My Cone and Only (King Family #1) - Susannah Nix Page 0,34

on my doorstep at seven a.m. sharp. I’d just finished drying my hair and was still in my robe when I went to let him in.

This was the first time I’d ever asked him for help with the house. Up until now, I’d done as much of the work as I could myself and hired specialists for the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC issues that required more expertise than I could handle. Not that Wyatt wouldn’t have been willing, but it had been a matter of pride for me to do it myself without leaning on anyone else for help. In particular, I’d avoided going to my brother or my brother’s best friend, because I wasn’t a kid anymore and didn’t want to go running to them every time I got in a jam.

So much for that. But needs must when the devil drives.

I swallowed as Wyatt walked past me into the house carrying an enormous toolbox in one hand and a clipboard in the other. I hadn’t seen much of him in full-on work mode like this, and it was quite a sight to behold.

He was dressed in work boots, jeans, and a tank top that showed off his muscular, tattooed arms and a considerable portion of his chest, with a leather tool belt slung low across his hips. I’d seen plenty of Wyatt’s physique over the years, but something about this particular look on him really worked. Like really worked. I had to take a second to regroup before I followed him into the living room.

He’d set his toolbox down and was flipping through the papers on his clipboard by the time I caught up with him.

“This is for you.” Licking his fingers, he pulled a few sheets off and held them out to me.

“What is it?” I shuffled closer and took them from him.

“That’s your project plan. It includes a timeline for completing all requested exterior repairs and an itemized estimate of labor and materials required for each job.”

I stared at it, overwhelmed into speechlessness by the professionalism of the document Wyatt had just handed me. It was four pages long, extremely thorough, well organized, and detailed. He’d clearly put a lot of work into it.

“’Course, you’re getting all the labor for free,” he went on as I read over it. “It’s only on there to help me create the schedule, which, as you can see, has all the work completed by the deadline in just under four weeks. And if you look at the total cost estimate on the last page, you’ll see we’re well within the budget you gave me.”

I gaped when I saw how low the total cost was. There was no way he’d be able to get everything we needed for that amount. “Wyatt, this is nuts.”

“What do you mean?” He was frowning when I looked up at him again.

“How are you going to get all this done for so little money? Just the paint alone should cost more than this total you’ve got here.” I looked down at the numbers again to make sure I hadn’t misread them.

“I told you, people owe me favors. I know a guy who’s got a bunch of leftover trim paint he’s giving me for free. I’m getting the rest of the exterior paint at cost from my buddy Doyle, whose dad owns a hardware store over in Smithville. Mary Alice at the nursery is giving me the soil and sod for the yard in exchange for building her a new greenhouse. Everything else I’m getting wholesale or with my contractor’s discount.”

“I don’t know what to say.” I was stunned. I had no idea Wyatt was this professional, or that he’d had so many favors to call in on my behalf. I shouldn’t have been surprised though. He was one of the sweetest, most generous guys I knew, and he’d stuck his neck out for my family more times than I could count.

“How about something like, ‘You’re so amazing and impressive, Wyatt. I never should have doubted you.’” His mouth had tugged into a smirk like he was teasing, but I detected a whiff of bruised feelings underneath it.

My stomach churned with guilt for not giving him more credit, and I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head against his chest. “You’re amazing and impressive, Wyatt. I never should have doubted you. Thank you for all of this.”

He froze for a second, and I felt his breath catch in his chest before he recovered. “That’s