Page 47 of Mr. Infuriating

But Gabe was my first venture into being with the opposite sex since Troy. Surely, there had to be more men like Gabe, only who’d want kids.

Somehow, I couldn’t help feeling like that was wishful thinking. I wasn’t going to find a man who’d be interested in raising another man’s child.

That was okay. I was prepared to do this alone.

I just didn’t want to have to move out of my house while doing it.

Chapter Eighteen

Gabe

Our breakfasts had just been served and as Gretchen buttered her pancakes, out of the blue she asked, “Is there any way you’d consider a payment plan for the cabinets?”

I took a long swig of coffee to buy myself some time before answering. I didn’t want to upset her, but I knew I needed to be honest.

Setting my mug back on the peeling brown laminate table, I remarked, “We never have.”

“But there’s a first time for everything right?”

She sounded so hopeful, but I could hear Maverick now.

We’re not a financing company, Gabe. Payment on installation. We don’t need that hassle of chasing people down for our money.

Normally, I’d agree with him. But Gretchen wasn’t just any client. Maybe we could make an exception. While my brother was technically the “silent” partner, we made decisions together. I wouldn’t make this decision arbitrarily. I’d want his buy-in.

Still, I didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“I’m not sure how that would work. My brother would insist on a lot of stipulations. It’d probably be more cost effective to just go through your credit card or bank.”

“Don’t you think if you offered financing, you’d increase business?”

The clientele we usually dealt with didn’t need financing, but she had a point. That was another market we could tapinto, if I had the space and manpower to accommodate it. I know Maverick would be concerned about cheapening the brand if it was more easily accessible. But it could be a new revenue stream. Maybe we could do an offshoot label.

“I’ll talk to him.”

“How much would it knock off my bill if I installed them myself?”

I tried to school my expression. I couldn’t decide if I should be insulted. Like she was saying cabinet installation wasn’t a skill, and anyone could do it with no training. I knew she was just trying to find a way to save money, so my ego settled down.

“You know how to install cabinets?”

She sheepishly glanced down at her breakfast plate.

“Well, no. But you can learn a lot from YouTube.”

“I don’t think you want to be experimenting a DIY project with custom kitchen cabinets.”

She persisted and cut into her hot cakes with gusto.

“But let’s say I did. How much would that reduce what I owe?”

“I’m not exactly sure what your quote was, but normally installation is about twenty-five percent of the cost.”

I could see her doing the math in her head.

“I promise you, it’s not worth whatever you’d save to have your cabinets installed incorrectly. Your beautiful, custom cabinets would lose their value if they’re not put in right.”

“At least I’d get to keep my house.”

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