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“Well, a lot. This place isn’t in good shape.”
I nodded, knowing that. “Thora got it for only the cost of the land. I have no idea why she bought me a thousand acres outside Kansas City, Kansas for all the jobs I’ve done for her.
“She made me raise my prices several years ago too so I stopped running and hiding but had a place of my own but… Sorry.” I cleared my throat and tucked my hands in my sleeves. “I don’t talk to people much.”
“You were doing just fine,” he comforted. “You’re in a bit over your head. I got it. So what do you see when you look at this place? Do you want to completely gut it and make it your own? Add an addition?”
“I have no idea,” I whispered, realizing I had to get all involved. “I don’t know how to do any of that.” I shook my head and blew a raspberry. “The place is six thousand square feet and it’s justme. I know Thora wants me to have greenhouses and connect more with nature like the other LLL witches, but I have no idea what to do with that.”
“It’s okay, sparkles—”
“Why do you call me that?” I whispered, wondering if he was picking on me.
He smiled. “Because when you got scared, I felt your magic pulse and your eyes sparkled silver instead of gray. It was gorgeous, and even if you hide under that hood and dress, I bet you are just one big ball of sparkles and pretty inside too.”
My jaw dropped open. That was maybe one of the nicest things anyone had said about me, certainly a guy.
Men were only jerks to me the vast majority of the time. They saw me as little, weak, and completely insignificant until they needed me, and then it was fine to push me around because I couldn’t fight back.
He gave me a minute to settle with the shock.
“What if we start with what you want and what this placeneedsand we can go from there? It might take longer overall, but to get the AC in with a real system, we’re going to have to do a bunch of gutting anyways, so we’ll start there. Also, your water heater is pretty shot and it’s too small for a place this big.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s like five minutes of warm water before it starts to get cold from there.” I searched his pretty eyes and felt at ease instead of scared for once. “So start there and then like the roof or what needs structurally fixed before worrying about updating the bathrooms?”
“I was going to suggest the kitchen first but yeah, just like that.”
I nodded again. “I don’t cook. Ever, so it didn’t even hit my radar.”
“Yeah, we saw the lack ofanyfood besides protein shakes.”
I cleared my throat nervously, knowing what was coming. “I like those.”
“Uh-huh, and all the stuff for your stomach? Amelia warned me you tend not to take care of yourself. She made me promise we’d make sure you ate while we’re here.”
I gave him a horrified look. “I’ll get fat then.” I ducked my head when he looked me over.
“Sparkles, you’re at least thirty pounds underweight, which is a lot given how little you are. If your stomach gets so upset, you have to—”
“I thought Amelia said you were a contractor, not a doctor?” I whispered, turning back to my computer and away from him.
He was quiet several moments. “I’m not a doctor, but I did study nutrition in school. We all did because we were athletes. I know you don’t know me and I’m not trying to be pushy, but even the bottles you’re drinking say not to use it for more than a few weeks. You’re starving yourself, sparkles, and your stomach hurts because of it.”
“I’mnotanorexic,” I seethed, angry I fell for his line and now he was just bullying me, bulldozing me like guys did. “Those protein shakes are two hundred calories each. Plus, I have at least one Gatorade a day and that’s one fifty.
“One iced tea is one ten more. My Jell-O cup is seventy and my banana is one twenty-five. That’s over a thousand already, plus I have a bowl of baby carrots, so that puts me over.”
“And you had all of that information ready to throw at me, but you’re not cutting it too tight?”
“So much for sparkling, huh?” I chuckled darkly as my eyes burned. “You were the first to try with saying something nice before plowing me right over with what you think or I should do.”
I got up and headed for the door, unlocking it and opening it.
“Please leave my house. I don’t know who you think you are to come in here and accuse me ofstarving myselfwhen you don’t know me, but I’d like you to leave.”
“Sparkles—”
“My name isLarissa,” I snapped. “Please leave. I’ll pay you for the assessment, but I’m asking—”
