Page 36 of Call It Home

Mac’s eyebrow arched as he looked at me. But instead of questioning me, he picked up a marker. “What if we…”

We brainstormed for the next hour and a half, arguing the benefits and drawbacks of our ideas. We sketched, erased, and sketched some more.

It was ambitious. It would take a lot of work and a lot of hours. It would push our budget.

It was perfect.

“This is it,” I announced excitedly. “This is the winner.”

I smiled triumphantly at Mac and raised my hands to give him a double high-five. I’d never seen him smile so big, and instinctively, I twined my fingers with his.

His head dropped so our foreheads touched. “You’re a genius,” he praised. “No one is going to beat this.”

“You’re the one who figured out how to make my ideas work.” I squeezed his fingers. “We’re gonna win.”

The bright green of his eyes intensified the longer they held mine. Time seemed to stand still as I got lost in his gaze. It would only take a tiny movement to shift and allow our lips to meet.

“That’s liquid gold right there. Perfect!” Chelle’s voice shattered the moment, jolting us back to reality.

Mac and I jerked away from each other.

I’d completely forgotten the cameras were there.

I was going to have to be more careful. The last thing I needed was for the show to highlight the attraction I felt for Mac. It was so easy to treat him as a partner, but once this was over and we returned to Sterling Mill, he would go back to being my employee.

Chapter15

Mac

So far,this week had been insane.

I’d worked on construction sites since before I was fifteen, well before I was legally allowed to do so. I was big for my age, so no one ever questioned my presence, not to mention they could pay me cash under the table for less than they did other workers. I worked hard, taking every hour they’d give me, no matter how many it was.

And they’d used me a lot.

But I had never seen anything like this. I’d never worked as hard as this.

Every day, we started around seven by grabbing a hot breakfast, catered by the lodge, in one of the trailers that was being used as a dining room. During the day, Crafty, the craft food service area set up by HRTV, kept us fueled with snacks and drinks, including sandwiches, fruit, chips, and sweet things. The food alone was enough to make me understand why Grandview was a successful resort. It impressed me that they didn’t go cheap on us just because we were workers instead of paying guests.

After breakfast, we’d be at the house, working before eight o’clock, often for twelve to fourteen hours. We had two days left on the kitchen and dining area challenge, and it felt like everything was happening at once.

Walls had already been knocked down, and the space was now opened up to create an open flow. Plumbing and electrical had been redone to move the sink to where Cam wanted it, and new windows and doors had gone in. Today, walls were being painted, floors were being installed, and countertops were being placed, all simultaneously.

It was a madhouse of noise and people.

Today, I needed to finish a dining room table. But first, I needed help to get a standalone cabinet I made that had finished drying overnight into place. I called over one of the team members, and within minutes, we had brought it in from the garage and had it in place. It fit perfectly in the small space between a wall and the French doors.

I stood back, pleased with my work.

“Hey, Cam, what do you think?” I called to her.

She left the trim work she was painting to join me. At Chelle’s direction, a cameraman followed her.

Cam looked over the piece I’d been working on almost nonstop since yesterday. “Mac, this is absolutely beautiful,” she breathed. Her delicate fingers glided over the smooth sides before exploring the intricate patterns I’d meticulously pieced together on the cabinet doors. “It’s even better than what I envisioned.”

I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until I answered her. “It’s the same design as the mullions on the glass cabinet doors. It will look better once the porcelain countertop is on.”

“Even without it, this is fantastic. It ties in but adds a little texture to an otherwise ordinary piece of furniture. You outdid yourself.”

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