Chapter 4
I was thrown off by my sister's opposition to me dating Salem. It wasn't that I liked him or wanted to pursue him, I just didn't want anyone to tell me who I should or should not date. I didn't know what to make of Sara's take on it.
Thank goodness I hadn't mentioned we kissed.
It threw me off to think that she cared.
I pretended nothing was the matter, but I couldn't help but think about it the rest of the time we were together that day. I had fights with my sisters about petty stuff over the years, but we never, ever had any real drama. Ever. I had never been competitive with them over matters of the heart, and they were the same. I could see where Sara was coming from with me meeting Salem at Camp Eden.
I could see how that could make her a little nervous. But there was just no way I was going to wait for her to find someone and marry him before me. I didn't say as much to her, but I knew in my heart that I would date whom I wanted and when. I was just disappointed with Sara for caring so much. Something about her disapproval made me think about Salem in that way. I knew I wouldn't go for him, but I was stubborn that way, and I told myself I would if I ever wanted to .
I turned off those feelings by the time I went to Salem's house to help him out. It was fun for me to visit the construction site, so I easily shifted gears.
Salem was a skilled carpenter, but he had contracted a lot of the work done on his house. He had done the front entrance and doorway himself, though, and it was gorgeous. There was a sprawling porch out front with grand, wooden columns. The front door was the centerpiece, and it was mounted in a twenty-foot wall of wood and windows. The whole piece was the same color as the door. The door itself was rounded at the top, which I had always loved. It was five feet wide and more than ten feet tall at its highest point. Salem had made all of it. Other people worked on different parts of his house, but this entryway was something he had done himself. I opened the door, marveling at how balanced it was and how easily it swung open.
Salem was expecting me, and he had told me to go inside when I arrived. There was a giant tarp protecting the other side of the entrance and I had to go through it before I could see anything. Once I could see the living room, I could appreciate how much had been done. A drywall crew had been there recently, and I walked into a house that felt much more complete than it did the last time I was there. It smelled like stone, wood, and drywall mud, and I smiled at myself for liking the scent of construction.
The entryway had taken shape since the walls went up, and I marveled at it as I walked inside .
I called for Salem.
"Helloooo?"
"Molly?" I heard Salem's voice echoing as he called to me from the back of the house. I followed it.
"I'm trying to find you!" I called as I walked that way.
I glanced toward my right as I walked. The kitchen had taken shape, and I smiled at how it somehow all seemed larger now that the drywall was up.
"I'm in the master!" he called.
"This is looking amaaazing!" I called as I headed back there. "Your kitchen is gigantic with those walls up, Salem! What are you, a gillion-aire?" I used a silly voice with a hillbilly sound to it. I had been planning on continuing to ramble and joke around, but I rounded the corner and saw Phillip, Salem's brother, standing there with him. There was also another guy. He had been in the back bathroom, and he came into the bedroom right as I did. I smiled, feeling shocked that I was being so silly in front of a stranger. I realized that I had seen multiple trucks in the driveway so none of this should have surprised me.
"Hello, everyone," I said with wide eyes.
"Hello, Molly," Salem said, letting out a little laugh. "Jack, this is Molly."
I waved at the guy who wasn't Phillip. "Heyy," I said .
The guy nodded and waved at me and so did Phillip.
"Jack's been in there taking measurements for the window," Salem explained.
"This window is bigger than I thought," Jack said with a concerned expression.
"I can make the space smaller for you," Salem said easily. "It would look fine with thicker framework."
"No, no, I can make it that size. I think it's going to look great—a pretty epic window. I just didn't realize it was this big. It's going to cost a little more than I was originally expecting."
"It's okay," Salem said.
"I love all the round windows in this place," I said.
"Do you have three of them?" Phillip asked.
"Four if you count the half-circle in the front door," Jack said. "Which is already done."
"That one came out amazing," I said. "I was admiring that door a minute ago."
Salem looked at me with a little smile. "I need to choose the flooring for all three bathrooms. Look in there if you don't mind. There are samples laid out. It's the same options for every bathroom, so if you want to see a certain one in a different room, you'll need to take it in there."
"Aren't you planning on doing them all the same?" Phillip asked. "I don't even know why you need help picking this. I think you should do white everywhere. It goes with anything."
"I didn’t say I'm doing that," Salem said, shaking his head.
"You need white, Salem. Especially in this one right here, the master. It's got that big ol' green tile pattern going in the shower. You need white walls and floors to go with that."
I had helped Salem pick the big green tile pattern that would go in the shower. It was gorgeous and one of the things I was most proud of helping him choose in this house.
I walked past the gentlemen on my way into the bathroom. Phillip reached out and tousled the top of my hair like I was an eight-year-old. "Salem told me you gave him some of that chocolate."
"I did," I said.
"He said it was good. Better than Hershey's."
"Thanks," I said, smiling at him.
"I saw some at Jenny's wedding, but I didn't get to try it."
"I've given Salem chocolate a few times lately."
I looked at Salem, who said, "You think I share?" which made the others laugh.
I left the guys standing in the master bedroom area while I went into the bathroom. Everything was taking shape, and I smiled at the way his vaulted ceilings made the room feel so big. There were what must've been twenty different tile options spread out on the floor, much more than I imagined. There were even some bolder choices. My eyes were drawn to a gorgeous dark green tile that had the visual texture of petrified wood. It was a deep, jade color and it would match the tone of the tiles we had chosen for the shower.
I went to it instantly. I knew I was not going to recommend white in all of the bathrooms like Phillip. I didn't think it needed to be in this one. White would be fine, and my mom and sisters would agree with Phillip, but I liked that green one. If it were my house, I would definitely choose that one to go with the shower wall.
The tiles were heavy, but I carefully stacked and picked up about five of them to try in other rooms. I wanted more, but they were heavier than I imagined they would be, so I only took five. I included a plain white one because I thought it might look good in the guest bathroom. I also thought I might offend Phillip if I didn't have it with me.
I slid past Salem and his brother on my way out of the room, and he told me he would meet me in the other bathroom in a few minutes. Phillip left soon after that, and within minutes, Salem came to find me in the hall bathroom.
"What were you thinking?" he asked coming inside.
"I've been to all three bathrooms, and I have some opinions. I didn't listen to Philip."
"What do you like?"
"That dark green one in the master. "
"I knew you would like that. It matches the wall."
"Yes, it does, and the tile is amazing. Is that tile? It looks like petrified wood."
"Yeah, I know, it's not, though. I'm not sure what it's made of."
"I like white in the guest bathroom—either the white your brother likes or the one that looks like shaved-down pebbles—the white and cream one."
"Yeah, I like that one too. What about in here?" he asked.
I pointed at the floor. "That white one's cool in here, too, but I like the grey and white mosaic tile with the shapes. It's got gold in it… you might think it's too busy."
"Which one do you like better?" he asked.
"Probably the busy one, but Phillip's already going to kill me for choosing dark green in the master."
"This isn't Phillip's house."
"I know, but you two have similar taste, I think. My mom and sisters would agree with your brother about the white. They would go for the lighter, plain one. It probably adds to the resale value."
"Just tell me which ones to do."
"I like this mosaic in here."
"All right," he said, giving me a smile like that wasn't so hard. He started typing something into his phone and he glanced up at me. "Are you sure you say 'yes' to white in the guest bathroom? "
"Yes."
"Marble, or stones, which one?"
"Stones," I said, choosing the one I liked even though it went against his brother.
"The grey and white mosaic in here, the white with stones in the guest, and dark green in my master?"
"Yes," I said.
He typed into his phone like those were his final choices.
I found it hard to believe that he didn't have any other questions.
"Are you just going to get those?"
"Yes."
"That seems too fast," I said, looking around. "Don't you want to get the advice of your sister or someone else?"
"I know that green matches the color of the pattern on my shower walls. It came up as complementary when the lady was helping me."
He put his phone in his pocket and glanced at me, giving me a smile.
"Now that we have that settled, can you do me a gigantic favor tonight?"
"Sure, what?" I asked.
"Phillip has to stand me up on the plans we had. That's why he was here. Addie is sick, and, with the baby coming and everything, he feels like he can't leave her to come with me."
"What's tonight? "
"WWE at the PNC Arena."
"Wrestling?" I said, feeling confused but oddly excited at the thought.
"Rey Mysterio," he said lifting his eyebrows and grinning like a kid.
I smiled as well. "I know who that is."
"He was one of our favorites when we were little, and he's going to be there tonight. That's the whole reason we were going. I bought good seats. It was for his birthday. They're along the aisle, where we can high-five the wrestlers going into the ring."
I felt genuine excitement at the thought, and I shoved at his shoulder, pushing him enthusiastically. "Are you serious? I can go with you?"
"Yes. Please come. You want to?" he asked, looking surprised.
"Yes. For free? Tonight? JJ got really into that stuff when we were kids. He would actually want to go if he knew you had an extra ticket. Please don't tell him. Please take me. Is it tonight? I want to go."
"I already told you I would."
"I have work to do when I get home, but I don't even care. I'll start it at midnight if I have to. I'm not missing this. I can do some stuff in the morning. And it's okay if I'm a little late with my order tomorrow. It's for my landlord. He'll understand. Am I going to be able to high-five Rey Mysterio?"
"I cannot believe you know who that is, but yes, there's a chance. We did get the aisle seats, so we'll be able to if he comes our way. There's a bunch of other guys there, too."
"Randy Orton?" I asked, staring at him.
One corner of Salem's mouth lifted higher in a crooked smile. He made a face like he couldn’t believe I knew any of these names. "I think Randy Orton actually might be there," he said.