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"Or you might start looking through Eleanor's things and get lost in her life," he said.
His prediction was probably a little too close to being accurate. "I know I don't have time for that. But I am curious why Eleanor came to be like this. I wonder if she was a hoarder before she moved in or if it happened after that. This isn't a town where it's easy to keep a secret obsession, but she was able to do that."
"I don't think you're going to discover her secrets by going through her trash."
"I think trash is the best place to find someone's secrets," she returned. "Like the wrapper on a bar of chocolate that you snuck away from your spouse or your kid."
"Did you do that?" he asked, his grin broadening.
"Maybe. I'm just saying that what people throw away can be very revealing."
"Well, I'm not interested in the trash, so I'll leave that to you. But I have to ask, don't you run a restaurant? Aren't you raising a child on your own? Do you have time to figure out an old woman's life, someone who isn't here anymore, who has no family to care about any of this? What does it matter?"
"You ask some good questions," she conceded. "But maybe that's the problem. Eleanor doesn't have anyone but me to sift through her things, and I feel like I should show her belongings some respect."
He gave her a doubtful look. "It's your time to waste. Speaking of your time—are you going to be involved in picking out tile, paint, cabinetry, lighting fixtures, all the things that you may want to replace?"
It felt like he was adding a million things to herTo-Dolist. "I hadn't thought about it, but I guess so," she said slowly. "But we are going to put the house up for sale, so it's not like I'll be living in it. I just want it to look clean and fresh, so maybe you could make some of those decisions, or does it cost extra?"
"I'm happy to pick up some samples and drop them off, but I prefer you make the final decisions. That way, we both know you're getting what you want. Joel mentioned that there are some bigger stores in Bixby."
She nodded. "Yes. It's about a twenty-five-minute drive. But that's where you'd probably find the most abundant selection of home repair materials. There are some smaller stores in town for basic stuff." She paused. "What about tools?"
"Joel is helping me out with that and also with a truck, which I'll pick up later today."
"It sounds like you're going to take the job."
"I still need to get you a bid, but I'm getting some details lined up, so if we decide to move forward, we can do that quickly."
"Speed is a priority," she said. "I better get started. What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to figure out where the leak is upstairs and how far the rot goes."
"It sounds like we're both looking for answers," she said lightly. "I have to say, I think there's a better chance my search will be more interesting than yours."
"I wouldn't bet on it," he said dryly, as he headed for the stairs.
She moved to the coffee table where there appeared to be a collection of salt and pepper shakers ranging from holiday themes to cats and dogs and other animals. As her gaze swept the collection, she had a feeling Decker might be right. She might be about to waste an enormous amount of time. But she couldn't just dump everything without looking at it first. And maybe, just maybe, she'd find something meaningful among the mess.
ChapterFour
An hour later,Chloe felt more discouraged than optimistic. She had cleared off the coffee table and emptied the two side tables on either side of the couch. She'd started four piles for charity contribution, trash, recycle, and personal items that needed a longer look. So far, she had two plastic bags filled with items to donate, a box of magazines that dated back ten or more years for recycling, and a bag of trash for items that had been broken.
She'd found a couple of photo albums and some other random notes and Christmas cards that she'd put aside to look at later. She could take those items home and look through them after Leo went to bed. While she was here, she needed to focus on clearing things out and making some space.
Decker had been making considerable noise while he was upstairs. It sounded like he was pulling the house apart, and more than once, small pieces of wood had fallen through the hole in the ceiling. Now, she heard his footsteps on the stairs, and as he came into the room, she tried to ignore the little tingles that ran down her spine every time he came around.
"Well?" she asked, noting the dirt on his jeans, which matched the smudges on his face. All of that should have made him less attractive, but it didn't.
"The problem is limited to the master bedroom and bath. The other bedroom and bath across the hall are fine."
"That's good news."
He nodded. "I'll detail what else I think needs to be done and work up a bid based on what you've told me you want, but you can add or delete once you see all the numbers."
"How long will it take to get everything done?"
"Two months, depending on the availability of labor and materials." His gaze moved past her. "It looks like you're making some progress. Find any secrets yet?"
