Chapter Five

The sun was crawling over the horizon when Bailey arrived at the project house on a Saturday morning. Starting that Monday, they would be handing the house over to the crew while they met with this season’s featured clients. This weekend would effectively be their last chance to walk through the house before the demo crew got to work. They’d been over and over the plans already, but everything had to be perfect.

Eyeing the house, Bailey’s heart pounded hard in her chest. If she stared hard enough, she could already see the finished product. They’d restore its former charm while giving it the modern conveniences a high-dollar homeowner would want. When the season was over, there’d be no doubt they’d left this little slice of Texas better than they’d found it.

Waverly’s SUV pulled up behind Bailey’s, and a pair of long legs clad in skinny jeans stepped out. The Design Network’s designer of the year, stylishly dressed in a military cut jacket, knee-high boots, and oversized sunglasses, raised a hand in silent greeting. One of the rear doors swung open and out came Virginia and her nanny.

Before either Bailey or Waverly had a chance to speak, Virginia rushed forward and threw her arms around Bailey’s legs. Beaming up, she squeezed. “I remember you.”

“And I remember you.” How could Bailey forget after their first meeting? “Did you have a nice visit with your grandparents?”

Virginia’s head bobbed up and down furiously. “I had so much candy. It was the best.”

“She’ll be burning off that sugar rush until she starts kindergarten.” Waverly had to jog to catch up with her daughter. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, I—” Bailey glanced back down to Virginia, who still had her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. “Do you want to go inside?”

“Are you here to help us make the house pretty?”

Charmed, Bailey knelt down to Virginia’s level. “That’s the plan. Do you have any ideas on what we should do?”

Her little face scrunched up thoughtfully before she nodded enthusiastically.

“What do you think?”

“Well . . .” Virginia tapped her chin, the same way her father did when he was speculating for the cameras. “First, we need to fix the holes on this porch. Then, we need to paint it. And the whole house. We have to do somethin’ about the trim.”

Bailey cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Waverly. “Are you sure you need me around when you have this little wonder on your hands?”

“That ‘little wonder’ is the reason we need you around.”

“Come on.” Virginia slipped her hand in Bailey’s and tugged. “I want to go pick out my room.”

Sharing an amused glance with the nanny, Bailey followed orders. Waverly and Wilder might not be her only bosses on this shoot.

***

The next few weeks flew by in a blur. After finishing the plans on the project house, the rehab crew was already at work knocking out walls and reinforcing the foundation. While that went on, Wilder and Waverly met with their first round of clients on camera. As part of the process, they toured dozens of homes and came up with preliminary designs.

Where they went, Bailey went. What Waverly needed done, Bailey did. When the bosses needed something done, she did it, all the while snapping photos for Waverly’s social media profiles. She took her sketchpad with her everywhere and created digital 3-D mock-ups on her tablet.

It meant late nights and early mornings. More often than not, Bailey fell asleep still poring over designs, often still wearing her clothes from the day before. But it was worth it. Every bit of effort brought her a step closer to seeing her designs come to life.

Her designs. She got a thrill thinking about them that way.

A month ago, she was getting coffees for a senior designer and secretly sketching designs that would never be considered, let alone used. Now, her ideas were actually being put to use.

Okay, she was still picking up coffees for her bosses on the way to the job site every day. Who cared about busywork like that when she was doing what she loved?

Balancing yet another crate of cups—each labeled for its recipient—Bailey struggled with the front door. She had to get just the right grip or risk losing her design materials and the coffee.

“Hey!” She turned to watch Felix jog from his truck to meet her. “I’ve got it.”

She stepped back and gave him an appreciative grin while he opened the door. Safely inside, she dropped her bag and handed over the cup with his name scribbled on the side.

“Oh, man. You really don’t have to keep getting me coffee.”

“Want me to hold on to this then?”

“No.”

“Then just take it and say, ‘Thank you, ma’am.’”

He took the offered cup and mumbled, “Thank you, ma’am.”

She glanced around the empty foyer. “Where are the bosses?”

Felix removed the lid from his cup and blew on the dark liquid before taking a small sip. “Doesn’t look like Waverly’s in yet. But the other boss is probably in the kitchen.”

Bailey left him with his drink and moved toward the back of the house. On the way, she delivered coffees to Renee and her production assistant and a few of the guys from Felix’s crew.

With only three coffees left, she hovered in the doorway just outside the kitchen. Sure enough, Wilder was there, kneeling in front of the massive stone fireplace. She swallowed hard, wishing her heart didn’t pound a little harder whenever he was around. If the message boards were to be believed, she wasn’t the only person crushing on the totally unavailable Wilder Aldrich. But unlike the other women—and men—out there, she had to get a grip because he was her very real boss.

She cleared her throat and Wilder glanced over his shoulder. “Hey.”

“Hey. Where’s Waverly?”

“She’s gone.”

Bailey almost dropped the coffees but regained her wits in time. “What do you mean she’s gone?”

“I mean,” he went back to testing the brick around the fireplace, “she grabbed a flight to New York last night for . . . an impromptu meeting with the network execs.” Wiping his hands on his jeans, he rose to his feet and pointed to the coffee. “Is one of those for me?”

She nodded dumbly and handed his cup over. “But if Waverly isn’t here, what am I supposed to do?”

“Help me move on to the next phase of this project by coming up with your brilliant designs.” He raised his cup in silent toast. “Thank you, ma’am.” His eyes sparkled just enough to let her know he’d been eavesdropping on her and Felix.

“No problem.” Could her boss really just skip out of town in the middle of a shoot? Without even sending a text or email? “But . . .”

“What would you do with the fireplace? Assuming everything with it is structurally sound, and knowing the homeowners’ tastes, what would you do?”

Bailey chewed on the inside of her cheek and considered. “If it’s structurally sound, I’d paint the brick . . . white . . . and add a new mantle. Maybe some rustic wood with a dark finish.”

Wilder nodded. “Do you have your sketchpad and tablet?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. We’ll draw out your ideas, and we’ll add it to the work list once we get the homeowners’ blessing.”

“Shouldn’t we check it over with Waverly first?”

“Bailey Honey, she isn’t here, and we can’t sit around and wait.” He squeezed her shoulder on his way to the other side of the kitchen to carry on his pre-demo inspection of the house. “When she’s gone, we do things your way.”

Following after him, she wasn’t done voicing her concerns. “But what if she doesn’t like my ideas?”

“Then that’s the price she pays for scheduling all of these last-minute meetings with network execs. But you don’t need to worry. We trust your judgment. You know the market, and now you know the customers. We trust you.”

Leaving her to consider his vote of confidence, he called out a greeting to Felix, effectively dismissing the conversation. She supposed it was a good thing her bosses trusted her implicitly to do the right thing. She could come up with designs, good ones, on her own. But she still couldn’t shake the fear that Waverly might not agree.

Wilder was waiting patiently by the sink when she caught up with him. “What do you think in here?”

“New appliances.”

The coffee cup froze on its way to his lips. “And?”

“The wall needs to go,” she said with less vibrato. “If we open up the kitchen to the dining room—and maybe even the formal living area—we could make the space more functional.”

“The owners will like that.” He ran a hand over the chipped tile counter. “What else would you do? Like with the cupboards.”

“We tear them out. Start over with a newly configured space. Take the cupboards to the ceiling to add more storage. Give them a white finish with a granite or quartz counter. We ask Felix to find someone to build us a custom island, with a bar for additional seating.” She blinked rapidly, pulling herself out of the trance-like state she’d slipped into.

His lips twitched, a hint of a dimple dented his cheek. “And?”

“New paint on the walls. Install a backsplash—subway tile.” She tapped an erratic beat on the two cups of coffee she was still holding. “We change the lighting fixtures. Recessed lighting with an iron chandelier over the table in the dining area. Let’s change the sliding doors that lead out to the backyard to French doors. We install hardwoods or laminate—but I really think they’ll want hardwoods in here.”

“See. That wasn’t so terrible, was it?”

“No.” She released a short laugh. “I guess it wasn’t.”

“You have a good eye. Instinct. Skill. That’s why we hired you. Now,” he set his coffee on the counter, “you want hardwood floors?”

“Definitely.”

He pulled a utility knife out of his tool belt and motioned for her to follow him to the edge of the room. Crouching down like a football player taking a knee midgame, he freed the corner of the faux tile laminate. He peeled it back slowly to expose— “Hardwood floors. Original to the house, I’d guess, and in good shape once we get this monstrosity out of here.”

She gasped and dropped to her knees next to him. “You’re kidding me.”

“Nope. They’re beauties.”

“What kind of monster would cover these up?”

His hazel eyes met hers. “The same monster who put those carpets down in the dining and living areas.” Jumping up to his feet with more grace than she could muster, he repeated the act in the living room. “Hardwoods throughout the whole first floor. And I’d bet we’ll find the same on the second.”

“This changes everything.” She met his gaze and caught the sparkle. He was enjoying the discovery every bit as much as she was. “Refinishing the floors will take some money, but not as much as I figured we’d have to spend to install them ourselves.”

“That’s right. Felix already has a crew planning to come in once we get the debris out of here.”

She shook her head in wonder. “I just can’t get over the treasure hiding in this house.”

“That’s a great way of putting it.” They returned to the kitchen where he hunched down in front of the sink. “Before we go upstairs, I want to check out what we’re getting into with the plumbing.”

He swung the cupboard door open. She leaned forward, but kept a safe distance. Knowing her luck, she’d accidentally bump into him and bust open one of the pipes.

When he didn’t say anything for another minute, she inched closer. “What’s the verdict?”

“Not good. We’re—shit!” Orange-tinted water gushed out of the pipes flying into his face. He clumsily pushed out from under the sink. The water kept rushing out. “I knocked something loose. Piece of crap pipes are rusted clear through.”

Heart racing, she grabbed a wrench from his belt and dove under the sink. Covering her face with one hand, she found the faulty bolt and screwed it on tighter. The stream slowed to a trickle before coming to a halt. Good. Crisis almost averted.

She leaned back on her heels to check on Wilder. He was still lying on the floor, chest rapidly rising up and down. She met his stunned gaze. “You okay?”