I just wish he could make this moment a little lessimperfect.
I skip breakfast of any kind to distance myself from what’s going on in my kitchen and head back upstairs to finish getting ready.
When I leave my place to head to work, I find a pink note stuck to my truck’s window.
Hey, my cute (with flair!) neighbor,
We’re having a “The Wall is Up!” celebration at our place at 7:00. There will be appetizers of some sort. Come as you are. (Shirt optional.)
Hope youcan make it!
Love, your smartly-dressed neighbors.
I smile as I pull off the note and stick it in my work folio so I can re-read it several times today.
CHAPTER 17
A FONDUE FAREWELL TO THE FAKE WALL
CHARLIE
Istopped on my way home from work to pick up a box of appetizers that Reese had ordered. She gave me very strict “No peeking!” instructions, which just really makes me want to. And, it makes me wonder a little if I should be worried about this 3-person party she has planned.
She squeals when I get home and hand her the box, then she pushes me toward the stairs with instructions to go change from “stuffy” clothes to “party” clothes.
Okay, first off, the silky pale pink blouse I’m wearing isn’t stuffy. And secondly, I don’t think I know what “party” clothes means in her mind. She is wearing a plaid shirt tied over a beehive print knit dress and plaid glasses frames (which I didn’t even know they made until Reese wore them for the firsttime), so I go for a fun and flirty casual dress with a strawberry print.
Since we had workers over today, I do a quick sweep upstairs for bugs and a quick check under beds and in closets for sneaky people. I’ll have to check for bugs downstairs after Reese goes to bed.
I go back down and take a look at the kitchen, since I was rushed past it so quickly that I didn’t even notice before. We have a wall! It’s not painted yet. The place smells like Sheetrock mud, so I’m guessing it didn’t dry in time to paint. So my cabinets and countertop are still piled on and around my kitchen table, but there’s a wall! The one cabinet that stayed—my lone island—is currently holding what I’m sure are the appetizers Reese planned. But it’s also covered by a tablecloth, so I can’t actually see them.
A knock sounds at my door, and I immediately know it’s Owen. But at the same time, it feels weird because he’s only knocked on my door once or twice before. It’s strange how quickly we got used to the door cut into our wall. Stranger still is how I already miss it.
I open the door, and I’m practically breathless just seeing him standing there, a beautiful smile on his face, holding a plate of brownies. I can barely manage to get out a super breathy, “Hi.” I’m smiling and just taking him in, and he’s doing the same right back at me. Gosh, I thought about this man a lot today.Especially after seeing his cute hopping sock-putting-on while singing his to-do list. I’ve heard his lists several times before, but I’ve never seen it at the same time. It was so endearing, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
And I swear it had nothing to do with the fact that he was also shirtless.
Although I did spend time thinking about that, too.
He holds up the brownies a bit. “Luis and his daughter were baking again.”
“They look delicious.”Charlie! You can’t just leave the man standing there while you soak him in.“Come in!”
He looks and smells freshly showered, so I know he’s been to his townhome to see the wall. “You’ve got new Sheetrock on your side, too, right?”
We’re to my kitchen, and he nods and says, “My side looks almost exactly the same as yours. Minus this” —he gestures at the appetizers counter that’s covered with a tablecloth—“strangely shaped ghost here.”
“You are in luck,” Reese says, “because I’m about to unmask this ghost.” She pulls the tablecloth off with a flourish. “For our The Wall is Up party, we’ve got ‘Wall-Worthy Veggie Planks with a spackle dip.’ Do you like how all the carrots, cucumbers, and bell peppers are all lined up like the studs in our wall? And these,” she says, Vanna White-ing tortilla rollups, “are ‘Painter’s TapePinwheels.’
“Next, we’ve got Stud Muffins in both mini chocolate chip and banana varieties. You can decide for yourself if it’s a callback to the wall studs or Owen’s shirtless moment this morning.”
I peek over at Owen and see him blush just a bit.
“And these tasty, flaky, powdered sugar-topped things are ‘Drywall Dust Pastry Bites.’” She motions to the brownies. “And we’ll call these ‘Building Material Bricks.’”
“I won’t tell Luis that you called his brownies ‘bricks.’”
Reese grins. “And then our gathering activity is to fill out a couple of these certificates for our awards ceremony. Be as creative as you’d like.”
