you ask me they’re the best of the lot.”
“Harry is a Maine Coon cat,” Cara said with enthusiasm. She knelt down next to Garrison, stroking Harry’s silky coat. “They are the best cats ever. Very smart and loyal and, in my opinion, gorgeous.”
“He is pretty,” Sabrina agreed as she petted the other cat. “But so are you, Oreo.”
“Handsome Harry,” Cara cooed. Then standing, she glanced around the room. “Are you painting?”
“Yeah.” Garrison picked up the paint samples, fanning the colors out. “Now if I could just pick a color.”
Cara grimaced. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.” She pointed to Sabrina, who had squatted down to examine the cats. “She’s the real color expert. You should get her opinion.” She glanced at her watch. “Now if you guys will excuse me, I have to get home for a conference call at ten. I’ll just walk back.”
“Thanks for coming with me.” Sabrina stood and looked at the color cards in Garrison’s hands. “You really want help with that?”
“I would be truly grateful.” He handed them over to her and she began walking around the room, taking it all in.
“Is this carpet staying?”
“No way,” he assured her. “I’m just leaving it in until I finish painting. Thought it might protect the floors. They’re hardwood underneath. I took a peek yesterday and they appear to be in good shape. This house belonged to my grandfather’s parents originally and finally to just my grandmother. But I think the carpet was installed back in the sixties.” He went over to peel back the corner for her to see.
“Pretty,” she said. “It’s a lighter wood than I’d have expected. But it’ll brighten it up in here. I really like this color.” Sabrina pointed to a warm shade of gray. “It’s neutral but sophisticated, and it looks really handsome against the dark woodwork. See?” She held it against the wall then handed it back to him.
Garrison studied the color. “I never would’ve picked that color, but I do like it.” He left the card sticking out. “Want to help me with the other rooms?” he asked hopefully.
“Sure. It’s the least I can do in exchange for a cat.”
“Great. Did you decide on which one?”
She pointed to Oreo. “This guy had me from the get-go. I didn’t want to hurt Cara’s feelings. She was so set on me adopting Harry. But I had a cat that looked a lot like this one as a child. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to have Oreo.”
He grinned. “I don’t mind at all.”
Before Sabrina left, with Oreo happily tucked into a cat crate, she had helped Garrison pick out a nice, pale robin’s-egg blue for the downstairs bath and a lighter shade of gray for the downstairs bedroom. She even made some great suggestions for the bath and bedrooms upstairs.
After a quick trip to the paint store, Garrison returned with the living room and bathroom paint. He’d arranged to pick up the other cans at the end of the day and had grabbed a couple of Subway sandwiches. He and Elliott had a quick lunch, then launched into painting. “You’re really good at this,” he told Elliott as he watched him dipping a roller into the paint. “Have you done it before?”
Elliott flashed him a surprising grin. “Yeah, as a matter of fact.”
Garrison laughed. “Well, who knew I was hiring a pro.”
“I never did it as a real job,” Elliott said as he rolled the paint-filled roller down the wall. “But I did help a friend paint his house last summer. I worked for free rent. It was a pretty good deal . . . at first.”
“Yeah, I guess that happens sometimes,” Garrison said as he used a brush to paint around the front window. “Sometimes things seem good at first . . . but we learn the hard way that they weren’t as good as we thought.”
“Yeah. My grandmother’s always telling me that I get most of my education at the school of hard knocks. I guess she’s kinda right.”
“You have to decide when you’re ready to quit
“Harry is a Maine Coon cat,” Cara said with enthusiasm. She knelt down next to Garrison, stroking Harry’s silky coat. “They are the best cats ever. Very smart and loyal and, in my opinion, gorgeous.”
“He is pretty,” Sabrina agreed as she petted the other cat. “But so are you, Oreo.”
“Handsome Harry,” Cara cooed. Then standing, she glanced around the room. “Are you painting?”
“Yeah.” Garrison picked up the paint samples, fanning the colors out. “Now if I could just pick a color.”
Cara grimaced. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.” She pointed to Sabrina, who had squatted down to examine the cats. “She’s the real color expert. You should get her opinion.” She glanced at her watch. “Now if you guys will excuse me, I have to get home for a conference call at ten. I’ll just walk back.”
“Thanks for coming with me.” Sabrina stood and looked at the color cards in Garrison’s hands. “You really want help with that?”
“I would be truly grateful.” He handed them over to her and she began walking around the room, taking it all in.
“Is this carpet staying?”
“No way,” he assured her. “I’m just leaving it in until I finish painting. Thought it might protect the floors. They’re hardwood underneath. I took a peek yesterday and they appear to be in good shape. This house belonged to my grandfather’s parents originally and finally to just my grandmother. But I think the carpet was installed back in the sixties.” He went over to peel back the corner for her to see.
“Pretty,” she said. “It’s a lighter wood than I’d have expected. But it’ll brighten it up in here. I really like this color.” Sabrina pointed to a warm shade of gray. “It’s neutral but sophisticated, and it looks really handsome against the dark woodwork. See?” She held it against the wall then handed it back to him.
Garrison studied the color. “I never would’ve picked that color, but I do like it.” He left the card sticking out. “Want to help me with the other rooms?” he asked hopefully.
“Sure. It’s the least I can do in exchange for a cat.”
“Great. Did you decide on which one?”
She pointed to Oreo. “This guy had me from the get-go. I didn’t want to hurt Cara’s feelings. She was so set on me adopting Harry. But I had a cat that looked a lot like this one as a child. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to have Oreo.”
He grinned. “I don’t mind at all.”
Before Sabrina left, with Oreo happily tucked into a cat crate, she had helped Garrison pick out a nice, pale robin’s-egg blue for the downstairs bath and a lighter shade of gray for the downstairs bedroom. She even made some great suggestions for the bath and bedrooms upstairs.
After a quick trip to the paint store, Garrison returned with the living room and bathroom paint. He’d arranged to pick up the other cans at the end of the day and had grabbed a couple of Subway sandwiches. He and Elliott had a quick lunch, then launched into painting. “You’re really good at this,” he told Elliott as he watched him dipping a roller into the paint. “Have you done it before?”
Elliott flashed him a surprising grin. “Yeah, as a matter of fact.”
Garrison laughed. “Well, who knew I was hiring a pro.”
“I never did it as a real job,” Elliott said as he rolled the paint-filled roller down the wall. “But I did help a friend paint his house last summer. I worked for free rent. It was a pretty good deal . . . at first.”
“Yeah, I guess that happens sometimes,” Garrison said as he used a brush to paint around the front window. “Sometimes things seem good at first . . . but we learn the hard way that they weren’t as good as we thought.”
“Yeah. My grandmother’s always telling me that I get most of my education at the school of hard knocks. I guess she’s kinda right.”
“You have to decide when you’re ready to quit
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