At least, with Caleb there today, there would be less awkwardness and pressure.
When Emma arrived at the house, the front gate was already open. She drove through and parked behind Caleb’s car in the large driveway. She retrieved her backpack and walked to the door. It swung open upon her arrival, and Marty greeted her with a bright smile and a light kiss on the cheek. She hadn’t expected that and her face heated.
Marty motioned her forward. “Come on in. Thanks again for coming.” He glanced at Caleb behind him. “I hope you both don’t regret volunteering to help.”
Caleb raised an eyebrow. He didn’t mention Marty’s kiss, but it was clear he hadn’t missed it either. “Don’t worry. Next time I move obstacles around at the gym, I’ll give you a call.”
“Deal.”
Emma laughed. Caleb changed some of the obstacles around monthly to keep the classes interesting. Usually he did it over the weekend because it was all set and ready when she got back to work on Monday. “Do you usually do it by yourself?”
“Actually, my brother usually comes over and helps me out. He says he enjoys it, and it saves me money not paying employees.” Caleb laughed. “No offense.”
“None taken. I can’t say I blame you. Nice you can get in some brother bonding at the same time.” Emma set her bag on a chair in the living room so it’d be out of the way. She tugged on the bottom of her T-shirt to straighten it and made sure the neckline was still where it should be. When she glanced up, she caught Marty watching her and warmth crept into her cheeks. “We about ready to get this party started?”
“Yep.” Marty led the way into the kitchen. He’d already moved the table and chairs, cleared cabinets, and laid out plastic to protect countertops as well as the cabinets and even the floor.
Caleb took in the cans of paint, rollers, and pans. “So how do you want to do this?”
Twenty minutes later, they were each armed with a roller, assigned to a job, and the painting began. Emma watched Caleb who went to work on a large wall. She’d never painted anything before, much less used a roller, and was completely out of her depth.
Meanwhile, Marty worked to paint the little areas between the cabinets and counter or painting up close to the cabinets. Places that required the use of a paint brush or mini roller.
Emma hoped she didn’t ruin something. She must have looked uncertain because Marty glanced at her, set his brush down, and approached. “You look lost.”
“Well, that’s lovely.” Emma’s face heated. She looked over at Caleb, who gave her an encouraging smile. “Sorry, I have no idea what I’m doing. Obviously.”
“It’s okay. Here, let me show you. Once you know what to do, it’s pretty easy. Although your arm will get tired.” Marty took the roller from her and showed her how to roll it into the paint pan. “You can get excess paint off so it doesn’t drip and then you’re ready to go.” He handed the roller to her and motioned for her to approach the wall.
Emma tried not to react when he placed his hand over hers and showed her how to roll the brush up and down to cover the yellow paint. “That’s all there is to it?”
“Yep, that’s it. We’re going to have to do two coats to cover this horrible yellow. This first coat, especially, doesn’t have to be perfect.”
Okay, she could do this. Besides, there was something satisfying about slowly erasing the yellow paint and replacing it with the clean off-white color. The whole kitchen was going to look brighter when they finished.
“Makes sense. Thank you.” Emma glanced to where his hand still covered hers then raised her eyes to find him watching her, a smile on his lips.
“Thank you for helping.” He stepped away from her and went back to what he was working on.
Emma focused on the wall and systematically eliminated any sign of the yellow paint as she listened to the guys talk. They commented on changing obstacles at the gym and on Caleb’s new gaming system.
“Oh,” Caleb began, switching subjects. “Are you going to the barbecue next weekend?”
“I was thinking about it. You?”
“It sounds like fun. Besides, I don’t say no to some good meat cooked outdoors.” Caleb looked at Emma. “Our church has a big barbecue every summer. There’ll be burgers and hot dogs provided, then everyone brings a side dish. Some people visit, but there are organized games as well. It’s usually a lot of fun.”
Emma’s brows rose. “I’d forgotten you both go to the same church.”
Marty nodded. “It’s actually how I found out about the coaching job at the gym. I’d known Caleb for a couple years, although we didn’t talk a lot until after I started working for him.”
“The barbecue is open to anyone,” Caleb said. “You’d be more than welcome to come, Emma. Do you have a church you’re going to?”
Seriously, had Marty put him up to this? Emma shot Marty a stern look. He only shrugged with a half-hearted attempt to cover his amusement.
Caleb was waiting, his expression open. Maybe he genuinely thought to invite her, and it had nothing to do with Marty and their previous conversation.
“No, not currently.”
