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A Handyman s Best Tool
Before she could worry herself to death about how she d handle the
situation, the doorbell rang. Riley was here. Her heartbeat immediately
accelerated and her palms grew sweaty again. She wiped them on the
back of her shorts as she raced down the hallway toward the front of the
house.
As she opened the door, a smile trembled on her lips. When she saw
the stranger standing there, her jaw dropped, the smile disappearing.
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You Beth-Ann Harris? Riley Osborne from R & J Constructions sent
me over to fix the hole in your roof. I m Larry Bates and this, he
indicated the young lad behind him, is Chris. He s the apprentice.
Where s Riley? A surge of disappointment swept through her. I
thought he d be here.
The boss said to tell you he d call later. Did a stint with the security
guard last night and needed to get some sleep, but he ll be back at the
building site before lunch.
Beth-Ann waved the man and his helper inside and pointed the way
to the living room. She felt self-conscious in her brief top and shorts.
Larry couldn t keep his eyes off her boobs and poor Chris looked like he
was about to swallow his tongue.
I ll& um, I ll leave you to it, she said. I ll be in the small room at the
end of the hallway if you want me.
Larry nodded and turned to issue instructions to the apprentice.
Beth-Ann beat a hasty retreat to the master bedroom, where she stripped
off the halter-top and shorts and donned an old tee shirt and a pair of
cut-off jeans. Then she slipped into the spare room, closing the door
behind her.
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Well, shoot, all that soul-searching and she wouldn t even get to see
Riley. At that moment, a thought hit her. She opened the door and stuck
her head out. Hey, Larry?
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Alexis Fleming
What can I do you for, Ms. Harris? he shouted back.
Ah, it s Beth-Ann, not Ms. Harris, and I m expecting a friend. Can
you send her down here when she comes?
Will do.
Beth-Ann closed the door again and looked at the mess around her.
With the wallpaper now stripped off, she wanted to get the first coat of
paint on the walls and Cindy had offered to help. She d meant to do it
yesterday, but hadn t been able to motivate herself.
Rats, she didn t feel like painting today either, but it had to be done.
She was due back at work in a week and hadn t achieved anywhere near
what she d wanted.
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Get on with it, you dummy, she whispered. The command had no
effect. All she could do was stand there with her back pressed to the
closed door and think about Riley and the predicament in which she
found herself.
Hi, Beth-Ann, coming in.
The words filtered through the timber door, but before she could
move, Cindy pushed on it and Beth-Ann stumbled with the force of the
movement.
I thought you d locked yourself in for a moment. Cindy stepped into
the room. She took one look at her friend and frowned. Are you okay?
Beth-Ann untangled her feet from the drop cloth and bent to
straighten it out again. Without looking at Cindy, she pried the lid off the
can of paint and poured some into the paint tray, before hammering the
lid back on the paint pot.
Come on, girl, give. What s wrong?
She handed Cindy a paintbrush. Question. How can I have a raging
affair with Riley if I ve just discovered I love him?
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A Handyman s Best Tool
Hmm, thought as much. The signs are all there. Cindy dipped the
brush into the paint and started to cut in along the cornice of the wall
nearest the door.
Roller loaded and ready to go, Beth-Ann waited until Cindy was far
enough along before she started to layer the paint onto the bare walls. I
don t know what to do, she said. When he didn t come this morning,
the disappointment felt like it would cripple me. Darn, that scares the
heck out of me. It s like I ve already given up control of some part of my
life.
Cindy turned and waved a dripping paintbrush at her. It doesn t
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