Chapter Eleven
GABE
Fifteen minutes later, we left the house.
“So, how's the bar been?”
“Nightmare. But we found a good replacement. How was your week?”
“I’ve booked a few more tutoring clients, so that’s going well.”
Diane was avoiding my gaze, yet she clearly wanted to spend time with me. The feeling was entirely mutual.
When we arrived at the house, Mateo, the construction site manager, waved at me.
"Wow, this place is huge. Amazing," she gushed.
"Let me check with Mateo to see if it's safe to go inside."
"Perfect, because I’d love, love, love a tour." She glanced around with a warm andcurious smile. I didn't detect one ounce of envy in her eyes.
I left her to her perusal and went over to Mateo. "How are things going?"
"Oh, good, good. We've made a lot of progress."
"Can I go inside?"
He nodded at Diane. "Want to show this to the missus?"
How had he concluded that she was my partner? I certainly hadn't introduced her, yet the idea didn't scare me away. Quite the contrary, I found the idea appealing.
What the hell?
"She's my neighbor," I clarified.
"Oh, okay. Yes, you can go inside. The guys and I are preparing to leave anyway. We need to buy some materials, and it's best to do it before all the DIY people line up."
That was one thing I hated about building my own house. I couldn't understand why construction crews couldn't get the hang of things; how would they not know what they would need and buy it the day before?
"Right. You don't need to lock up because Diane and I will be inside."
He nodded. "Thank you, boss. Boys?" He turned, looking at the two other workers. "Come on, let's go."
"We both need to come?" one of them asked.
"Yeah, we can't carry all we need with just two people."
I didn't bother asking what "all" was. Mateo was working at his own pace, but he knew what he was doing.
Diane stood on the front porch. Her smile was even wider.
"What did he say?" she asked as I walked back over to join her.
"We can go inside and explore."
"Yes." She clapped her hands once, grinning.
"But we need to be careful where we step."
We headed up the stairs. I instinctively put an arm around her shoulders.
"I can keep my own balance now that I'm completely sober," she said in a teasing tone.
I leaned in, whispering in her ear, "It's for your own safety. The floor isn't very stable."
"I see." She laughed nervously.
As we stepped inside, she looked around. The ceiling was high with an intricate post-war molding around the corners.
"Before we begin, I have to say that most of this will be stripped away."
She turned her head to me abruptly. "What do you mean? The house isn't in such a bad shape.”
“It’s old as dirt.”
"But it's so beautiful," she murmured.
"If you like old buildings."
"Well, I do. Though I also like modern ones. But why buy it if you plan to change all of it?" she asked as we proceeded farther inside.
"Because I like the location. And it needs a thorough renovation because all the walls were infested with mold."
She winced. "Yikes. Okay, well, that's tough. You can't take that crap out properly no matter how much you try."
"I agree. That's why I prefer to rebuild. Here I'm going to have an open space that will serve as living room, dining room, and kitchen. The living area is going to have three couches."
"Wow," she exclaimed.
"What can I say? I have a big family, and we like visiting one another."
I pointed at the left. "It's going to be here, and the TV is going to be hidden in the ceiling and only lowered when someone watches it.
I don't like TVs hanging around like pieces of art.
The kitchen is going to have an island that adjusts to the height of the cook because Grandmother insists she wants to spend time here, too, and she can't help herself from cooking. "
She tightened her arm around mine. "It’s cute that you want to build this so it fits your family too."
"Why not?"
"Indeed," she murmured.
"Want to go upstairs?"
"Sure. You’ll have a basement too?"
"Yes, but only for storage. And there's going to be a gym upstairs."
The staircase was wide enough that we could walk side by side.
"This is the most unstable part," I informed her.
"All right."
Two steps later, the wood creaked. We both stopped moving, and I tightened my grip on her waist.
She swallowed audibly. "It's fine. My foot didn't sink in or anything."
We went up the rest of the stairs to the second floor without any other suspicious sounds.
"There are currently five rooms here, but I'm going to tear down some walls and make it three instead: my bedroom, a workout room, and an office. And then on the next level will be three en suite guest rooms."
"This is going to be quite the home!" she exclaimed.
"I've always wanted to have a proper home office," I said excitedly, leading her into the room where it was going to be.
"I'm actually going to bring in my mom's old desk. I've liked it since I was a kid. It’s one of those ancient things. My designer is struggling to fit it into the modern design, but he’ll work it out.
I'm going to put it right here." I pointed at the spot in front of the window.
"This home is going to make you happy, I can just feel it. Although I probably would have set it up completely different."
"How would you set it up?" I asked. "I'm genuinely curious."
"Well, I don't actually need a home gym, just a mat to do my yoga. I'd prefer actually joining a gym. I’ll do that, you know, once I've gotten my life together." She avoided looking at me. “I think I'd probably use all these rooms for the bazillion kids I'd have."
I swallowed hard. My breath was trapped in my throat, which took me by complete surprise. I hadn't expected her to speak about this so openly.
"You want a big family?" I asked her.
"Don't you, with all the brothers and half-brothers you have?"
I shrugged. “I didn't buy the house with that purpose in mind. It's not something I ever planned for."
"Well, I'm not really planning for it either. But this house is inspiring."
I raised a brow. "So you don't, in fact, want a gazillion kids?"
She looked as if she was fighting herself. "Well, I did, some time ago… Doesn’t matter. Anyway, no matter the setup, this is a gorgeous home.”
“I agree. I'm glad I snapped it up."
"I'm so happy for you, Gabe. It's so good when you're finally able to fulfill your own dream." She walked closer to the window, and I followed her.
"What do you dream about?"
"Oh, well, that depends on what stage in life I'm currently at… or how I feel in the moment. Right now I feel like teasing my neighbor," she said, looking over her shoulder.
"Neighbor or roommate?" I teased right back.
I stood behind her, inhaling the scent of her hair. It smelled like cherries today. Did she keep changing her shampoos, or was it perfume? Was it the smell of her skin? Was that even possible?
"Both," she whispered.
"That night was fantastic," I said. I hadn't meant to bring it up, but I couldn't help myself; I needed her to know that I'd enjoyed it, that it wasn't just a fluke. I definitely didn't want to forget about it.
She turned around, looking straight into my eyes. "I know, right? I thought maybe I'd hyped it up in my mind, but no… it was delicious. The dinner and the kiss.”
I grinned, loving that she took it in stride. "I like you, Diane."
She sucked in a deep breath. "Don't say that, Gabe, because I'm so attracted to you that I can't even think straight."
"Why are you saying that like it's a problem?" I all but growled.
"Because I think Celia would kick my ass if she knew."
I stilled. “Why?”
Diane laughed and ran her hand through her hair. "Because you're her boss, and, well… you know, things can be weird. Anyway, I thought I was doing such a great job behaving, and then I went and flashed you."
"I didn't see too much. Though I wanted to."
I tilted closer, kissing one corner of her mouth. She shuddered.
"Do you like this?" I asked. When she nodded, I moved to the other corner of her mouth and kissed it too. "How about this?"
She gripped the hem of my T-shirt; I took that as a yes.
I put a hand on her back, drawing a straight line from the base of her spine up to the back of her neck. "You want me to touch you, Diane?"
"Yes. God yes, I do. I want you."