Page 8 of Hearts of Wealth

Catherine

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I BUSIED MYSELF WITH the tile work in the master bathroom for my own house. Tile work was not my favorite, but I couldn’t afford to pay anyone. I had watched enough of the subcontractors do it to figure it out on my own. I spread the mortar and began to place the tile, putting in the spacers and laying another piece. It was satisfying to see it all come together.

My phone rang, pulling me from my project. I glanced over and saw it was Henry. I had sent my bid yesterday and heard nothing. I thought maybe he’d decided it was too much. I cleared my throat and prepared to sound professional.

“This is Catherine,” I answered.

“Catherine, it’s Henry.”

“Hi.” I smiled, trying to sound cool. I was nervous. If he rejected my bid, it could actually damage my reputation. I was honored to be one of the preferred contractors. If I kept getting rejected, that wasn’t going to bode well for my future.

“I was just calling to let you know I’ve reviewed your bid and I like what I see. I’d like to take you out to lunch and we can go over the details.”

I hesitated. I had a feeling this was going to be an issue. When I was at his house the other day, he did give me some flirty vibes. It wasn’t unheard for me to be hit on, but usually it was by the contractors.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not something I normally do,” I said. “I can have my subcontractors out there tomorrow. They’re ready for the job.”

He chuckled. “All right, I can accept your rejection this one time.”

“I’m a professional, Henry,” I told him again. “I look forward to working with you. I’ll send over the contracts, and we’ll get started.”

After I ended the call, I couldn’t help but celebrate just a little. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the place. After a little happy dance, I washed my hands and headed back downstairs to make the phone calls to the subcontractors and put together the contract for the project. I sent it off to him and then headed back upstairs to finish the tile.

I tried to focus on the task at hand, but the memory of Paisley’s phone call kept intruding upon my thoughts. I wanted to butt in, to intervene in the situation with Regina and Timothy. It pained me to see them both hurting, and I hated that Regina was causing Timothy so much distress. But would he be angry if he found out I had tried to help? I couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty that gnawed at me.

I finished the tile work and decided to call Amber and give her the good news.

When she answered, my excitement bubbled over. “I got it!”

“You got what?” she asked.

“The renovation!”

“No way!” she squealed. “Seriously?”

“Yep. We’re starting tomorrow.”

“Good job. I wasn’t worried. After Timothy’s job, you have proven yourself. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks,” I said, letting myself have a few moments of joy.

“How are things going with Timothy?” she asked.

“Good. Really good. Except...”

“Except you’re both still feeling guilty about Paisley,” she said.

“Yes. I just don’t know how to shake it off. I don’t know how to help Timothy. Part of me feels like he might ultimately end up resenting me. He might blame me for Regina taking Paisley.”

“How could it possibly be your fault?”

“If I hadn’t gone to the gala, she would have gotten what she wanted. Timothy said she was planning on going back to Germany the next day. She would have left Paisley. But I showed up, and he left with me. It embarrassed Regina, and she got back at him by doing what she did.”

Amber was silent for a while. I knew she was thinking about what to say. She had talked me into going to the gala. Not that I blamed her. I was a big girl, and I made my own decisions.

“You can’t let that bother you,” she finally said. “Guilty feelings are hard to just dismiss. But remember, you’re not responsible for Paisley’s happiness or unhappiness. You didn’t do anything wrong. You shouldn’t have to try and make decisions about what makes you happy based on what makes Regina unhappy.”