Blueprint for Romance

Unexpected

Damon

“Hey, Miller,” I said as I looked over at the older man. “Atticus and Alastair are out on sight,” I added, since I figured he was probably here to see them.

“Atticus told me I could speak to you,” he said as he came over and sat down across from me. I nodded in silent agreement because this was important. While Atticus and Alastair had no issues putting me as a lead on any project, this was the first time I was handling a walk-in – so to speak.

“Of course, what do you need?” I asked curiously.

“Actually, I’m sure you already know, but that’s beside the point,” he remarked, and I frowned. I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but I ignored that comment and waited for him to continue. “So, I have this little house up on Spring Lane, but it’s a bit more banged up than I remembered,”

“Ok…? Have you got a potential buyer?” I asked. Miller looked confused by my question, but once again, I waited for him to tell me.

“Vanessa…I’m sorry, Damon. I was under the impression you knew all about it,” he said slowly. Now I was even more confused.

“Vanessa? As in my Vanessa?” I questioned. I had slipped up and called her mine, but I didn’t care.

“Yes…again, I’m sorry, I really thought you knew all about it. Not that it makes any difference,” he said, and I nodded. It didn’t matter, this was a job, nothing more, nothing less. Just because I knew the potential buyer didn’t mean anything. “Ok, so…before I took her out there to look at the place, I stopped by and…like I said, it’s a lot more banged up than I thought it was and…I mean, I stuck by our appointment, and she took a look around, but…obviously, it’s a bit more than she bargained for,”

“Right, right…but I’m confused…” I said as I stared at him.

“Oh, well…the place is mine. I bought it about ten years ago, but it’s been empty for about seven years and the damage is…like I said, more than I had anticipated,” he said, and I could tell that he was getting annoyed with me. Not that I could do anything about that.

“Ok, no…it’s fine. Let’s talk about what you need done,” I said as I pulled my tablet closer. I quickly opened up a new worksheet before I looked over at him.

“Right, so the roof needs to be done…there is a massive leak in the kitchen. The outside needs to be cleaned up and re-painted. I mean, I know she is going to buy the place, but…I quite like little Vanessa, and she doesn’t deserve to move into such a place…especially since it’s her first house,” he explained. “Anyway, a fresh coat of paint outside and inside. I mean, I’m sure we can work something out with Vanessa, and I can pay some of the costs…I just wanted to know if it’s doable,”

“Totally,” I stated quickly. I was eager for this job; it didn’t matter who it was for. Miller smiled as he stood up.

“Ok, then…I’ll get in touch with Vanessa, and we can set up an appointment,” he said, and I nodded as I stood up as well. Miller headed off, and I waited until he was gone before I pulled out my phone and called Vanessa.

“Hey,” she answered tiredly, and I frowned.

“Are you ok?” I asked with concern.

“Sure, just tired,”

“Ok…are you sure that’s all it is?” I couldn’t help but push her a bit. I was hoping she would tell me about the house she had planned to buy, but I also wanted to make sure she really was ok.

“I mean…yes,” she said hesitantly and that was a big red flag. The silence stretched on for a bit before I heard background noise. “I’m at work, Damon. What’s up?”

“Dinner tonight?” I asked. I didn’t really want to get into it over the phone and seeing her would be better anyway.

“Not tonight. I’m pretty beat, and I have an early start tomorrow…” she explained, and I frowned. While our schedules didn’t always align, I didn’t like this.

“Are we ok?” I asked. I tried to keep the worry out of my voice, but I was quite sure Vanessa knew something was up.

“Sure,” she answered, and I shook my head. There was definitely something going on. “Look, I’ll call you later, ok?” she said before she hung up. Vanessa wasn’t usually rude and since she hadn’t waited for me to respond, I felt like this was a lot more serious than I had originally thought. Vanessa and I were just friends – with benefits – and she didn’t have to tell me everything, but we were closer than that. I didn’t like this at all, so I packed up my s**t and quickly left the office. It was just before five, but I didn’t care.

“Hey! Hank!” I called out when I spotted the big guy talking to one of the truck drivers. Hank looked over at me and waved. “I’m heading out. Could you lock up?” I asked. It wasn’t unusual of a request and when he nodded and went back to his conversation, I just about ran to my car. I didn’t want to just leave, so I called Atticus.

“Everything ok, Damon?” Atticus asked in greeting.

“Not sure. I left a bit earlier, and I asked Hank to close up shop,” I explained. Atticus didn’t respond immediately, not that it worried me. Atticus was a man of few words.

“I’m dying to ask questions, but I won’t…”

“Thanks,” I said quickly. I needed him to know that I appreciated him not asking questions.

“Ok, then…see you tomorrow,” Atticus said before he hung up. I drove as quickly as I could to the café. Maybe I could convince Vanessa to take a quick break so that we could talk. Otherwise, I was going to stress out about things until I got to talk to her. The sooner, the better.