6
Adley
I fully intended on staying in the house until the construction workers came, but I had to run last minute errands. And I wasn’t familiar with the island yet, so I got a little lost on the way back. I had just bought a few frozen dinners to last for a bit. I wasn’t sure what conditions the house was even in to start using the gas stove or anything.
When I pulled up into my driveway, I didn’t expect what I saw. I even drove slower to get a better look. I saw the truck first, and then the two men on the porch. I guess it was my porch now. They were pacing across the deck like two masses of muscular prowess.
One had dark, messy hair and wide shoulders that looked like they could work as a bulldozer. Next to him was a man of similar size, but with lighter, sandy brown hair. They were engrossed in conversation. They seemed like friends. Once they noticed I was there, they both looked at me and stopped. I felt oddly self-conscious as I climbed out of the car.
They did an odd pivot. One stood in front of the other and I could tell they were whispering but I just walked up anyway. As soon as I was in their midst I was so nervous. I stood in the foyer and practically told them my whole life story. Well, my life in the past few days.
But they weren’t assholes about it or anything. They were nice. And very, very pretty.
Levi had this boyish charm, there was something young and free about him. His dark hair and green eyes offset each other in such a brooding way, it was hard to look at anything else. Except Tate. He was just…light, and airy. A breath of fresh air. His light hair and blue eyes gave him that same easy feel.
“So, um, how does this work? I’m not really sure. I’ve never had to use a construction company before.”
The two of them stood in the archway between the dining room and foyer. Levi flashed a crooked smile and shook his head.
“You aren’t using us, technically. It’s more like willing manual labor.” He grinned. Tate shot him a look, but Levi’s eyes were already passing over my body in a way that both unnerved and excited me. I wasn’t wearing anything special. But he looked at me like he wanted me out of my clothes just as much as he liked seeing me in them.
I cleared my throat nervously and managed a nervous laugh.
“Oh. Right.” I stuttered. I felt my face growing hot.
I had to talk myself down. They were just here doing their job. I had to get a grip.
“Let’s just take a walk around. Then we’ll uh, go from there.” Tate offered a kind smile. It reassured me somehow. I did feel more at ease with the whole thing, but I was still nervous about the pretty men in my house.
I was still getting used to this even being my house.
“Okay. Um, I’m not very good at giving tours. The house is still kind of new to me.”
“No worries. We do this a lot.” Levi smiled that grin that could mean so many other things.
Then Levi stepped in front and Tate followed him. I hadn’t noticed Tate holding a tablet, but he took it out and then straightened his face as he did some tapping. Levi walked into the kitchen and I just followed them both. They didn’t seem like robbers or impersonators or anything, where I felt like I had to constantly supervise them; I just wanted to watch them as much as I could.
Levi started talking construction speak about the baseboards and the foundation. The appliances, wiring, a bunch of technical stuff.
“Were you wanting any structural changes?” Tate asked me after we went from the kitchen to the living room.
The couch I slept on was the only thing that even looked live-in at the moment.
“Structural changes?” I stared back at Levi, blinking like a deer caught in the headlights. He just gave me a kind, reassuring smile and explained.
“Yeah. I mean, do you want to change anything like removing walls or something like that?”
“Oh. No, I don’t think so. I just want it updated. I know it really isn’t right now.” I crossed my arms and shifted my weight. That nervous guilt fell over me again. They must have realized I hadn’t taken good care of my grandmother. She had been living in these conditions and I didn’t help her. I wouldn’t have had much money, but I would have insisted she live with me. My apartment wasn’t much better, though…I supposed things were just supposed to run the way they did. This was it.
“Cool. Gotcha.” Tate and Levi looked over something on the tablet and then they pressed forward.
They checked the dining room and then walked up the cramped staircase to the second level. Being alone in their presence was definitely intimidating. They were both so broad and tall. They could easily grab me and have their way with me, and I wasn’t sure why I was more intrigued by that than afraid.
“The place has a lot of charm,” Tate said.
“Thanks. Is that bad?” I bit my lip nervously and glanced between them both. Levi chuckled, a deep sexy rumble I felt in my toes.
“We’re not finished yet, hun.” Levi winked and crossed the landing to the first bedroom.
The master was very old fashioned. I vaguely remember seeing pictures of what this had looked like when she bought it. From the real estate listing. It had been cute at one point. A cottage feel. The bed and dresser were very dark wood. The bed sat on a high platform and had four posters. The couch and all the furniture were covered in tarps, too.
They went through the room and then through the bathroom as well. There were a lot of stolen glances between all of us. I got the feeling they were both checking me out, and it wasn’t even from an over-confidence standpoint. I could literally feel it. I just didn’t know if they both knew each of them was looking at me like that.
Or maybe they did. And that was almost more unnerving than anything else.
“The only other room is the library.”
I led them to the small hallway that would otherwise be missed. I remembered it from when I walked through the night before. There were barely any books and the curtains were so dark no light was even coming through. The built-in shelves were barely hanging on, and most of the books were almost out of their binding, too.
After they looked around that room they reconvened in the kitchen. The countertop looked very unstable, especially under their solid arms as they leaned forward over the tablet. They mostly spoke in hushed whispers and jargons I didn’t understand.
“I’d offer you guys something to drink but there’s nothing here. I don’t want you guys to think I’m a bad host or something.” I leaned against the far wall and I thought I felt the sheet rock crumble. I figured it was just my nerves crunching against each other.
“No problem, hun.” Levi winked at me. I swallowed at his pet name and wondered if he called every other woman that. He looked like he got a lot of women easily. Tate, too. But he just smiled and shook his head at his friend.
“So, based on everything we saw we can get the job done,” Tate said.
I felt like a weight was lifted off me. “Really? That’s great!” I smiled wider than I had in a long time.
Tate smiled and turned it to Levi.
“But, there are some red flags here. The electrical already looks bad, so we’ll need to get someone in here for that. The plumbing too. It smells like there is some mold, so we have to err on the safe side and do a complete inspection. But it’s doable.” Levi grinned like he didn’t just spin my head in a million circles.
“Whoa. Okay.” My face fell and I felt my nerves creeping up again.
“It isn’t as bad as it sounds. You can trust us,” Tate added. I felt a little better, but it was still very overwhelming.
“How much will it all cost? Like a very rough estimate.”
“Uh…fifty to eighty. It really depends on how bad the electrical and plumbing are. If the whole place needs a re-do, it will be on the higher side.”
“Oh. Okay.” Fifty thousand dollars. Thank God she had left me some money.
Levi saw my panic. “When we’re done, you’ll double your money if you sell. Promise.”
“Okay then I guess that isn’t too bad. When can you start?”
I swallowed nervously.
“Today. Tomorrow. Whenever,” Levi replied. It sounded like he was talking about sex but that could just be me with my head in the gutter. And my eyes unable to peel themselves from either of their muscled bodies.
“Awesome. Thank you.” I crossed their space to shake their hands. I didn’t even know if that was something done, but I did it anyway. And the feeling of their calloused, rough, large, hot hands…I was bubbling with nervous energy, among other things.
“No problem. But, while we work you’ll want to stay with a friend or in a hotel. It won’t be livable in the early stages,” Tate said. “We like to do all the demo at once.”
“Oh.”
I don’t know why I was partially disappointed. Time in a hotel could be a mini vacation.
Maybe it was because I wouldn’t have a reason to be here. Staring at their muscled bodies, working and using their hands…
It was good I’d be in a hotel. Really good.