Page 18 of Something Borrowed

“That’d be . . . nice.” He sounded surprised, but Vic would take it. She needed to talk to someone other than her mother, for obvious reasons, and other than Madeline, who, though kind not to focus on it, must only see her as a thief.

Vic perched on the edge of the tub as Cal fiddled with something on the wall behind the toilet, then flushed the toilet. More water crept from the broken seal. Vic hopped up, got more towels without being asked, and noted that the toilet bowl was almost empty now and not refilling. Ah! The thing he’d been twisting behind the toilet must’ve been the water shut-off valve.

Cal nodded his thanks and lumbered to his feet. “Any chance you have a wet-dry vac?”

“I don’t think so. Sorry.”

“No worries. I’ve got one in the van.”

He was back in a flash and suctioning out the remaining water from the tank and bowl.

“Am I in your way?” Vic asked as he lifted the porcelain tank that he’d disconnected from the bowl and inched past her to place it on the floor.

“Not all.”

Vic watched him work, soothed by the straightforwardness of each step.

“Sorry, guess I’m not that much of a conversationalist when I’m working.”

“That’s okay. I’m enjoying myself.”

Cal let out a snort of laughter. He’d been squatting, meticulously cleaning the area where the old seal had been. He stopped mid-scrub and shot a yeah-right look over his shoulder at her. His very brawny shoulder.

“I’m serious. And it’s not just the view.”

He laughed.

“There’s something very, I don’t know, satisfying or calming about watching someone do something well. It almost doesn’t matter what it is. Work done carefully or masterfully is fascinating. Or it is to me.” Her cheeks grew warm. Why was he looking at her that way? “Sorry—was that a totally bizarre thing to say out loud? I’m weird, I know.”

Abandoning his cleaning for the moment, Cal shifted from squatting and sat on the floor in front of her. For a big man, he was very flexible. She thought he maybe needed a rest, but instead, he studied her for a long moment. “Not bizarre. Or weird. Or not to me anyway. I totally feel the same. I’ve just never heard anyone else articulate it before.”

Their eyes met and they smiled at each other, him looking as shy as she felt.

“And ham, pineapple, banana peppers, and onion pizza appeals to you,” he said, shaking his head, just when the silence might’ve gotten awkward.

Vic laughed. “All pizza appeals to me.”

The rest of the job went smoothly and quickly, and by the time it was done, they’d come to an arrangement. Cal would go through the house and make a prioritized list of repairs, so that at least things wouldn’t keep getting worse.

“Then as the two of you can afford, I’ll tackle each task,” he said.

Vic thought it was gracious of him to be willing to work on a prioritized need-and-ability-to-pay schedule rather than demanding money up front. Still, she decided not to tell him that the money for repairs wouldn’t be an issue. She had her savings, and Audra, as the only living heir of a man who’d owned a logging company back in the days when logging companies made folks rich, was quite well to do. The family home, or so she understood, was the smallest part of Audra’s wealth. For all their problems, money wasn’t one of them. She didn’t think Cal seemed like the kind of man who’d take advantage of a couple of women, but then again, those types never did at first.

“It’s been a long time since the house had any maintenance,” she said when the silence stretched again.

Cal brushed away the comment. “It’s not in terrible shape, not by a long shot. It has great bones and was built when they did things to last. I think you’ll be happily surprised by how a little elbow grease has big results.”

Vic nodded, thinking she was already happily surprised. Who knew hunky handyman might be . . . a friend.

“Thanks again,” she said, trailing him to the door after the last of his toolboxes and his shop vac were out in the van. “And I promise you can do your walk-through and various jobs during daylight hours. I won’t rob you another Friday night.”

Cal rubbed his beard thoughtfully and under the porch light, his blue eyes glinted a little. “I kinda enjoyed the late night. And it was . . . quieter.”

Vic pressed her lips together to keep a huge grin from splitting her face. “It was . . . yes. So, let’s just say I’m happy for you to work here whenever it fits your schedule best.”

“We’ve got a deal. I’ll call you this week to set up a time to look around.”

He headed to his van, then turned slightly toward her when he reached the driver’s side. She waved and he waved back.