we have a deal?” she asks, her tone all business.
I hold out a hand. “We have a deal.”
She hesitates for a split second before reaching out to shake my hand. The instant I feel her smaller hand in mind, a little thrill runs through me, shooting up from the place our hands are touching. I glance down at our joined hands, half-convinced I’ll see a bolt of lightning there. But there’s nothing. After a quick shake of her hand, I reluctantly release her. I regret it almost immediately, missing the feel of her soft skin against my calloused hand.
Harlow shoves her hands into her pockets and takes a step back from me. Clearing her throat, she nods once.
“Okay,” she says, her voice a little tight. “When do you want to start?”
