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“Seven it is.”
The men took care of the punch list. Max lay on his back, his head in the cabinet under the sink with a wrench around a connector.
“Give it a full turn,” Andy said. “That should do it.”
Max pulled his head out. “Give it a whirl.” Andy turned the water spigot on while Max checked the drain. “Perfect. Not a drop.”
They double checked the rest of the bathroom, and out in the bunkroom and small guest room, they finished up.
“We need to get Lisa up here,” Max said, and then, spontaneously, they high fived and hugged each other, celebrating a job well done.
It was while they were close, face to face, that Andy noticed something and blurted it out without thinking. “Dude, are you wearing eyeliner?”
Max flushed bright red. “Um, yeah, I am. I guess I forgot to wash my face before I left the house.”
“Okay.” Andy held his hands up in surrender. “I ask no more questions. It just popped out of my mouth.”
“It’s okay, Andy. I consider you one of my best friends. Nothing you could ask me is out of line. You might as well know I dress up when I’m at home.”
“Then why did I miss this? We’ve known each other for two years, and you’re wearing makeup.”
“I am. All the kids know. They’ve seen it, and it must not be a big deal to them if they aren’t running home to tell their parents. It’s easy in a household with four girls. Five, counting Alison.”
“So, it’s not a secret.”
“It’s not a secret in my house. But Alison and I decided the adults in this group didn’t need to know too much until they were ready for it. Do you know what I mean?”
“Now that Ryan is gone, it is definitely safer.”
“I want to adopt his kid, so it might be in my best interest to keep things quiet.”
“Are you threatened by him?”
“I never considered Ryan a threat, Andy. He’s got kids with his two half-sisters. If anyone has something to hide, it’s him.”
“Well, you never need to hide from me,” Andy said.
Lisa called up the stairs, “Can I come up?”
“Of course,” Andy said, going to the stairwell. “We love it, so I think you’ll be happy.”
“Is it noticeable?” Max hissed, pointing to his own eyes.
“Only if you hug her. And if her daughter knows, she probably knows, too.”
“Wow!” Lisa said excitedly, twirling around. “Look at this place! I can’t wait to get furniture! Two sets of bunk beds in the guest room, and single beds for nannies.”
“It’s definitely big enough for two twins,” Max said. “Check it out. They can both stay over.”
Lisa went into the room and looked around. “It’s too bad we couldn’t fit two bathrooms up here.”
“Maybe a powder room would be enough,” Max said. “They could use the shower in the main bathroom.”
“That’s a thought. You two, thank you so much.”
The trio took the stairs back down to the living room.
“Nancy and Daniela, go up and look at the attic. What a transformation.”
