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“Well,” I say, managing a fake smile. “This is unexpected.”
“You can say that again.”
Before I can respond, the owners walk in. They’re a middle-aged couple. Mr. Montgomery is a polite man with a salt-and-pepper beard and a friendly smile. He’s holding the hand of a regal looking woma n that I recognize as his wife, Margaret.
“Auden, good to see you,” he says, shaking my hand. “I see you’ve already met Wade.”
“Good to see you too, Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery,” I reply, grateful for the distraction. “And yes, we’ve met.”
My smile turns a little brittle, but no one comments on it.
“Wade and I go way back. We went to school together,” I say, trying to remain professional.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it. I trust you two will work well together,” Margaret says.
Wade and I both nod and I try to keep a confident smile on my face.
“Now, why don’t we go over some of your ideas?” She says and I step forward with my portfolio and launch into my vision for the house.
As I talk, I can feel Wade’s eyes on me, and it takes every ounce of self-control not to let it distract me. I focus on the things that need to be fixed up before we can start the design work.
“We’ll need to restore the original woodwork, update the light fixtures with more modern but classic ones, and reconfigure the layout to make the most of the natural light before we add shelves both up front and in the back for storage.”
Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery listen attentively, nodding along as I explain my plans.
“I like the way you think, Auden,” Mr. Montgomery says when I’m finished. “Let’s do it. We’ll let you two handle all of that and we’ll just check in weekly to see the progress.”
I smile, feeling a rush of satisfaction. “Great. I’ll be in touch then.”
We discuss a few more details before Mr. Montgomery checks his watch and they excuse themselves, leaving me and Wade alone in the building. The silence that follows is thick with unspoken tension, and I suddenly feel a little nervous, but I’m not about to let Wade see that.
“So,” I say, turning to face him. “I guess we’ll be working together.”
“Looks that way,” he replies, his gaze steady on mine.
There’s a pause, and then Wade clears his throat.
“We should try to get along then.”
He nods and I want to scream at him to say something.
“About last night… I’m sorry if I came off as a jerk. It was a long day, and I wasn’t exactly in the best mood. But that’s no excuse for being rude.”
I’m a little taken aback by the apology. I didn’t expect him to bring it up at all, let alone apologize. I guess he’s just trying to smooth things over since we’ll be working together for the next few weeks at least.
“It’s okay,” I say. I’ve never been one to hold a grudge. “I get it. Moving is stressful, and I probably didn’t help by blasting music at that hour. I didn’t realize that it was quite that loud.”
He smiles, a genuine smile that reaches his eyes and for a moment, we just stand there, the tension between us easing slightly.
As I look at him, I realize that maybe this could be a good thing. Working with Wade, getting to know him again, well, it might be exactly what I need. Besides, there’s something undeniably satisfying about the idea of getting to boss him around, especially after that awkward encounter last night.
“Why don’t we start fresh?” I suggest, extending my hand. “No hard feelings?”
Wade glances at my hand, then back at me, and there’s a flicker of something in his eyes, maybe relief, maybe something more.
“No hard feelings,” he agrees, his hand engulfing mine.
His grip is firm and warm as his big hand wraps around mine and I feel a little thrill run through me at the contact.
