unease, she'd sent him
another text message asking for an interview but doubted he'd respond.
Four
minutes remained in her workout when the front doorbell rang. "Damn." Nicole
hadn't gone to work yet and Kendall hoped she'd grab the door. An
obsessive-compulsive streak always kept her pushing as hard as she could until
she reached exactly sixty minutes.
She
listened hoping to hear the door open. The bell rang again. "She's in the
shower, I bet."
Kendall
started working faster, trying to will the clock to reach sixty minutes. She
wanted to finish the workout before the visitor rang again. Three minutes and
twelve seconds to go. Two more rings sounded from the upstairs hallway.
"Damn."
She hit STOP on the machine and climbed down.
She shut off the TV and grabbed a towel draped over a nearby table. She climbed
the steps to the first floor.
The
doorbell rang again.
"I'm
coming!" Kendall hurried down the center hallway. She glanced out the side
window and saw a familiar face. As she opened the door, cool air chilled her
overheated skin and she shivered.
"Ms.
Shaw?" The grinning man standing on her front porch was medium build and looked
to be in his late thirties, early forties. He wore painter's pants, a white
sweatshirt, and a thick army jacket. Dark graying hair framed a rounded,
pleasant face.
"Todd
Franklin!" The carpenter she'd been waiting for.
He
tipped his head forward. "Yes, ma'am."
She
clapped her hands together. "Thank God. I didn't think you'd ever come. Please
come inside."
Todd
wiped his feet off on the front porch mat and came into the foyer. "Sorry I'm a
few days late. My job on the south side just took longer than I expected. You
find all kinds of problems when you're renovating."
"Please
don't say that," she said. "We're thinking only positive thoughts when it comes
to this renovation."
He
laughed. "I'll do my best." He glanced at her sweat-stained jog top. "Did I
interrupt your workout?"
"No
worries." He was the one interruption she would surrender time on the machine
for. She moved down the hallway. "My roommate gave you the grand tour last
month. You remember, Nicole?"
"I
sure do. She was a big help."
"I'm
sorry I couldn't be here. New job. My first few months
were pretty hectic."
"Oh,
I know how it is. I see you on TV sometimes."
Kendall
had learned long ago not to ask viewers what they thought about her broadcasts.
Negative reviews had a tendency to chew on her. "It's always good to be
working."
"True
enough."
"Let
me show you the kitchen."
"Great."
He followed behind her. "That roommate of yours--Nicole--did she have that baby
yet?"
She
crossed into the kitchen and pulled bottled water from the fridge. "Not yet.
Still has about three or four weeks to go. Water?"
"No, thanks." Todd glanced around the kitchen. "I reckon
she'll make a good mama."
He
unwittingly stumbled to the edge of an emotional minefield that Kendall had no
desire to enter. She let the comment drop. "Well, as you can see, the kitchen
is still as awful as it was when you first saw it. Frankly, I believe it's a
lost cause, but the designer assures me that you can do miracles."
"I'll
make it just the way you like it," he said.
He
possessed a confidence she liked. And he'd come with excellent references, so
for now she was ready to turn the job over to him. "Bless you." She opened a
cabinet drawer. The contents were neatly organized and she found a spare key
easily. "Here's a key to the house. While you're working, I'll just leave the
alarm off."
"Yes, ma'am." He put the key on his own ring. "First day or
two it's gonna be a terrible mess in here. And the
demolition will be noisy."
"It'll
be worth the sacrifice." She clapped her hands together, more excited than
she'd been on any Christmas morning. "So, you are going to start today?"
"I
am."
"Then
I'll leave you to it?"
He
nodded. "Go on and do what you need to. I've got it from here. I'll be in and
out of the house a lot, dragging in tools, so expect to hear the
another text message asking for an interview but doubted he'd respond.
Four
minutes remained in her workout when the front doorbell rang. "Damn." Nicole
hadn't gone to work yet and Kendall hoped she'd grab the door. An
obsessive-compulsive streak always kept her pushing as hard as she could until
she reached exactly sixty minutes.
She
listened hoping to hear the door open. The bell rang again. "She's in the
shower, I bet."
Kendall
started working faster, trying to will the clock to reach sixty minutes. She
wanted to finish the workout before the visitor rang again. Three minutes and
twelve seconds to go. Two more rings sounded from the upstairs hallway.
"Damn."
She hit STOP on the machine and climbed down.
She shut off the TV and grabbed a towel draped over a nearby table. She climbed
the steps to the first floor.
The
doorbell rang again.
"I'm
coming!" Kendall hurried down the center hallway. She glanced out the side
window and saw a familiar face. As she opened the door, cool air chilled her
overheated skin and she shivered.
"Ms.
Shaw?" The grinning man standing on her front porch was medium build and looked
to be in his late thirties, early forties. He wore painter's pants, a white
sweatshirt, and a thick army jacket. Dark graying hair framed a rounded,
pleasant face.
"Todd
Franklin!" The carpenter she'd been waiting for.
He
tipped his head forward. "Yes, ma'am."
She
clapped her hands together. "Thank God. I didn't think you'd ever come. Please
come inside."
Todd
wiped his feet off on the front porch mat and came into the foyer. "Sorry I'm a
few days late. My job on the south side just took longer than I expected. You
find all kinds of problems when you're renovating."
"Please
don't say that," she said. "We're thinking only positive thoughts when it comes
to this renovation."
He
laughed. "I'll do my best." He glanced at her sweat-stained jog top. "Did I
interrupt your workout?"
"No
worries." He was the one interruption she would surrender time on the machine
for. She moved down the hallway. "My roommate gave you the grand tour last
month. You remember, Nicole?"
"I
sure do. She was a big help."
"I'm
sorry I couldn't be here. New job. My first few months
were pretty hectic."
"Oh,
I know how it is. I see you on TV sometimes."
Kendall
had learned long ago not to ask viewers what they thought about her broadcasts.
Negative reviews had a tendency to chew on her. "It's always good to be
working."
"True
enough."
"Let
me show you the kitchen."
"Great."
He followed behind her. "That roommate of yours--Nicole--did she have that baby
yet?"
She
crossed into the kitchen and pulled bottled water from the fridge. "Not yet.
Still has about three or four weeks to go. Water?"
"No, thanks." Todd glanced around the kitchen. "I reckon
she'll make a good mama."
He
unwittingly stumbled to the edge of an emotional minefield that Kendall had no
desire to enter. She let the comment drop. "Well, as you can see, the kitchen
is still as awful as it was when you first saw it. Frankly, I believe it's a
lost cause, but the designer assures me that you can do miracles."
"I'll
make it just the way you like it," he said.
He
possessed a confidence she liked. And he'd come with excellent references, so
for now she was ready to turn the job over to him. "Bless you." She opened a
cabinet drawer. The contents were neatly organized and she found a spare key
easily. "Here's a key to the house. While you're working, I'll just leave the
alarm off."
"Yes, ma'am." He put the key on his own ring. "First day or
two it's gonna be a terrible mess in here. And the
demolition will be noisy."
"It'll
be worth the sacrifice." She clapped her hands together, more excited than
she'd been on any Christmas morning. "So, you are going to start today?"
"I
am."
"Then
I'll leave you to it?"
He
nodded. "Go on and do what you need to. I've got it from here. I'll be in and
out of the house a lot, dragging in tools, so expect to hear the
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