Seaglass (5 page)

“Wow. I thought guys only liked CGI movies.”

“I don’t think you’ve met the right guys.” He replied and immediately regretted it. What was he doing? Was he flirting with her? He needed to shut this down immediately, but as soon as the thought came to him, he dismissed it. The truth was, he like her, damn it. He liked talking to her and watching the way the blush crept up her neck. She looked as pretty as a picture today too. Her sable colored hair was pulled back into a smooth ponytail and he found himself fighting the urge to reach out and touch the silky strands.

Madeline didn’t respond. If he was going to ask her to see a movie with him sometime, she’d say yes, but he’d definitely have to do the asking. She already felt out of his league and the last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself by inviting him to the movies and then enduring a rejection. She smiled. No, she was still much too fragile for that. For now, she’d just admire from afar the sometimes broody, always handsome carpenter that filled her dreams almost every night.

“I’d better get going.” She said as she began to walk away.

“Yeah. Good luck.” He said as he turned and watched her retreating form. He’d almost offered her a ride. Thank god he’d had the presence of mind to remember he didn’t drive anymore before he humiliated himself. No, he didn’t think he could take that conversation right now.

Knox berated himself as he continued down Broad Street in the opposite direction. He knew he was being ridiculous. She’d find out about him sooner or later. Most everyone knew. It wasn’t a big deal, right? So what, if he didn’t see so well anymore? It’s not like he was totally blind. Knox could feel the beads of sweat forming on his brow. He’d said it. The “b” word. He’d actively avoided speaking it or even thinking about it for months and now it’d popped right into his consciousness. Damn it! The urge to run was overpowering, but he reminded himself that there was no running from this. He couldn’t stop whatever was coming.

xXx

“Cheers!” Kayla announced as she clinked her champagne flute to Madeline’s.

“You did an amazing job.” Madeline offered.

“Are you kidding? You made the sale a piece of cake. Most clients don’t prep homes the way you do. Despite what buyers say, most everyone wants turn-key. I almost feel guilty taking a commission.” She laughed. “Almost.”

Now Madeline laughed as she sat back with her new friend in Kayla’s artfully decorated family room. The antique pine flooring gave the room a warm glow set against the white wainscoted walls and chocolate colored sectional sofa. Madeline had been a little tentative when Kayla invited her over to her home to go over the prospective offers, but she assured her that her husband was out with the kids and they’d have the place to themselves for a few hours.

“Your home is lovely. You have a good eye for decorating.” Madeline commented as she looked around the large, country style home.

“Thanks.”

Madeline stood up and wondered over the mantle and began looking at the plethora of photos gathered. “Your kids are so adorable.”

“I think so, but then again, I’m their mother.” She laughed. “It’s sweet of you to say, though.”

Madeline moved down the line and came to a stop in front of a picture of younger Knox in an Army uniform. “I didn’t know your brother was in the Army.”

Kayla watched her new friend as she held the framed photo of her brother in his Army greens fresh out of boot camp. She could tell this woman liked her brother, but was it for the best? Lord knew Knox had plenty of landmines buried around him, and something told her that Madeline did too.

“Right out of college.”

“Was he in the war?”

Yes, after basic. He was in Iraq for almost three years.”

“Wow. That must’ve been terrifying. I’m glad he made it home in one piece.”

Kayla turned sharply to look out the window to hide the swell of emotion. “He didn’t.” She said.

Madeline turned away from the photo. “What?”

“He has some brain damage…and some vision loss.” She said softly.

“Oh.” Madeline responded as she replaced the photo. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“I feel like I’m betraying him by talking to you about this.”

“You don’t have to—“

“No, I think…” she took a breath, “I think it’s okay that you know.” She said and watched the blush creep up her friend’s neck.

“He’s lost a lot of vision in his left eye and the right is…iffy.”

“Iffy?”

“I don’t know what the doctors tell him. He doesn’t talk about it, but there is a possibility it could get worse.”

“Oh God.”

“Yeah. It’s not an easy thing to live with.”

Madeline sat down in the matching plaid slipper chair and finished off her champagne. “How does he handle it?”

“You’ve seen him. That’s about it. He doesn’t talk about it. I don’t think he even thinks about it. He works in his shop and takes it day by day.”

“But what if—“

“We don’t go there. He won’t, so we don’t.”

“Wow.”

“Listen, I don’t want to bring drama to your big day.” She said as she pulled Madeline up by the wrist and brought her back to the kitchen. “You have three wonderful offers here, so the next part should be easy.”

Madeline smiled and let Kayla prattle on about the positives and negatives of each offer. Truthfully, she was only half listening as she thought about Knox and what his sister had told her.

xXx

The waiting was the hardest part. Her money was still tied up in the condo, but thankfully Kayla had helped her choose a buyer carefully and she chose someone that was willing to pay in cash and close quickly. Now, it was only another week before she could begin seriously looking for new properties to challenge her.

Madeline drove her old pick-up truck out of town and did a little recon checking out a few prospects that she might consider for her next flip. The profit on the condo was enough to allow her to graduate to the “single family home” category, but still the home had to be affordable with the potential for a bigger resale.

After scouting out five different locations, she felt fairly certain about an old craftsman style bungalow. It was in a neighborhood of well-tended homes and Madeline could see from the outside alone that this home had gone into disrepair. She made a mental note to speak to Kayla about it. For now, she’d have to bide her time and hope no one else scooped it up in the next week. The house had already been on the market for almost four months, so the odds were in her favor.

Madeline pulled her rumbling pick-up truck, affectionately nicknamed Rusty by Kayla, in front of the town pharmacy where she’d been renting a studio apartment for the past week. She’d lived in the condo during the renovations, but she’d needed to vacate and decided that maintaining a residence off-site was probably a lot more practical. The little apartment was an expense, but not a big one. She locked up Rusty and headed up the narrow stairwell to the third floor apartment.

She hadn’t seen Knox since their run-in outside of the movie theater, but she’d thought about him—a lot. The magnitude of the news Kayla had shared with her had scared her at first and she was a little afraid that if she’d seen him soon after, she’d have blurted out something lame or pitying. That was the absolute last thing she wanted. She was attracted to him. That was the simple truth of it. Knowing what she did about his vision problems didn’t change that.

She opened the fridge to discover she had practically no food unless you counted the jar of mayonnaise and bread that was well on its way to becoming penicillin. She was bone tired and decided instead of heading to the grocery store, she’d treat herself to dinner at the café.

Madeline tossed the moldy bread into the trash as she grabbed her keys and wallet and headed back downstairs. It was her favorite time of night; day sliding into evening. The deep blue and pink of the sky brought a slightly cool breeze that stirred the stifling humidity. She crossed over Main Street and trotted the few steps to the café.

Madeline pulled open the door and was dismayed to see the café practically at maximum capacity. She waited for a harried waitress to seat her.

“It’s just me.” She offered apologetically.

“There’s space at the counter?” The waitress tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“That’s fine.” Madeline smiled as she walked to the counter and sat down in the last seat available.

“What can I get you, honey?”

“Oh, um…turkey club and a Dr. Pepper, please.” Madeline answered without opening the menu. She watched the waitress’s pencil stop suddenly.

“Are you picking up an order?”

“What? No.” Madeline answered, confused.

The waitress turned around and grabbed a Styrofoam container off the counter. “I just prepped the same exact order for pick up.” She exclaimed as she laughed to herself. “I’ll get your drink and be right back.”

Madeline frowned. A turkey club can’t be that uncommon. She swiveled slightly on her barstool as a shadow fell over her. She turned quickly and sucked in a hard breath when she saw Knox Barrows standing behind her.

“Knox.” She said, embarrassed to hear the breathless quality of her voice.

“Maddie.” He said as he looked down.

She felt herself involuntarily smile at his casual use of her new nickname.

“Are you…do you…” She stammered as she tried to order her thoughts.

Knox, picking up on her train of thought, quickly said, “I’m just picking up a sandwich. I gotta get back.” He gestured to the door.

“Oh. This must be yours.” She realized the mystery owner of her exact order was Knox. “Turkey club and Dr. Pepper, right?”

She watched his lips twitch as he fought a grin. “How’d you guess?”

“Knox!” The waitress hollered from across the counter. “There’s your sandwich. I’ll be right there with your soda.”

Knox nodded to the woman and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Apparently we ordered the same thing.” Madeline offered, trying desperately to say something.

“Is that so?”

She watched as Knox’s mouth pulled up into a rare grin.

The waitress came rushing back over with two drinks in her hands; one of which was in a to-go container. “Here you go, Knox. Dr. Pepper. And one for you too, young lady.”

Madeline laughed. “Thanks.”

“What are the odds, right? Two people ordering the exact same thing. Knox, it’s on your tab.” She said as she rushed back into the kitchen with a backwards wave.

“Thanks Olive.” He called out as he reached for the bag.

“I guess you’re a regular around here.”

Knox laughed. “You might say that.”

Madeline nodded. “Well, enjoy.” She gestured to his sandwich.

“Same to you.” He smiled and then turned and left.

It was only once outside in the cooling air, did he allow himself to fully exhale. He hadn’t even seen her as he approached the counter, but that had nothing to do with his eyesight, he told himself. Her back was to him. But then again, once she’d turned, he’d recognized that sable hair, which she currently had tied up in some kind of a bun on top of her head.

His body had jerked when she’d landed those seaglass eyes of hers on him. He felt—exposed by her. Like she could see inside of him and everything he’d been so carefully trying to hide. Now, as he strode purposefully down Main Street and back to the safety of his home, he wondered how he’d let himself get so jumbled up by a woman. He tripped on the sidewalk as he rounded the corner and almost plowed into his neighbor.

“Sorry, Mrs. Grandon.”

“That’s okay, honey. Are you alright?” She asked as she reached out for his arm. “Do you need help?”

Knox recognized the pitying tone immediately. She was really saying, ‘Are
you sure you should be wandering around out here all by yourself?’

“No, I’m fine, thanks. I’d better go.”

“Knox, I can help—“

“It’s okay. Gotta run.” He hurried past her practically jogged the last five hundred feet to the safety of his home. By the time he’d sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, he’d lost his appetite. Knox flicked on the little TV on the countertop and tried to focus on the Rockies game, but his mind kept wandering. First to Maddie, sitting there on the end of the counter waiting for her food, and then to Mrs. Grandon and her misplaced concern for him. He tripped on the sidewalk. People did it every damn day.

He tried to eat a bit of the sandwich. He remembered how hungry he’d been as he walked to the café. After a few more bites, he gave up the pretense and snapped off the TV. He pushed back from the bar and went to the one and only place that seemed to comfort him; his woodshop.

It was all hers. And it was totally disgusting. Madeline turned around a full three hundred and sixty degrees and smiled hugely at the grimy wallpaper, broken railing spindles and water-stained ceiling. Of course those weren’t the main source of happiness, no; the reason for her extreme joy was the beautiful, but severely neglected built-in hutch in the dining room. Gorgeous wood lay under many layers of paint and above them were three breathtaking stained glass windows. Or at least, there would be. Currently, there was one original, but broken window, and two plain glass replacements. The craftsman style was one of her favorites and in her mind’s eye; she could picture it in all its glory.

She knew she needed to get started. This house had cost her just about every dollar she’d made from the condo sale plus a loan from the bank. She’d almost turned it down, realizing she’d have enough for the purchase of the house, but not enough for all the improvements she had planned. When she’d mentioned it to Ed one day in the lumber yard, he’d immediately volunteered to open a line of credit for her.

That, of course, had brought on the waterworks—again. Ed was turning out to be a father-figure of sorts. It was such a foreign and unusual experience for her. He seemed to cheer for her and root her on. Madeline kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far, it hadn’t. He was patient and kind with her, but most unusually, he was proud of her. She remembered their last conversation.

“Ed, I don’t think I can accept this. There’s too much risk involved if the house doesn’t sell right away.”

“Listen kiddo, I’ve seen your work first hand and Kayla won’t shut up about you. Take the credit line. Pay it back when you sell. It’s simple.”

She’d opened her mouth to refuse again when he’d held up a single finger and raised an eyebrow. She’d smiled nervously and nodded. It was a deal.

Somehow the Barrows family had wormed their way into her heart and she was beginning to understand what it meant to be a real family. Of course, so far that only extended to Ed and Kayla. Knox had been conspicuously absent lately and Madeline was beginning to think he was avoiding her.

Now, as she began to unpack her tools, she heard the smooth roar of Kayla’s BMW pull up outside. As per usual, she didn’t bother knocking.

“You look like someone just handed you a diamond ring.” Kayla laughed as she threw her arms around her friend.

“It’s better than a diamond ring.” Madeline smiled as she pointed out the handcrafted built-ins. “Do you have any idea how hard these pieces are to find?”

“Um, no. No I don’t.” She replied as she shook her head. To her, it looked like a gross mess.

“Under these many layers of paint is a masterpiece.”

“You sound like my brother.” She snorted.

“Why?”

“He’s into all that stuff. Restoration and refurbishing. He’s constantly getting calls and referrals from museums and private collectors.”

“Wow. That’s fascinating.”

“I just saw some old dresser being delivered to his shop. He was practically proposing marriage to it.” She shrugged delicately. “I’d rather just buy something new.”

“There’s history in those pieces.”

“Yeah. You sound just like him.” She looped her hand inside Madeline’s elbow and pulled her toward the front door. “C’mon. Let’s grab lunch and talk strategy.”

Madeline smiled as she closed up the front door and locked it behind her. She watched as the woman practically danced down the steps and laughed. They couldn’t have been more opposite if they’d tried, yet there was a real friendship developing here. Madeline couldn’t remember the last time she had a real friend. What friends she’d made in school had gone on with their lives. She’d tried to keep in touch for a while, but eventually they’d moved on and it seemed easier to let them go.

Now, she looked over at her new friend as she babbled about marketing the house and timing the sale. Madeline was happy to relegate those details. All she wanted to do was work on the house and bring it back to life. Kayla pulled up in front of the Touchstone Diner on the corner of Main Street .

“I’m starving!” She announced as she pulled open the door of the retro 50’s style diner.

Madeline rolled her eyes. Kayla’s announcement that she was “starving” meant she’d probably order soup and salad versus her traditional order of salad only. The woman couldn’t weigh more than a hundred and ten pounds.

As if reading her mind, Kayla piped up. “When you’re short, you have nowhere to hide an extra five pounds. Be grateful you’re tall. I’d kill to have your legs.” She practically growled as she led Madeline to a booth by the door.

Maddie shook her head as she slid into the booth across from her. It was almost unfathomable to her that Kayla could wish she looked like her. She looked down at her attire. A navy t-shirt and cut off shorts. Well, at least she was consistent.

“What?” Kayla asked.

“Nothing. We’re just such opposites, you know. You look like you stepped off the ferry to Hyannis and I look like…”

“What? You may be dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, but you wear it well honey. Trust me.”

Madeline puzzled over her strange compliment.

“Oh for God’s sake, Maddie! You’re a knock out. Do you really not know that?”

Madeline quickly buried her nose in her menu. She didn’t want to seem like she was trolling for compliments, but for as long as she remembered, she was told she was gangly and awkward. No one ever really complimented her before.

“You should look up once in a while and notice the men checking you out.”

“Kayla!”

“I’m serious!”

“I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I have enough on my plate right now.”

“Fine.” Kayla pouted as the waitress came over and took their orders. As expected, Kayla ordered a salad, but instead of the soup Madeline had predicted, she ordered a side dish of cottage cheese. Madeline couldn’t help her reaction and the ordered a cheeseburger—and fries.

“I hate you.”

“Why don’t you order what you want?”

“I hate you even more now.”

Maddie laughed as the waitress delivered their beverages. At least she’d ordered water along with Kayla. She didn’t want to endure the woman’s wrath if she’d ordered something that contained actual calories.

“I can’t wait to start stripping those cabinets. I wonder if I should use a water based stripper or maybe solvent?”

“Um, I can’t help you with that.”

“I just don’t want to accidentally damage the soft grain of the wood.”

Kayla blew out a frustrated breath. “You should talk to Knox.”

“Oh, I…I don’t want to bother him. I can just research it online.”

As if the fates had aligned, the man of her dreams and the current topic of conversation came strolling into the diner.

“Knox!” Kayla called out and waved in his direction.

Madeline saw the flare of recognition when his eyes landed on her and as usual, the heat of embarrassment crept upward until she was sure her neck and face were bright pink. She lowered her gaze as Knox’s lanky stride carried him quickly to their table.

“Ladies.”

“We were just talking about you.” Kayla said.

“Oh?” He smiled a half-smile.

“Madeline has some questions about strippers.”

Oh God. Could this get any more humiliating? She was sure now her ears were now a brilliant red.

“Funny, sis.”

“You caught me. Stripping furniture. I told her to ask you. Here.” She patted the seat next to her. “Join us and let Maddie pick your brain.”

Madeline watched the momentary indecision play across his face before he gave in and sat. “I’m just picking up some take-out.”

“No problem. I’ll go tell Nancy that you’re eating with us. Scoot out and let me up.” She gave him a little shove for good measure.

Madeline watched with a combination of dread and excitement as Kayla, the tornado, sped away in search of their waitress. She turned her eyes back on Knox as he refolded himself into the booth.

“So, what are you stripping?” He asked.

“Oh. Um, some built-ins. They’re from the 1920’s, I think and covered in at least five layers of paint. I think there might be bare wood underneath.” She couldn’t help the excitement that crept into her voice and watched Knox raise a single eyebrow.

“Better be careful. Could be lead-based paint.”

“I know. I have to test it.”

“If it’s positive, it would be cheaper just to encapsulate it. Paint over it.”

“No!” She answered emphatically. “I mean, that would be such a shame. There’s real craftsmanship under all those layers.”

Knox laughed at her enthusiasm. “Well, when you get the test done, give me a call and I can take a look.”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to involve you…again. You were such a help on the arch, but I don’t want to keep bothering you every time I have a problem.” She rushed to get the words out.

“I don’t mind. If I did, I wouldn’t offer.” He grinned at her as Kayla came back to stand next to him. She was only slightly taller than he was while he sat. She roughly tapped his arm and he wordlessly slid across the booth to make room for without ever breaking eye contact with Maddie.

Soon the plates of food were delivered and Madeline focused completely on eating her cheeseburger without embarrassing herself. Still, she couldn’t help herself from casting quick glances at Knox as he ate his cheeseburger. Kayla prattled on about how she was the only one sensible enough to eat salad and had them both chuckling.

“I don’t know how you can stand to eat that rabbit food.” Knox said as he drenched his pile of French fries in ketchup.

“You tall, thin people are so smug. “ She laughed as she snagged a few fries off his plate.

“I’d steal something of yours, but I really don’t want anything on that plate.” He answered and bumped her shoulder good-naturedly.

Maddie felt a swell of emotion in her throat as she watched the brother/sister duo in their easy banter. She and her brother Peter had never been like that. Peter was five years younger and had been treated like royalty from the minute he’d been born. She’d always assumed it was because she was a girl—that somehow her father had been displeased simply by her gender. It was only years later that she began to understand his hatred towards her ran much deeper.

“Maddie?”

Madeline snapped her head up and realized she’d zoned out of the conversation. The two siblings were staring at her with looks of concern.

“Sorry. Just daydreaming.” She tried to cover.

“I’d better go. I’ve got work piled up.” Knox said.

“Wait. I’ll walk with you.” Kayla stated and Maddie watched as a strange, but intense look passed between them.

“Knox…”

“I’m just down the block, Kay.”

“But—“

“Goodbye ladies.” He stood quickly and pulled a ten from his wallet and dropped in on the table. “Have a good afternoon.” He said and then turned and walked out.

Maddie returned her gaze to Kayla and saw the distressed look on her face.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. He’s just stubborn.” She rifled through her enormous purse that perfectly matched her cornflower blue sundress and pulled out her wallet. “Let’s get your back to your dream house!” She chirped brightly as she stood to leave.

Madeline wasn’t sure what had dampened her friend’s mood, but she didn’t feel comfortable digging further. Besides, Kayla was right; she did have an enormous amount of work ahead of her and the thought of getting started was making her downright giddy.

xXx

She’d been so excited when the first two layers of paint had come off easily and the two lead test kits had been negative. She’ d been enthusiastically scraping away layer upon layer of blue, then white, then inexplicably pink, paint when her scraper hit the unmistakable hard layer of paint that usually indicated the presence of lead.

She sat back on her heels and wiped her brow before extracting the third kit that she’d purchased from Ed at Touchstone Lumber. Now, she uncapped the small, Q-tip-like stick and rubbed it on the exposed chip of paint that she suspected was lead.

In less than thirty seconds, the tip turned red; there was lead.

“Shit.”

She knew old homes often contained unseen money pits and this was certainly not an uncommon find in any home built after 1978, but still, she felt deflated. How much would this cost her and how long would it delay the sale? Once again, she felt the fear of financial ruin creeping in.

Of course, she knew there was someone she could ask; Knox. Even thinking about the man with the long stride and sharp jawline made butterflies dance in her stomach. She’d be an idiot if she didn’t bother consulting an expert that had offered his services for free, after all. In fact, he might be insulted if he found out she used a different service.

She pushed up off the floor and grabbed her cell phone before she could talk herself out of it.

She scrolled through her very few contacts and quickly came to “Barrows, Knox” and hit dial.

With her breath held, she waited and waited for the sound of his deep voice on the other end, but after four rings, his voicemail picked up. With feelings of relief and disappointment mixed together, she listened to his brief message
: “You’ve reached Knox Barrows. Leave a message and I’ll call you back. Thanks.”

She cleared her throat and tried to give a quick synopsis of the situation. She was feeling proud of the semi-professional message when she realized she hadn’t said her name. She quickly added, “It’s Maddie— Madeline…Roberts.”

Now, she put the phone down and immediately walked across the room, as if it was the phone’s fault she’d left a babbling, idiotic message. Why was this so difficult? She shook her hands and paced through the outdated kitchen. Despite the fact it needed to be retrofitted with modern appliances, she was planning to keep as much of the original footprint as possible. There was a charm to these old homes and too often flippers would rip out the old and replace it with a modern, sleek style that was completely not in character.