Stormy Surrender - By Nicole Andrews Moore Page 0,30

to measure. I…” She shrugged. “I know it doesn’t seem like much, but this is my project house. And I want to be involved in the project. Let me work with you.” She looked down and kicked a rogue acorn that had found its way into the house. And then she mumbled under her breath so quietly that had he not been paying attention, he might just have missed it. “I’ve always wanted someone to do projects with.”

There was something truly sad about that admission. And because the callous around his heart had yet to form, his resolve crumbled. “Okay.” He beat himself up inside. What was he doing? This was a married woman. And he was in no place to be with anyone. He was his own little remodeling project and just like her house wasn’t ready for occupants, neither was his heart.

Her heart was thudding in her chest. Had he really just agreed to let her work with him? She was almost afraid to speak. He struck her as the kind of guy who wouldn’t hesitate to take back his word. So, she stared at him, quietly and patiently until he finally spoke to her.

“Let’s figure out what you want to do in here so that you can at least make yourself useful running to the store and bringing supplies.” He was scratching his head as though he already regretted the offer.

It was all she could do to keep from dancing around like a fool. So she spoke as calmly as she could manage, “I’m very good at shopping!”

Smirking, he responded. “I bet you are, princess. Yeah. I’m sure you are.”

Marti didn’t like that term or endearment. She was no princess. She was hard core. Hadn’t she just managed to move a thousand miles south so that she could start a new life. And didn’t it now seem that she was starting this new life and this new year…single? She closed her eyes and tried to hold back tears. It would do no good to cry now. She had much bigger projects to focus on. And quite honestly, the marriage had never held much of a role, front and center in her life. That’s why she filled her time with so much volunteering, with so much activity. It was never any good for her to have too much time to sit and think. Now…the past no longer mattered.

Flipping the page on the notebook, she addressed the task at hand. “So, let’s start here. What if we use slate on the kitchen, laundry room, and entry way floors?”

His smile was so disarming. And she couldn’t imagine for a moment what she had said to make him all but beam at her. It was rather unnerving.

“Slate, huh?” He asked looking about the room. She nodded. “I think slate is a nice choice.”

And with that, they had a deal, and the beginnings of a plan and a whole new life was in store for her.

It had been a long day. And though the list for the renovations was already extensive, Marti’s happiness had not been dimmed in the slightest. While Joey worked on her estimate in the kitchen, she was out on the porch, picking through his sample kits. So far she had decided that the house was going to be covered in Hardie siding. That simply made more sense. It would last and last, just like this old house. She smiled to herself.

She was looking for a happy neutral color, and she couldn’t have found one more fitting than Sail Cloth. It was a pale yellow, almost a cream. And she could absolutely picture the house and how it would look finished. She was going to go all out. This house was going to be the showplace of the neighborhood. She was going to have frieze boards acting as a decorative band around the home. In the gables, she planned to use Hardie’s staggered shake shingles. She just had to pick a color and it seemed like one of the beige shades or maybe one of the taupe shades was winning.

Joe had wandered out front to watch her. She looked so happy and content. Her face did, anyway. It was only when he looked closely at her eyes that he could see she was less than the picture of joy that she tried to portray. He hated that he had to interrupt her, but the choices had to be made so that he could call in for a quote first