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My dad often helped paint but he was busy fixing a plumbing problem at home. Which was just as well because Audrey’s asshole of a boss had sent her home yesterday. She wanted something to do, since she couldn’t go to work, and I certainly didn’t mind the company.
Not when it was her.
Plus, her painting clothes were hot.
She stood next to me, rolling out the off-white satin finish on the bedroom wall, dressed in a worn tank top and cut-off jeans. Her hair was in a ponytail and all that exposed skin, even with all the drips and splatters of paint on it, was very tempting.
Especially those legs. I wanted them wrapped around me.
Despite the fact that we spent virtually every night together, I couldn’t get enough of her. She was turning me into an addict. Insatiable.
“Am I still doing this right?” she asked, jarring me from thoughts of her naked body.
“Looks fine. Just make sure you roll over any drips.”
“Did I mention before we started this morning that I’ve never done this before?”
“You’ve never painted a wall.”
“Nope. Not once.”
“Why would you, I guess. You’re doing fine.”
She smiled and dipped the roller in the paint tray.
I didn’t know how she was still so damn happy. We hadn’t caught her stalker and it was only a matter of time before he struck again. There was no doubt in my mind he was behind the call to her boss. The fucker had hit her car, vandalized her house, and now he was trying to get her fired.
Yet there she was, humming to herself while she painted a bedroom.
I wasn’t so calm.
In fact, I was seething. I was mad on her behalf, but there was nothing I could do. Garrett said they were following up on everything, including who might have contacted Lou. But I was getting awfully tired of waiting for the cops to do their job.
Tired of feeling like I was chained up, being held back from taking care of this myself.
Not that I knew what I’d do, exactly. But it wouldn’t have been painting a stupid wall.
“Do you think Max is okay?” I asked.
We’d left him next door since there was a one hundred percent chance that he’d walk through the paint trays and we’d spend the rest of the day cleaning up dog footprints.
She pulled out her phone and checked the time. “We should probably wrap it up sooner rather than later.”
The paint was going on easily and we were almost done, which was good news because the carpet guys would be here in the morning. My tile guy was still out sick, but he planned to be here over the weekend so he could get caught up. That meant the vanities could go in the bathrooms later next week. Not quite on schedule, but close. And close was as good as it got in this business.
Audrey had picked the vanities. They weren’t identical to the kitchen cabinets, but had a similar vibe. I’d also had her pick the tile for all three bathrooms, as well as the lights and fixtures. I was basically designing the house to her taste, rather than erring on the side of neutral like I usually would for a rental. Maybe it wasn’t the best business decision, but there was something about seeing her vision for the house come to life that I liked.
Plus, she had good taste.
“We’re almost done anyway. Do you feel like going out after this, or staying in? I was thinking we could get a drink at the Timberbeast.”
“I like that idea.” She smiled. “But do you mind if I invite Marigold? We don’t have concrete plans, but we did talk about hanging out tonight.”
“Sure.”
She moved closer, popped up on her tiptoes, and kissed me. “Thank you.”
“I’ll finish up here if you want to go shower.”
