Page 25 of V is for Valentine
“You cut off all your long hair.”
“Literally, as inIdid it.”
He shot her a smiling look. “Really?”
“I got hold of the scissors and decided to pretty up for the first day of kindergarten.” She touched her hair. “I’ve worn it short ever since.”
“You were a handful.”
“Look who’s talking.” She set the hand with the drill on her hip. “I used to feel sorry for your very nice parents because they had such an obnoxious son.”
He gave another soft laugh as she turned back to her work determined to focus on the job for at least a few minutes. A silence fell as their drills whirred, then thankfully stretched on as they alternately pulled wallboard from the pile, Danny using the lift to mount the upper wallboards, then Felicity mounting the lower after he’d moved on.
Yes, it was easier to work this way and just as fast, but that didn’t mean she’d made a mistake by insisting they work alone. She hadn’t been ready to deal with maximum Danny on the day they started.
She cast a quick glance at him, watching his shoulders flex beneath the white T-shirt as he lifted a wallboard before she resolutely pulled her gaze away, feeling a touch warmer than before.
Oh yeah. She’d made the correct decision on day one.
No regrets.
Chapter Five
It was goingon six o’clock when Sandra finally returned Danny’s call concerning the warehouse and the cleaning crew. He and Felicity were preparing to mount the last wallboards near the basement door when the phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, glanced at the screen, and said, “I need to take this,” before stepping around the corner.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Sandra said after he answered. “I was swamped today. You were fourth in my line of emergencies.”
“Must have been a day,” he said.
“It was.” She sighed. “I contacted Fork Horn after getting your message. They are on a tight schedule. They want ninety days free rent for fixturizationifthey decide to go with the property, and they want to start work the first week of April. The latest they say they can push back to is the seventh.”
“Meaning they want to do the walk-through on the fifteenyh as planned.”
“Yes.”
“The place is a disaster.”
“I know. And it’s hard to demand top dollar when showing a boarded-up building with grime covering the surfaces. That said, I think their timeframe might work to our advantage. The warehouse is perfect for them size-wise, but they’ll use the condition to bargain us down. I suggest we do the walk-through as planned, stick tight with the proposed rent, but offer them 120 days for fixturization, and guarantee pristine conditions by April 7th.”
“Thanks, Sandy. Let me know how it goes.”
“There’s more. I heard rumor that the lot next door is coming up for sale.”
“Additional parking,” Danny said. Which he needed, as the warehouse took up most of the lot upon which it sat.
“Exactly. I’ll keep my ear to the ground.”
“Thanks, Sandy.”
When he walked back around the corner, Felicity was tipping the last piece of wallboard into place. He pulled his drill out of the holster and zapped in a screw to hold it. Felicity answered him by setting a screw on her side. Danny returned the favor, and then they seesawed back and forth until the board was firmly mounted. Felicity lifted her drill and pretended to blow on the barrel, gunslinger style.
“Phase one is done.”
“Yep. Would this be a good time to tell you I need another hour off tomorrow morning?” He had to get the window guys lined out, which meant unlocking the building.
“Do whatever you need to do,” she said. “I’m just happy you’re here to help.” She swung her drill in one hand. “If it wasn’t for the time crunch, I’d take over from here, but I can’t finish this alone.”
“No, you can’t.”
