Building together

Chapter15

Building together

I awake to a brilliant sunny morning. The birds are singing, the sun is shining and bang, bang, bang. I stretch out my arm and feel the coolness of the cotton sheets. I turn my head to Drew’s side of the bed. I’m alone, he isn’t beside me. I lift my head and look around. I am alone. I kick off the comforter and tumble out of bed, in search of Drew.  Bang, Bang, Bang. I throw the robe on and head down the stairs. What is that banging? I walk through the kitchen and I can see the back yard in the daylight. Spectacular! A huge pool sits in the middle of the yard, its dark like a lake and there are rocks placed around it sporadically. Very natural and a water fall enters it, at the far end, in the north corner. Lupines bloom at the south wall, in a sea of purple. Black brick surrounds the pool, spreading out to create a large resting area on the north side of the pool, a perfect spot for 4 lounge chairs. And leads to a platform at the very back of the yard. Bang. Bang. Bang. I can see him, Drew; he’s hammering on the platform. Our eyes meet.

“Hey, good morning baby. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No. What are you doing?”

“I’m building a pool house. This is generally how I spend my time up here finishing this building.”

He starts to walk over to me and I admire his long sinewy body such a mountain of strength. Watching him walk towards me I can not fathom his draw to me, he’s perfect, a mass of soft wavey mahogany hair, searing blue eyes and a ripple of muscle from his head to his toes and he wants me, shy little old me.  Damaged goods. Walking to him, I have to remind myself not to drool. We meet in the middle and he kisses me. A brooding self-doubt washes over me,  “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.” I half smile at him.
“That’s ok, I don’t mind.” He chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief? Then he hugs me in a great bear hug. “I had a great time yesterday.”

“You did?”

“Yes, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” I answer quiet as a whisper. “Do you want to help?” He looks down at me.

“What? With buiding  the pool house?

Smiling I give him an excited nod.

 “Ok, you should probably put some pants on though, or I can guarantee we won’t get much building done,” he winks. “Coffee’s on. “He says grinning. “You’ll find some jeans in the walk in closet upstairs and a shirt too, maybe, unless you want to get a tan.” Letting me go, he smiles all the way to his eyes, showing all his dazzling teeth. Dreamy.

“Oh, if you want you can use my tooth brush, I know where your mouth has been,” winking, he turns and gets back to work.

I run up to the bedroom and sift through his drawers in the closet to find the same grey sweats he’s wearing and a white faded rolling stones t-shirt. Holding them to my nose I can smell his scent. Sliding on the sweats, no underwear, and slipping the t-shirt over my head, no bra, it’s like I’m cocooned in Jack. My secret connection. I moisten with the thought. Man, Libby you better get control of this, girl.

Grabbing a coffee for me and one for Drew, I head outside. I’m thrilled to being here, doing this with him.

“Here,” I hand my man his coffee, black. Just the way he likes it. “What can I do?”

“Thank you.” His hand swoops around my waist and he looks at me. “I like my shirt on you.” His coffee hand brushes my nipple through the shirt. His mischievous smile almost reaches his ears.

I gasp shocked. Feeling a spark start to come alive inside.

“Can you wield a hammer?”

“What?” I’m a swirl of thoughts but, the word hammer brings me back to earth, “I think, yes, I can. Just before my Dad died we were building a tree house together. I had my own hammer and everything. We never got to finish but, it was fun, I remember.”

Drew looks down, forlorn.

“Don’t look at me like that. Once in a while I get a little glimpse of our lives together. I don’t remember much but, sometimes a clear memory pops up and I can almost see them. If I wasn’t here, you couldn’t have triggered that memory. Thank you for that.”

“Do you remember much about them? Here,” he hands me a hammer.

“Thank you. No. I wish I had a picture of them. I don’t remember what they looked like. Sometimes I close my eyes and try and concentrate trying to make a picture of them in my mind but, I just can’t. If I could have anything in the world it would be to have them sitting at a big table with me eating Christmas dinner. I know we used to have great Christmases.”

“If I could I’d get you that,” his voice is soft and his hand brushes against my cheek. “You deserve anything your heart desires, baby.”

We work on the house together for about an hour and it feels really good. Hammering

“Here, let me show you. Like this,” he hold my hand on the hammer and put a block of wood under it and together we pry the nail out, “leverage. Now just use your fingers to space the nails like this.” He puts his hand flat on the plank holding the nail in his fingers “tap gently to start, then three good taps should nail it.”  I do as he explains and in two hits, I put the nail in.  “Good girl. You got it.” I feel him kiss my temple. I have immense warmth of pride wash over me and I revel in it. I’m useful, needed by this man. Even though our work together is brief, this small connection between us gives me a different taste of romance. Fervor swells in my heart and I feel home here. I could work with him like this forever. 

 “We’ll finish up here, I’ll put the tools away, and we’ll shower and then go.” Reaching down to my hand, he helps me stand, “Then we have to head back into town, I have to deal with an offer this afternoon”

“Awwww, do we have to? I love it here.”

“Sorry.” Brushing a strand of hair from my face he says hopefully, “we could come back sometime and work on the pool house some more.”

“I’d love to!”

“Ok Picconi it’s a date. “He gives me a lopsided grin. “You are very surprising.”

“I thought you were loaded, why don’t you have people doing this for you?” Twisting my head sideways, my questioning eyes looking into his.

“Because  first of all I love to construct with my bare hands and secondly, I feel hard work always brings me back to my roots,  Gandhi’s 7 virtues to danger, wealth without work.”

“Business without ethics” I quote as well.

“How right you are, Miss Whyte! If you haven’t earned it, you won’t respect it.” smacking me on the arm, smiling.

“Please don’t tell me you’re after my money!” Smirking he says with a cheeky tone.

“I’m loaded too! I don’t need your money!”

“You are!?”

“Don’t let looks deceive you! I am totally wealthy….and I work too, very hard! No danger there,” I innocently add, giving him a quick, surprised shrug.
“I had no idea.”

“Just because I don’t have a castle at whistler, a 4o, ooo square foot apartment 15 cars and 27 bikes a yacht and enough shoes to fill BC place, and four times as many watches, doesn’t mean I’m destitute. Financially I’m ok. ” Giving him a cheeky giggle, I grab his shoulders and kiss him square on the lips. “Should I be asking are you after my money?”

“Me!!?” with an open mouth, his eye brows shoot the sky as if I just said the most outrageous thing ever.