“When are you leaving?” I asked.
“Day after tomorrow. You’re working?”
“Yeah. I’ll try to swing by after my shift ends.”
“If you can’t, it’s okay. You have shit to do, I get it.”
“Your mom doesn’t,” I muttered.
Nadia cocked a brow. “Huh?”
Rob tried to shush me, but I explained, “She made us jump hoops, like you guys are visiting royalty. She had him moving furniture all day Sunday.”
Nadia sighed. “Sorry about that. I’ll talk to her. It’s just because I’m not here that much.”
He grinned and messed up her hair. “I didn’t do it for you.”
“’Night,” I called as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and urged me out.
* * *
The next day at work, the whole dealership was in an uproar. I had no idea why until one of the office ladies paused at my desk with a conspiratorial look. “Find a reason to peek into the garage. You won’t be sorry.”
Puzzled but intrigued, I set my stuff down and went to join the huddle of sales people, peering through the door that led into the maintenance bays. Holy shit. I recognized the chief butthead’s prized white Lexus, but someone with a major grudge had seriously fucked it up. Red paint was splattered all over it, I assumed in lieu of blood, and the hood was dented like somebody had taken a sledgehammer to it. On the trunk, it read, FUCKING PRICK. On the whole, I couldn’t disagree.
I wondered who he’d pissed off, but I went back to work and didn’t think any more of it until I heard him shouting into his cell phone, demanding that somebody go pick up that crazy Rob Conrad, who was in here recently, threatening him. Fuck. I tried calling Rob, but he didn’t pick up. While I greeted customers and manned the phone, I texted a warning. But I still hadn’t heard from him when I left the car lot.
He’s working. He can’t be texting while he’s pouring concrete. Or whatever. In all honesty, I had no idea what Rob did on the construction site all day. I imagined sawing wood, hammering things, or maybe using heavy machinery. He and I would never talk about our day jobs the way some couples did.
While I was waiting for him to get home, a sheriff’s car drove past twice, which made me think they were taking Davies seriously. The deputy slowed but didn’t pull in. I was getting really twitchy when Rob finally rolled up.
“It’s nice to find you waiting when I get home,” he said as he hopped out of the truck. “But you could’ve gone inside.”
“Where’s your phone?” I demanded.
“Inside. I forgot it this morning.”
Before I could explain, the squad car drove up. The deputy got out and ambled toward us, one hand hooked in his belt loop. “Robert Conrad?”
“That’s me.”
“I need to ask you some questions. We can do it here, if you’re friendly and let me look around your property. Or I can haul you in, waste your whole night.”
Rob frowned. He was visibly hot and sweaty, face streaked with dirt, and his T-shirt was grime-encrusted. Whatever he’d been doing all day, it was messy. So he didn’t look like he was in any mood to deal with this shit. I had no idea what to do.
“Questions first, or search?” he finally asked.
I’d ask what the guy wanted with him first, but Rob had nothing to hide. So when the deputy pointed at the detached garage and said, “Let’s start there,” he just shrugged and opened the doors with the remote.
His workshop space was clean and well-organized with a couple of tables in progress from recent net orders. Tools hung neatly in their places, and the green truck seemed to have been washed recently. I let out a quiet sigh of relief when I spotted no red paint; he only had stains in various hues and the earth tones he’d used in the house.
“You’re a carpenter?” the deputy asked, inspecting his tools. Rob did have a sledgehammer, probably used for busting up walls inside, but it didn’t seem to have any scrapes of white paint, like, say, from an expensive car.
“Self-taught. I have a furniture business to keep me busy in the winter.”
The other guy nodded. “Do you have a basement, storage shed, anything like that?”
“Nope. But you’re welcome to poke around the house.”
Fifteen minutes later, the deputy apologized for bothering us and left. He never did explain what it was all about, but since I knew, I didn’t let Rob press for more info. Once the man left, I babbled the whole story, along with an apology. I concluded, “I have no idea who Davies has pissed off, but I hate that you got dragged into this because of me.”
He smiled at me tiredly, then kissed my forehead. “It’s not a big deal. I didn’t do it.”
“Wonder who did.”
That question wasn’t to be answered anytime soon.
Through the rest of July, I got busy with school programming projects and work kept me occupied, too. Rob’s popularity kept increasing, and his furniture orders finally did, too. Not enough for him to quit his job, but enough that he had to start warning people that it might take as long as six weeks to finish and ship their items, not a deal-breaker for most of them, who had their hearts set on owning something Rob made.
Around the first of August, I made up my mind at last. I was excited to tell him, so I let myself in the house after work and cooked dinner. I had food waiting on the table when he got home, along with lit candles and soft music. The house had changed so much since I first saw it last winter. Downstairs, it was mellow, warm and welcoming, evidence of his talent and hard work. That actually gave me an idea for his next vlog; he could give his fangirls a tour while explaining the work he’d done.
“This is a nice surprise,” he said. “Do I have time for a shower?”
“Sure. Make it fast if you can. I have some news.”
“You’ve got me curious. I’ll be back in five minutes.”
By the time he came down, toweling his hair dry, I had steak and potatoes on the table. I sat down across from him, practically wriggling with nerves and excitement. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you asked me back in May.” By his blank look, I needed to give him more context. “At the engagement party?”
“Oh. Right.” A smile formed on his beautiful mouth, and his blue eyes brightened. “You’ve made up your mind?”
“Yeah. If the offer’s still open, I want to move in. My original terms still stand, though. I buy the groceries and pay utilities.”