Grayson looked at the label. “Merino. I’m gonna wear this sweater every day all winter.”
Nolan walked with Grayson to the counter.
“Are you gonna buy anything?” Grayson asked as he placed his clothes on the counter.
“No, I’m good.”
“Not enough black T-shirts, eh?”
“My wardrobe is notthatboring.”
“Sure, babe.”
When they walked back outside, Nolan asked, “You want to get lunch?”
“Okay. But somewhere not super expensive so I can pay for myself. I don’t like feeling like I’m your kept man.”
“There’s a little Italian place on Sixteenth Street I like. They make a good sandwich.”
“Okay. Sounds good. But then I should probably go home.”
“Yeah.” Although Nolan was a little shaken by how sad that made him feel, despite having other plans later.
“Are you…? No, never mind.”
“No, ask,” said Nolan.
“Are you gonna be okay? I hate leaving you alone tonight if you’re going to be sad.”
Grayson could be astute sometimes. Nolan pointed to the corner so Grayson would start walking toward the restaurant. Then he said, “Yeah, I’ll be okay,” surprised he actually meant it.
Chapter Nine
LARA ANDJason Cruz had been married about eight months. They’d spent most of their engagement saving money to buy a fixer-upper on Long Island. Only they quickly got in over their heads and hired a couple of contractors who were not great at their jobs. Their budget ballooned as they tried to get the place up to code, and now their dream home had been stripped to the studs.
“It’s a blank canvas,” said Grayson.
Nolan thought he was being charitable. Because what he could see was… nothing. No walls. No flooring. No appliances or cabinets or sinks. Just studs and subfloor.
“The house had asbestos,” Jason Cruz said. “So we hired a crew to do an abatement, and they took out the walls.”
“The floors were hideous. There was this awful beige-y pink linoleum throughout,” said Lara Cruz. “So that had to go.”
“Linoleum on the whole first floor?” Grayson asked, aghast. “That’s a crime.”
Nolan agreed, but all he saw were dollar signs.
The Cruzes were a photogenic couple. She was a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx, he was a first-generation Cuban American who’d grown up in Florida. They’d met in college and dated for ten years before getting married, so although they were newlyweds, they clearly knew each other very well.
Nolan asked them a series of leading questions to get them to explain their taste and style, but neither of them had the vocabulary to describe what they liked. Nolan gleaned that Jason liked sleek and modern, Lara a little more traditional. That was okay, he could work with that.
But, man, this was a big job.
“I have to admit,” Nolan said, “I’m finding this a little overwhelming.”
“If it helps, we have a floor plan,” said Jason. He picked up a roll of paper that was leaning against one of the nearby studs. He unrolled it and held it out for Nolan to examine.
“This does help.” Nolan peered at the blueprint. “Okay, three bedrooms in the back. I assume you want to keep those?”
