Page 63 of Hidden Nature

“This one might be a little tricky considering he lives and works in the city. Probably rich, too, since he’s a dentist. Got a wife. She’s got an art gallery—don’t that beat it?”

“Artsy-fartsy,” he said. “I bet she can’t cook near as good as you, babe.”

“This is the one, Sam. We just have to take the time we need to make a good plan. It might take a few weeks, but he’s the one.”

“If you say he’s the one, then he is.” He turned his head to kiss her. “Tricky won’t stop us from doing what needs doing.”

“There’s nothing we can’t do together, Sam. That poor man.” The thought almost brought tears to her eyes. “They dragged him back into this world.”

“We’ll help him into the next. Let’s see what else we can find out about him. And next day off, we take a nice drive down to Cumberland and scout things out.”

He gave her that eyebrow wiggle she loved. “And maybe do a little Christmas shopping.”

“And buy a tree!” Delighted, Clara clapped her hands. “Just a small one, doll. We can put it right there by the front window. I’ve got ornaments stored away, but I haven’t felt like decorating in such a long time. Now, this year, with you? I want the works!”

“Then we’ll have it. Whatever my girl wants.”

CHAPTER NINE

By noon the next day, the Littlefield brothers contracted the bathroom job—which would include new lighting, new faucets, double sinks, a tub/shower combo, and a pair of floating shelves. They installed the three interior doors while talking football with the man of the house—a rabid Ravens fan—who hobbled around with his cane and stabilizing boot.

After examining the work, Bill Haver shook his head. “Well, damn it all.”

“Is there a problem?” Nash asked him.

“She was right. They look good. And now she’s going to come home, take a look. She’s gonna say:Bill, these new doors make the rest look bad. We gotta do the rest now.I know that woman,” he said with another head shake. “Been married forty-eight years, so I know that woman. She’s gonna want the closet doors switched out, and all the rest. And she’s gonna want them before Christmas.”

He shook his head again. “I know that woman.”

“I bet she’d be happy if she came home and you told her we’d have them in next week.” Theo added a flash of grin.

“Yeah, she would.” Now Bill smirked. “I’m going to beat her to the punch and tell her I came up with it, and got you going on it. So, best do a count and measure then.”

He opened and closed one of the new doors, nodded. “You boys do good work. I’ll write you a check.”

From there they moved on to fix a leaky faucet for Pink Hair and Freckles. No charge.

“I’m starving,” Theo announced when they walked back outside.

“Yeah, I could eat. Why don’t we grab a burger, and I’ll order the doors and hardware for Bill and Rita? With any luck Mrs. Moose will’ve settled on what she’s after, and we can pick it all up at once.”

“We did a good morning’s work. And this afternoon? More demo.”

“That downstairs john’s a gut job.”

“And what’s more fun than a gut job?” Theo asked, then answered. “Not much. Oh, wow, there she is! She’s coming out of High Country Kitchen.”

Nash didn’t have to ask who, not with the dazzled look in his brother’s eyes.

She was a beauty with a sparkly black cap over a long fall of golden-brown hair, a black coat open to a just-below-the-knee red dress paired with tall black boots.

She had a purse the size of a baby elephant on one shoulder, and a large take-out bag in her other hand.

When she spotted Theo, she smiled, and Nash imagined his brother’s heart rate spiked through the roof.

“Well, hi,” she said.

“Hi. Thanks again for the help yesterday. We got the tree. Oh, this is my brother. Nash, this is Drea.”

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