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“Nothing at all.” Eve confirmed, practically biting her cheeks to keep from laughing.
Jared had no idea why he found the whole house mishap so funny, but he did, and apparently so did Eve. One more reason to like her.
“There you are,” a much too happy woman called from behind Mr. Grumpy and hurried up to them. “We’ve had a low turnout today and could use the extra hands.”
A symphony of hammers banging, saws sawing, and drills whirring, sounded to him like plenty of people had shown up.
Eve took a step forward. “Where would you like us to start?”
The lady didn’t blink an eye. She pointed in the house and turned on her heel. “There are paint cans in the master bedroom. Whoever is good on ladders can do the trim out and whoever is good with the roller can do the walls. If you need anything, whistle. I’ll check in with you shortly.” She stopped at the mouth of the hallway, pointed down the hall, then once again, spun around on one foot and marched off.
“I guess we’re painting.” Jared followed Eve down the hall. “You want to trim or use the roller?”
“I’ll do the trim.” She stopped short at the bedroom door. “Right after I tape off the room.”
This wasn’t an elaborate home. It was pretty much off the rack and even Jared knew that for years, builders had taken to painting walls and ceilings in one color to save time and money. The lighter flat ceiling paint was going to make a nice first impression for whoever moved in. It was also going to take more time. “I’ll tape the ceiling, you do the baseboard.”
She shook her head. “You start opening the paint cans and covering the floors with those plastic tarps over there. I’ll start taping. It won’t take long.” Without waiting for a response, she glanced around the room. “As soon as I find the tape and a ladder.”
In a matter of a few seconds, he’d learned just a bit more about the Baron granddaughter. He wondered if that independent streak was genetic in Barons or the product of having to compete with four brothers. If he were wagering, he’d bet she’d learned to order those four brothers around the way she’d just taken charge of their assignment. Though he shouldn’t forget her grandfather was a Marine Corps general. Taking command and handing out orders might have been something she learned on the Governor’s proverbial knee.
Eve lifted a bag in the corner by the paint cans. “Found the tape.”
“Good. I spotted a couple of ladders in one of the rooms down the hall. Give me a second and I’ll see if we can use one.”
The serious look on her face eased and a smile bloomed. “Great. I’ll start taping the baseboards.”
One six-foot ladder in hand, he returned to the room to find Eve had taped off half the room and was making fast progress on the other half. So the woman was independent, a little bossy, and quite competent. Not that the latter should have been a surprise. No one commands the respect she received at the banquet the other night without having accomplished quite a bit. And as far as he knew, incompetent people might be able to fool a few people, but not everyone. Yep. Eve Baron was the real deal in so many ways.
“Done.” She straightened to her full height, dangling the roll of painters tape on her wrist.
“Where do you want the ladder?”
“Right here is fine.” He set it up and without letting go, looked over his shoulder at her. “Sure you don’t want to let me do the ladder work?”
“Positive.” She flashed a toothy grin and then waved her thumb to her left for him to move.
He was pretty sure the streak of Texas chivalry prompting him to insist he do the ladder work would not be well received. As a matter of fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if insisting didn’t find him in a headlock or some other compromising position. Nope. That little recording of his mother’s voice playing in his head, nudging him forward to ‘help the little lady’ was simply going to have to be ignored.
As expected, it didn’t take long to develop a comfortable rhythm. He rolled one wall and she trimmed the opposite wall. He’d known she’d said that her family had insisted that all the kids learn to serve others through different charities, and that she had specifically mentioned working on project houses for veterans, but now he could see that she wasn’t just there for show. Any professional painter would be pleased to have her on his crew.
Two of the four walls done, and dipping the roller in the five-gallon bucket, he caught a flash of movement in his peripheral vision. One hand on the still unpainted wall, Eve was leaning way too far to the side.
“Whoa.” He poised to catch her if the ladder tipped. “If you fall off that ladder, they’re not going to let you come back.” He leaned the roller handle against the wall. “Let me move that for you.” Steel gray eyes pierced him like a sharp dagger.Or maybe not. “Please, just be careful.”
That bright smile was back and he couldn’t help but return the smile. Their timing was perfect. Halfway done with the last wall and she’d finished the upper trim.
“All done.” She set the brush in the jug of paint she’d been using and one hand on the ladder, climbed down. Except halfway, her foot slipped off the step and he could see her and the ladder wobbling.
Paint be damned, he dropped the roller and took a leap forward just in time to catch her in his arms as the ladder slammed over onto the floor. “You okay?”
Snuggled against his chest, Eve dared to look up at him. “I think I missed a step.”
“Ya think?” he teased.
“And I may have spilled a little paint.”
He glanced down at the splatters on the concrete floor. It could have been worse. She could have been carrying a full jug. “A little.”
