Chapter 10
Alethea, Danica and Priya all sat on one side of the wide dining room table across from Perry Peterwood, who was nervously drumming his fingers on the side of the thick mahogany chair.
“Can I get you a coffee or water or anything?” Alethea asked, trying to sound pleasant. Perry’s nervous energy was contagious, making her feel jittery.
“Oh, no thank you, ma’am.” He continued to look down at the table and not meet Alethea’s eyes. She felt a pang of sympathy for the poor man. Clearly, he was uncomfortable with this meeting, but why? Surely a contractor met with clients quite frequently. He should be used to this type of thing. He continued to fidget with his hands, and Alethea watched him curiously.
“You sure do have a lovely home.” Perry looked around the room with appraising eyes, clearly liking what he saw.
“Thank you,” said Alethea, but Perry still wouldn’t meet her eyes.
Danica cleared her throat. “So, Perry. Tell us a little bit about your experience with renovating flooring in old homes.” Danica just naturally tended to take charge, it was her default setting, and something that Alethea greatly admired about her friend. Interviewing contractors was certainly not high up on Alethea”s list of enjoyable activities, and she was more than happy to let someone else take the lead.
“Oh. Um, well. None? I guess.” He shrugged his wiry shoulders up to his ears in an apologetic gesture.
Alethea looked at Danica’s expression, which was wide-eyed disbelief. “I’m sorry, Perry, but did you just say ‘none’? Maybe there was some confusion, as I mentioned on the phone, we’re looking for a contractor to handle all of the flooring renovations as well as a few other small projects.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m a contractor. It’s just that you’re my first client. Or hopefully you will be at least. I used to be a long-haul trucker but I’m trying something new.” He smiled a small smile. Understanding dawned on all three friends at the same time and they exchanged glances.
“Ah, I see. Well then, we certainly do appreciate you taking the time to meet with us. We’ll let you get back to it as I’m sure you’re busy-busy with a brand new business and all.” Danica stood, beaming her huge smile and reaching out to shake Perry’s hand. She pumped his whole arm up and down vigorously, guiding him out of the dining room and towards the front door while continuing to talk so Perry didn’t have a chance to get a word in edgewise. “We’ve got a couple other contractors we’re meeting with but we’ll let you know if we decide to move forward. Thank you so much again, Perry. Really. Best of luck on your new venture, we’ll be in touch.” Danica waved a dazed-looking Perry out the front door as she kept her huge smile plastered to her face.
As she made her way back to the dining room after shutting the door behind Perry, Priya gave her an exasperated look, her hands on her hips. “Wow, that was record time, Dani. Thirty seconds flat! I mean, at least he was honest with us. That says something about his character.”
“Hey, no need to waste our time or his. You know I’m normally all for giving a newbie a chance but we’re not about to let someone cut their teeth on Miss Queenie here.” Danica protectively patted her hand on the doorframe of the dining room. “Don’t worry Queenie, we wouldn’t let anyone hurt you,” she said in the kind of tone she normally reserved for Dandelion.
Priya rolled her eyes at her friend’s theatrics, but she didn’t disagree.
Alethea just shook her head and smiled. “Aww, I do feel kinda bad for him, though. It’s really hard starting something completely new like that. I think he’s pretty brave.” Maybe it was that she saw a little bit of herself in Perry, but whatever it was, she had liked the man and felt an empathetic kinship with him.
Her sympathy for Perry didn’t stop a jittery buzzing from starting in the pit of her stomach, however. The first interview not going as expected had jangled her nerves a bit. Why was she feeling so high-strung this morning? Maybe it was because she knew her options were limited. Danica had done most of the legwork finding the contractors, but in a small town the choices weren’t many. Today’s interviews were with the only two Dani had found online as well as the one that Aunt Scarlet had recommended. Alethea seriously hoped their next meeting would go a lot better.
Dandelion watchedthe hub-bub down below through the skinny spindles of the banister. The pile of drop cloths that had been conveniently placed here was a perfect cushion, giving her just the right vantage point of the front door. Perry Peterwood indeed! She shivered at the thought, the hair on her hackles rising just slightly. No need to work herself up in a tizzy, she thought and smoothed her sleek black fur back down into place. She needed Alethea to pay attention, to understand that this choice was important. You didn’t let just any old human come waltzing in here and start mucking about! She needed Alethea to take this seriously. “MEOW!” she wailed sharply. She waited a few beats and then “MEOWW!” again, this time more urgently.
Alethea came running into the entryway, looking up at her cat through the banister. “What is it? Are you ok?”
Dandelion nimbly used her paws to push the small figurine she had found off the ledge so that it landed directly in front of Alethea, the throw rug below cushioning its fall. Then she blinked at her human sleepily and rolled over on her back. That should do it, the feline thought to herself and feigned sleep. She had found all kinds of stray treasures hidden about the house and had set to work amassing a collection. Now she had a few hair ties, a Werther’s Original candy wrapper, one earring, and a wooden bead hidden well out of sight. You never knew when something might come in handy, just the way the small figurine had.
“Love you too, Princess.”Alethea rolled her eyes as she bent down and picked up the little tchotchke her cat had been playing with. It was a small ceramic figurine of a woman holding a basket of flowers. Surprised it hadn’t been broken or even chipped in the fall, she examined it more closely. That now familiar tingling sensation around the crown of her head started up again. This had been on her mother’s vanity table, She could see it next to a bottle of perfume. Then the flash of memory was gone, disappearing just as fast as it had come. It felt like sand slipping through her fingers as she tried to hold the image in her mind. Had the tiny figurine really been her mother’s, or had she just imagined it? She stood up and stuck the trinket in her pocket then walked back into the dining room to rejoin the others. “She’s fine, just Dandelion being Dandelion,” she reported back.
“Okay,next up is Wilbur Reynolds, contractor extraordinaire!” Danica read enthusiastically from her notes, hoping to raise the mood after the first meeting had been a dud. “Good news, this one definitely has experience. There are a bunch of reviews of his work online.”
“Well that’s promising, at least.” Alethea should have felt relieved but she didn’t. She didn’t understand why finding a contractor was making her so anxious.
“Hmmmm.” Danica pursed her lips as she read further. “The reviews aren’t exactly amazing, though. I mean there’s nothing bad really, more like he does a ‘meh’ job.” She scrunched up her face and shrugged.
There was a loud knock on the door, and Priya got up to let who she presumed to be the next candidate in. Alethea settled back in her chair next to Danica and repositioned the figurine in her pocket so it wasn’t sticking into the side of her thigh. Suddenly, she was aware of how nice the wood of the arm rest felt under her palm. Despite being carved from imposing mahogany, the solid chair was surprisingly comfortable, like it had been made for her body. Her mind strayed once again to her long line of family who had lived here and sat at this table. This house had a legacy. It dawned on her that this could be the source of her anxiety about finding a contractor. It was important that they find the right person for the job. The house had been preserved so well over the years because care had always been put into it. Now it was up to Alethea to put in that same level of care as her ancestors had before her.
Walking into the room, Wilber gave each woman a stiff nod in turn and then got settled into a chair directly across from Alethea. She got the distinct impression that he was sizing them up.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you city folk.” He put a little too much emphasis on the last two words for her liking. What was he trying to say, exactly?
“Would you like some coffee?” she asked him, being polite.
“Oh yeah that’d be great. Flat white, two sugars.”
Alethea blinked. Was this guy serious? “Um, we don’t have an espresso maker. Would you like a plain old cup of coffee with cream and sugar?”
“Sure, that’ll do.” His tone was polite enough but carried a dismissive edge.
Something about this man rubbed her the wrong way, but she went to the kitchen to retrieve the cup of coffee. She didn’t like being judgemental, especially before she had gotten to know someone, and this man had barely spoken two words to her yet. Staying open minded was important, she reminded herself. He deserved for her to give him a chance, at the very least. Danica and Priya were bobbing their heads listening to Wilbur speak when Alethea came back out into the dining room, holding a steaming hot mug of coffee, which she placed down in front of him. He didn’t bother to say thank you, which irked her even more.
“Wilbur was just filling us in on his last Victorian reno.” Danica caught Alethea up on their conversation, who nodded in response.
Wilbur took this as a sign to continue and went on about the likelihood of unexpected costs and the frequency of mildew damage. Alethea’s mind began to wander as she subconsciously tuned him out. His voice grated on her nerves in a way she couldn”t quite explain. She felt a twinge of guilt. So what if she found him annoying, as long as he was a skilled contractor that was all that mattered.
“Well, thank you again, Wilbur.” Danica’s smile was warm, but she shook his hand while remaining seated. “We’ll be in touch.”
Alethea followed slightly behind Wilbur, heading with him towards the front door. “It was nice to meet you.”
Before Wilbur could answer her pleasantry back, he jolted like he had been struck by lightning and let out a loud sound of surprise.
“Are you okay?” asked Alethea with some alarm. Something had just scared the pants off this grown man and she couldn’t see what.
“I didn’t realize you had one of them felines here. I don’t do well around cats, just make sure it’s not around when I’m doing the work!”
From a few feet away Alethea heard a loud hissing sound and looked around Wilbur to see her cat arching her back, her tail puffed out and wider than her body.
“Ahh!” Wilbur let out a yelp and darted out the front door without even bothering to say goodbye to Alethea. She went over to her spooked cat and began gently brushing down her fur, trying to calm her. “I agree, Princess, that man has a bad vibe.” She had never seen Dandelion react to anyone this way before. Well, except for Jackson, of course. Her cat had eventually grown to tolerate him, at least mostly, but Alethea had always assumed that Dandelion’s distaste for Jackson was a jealousy thing.
“What was all that about?” Priya asked Alethea, coming out with Danica to check on the sound of Wilbur’s yells.
“Oh, nothing. Just that Wilber apparently hates cats and Dandelion felt the need to defend her species.” Although she had said it rather sarcastically, Alethea figured it was pretty much what had happened. Cats could always sense when people didn’t like them but hers just usually didn’t get all agro. What had riled up her cat so much? Alethea groaned and rubbed her temples. Was finding a contractor really supposed to be this hard? “Well ladies, looks like we’re off to a shaky start.”
Danica let out a small sigh. “Don’t get discouraged so soon! Hopefully we saved the best for last with your aunt’s referral. He’s supposed to be here at 1:00 I think. Let”s see…Brent Cornerstone is his name.” Danica picked up her phone and began typing. “Oh wow, he’s got a ton of five star reviews on here!”
Alethea checked the time. “I think I could use a walk to lift my mood a bit.”
“And get pastries!” said Danica. “That’ll cheer us up!” They all laughed as Alethea promised to bring back a treat from the cafe to help them endure the final interview. Her friends knew that getting outside and moving her body was Alethea’s go-to when she needed to clear her thoughts, so Danica’s suggestion that she go all the way downtown was perfect. She’d have just enough time to make it there and back by 1:00. Maybe she’d get an extra pastry and offer the next candidate one. It could be a good litmus test. Alethea didn’t think she should trust someone who didn’t like baked goods.
“Oh man, I really hope they have those orange-raspberry muffins again.” Priya crossed her fingers on both hands, mouthing the words, “Please, please, please.”
Alethea said a quick goodbye to Dandelion, giving her a light pat and ensuring that she had calmed down before she set out on her walk. The bright summer sun shone down and warmed her skin, but it didn’t pound down on her the way it did in the city. It was still hot of course, but not as stifling as it had been a few weeks ago during that heat wave. Out here in the country, the breeze brought a freshness with it that just didn’t exist among the skyscrapers.
She was still lost in thought as she rounded the corner towards the Corner Cafe. Ahead of her a man brushed by, briskly walking into the cafe right as she reached the door. He hadn’t even seemed to see her, never mind hold the door for her. She felt some of her earlier irritability with Wilbur surface again. That man had made her so mad. How dare he call Dandelion an “it”! As Alethea replayed the scene in her head she became even more annoyed. Opening the door to the cafe and getting in line behind the man who had rushed in before her, she noticed it was none other than the Hottie-From-Aisle-Three. Alethea couldn’t see much from the back but he sure did wear those snug-fitting Levi’s well.
Scanning behind the counter, Alethea saw just what she had been looking for. Score! There was one blessedly huge orange-raspberry muffin left in the basket with the red gingham lining. Priya would be ecstatic. And so would she for that matter. Now Priya could start trying to replicate a recipe for the muffins. Still dreaming about the crunchy sugar topping and deciding which slice of cake Danica would like best, she watched in horror as the cashier turned and plucked the muffin up with her tongs, placing it into a paper bag and handing it over the counter to the hottie. She felt her blood boil. She was thoroughly done with self-entitled handsome men who thought they could always get whatever they wanted, without caring how it affected others.
“Okay, now that’s crossing a line buddy!” The words had snapped out of her mouth loudly, her voice sounding a bit more harsh than she had intended. The man in front of her spun around in surprise, a look of confusion on his annoyingly good-looking face.
“Who, me?” He pointed at his chest, his tight muscles flexing as he moved his arm, the baffled look deepening.
“Yeah, you. I didn’t say anything when you cut me in line, blowing in here like you were running from the devil himself. But now you’re stealing my muffin and that’s just going too far.” She stood tall, her hands on her hips in a posture she hoped showed she meant business.
He still looked utterly confused. “Uh, I do apologize if I breezed in here quickly. I certainly didn’t mean to cut you off, if that was the case, but I have an important meeting to get to and I believe in being punctual.” He spoke calmly and as he took her in, his face broke into a disarming smile. Alethea felt her stomach do a quick flip. Good lord, that man was attractive. Yeah, well, she knew what men like that were really like underneath those good looks. She was more than happy to steer clear of the charmers for a while. “But I don’t see how that makes it your muffin.” He glanced over at the cashier who was watching the two of them and shrugged, then turned back to Alethea. “Joanie has been baking her amazing muffins for years now and every Saturday morning I have one with my coffee. So I can’t see how you’ve come to the conclusion that I’m stealing your muffin.” He looked at her like she had two heads, but that only served to fortify her resolve even more. Who did this selfish jerk think he was?
“It’s my muffin because I was supposed to come in here first. Instead, you bulldozed your way in here, cutting me in line, and getting the last muffin!”
He turned back to the counter to finish paying and shook his head. “That’s some interesting logic you’re using there.” He was chuckling now, and an amused smile clung to his lips. “Well, I’d love to stick around and continue this debate but as I said, I believe in being punctual.”
“Well, maybe if you had better time management skills, you wouldn’t have to cut innocent women in line to get to where you’re going on time.” Alethea’s tone was snarkier than she meant it to be. Well, too bad, he deserved it! She could tell he was looking at her appraisingly, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to make of her.
“Well I was going to be a gentleman and give you the muffin since it seems to be so important to you, but if you’re going to start firing shots, I think I just changed my mind.” He clutched the paper bag to his chest in a mock protective gesture, his eyes dancing with laughter. Alethea was about to treat him to a serious eye roll when she spotted the tape measure clipped to the side of his neat, dark jeans. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Wait a minute. What exactly is this important appointment you’re rushing to?”
He looked a little taken aback at the question. “Well, I’m not sure how that’s any of your business but it’s a work meeting.” Of course it had been a weird question to ask a complete stranger, but Alethea had just put two and two together. She looked down at his work boots.
“You’re a contractor, I take it?” She asked him the question although she already knew the answer.
“Uh…yes.” He responded slowly, now very unsure of where this strange conversation was going.
“Let me guess, Brent, right? You have a meeting with the owner of a Queen Anne Victorian that needs its floors renovated?”
He nodded his head warily.
“Well you don’t have to worry about being punctual. In fact, you don’t have to worry about going at all!”
“Well, I think it should be the owner who makes that decision.” He was surprisingly calm despite the fact that she was having a mini temper tantrum in front of him.
“I am the owner!” Alethea raised her chin about half an inch, trying to stand as tall as possible.
“Oh, you’re Scarlet’s niece!” There was that lopsided smile again that seemed to come so easily to his lips. Lips that looked soft…and inviting. She shoved her wayward thoughts down. He was definitely too cute for his own good.
Steadying her resolve, she fired back. “I am. And I’d never hire a self-entitled muffin stealer!”
The chestnut haired man tried to stifle a laugh, putting the back of his hand over his mouth, clearing his throat. “Muffin stealer?” He was clearly having trouble keeping a straight face. “Oh, come on now, don’t you think that’s kinda harsh? Besides, who else are you going to get to work on the place?” He gave her a skeptical look.
Alethea couldn’t believe how arrogant this guy was. The fact that he was getting a kick out of this only made her fury grow. Did he think he was the only game in town? In all fairness, judging by this morning’s interview flops, he might just be, but Alethea wasn’t about to give him that satisfaction.
“Actually, we’ve already hired someone. The gentleman we just interviewed, as a matter of fact.”
His thick eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You hired, Wilbur?” His tone was one of genuine disbelief.
“Yes, what of it?” She crossed her arms and scowled at him. How had he known who they had just interviewed? Welcome back to small town life, Alethea reminded herself. Where everyone knew everyone else’s business, nothing at all like the anonymity of living in the city. Luckily, she wouldn’t be here for long.
“Nothing, I’m just surprised, that’s all. Wilbur is more of a commercial contractor, drywall and drop ceilings and all that. I guess I figured Queenie’s owner would want someone with a little more experience working on historical buildings.” He shrugged.
Queenie?! Did this man just have the audacity to refer to her house by its family nickname? This was too much. How exactly did Aunt Scarlet know this guy anyway?
“Well, I don’t remember asking for your opinion!” She fired off the only comeback she could think of and with that she turned and stormed out of the bakery. Danica would have to get over the fact that there’d be no pastries for her today. The absolute nerve of that guy! Alethea didn’t care that she must’ve seemed out of her mind, getting so upset over a muffin. Was she potentially channeling all her rage at good-looking, charming men who are really just liars and cheaters underneath it all at this unsuspecting stranger? Maybe. But at this moment she didn’t care. Well, mostly didn’t care. She pushed down her embarrassment, refusing to chastise herself. After all, it was his fault, not hers. If Mr. Too-Hot-For-His-Own-Good hadn’t been so self-entitled none of this would’ve happened in the first place!
It really wasn’t like her to lose her temper, especially in public, and she regretted making a scene. She groaned inwardly thinking of the spectacle she had just made of herself. At least they had been the only customers there at the time. She’d have to eat crow though and go back to apologize to that poor cashier at some point. Quickening her pace, she walked empty-handed back to the house as fast as she could. She needed to get Wilbur on the phone and let him know that he had been hired.