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“I don’t believe you,” he says, and I huff. We stare at each other, the fire in us both reigniting, and I only look away from him when the man standing nearby clears his throat.
“This is Griffin, my builder. I thought he could look at your kitchen for you.”
My eyes widen in surprise before I smile at our visitor. This is yet another thing Tanner doesn’t need to do, and in doing so, totally contradicts him wanting my property. I think Tanner might just like having me around.
“Nice to meet you. Come on in,” I say, shaking his hand. Tanner drops his hand from my waist and opens the door for us, and I lead them both inside.
“This looks great! Much better than it was!” Griffin says, looking around, surprised. I smile, because although there is still a lot to do, it is really amazing. Better than I could have imagined.
“You said you have been resting,” Tanner growls, aiming his scowl at me.
“I did,” I tell him with a shrug, only fibbing a little bit. There is no way I can rest. I have to get this house renovated and styled. I need to remain focused.
“Not by looking at this, you didn’t.” He waves his hand around my living area, where I have a new rug on the new floorboards, new furnishings, and my new sofa and armchair.
“Bob helped, Jasmine and Lacy too. Besides, I stayed indoors. I didn’t want another surveyor stake to trip me up again,” I snip, annoyed at his overbearing attitude.
“This the kitchen, then?” Griffin says, walking that way, pretending he isn’t hearing us bicker.
“She has plans,” Tanner says to him, and I fetch my sketches and pass them to Griffin. His eyebrows shoot up.
“This is…” He flicks through the pages, where I have drafted different viewpoints of the kitchen, my 3D sketches outlying exactly what I want. The last page contains all the appliances and the materials for the cupboards, including the color scheme as well as the marble for the countertops.
“Is it doable?” I ask, holding my breath. I look at Tanner, and he’s already watching me closely.
“I mean, it won’t be cheap to do,” Griffin says, and my heart sinks for a beat. I don’t have much money left. I knew the kitchen would be expensive, and it would probably take all that I have.
“We can make it work,” Tanner says quickly, his eyes boring into Griffin.
“We can make it work.” Griffin nods to Tanner. “When do you need it completed?” Griffin asks, looking back at me.
“Oh, well, I really need it as soon as possible, but of course, I am aware you have other projects,” I say, trying to be understanding of his schedule since he seems to be the only builder capable of building the kitchen how I visualize it.
“When do you want your project started?” Griffin asks Tanner. I didn’t realize Tanner has a project in the works.
“This one can take priority,” Tanner confirms with a nod, and Griffin smiles, biting his lip, looking like he is trying hard not to laugh. I frown in confusion. Why is Tanner helping me so much if he is just going to swoop in and take my land? Maybe Jasmine was wrong about the legal takeover, or maybe he has had a change of heart…
“Are you local?” I ask Griffin, realizing I know nothing about him and should look at his quality of work.
“I work countrywide. I own a company calledPatterson Constructions,” he says, and my eyes widen a little.
“As in, luxury builder, Patterson Constructions?” I ask hesitantly. Everyone who works in interior design knows them. They are literally the best builder in the entire country.
“Yep. That’s the one,” he confirms with a proud smile.
“Oh, so you reside in Whispers?” I try to sound cool and not like I am fangirling over here. How did I not know this man lived here?
“I don’t really reside anywhere; I move around all the time… Let me get this quoted up, but I think we can probably get this made and installed within the month. Tanner said that you might also need a laundry fit out?” Griffin asks, and I stand rooted to the ground in shock. A week ago, I couldn't find one builder to make the kitchen as per my design, and now Tanner walks in with his friend, who happens to be the builder to billionaires and celebrities, and suddenly I have it exactly how I want it and within the month.
I bite my lip, thinking about my budget. I know it isn’t going to be cheap, and if I include the laundry, I will have no reserves. Tanner clears his throat, and I look at him as he continues to eyeball Griffin.
“Tanner tells me you have a solid social media profile. If you want to do a collaboration, that could work well for me. I usually build large-scale ranches and homes, but I am starting a new division which will concentrate mainly on renovations rather than new builds. This could tie in really well for both of us. If you want to do a before and after that we can use in our portfolio, I will knock theprice down,” Griffin suggests, looking back at Tanner, who nods at him. I feel like I am missing something here, but I go with it.
“I would love that. I have about fifty thousand website visits a week at the moment, and it is growing fast,” I say, both proud and surprised by the sudden and rapid rise in people now interested in my Woman of Whispers platform.
“Shit.” Tanner’s eyebrows rise.
“Whew. That's a lot,” Griffin says. “Especially in such a short amount of time.”
