The Only Purple House in Town (Fix-It Witches, #4)(22)
Hopefully Eli wasn’t someone who’d choose to inconvenience himself for a stranger. He must have time and was truly willing, right? Deep breath. Everything would be fine. Thankfully he didn’t look at the site with her standing right there.
“It’s my pleasure.”
“You’re so nice. I don’t want to take advantage.”
“You’re not. I never do anything I don’t want to. So while we’re on the subject, the other bedrooms need to be painted, I think. The main bedroom was done recently, but the others?” He made a face that she interpreted as “yikes.”
Yeah, the other bedrooms were dingy, small, dismal, and smudged. Henry Dale didn’t care, but other potential renters would. Of the folks she’d interviewed, three had declined after looking at the pictures because the available spaces were so basic and unappealing. Erasing the ravages of time on the house wouldn’t be easy…or cheap.
“I should do that before I try to rent them,” she said, stifling a sigh.
* * *
“I can help. If you want.” Eli made the offer immediately.
Spending more time with Iris would be a dream come true, and this provided the perfect excuse. He could see them now, spending hours painting together. They’d talk more, obviously, and then—
Well, he didn’t have it all figured out. And maybe he didn’t have to.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” she answered at once. “You’re not on the job here.”
Right, she thinks I rehab houses professionally.
He couldn’t get himself to correct the misapprehension because that might make her disinclined to accept his help. But he’d painted every room in Gamma’s house before turning the place over to the real estate agent, so that basically made him a pro now, right?
“I like staying busy, and if I do nothing but code, I’ll develop back problems.”
“That’s true. I can’t stay hunched over my worktable for too long either—for the same reasons.”
When she smiled at him, directly at him, it felt like a punch in the heart, as if he’d been waiting for her to notice him all these years. Which was patently ridiculous. I wonder how she’d feel if she knew who I really am. That I’m one of those special types. Humans were as divided on that issue as any other; some thought the revelation of the paranormal was cool as hell, while others were lobbying for legislation to isolate and control their numbers. And, of course, there was the fringe element who believed this revelation heralded the apocalypse. Eli wanted to believe his personal truth wouldn’t even faze Iris, but it was too soon to test that theory.
For now, painting.
“We’ll go to the hardware store tomorrow. They’re running a sale on interior stain-resistant paints. The bedrooms are small, so I think one can per should work.”
“Thankfully Great-Aunt Gertie stayed with Antique White and we’re not trying to cover up navy blue or puce,” Iris said.
Eli laughed. “God, yes. We’d need three cans of paint plus primer.”
He felt a little proud of that knowledge, as he’d studied painting the way he did everything, reading all the hints and how-tos and watching endless tutorials. Now he might even be qualified to make his own guides. Iris seemed to make a decision, even nodding to herself with her eyes slightly narrowed.
“Okay. Clearly it’s a sign from the universe if the paint is even on sale.”
Why is it so cute that she believes in signs from the universe?
Frankly, it didn’t surprise him, given the things he’d seen her post on social media over the years, but he still found it adorable. Soon, his vague interest might ripen into an embarrassing crush. But that was a problem for later.
“Tomorrow at ten? We can get to work as soon as we get home.”
When Iris smiled, stars might as well be twinkling in her gray eyes. He lost his breath a bit. “Seriously, you’re the answer to my prayers.”
“Hardly,” he mumbled, conscious that his face felt hot. “Have you thought about what color you want to use?”
“Should I stick with one?”
“Well, it’ll be faster. Because otherwise, we’ll need to clean the brushes, rollers, and trays. If you pick one shade for all three rooms, we can cover the floor in plastic, tape off the edges, and sweep through.”
“You think we could do more than one room tomorrow?”
“Depends how long we work, how many coats are needed, and how fast we are. But by myself, I can do a room in four hours. So I suspect we can do two rooms tomorrow.”
“Wow, you really know your stuff. I’m not that experienced, so I probably won’t be fast.” She bit her lip. “I hope I don’t get in your way.”
“That won’t happen. Tomorrow at ten, okay?” He needed to get her confirmation, then dodge out before she could change her mind.
She nodded, seeming cautiously enthusiastic about the plan. “See you then.”
Eli took that as his cue to finish drying the dishes and make himself scarce. He retreated to his room, which was sparsely furnished with a full-size bed, a night table, and a dresser, while the walls were painted a surprisingly restful sage green. There were no paintings or pictures. Iris had said he could hang some, but she’d prefer if he used putty or sticky tape hooks to avoid putting holes in the walls. His other residences didn’t display much of his taste either, but here, for some reason, he wanted to leave his mark. Maybe he’d print out pictures of him and Gamma or something else to personalize the space.