The cold air when she'd answered the door hadwoken her up properly; now the shower warmed her, but Alex knew she wouldn't be fully awake until she'd had coffee. However, she didn't want to take the time to make a pot. She'd pick up a couple of coffees from Tim Hortons on the way to the restaurant, she decided as she washed and rinsed her hair: one for her and one for Cale, who had somehow convinced her that he should work today and be at the restaurant to accept the furniture delivery.
She never should have agreed to that, Alex thought irritably as she stepped out of the shower. The man was going to burn himself out by week's end at this rate. The possibility was a bit worrying, and Alex decided she'd pick him up a breakfast sandwich on the way to help keep up his strength.
Or normal sandwiches, she decided as she walked back into her room and saw the time. It was late afternoon. Cripes, Cale had probably received the tables and chairs and headed to his hotel by now. Still, she wanted food, and she'd double the order just in case he was still around.
As it turned out, Cale was still there when Alex arrived. At least his car was, she noted. Not wanting the food to get cold, she parked as close as she could to the door, then scrambled to get inside. She would definitely be glad to see the end of winter, Alex thought as she set the coffees and food down to remove her coat. Tossing the long winter item across the nearest counter in her lovely new kitchen, Alex left the coffee and food where they were and hurried to the dining room.
A small sigh slid from her lips as she stepped intothe room. The painting was finished, the walls a warm, off-white with burgundy trim along the top. She smiled faintly as she recalled trying to explain how she'd planned to do it and her frustration because she knew she wasn't describing it properly. Bricker had insisted he understood, however, and she'd found herself relaxing and believing him. He had been right. While Cale had looked uncertain, Bricker had apparently understood exactly what she wanted. It was exactly as she'd envisioned.
Her gaze slid to the tables and chairs next, and a little shiver of pleasure slid through her. They were the right ones and absolutely perfect. Her luck really was turning, Alex decided as she moved forward, drawing her fingers lightly over one table, and then another. It looked good. Things were shaping up.
"It's coming together."
Alex turned to see Cale standing in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room. She beamed at him, grinning so wide it almost hurt. "Thanks to you," she said, and then rushed past him to get into the kitchen.
"I can't believe you're still here," she said as she crossed to the coffees and bag of food. "But just in case you were, I brought you an apology."
"Apology?" he asked, and she could hear the surprise in his voice.
"Yes." She turned with a coffee in hand. "I'm so sorry about your staying here to paint, and then being here to accept delivery of the furniture. I never should have agreed to that.""I offered," he reminded her quietly, moving forward when she held out the coffee.
"Yes, well, I should have said no," Alex announced, as he took the coffee. She turned to retrieve one of the two bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches next, and then offered him that as well, saying, "You must be exhausted."
"Actually I'm good," he said, taking the sandwich. "It must be jet lag. My internal clock is probably all messed up."
"Hmm," Alex said doubtfully, finding it hard to believe he wasn't completely wiped.
"Shall we sit in the dining room?" he suggested.
Smiling at the very thought, Alex collected her own coffee and sandwich and followed him out to settle at one of the tables near the kitchen door.
"I gather your car was fixed then?" Cale asked as he unwrapped his sandwich.
"Yes. Thank you. You must have called them first thing."
"Oui, first thing," he acknowledged. "What was wrong with it? "
"Nothing serious in the end," Alex assured him. "I think he said the connection to the battery had shaken loose or something." She shrugged.
"That's all? A loose wire?" he asked.
Alex nodded, unable to answer verbally since her mouth was full of warm sandwich at the moment. They were both silent for several moments after that, concentrating on their food.
"I should have picked us up two coffees each," she said with a sigh as she balled up her sandwich wrapper and pushed it into her now-empty coffee cup.
"There's fresh coffee in the office," Cale announced as she replaced the lid on her cup, and when she glanced at him with surprise, he explained, "Bricker is addicted to the stuff. He insisted on stopping to pick up a coffeepot, cups, and-as he put it-all the fixings on the way back here."
"Where did you find a store that sold coffeepots at that hour?" Alex asked with surprise.
"The grocery store where we got the items for the picnic," he answered, collecting his own empty wrapper and coffee cup as he got to his feet. "It has a whole line of small appliances, as well as books, and whatnot."
"Oh, yes I'd forgotten about that," she admitted as she followed him back through the kitchen and into her office. "I'm used to the grocery store by my place. It only carries food."
Cale nodded as he took her cup and moved toward the small garbage can by her desk. He gestured over his shoulder as he went. "I set it up in the corner there. No table of course, so I made do with the floor."
Alex immediately moved to the coffeepot, cups, and fixings lined up in the corner and knelt to fix them both a cup.
"Mmm, it is fresh," she murmured, taking a sip of hers, and then straightened to carry them both to the desk.