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Without thought, Alanna scrambled down the stairs. The banister felt solid under her hand and looked depressingly complete. How had he finished the installation so soon?
Her mother looked up from the front door. “I was just telling Sully that I was heading off to my book club at the library. We were talking about how many great clubs and services the library offers.”
“It’s crazy how much they do,” Sully said from his perch at the bottom of the stairs. “Classes, speakers, even concerts, all for free.”
Alanna offered a tight smile and made a mental note to give him an extra big tip.
Sully looked over his shoulder to her mother. “I’ll be finishing up here in about 10 minutes.”
No,Alanna thought. That was too soon. She wasn’t ready for him to be gone.
“I can’t thank you enough, Sully,” her mother was saying. “This piece is truly beautiful. Please, tell me what I owe you.”
“Fix-er-roos!” Alanna barked.
Both heads turned toward her. Alanna patted down her hair to buy time, then straightened her shoulders on instinct. “There are other things I need you to fix… would like you to fix,” she corrected herself. “The, uh, the sink drips in the kitchen. And one of the cabinet hinges squeaks. The… the…,” she gazed around the room, “door. Yes, the door.” She pointed at the sliding glass door in the kitchen. “It won’t close unless you shoulder it. I was, uh, making up a list of other repairs…” her voice softened. “If you have the time, that is.”
She suddenly felt as nervous as the president of the chess club asking the cheerleading captain to prom.
“We’ve got some loose floorboards upstairs, too,” her mother added, and then, horrifyingly, gave Alanna a conspiratorial wink.
“Oh.” Sully’s brow crinkled. “I’m not sure. I’ve got a few repairs was hoping to finish at home.”
Speaking of repairs, the house was about to take on some serious water damage due to Alanna’s sweaty palms if Sully kept stalling.
“You know what? Why not,” he said at last. “That’d be fine. I can come back tomorrow and patch a few things up.”
Whoosh.Alanna wanted to release the ten breaths she’d been holding. Instead, she gave Sully a short, satisfied nod. “I’ll have the list ready for you tomorrow. But this place is seriously falling apart. It might take more than a day to get through the list.”
It wasdefinitelygoing to take him more than a day, even if it meant Alanna suddenly discovered a long-dormant passion for indoor horseshoes.
“Well, if that’s what it takes,” he said and gave her a warm smile that simultaneously turned her insides to goo and set off every warning alert in her head. What in the hell was this handyman doing to her?
Ch. 20 Sully
Alannawastruetoher word, not that Sully would have dreamed of doubting her. The next day, as soon as he crossed the threshold into Dede’s house, she presented him with a neat and surprisingly long list of handyman tasks. Before he could study the list in detail, Dede brushed past him out the door.
“Heading to work,” she said. “Goodbye, Sully. Please don’t feel you have to do everything on the list. Goodbye, my Queen of Sheba. I love you!”
Inside the house, Alanna lifted a hand, her eyes glued to her phone. “Bye, Mom.”
While Dede backed down the driveway in an older model Prius, Sully closed the front door, set down his tool bag, and began studying the list. His eyes peeked over the edge of the paper.
Alanna sat on the couch, her long, gorgeous legs stretched across the cushions, a laptop on her thighs. She looked up and noticed his gaze.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He pretended to study the list.
“No, what?”
He probably shouldn’t mention it. “You didn’t tell your mom you loved her.”
Her pale eyebrows arched. “She knows I love her.”
Sully made his way into the kitchen. First item on the list,Kitchen sink drips.“You too embarrassed to say it out loud?”
“No.” Her voice was close. Sully peered over his shoulder. Alanna stood in the doorway of the kitchen. In her navy blue linen pants and a white, filmy top, she looked like a sophisticated actress from the 60s. All she needed was a dainty cigarette holder between her fingers.
