“We sanded the counters,” Henry Dale said. “Applied some elbow grease. Butcher block is forgiving, so it just needed some TLC.”
“And wood polish,” Eli added.
The counters did look nice. She’d had no idea the kitchen could be brought back so effectively without major expenditures. Even the appliances gleamed after being scrubbed by the professional cleaning crew, scouring away years of neglect.
“Thank you, seriously. I can’t believe how good everything looks. And for dinner too. Who made this? It’s delicious.”
Eli smiled slightly while twirling pasta around his fork. “I did. Glad you like it.”
“It’s all right,” Henry Dale said gruffly. “Not difficult to boil a noodle, is it?”
But she noticed the old man ate every last bite. Great-Aunt Gertie hadn’t installed a dishwasher, so Iris washed everything by hand. That seemed fair since the men had cooked. Eli stuck around to dry the dishes and put them away. Oddly, the silence felt…companionable. There was no pressure for her to fill the quiet with pointless words.
“What do you think he’ll work on next?” she asked eventually, as Eli put the second plate in the squeaky-clean cupboard.
Henry Dale had gone to his room to read, leaving them alone in the kitchen. Eli paused, staring thoughtfully at the old-fashioned pattern on the china. Iris quite liked these plates; they had scalloped edges and lavender flowers painted daintily on the border with one small blossom in the center. Actually, these plates might be valuable antiques, but she had no intention of selling them.
Then Eli said, “I think it’ll be the porch. He’s worried about the soft boards. Somebody could get hurt if they fall through.”
Iris winced. “I might have gotten into it with our next-door neighbor over the porch earlier today. She threatened to report me to the city.”
“I heard some of that while I was hiding out in the kitchen,” Eli admitted. “I might have steered Henry Dale toward the porch as a result. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
Still, she sighed, trying to imagine how much it would cost to replace the lumber. The kitchen work hadn’t cost much, just paint and a few miscellaneous supplies. But porch repair… Yet Eli was right. If someone stepped wrong and got hurt, Iris might get sued. Maybe I should sell the ceramic angel collection? That felt borderline immoral, as Great-Aunt Gertie had considered those things her family.
“You look worried,” Eli said.
“I’m sure you’ve guessed that I’m not exactly well off despite owning a house. So I was just wondering how to pay for everything.”
“You mean the porch? Henry Dale has contacts in construction. I think he’s planning to get scrap wood from a builder he knows. If that doesn’t pan out, there’s always something being torn down.”
She stared, unable to believe this was real life. These two were so obviously going above and beyond that she didn’t even know what to say. “Wow. I’m speechless. Thank you isn’t enough, so dinner is on me next time.”
How did I get so lucky? Henry Dale is a retired contractor, and Eli is a handyman who flips houses. Oh, and codes. I wonder…
Silently she shook her head. I can’t ask him for even more help.
“I’d like that,” he said quietly. “But you look like you want to say something else?”
Apparently, her mouth didn’t obey her brain. “Thing is, you said you do web stuff, right? I have an online store for my jewelry-making business, but I don’t get many hits. Is that something you could help with?” She couldn’t read his reaction to the request, so she hurried on. “Like with Henry, I can discount your rent next month, accounting for the time you spend helping me. And if you don’t want to or don’t have time, it’s totally okay—”
“Iris.”
“Yeah?”
“Breathe.”
“Okay. I hate asking for favors. Let’s pretend I never said that.”
Eli smiled and took a step toward her. She noticed that he smelled clean, like soap, evergreen, sage, and cinnamon. Idly, she wondered what cologne he was wearing.
“Nah, I have no reason to do that. I’d be happy to look at your online shop and make some recommendations. Send me the link. It’s no trouble.”
“Oh wow. Thank you!” Before she chickened out, she texted him the link and tried to pretend she wasn’t imposing in a major way.
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.”