Page 156 of Share with Me

Chapter Forty-Eight

“Iwantto move in this Saturday, Toby. Where is my countertop?” Brinley stood in her incomplete gourmet kitchen with both hands on her hips.

Dust and debris and delays were everywhere. The cabinets had no doors, the faucet had no sink, and the counters had no granite tops.

Outside it was raining heavily, so heavy she couldn’t hear the ocean anymore. All she could hear were thunder strikes and sheets of rain coming down. It had been raining for two days, but eventually it would let up. She hoped her house wouldn’t wash away into the ocean, it being this close to it and all.

“Ask her.” Tobias pointed to Meg who had been fuming since Brinley walked into her new house through the back porch door.

Meg sighed. “We had a miscommunication—”

“Youhad a miscommunication,” Tobias snapped. “I didn’t. I told you my installers have another job this week. So the granite countertop needed to arrive by last Friday or it won’t be in until next week.”

“Who placed the order?” Brinley asked.

“I did.” Meg leaned back against the topless island. “They told me Friday. They had a delivery mess-up. The countertops arrived this morning, but Toby’s guys are not here.”

“When can they come back?” Brinley asked Tobias.

“Next Tuesday.”

Meg stepped forward. “He has another crew in Savannah, but he won’t send them here. They could install this in the next two days.”

“It’s Meg’s fault. Why should I cover for her?” Tobias asked.

Brinley looked back and forth at the two of them. “I think it’s my fault.”

“Yours?” Tobias and Meg said in unison.

“Yep. I made a mistake.” Brinley swiped her iPhone and looked up her contacts. “I put both of you in charge of my reno. Equal footing and all that. Now we’re late by two weeks as it is, and you’re telling me we could be late again. Problem is, we need one head, and not two heads butting each other.”

Tobias and Meg both nodded.

“So let me call Alonzo, and you can take orders from him tomorrow onwards.” Brinley found the number. “Then you can get everything done by Saturday.”

“Wait a minute.” Tobias put up his hand. “Did you say Alonzo? My dad?”

“Uh-huh.” Brinley’s iPhone was at her ear.

“You don’t want my dad in charge, Brinley.”

“You can do better?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why haven’t you, Toby?”

Meg laughed.

“You too.” Brinley put down her iPhone. “It’s not like you two are going to marry each other. I’m only asking you to work together for the next four days, get my countertops in, repaint the sunroom walls in the right color, get the light fixtures installed, clear my driveway so I can move in this weekend. Is that too difficult for you or do I need to hire your competitors?”

“I don’t appreciate the threat.” Tobias frowned.

“Here’s the threat, Toby. I need a place to stay. Rent me a place or get this house done.”

Meg turned to Tobias. “You can’t afford to rent her a place, Mr. Vega.”

“No. I don’t think so.” To Brinley, Tobias said, “Okay. But don’t pull thedadcard on me again.”

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