Well, six years later she wasn’t so foolish. So young. So inexperienced. If he dared as much as make a pass at her, he’d find himself with a new Friend Indeed employee as his liaison. He’d still have to fulfill his end of the bargain. He just wouldn’t do it with her.
She headed for the swinging door. Cain followed. In the kitchen, Amanda already had three mugs of coffee on the table. The room was spotless and smelled of maple syrup. Amanda had the look of a woman who’d happily served her daughter breakfast.
Cain took a seat at the table. “We can use this time to talk about what you need me to do.”
“You’re doing the work?”
Liz caught Amanda’s hand, forcing her gaze to hers for reassurance. “Yes. Cain worked in construction to put himself through university.”
“And as a bartender and a grocery boy. I was also a waiter and amusement-park vendor.” He smiled at Amanda as she sat. “School was four long years.”
Amanda laughed.
Liz pulled her hand away. “So go ahead. Give Cain the list of things that need to be done.”
“First, the plumbing.”
He took a small notebook from his shirt pocket. “Okay.”
“There are some places with missing baseboard.”
“Uh-huh.”
“The ceiling in the first bedroom has water marks.”
Without looking up from his note taking, Cain said, “That’s not good.”
“And most of the walls need to be painted.”
“You guys can help with that.”
Liz hesitated. She didn’t want to agree to time in the same room with him, but from the sounds of the list Cain’s work here wouldn’t be a few hours. He’d be here for days and Liz would be, too. If she had to be here to oversee things, she might as well have something to do. Plus, the more she did, the sooner her time with Cain would be over.
“Sure.”
Because Amanda had stopped listing repair items, Cain finally glanced up. “That’s it?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“It’s plenty. In fact,” he said with a wince, “if those water marks are roof leaks, we’ve got a problem.”
“Why?”
Cain caught Liz’s gaze and her insides turned to gelatin again. But not because of chemistry. Because of fear. His eyes were soft, his expression grave. He wanted to do a good job. But he also had to be honest.
She’d only seen him look this way once. When she’d told him she couldn’t plan a huge Christmas party he’d wanted to host for his business associates. She’d been afraid—terrified really—that she’d do something wrong, something simple, but so awful that she’d embarrass them both. He’d been angry first, but that emotion had flitted from his face quickly and was replaced by the expression he now wore. It had disappointed him that she couldn’t do what he needed, but he had to be honest and admit he still wanted the party. So he’d hired someone to plan it for him.
He’d moved beyond it as if it wasn’t a big deal. But the disappointment he’d felt in her lingered. Even now it reminded her that he knew they weren’t good for each other as a couple. They didn’t match. He wouldn’t want to start something with her any more than she’d want to start something with him. No matter how sexually compatible they were, he wasn’t here to seduce her. She actually felt a little foolish for even thinking it.
“A roof isn’t a one-man job. Even with a crew a roof takes a few days. At the very least a weekend.” He looked at Amanda. “But I’ll choose the crew with care.”
Amanda looked at Liz.
“We’ll talk it over with Ayleen, but we can trust Cain. If he says he’ll figure out a way to keep all this confidential, he’ll do it.” When it came to work Cain was as good as his word. “Plus, if Cain’s okay with it, we’ll only work weekends and you can take the kids to the beach or something. Not be around. Just to be sure no one sees you.”
Amanda nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Cain rose. “Let me take a quick look at all these things then I’ll make a trip to the building supply store.”
“Toilets are fixed. Showers all work,” Cain said, wiping his hands on a paper towel as he walked into the kitchen.
Amanda had made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. Liz already sat at the table. Amanda was happily serving. He took a seat and Liz smiled at him. After walking through the house with him behaving like a contractor, not her ex-husband, not the man she shared unbelievable chemistry with, Liz was slightly annoyed with herself for even considering he was only here as part of a plan to seduce her. His work here might have begun as a way to thank her for caring for him, but now that he was here, he clearly wanted to do a good job. It almost seemed he’d forgotten their chemistry or that she had imagined his reaction as they stood in the hallway that morning.
Which was good. Excellent. And took her back to her plan of behaving like his friend.
“So this afternoon we paint?”
“I’d like to get the painting done before we put up new baseboards. With all the rooms that need to be painted, it’s going to take a few days. So it would be best if we started immediately after we eat.”
“Okay.”
Liz took a sandwich from the platter Amanda passed to her and handed it to Cain. Things were good. Relaxed. The more she was in his company this way, the more confident and comfortable she felt around him.
“I’ll do the ceilings,” Cain said, taking three sandwiches. “You guys handle the walls.”
Amanda grimaced. “I’m sorry. I scheduled a play-date for Joy. I didn’t realize you’d need me this soon.”
“It’s all right,” Liz said easily. “Cain and I will be fine.”
She genuinely believed that, until Amanda and Joy left and suddenly she and Cain were alone with two gallons of paint, two paint trays and a few brushes and rollers. Why did fate always have to test her like this? Just because she’d become comfortable around him, that didn’t mean she had to be tested an hour after the thought had formed in her brain.
“What’s the protocol on this?” she asked, nervously flitting away from him.
“First, we put blue tape around the windows and doors and existing baseboards so we don’t get any paint where we don’t want it. Then I’ll do the ceiling and you do the walls.”
He went out to his truck and returned with a roll of blue tape. Swiftly, without a second thought and as if he weren’t having any trouble being alone with her, he applied it on the wood trim around the windows.
“Wow. A person would never guess you hadn’t done that in about ten years.”
He laughed. “It’s like riding a bike. It comes back to you.”
He was at ease. He wasn’t seeing her as anything but a work buddy. Surely, she could follow suit.
“I know but you really look like you were born to this. It’s almost a shame you don’t do it anymore.”
“My end of things is equally important.” He turned from the window. “Come here. Let me show you how simple it is.”
She walked over to the window and he