Chapter Five

“I had a look at the roof and the storm damage. I’ve added the costs to the original estimate.” Dale tapped the bottom row of figures. “This is the final projected costs.” She leaned back in her chair and rested her hands flat on the table. “It could go up if we get into the renovation and discover structural weakness. Or more asbestos.” She grimaced. “That would drive up costs significantly.”

Mai fiddled with her pen, spinning it in a circle on the table as she studied the page in front of her. Dale sipped her coffee.

Mai raised her head and met Dale’s gaze and picked up the pen. “I’m committed to this.” She pointed the pen tip at Dale. “How much to start work?” She signed the contract with a flourish before passing the pen to Dale.

The scent of Mai’s cologne, citrus and sandalwood, wove its way into Dale’s brain and her resolve to stick to business melted with Mai’s nearness. She stared into Mai’s dark eyes, drawn to their inky depths. Dale gripped the edge of the table to keep from leaning closer, even as her whole body screamed for her to find out if Mai’s lips were as soft as they looked. A flare of desire crossed Mai’s features and disappeared so fast Dale almost believed she had not seen it.

“With folks I know, I don’t charge anything to start on small jobs. Even on large jobs, I never ask for more than a quarter of the estimate to start. So, a quarter to start will be fine.” Dale pulled the contract toward her and signed on the line with her name on it. “Because you want to be green and reuse materials as much as possible, I’ll make use of our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore building supplies store. That should help decrease costs in line with what we’ve discussed. I’ll reuse as many materials as we can. Restaurants are the most frequent business fails, so we should be able to pick up used equipment for the kitchen which will save costs. I’ve already asked my friends to start saving their wine bottles.” She smirked at Mai.

Mai rolled her eyes. “It’s a solid design. I’ll have to get a counter check. I don’t have a checkbook.”

“No rush on the deposit. It’s not like I don’t know where you live.” Dale picked up the stack of papers and tapped them on the table to square them before she tucked them back into the bright-blue folder.

“When will you start?” Mai rubbed the back of her neck.

Dale stood and placed her chair under the table. “I’ve got the roofer scheduled to start in three weeks. Weather permitting.”

Mai frowned. “Pretty cocky. You didn’t even know if I’d sign.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Why so long? Isn’t there something you could do before? Why can’t you start before the roofer? I want this done as soon as possible.”

“Most people do. Things have to be done safely and in the proper order and permits need to be obtained.” Dale’s jaw clenched and she looked at the ceiling before she brought her gaze back to Mai’s face. “We won’t start anything until the roof is repaired and I’ve made sure the building is safe. I’m not going to risk my crew for whatever timeline you’ve imagined. You’re very lucky Alex, the building inspector, is busy. He would have yellow taped the place the morning after the storm.”

“What about another roofer?”

“No. Gloria is the best. She has the best prices and does the best work here. And she is busy as hell this time of year. If she didn’t owe me a favor it would have been at least eight weeks before we could start. And it will take me at least four weeks to get all the permits, and we’re not starting without them. It’s not my first time at the rodeo.”

Mai shifted her stance and opened her mouth to speak.

Stepping into her space, Dale held up her hand palm forward. “Look, I’ll make you a deal. I won’t tell you how to cook and you don’t tell me how to run this project.” The scent of Mai’s cologne made Dale sway closer, and her anger melted with Mai’s nearness.

“Sorry.” Mai uncrossed her arms, stepped back, and ran her hand through her hair. “Deal. I’ll go to the bank this afternoon.” She jammed her hands into her jean pockets before she turned and walked swiftly to the basement stairs.

Dale tapped the folder with the signed contract against her leg. Mai’s shoulders were rigid, her posture stiff. Dale opened her mouth to call her back, to spend a few more minutes absorbing her delicious scent, to voice an apology, to say anything that would bring Mai back to the table, and let Dale spend a few more minutes lost in her dreamy dark eyes. She cursed herself for letting her anger spoil a moment between them. Again.