“Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she told Kevin. “Perfect time to break.”
“Good, because Lelo’s downstairs.”
“He is?”
“Yeah, he wanted to . . . Wow.” He came all the way in, leaving the door open so the sounds of hammers and saws echoed from downstairs, and the tile cutter screamed down the hall. “Those are great. That’s Cecil’s barnand Cecil. And Xander. Mind?” he asked, and crouched down before she answered. Tag padded over to nose under Kevin’s arm for a hug.
“This one? Man, you can smell morning. That minute before it bangs open and it’s day.”
“You make me wish you were an art critic.”
“It’s how it hits. The black-and-white with the bits of color, that’s dramatic, right? And seriously cool. But this one, it’s the quiet and the . . . possibilities?”
“Definitely wish you were an art critic.”
“I’m not, but I’ve got to say Cecil’s barn never looked so good. Where are you going to hang them?”
“I’m not. They’re going to the gallery in New York. In fact, I need to do a second print of what seems to be your favorite. The gallery owner wants one for his personal collection.”
“Hah.” Visibly tickled, Kevin pushed up to stand. “Xander’s going to New York. You know, the shop where Jenny works would go nuts for those smaller ones therethe flowers and the barn door, the old tree.”
She’d matted them for herself, but . . . maybe. The commission, if they sold, could carve nicely into the cost of the old cedar chest she had her eye on at Cecil’s.
“I might take some of them in, see about that. Did you say Lelo’s downstairs?”
“Hell, got off track. Yeah, he said he’d look at the yard, work up some ideas. But he’s poking around with the guys downstairsor was when I came up.”
“We talked about him looking at the yard, but it’s pouring rain.”
“It’s Lelo.” Kevin’s shrug said it all. “If you’re going to break for a bit, I’ve got some things to talk to you about downstairs. The laundry room deal, and up here, the studio.”
“Okay. Let me talk to Lelo, then I’ll find you.”
“We appreciate you don’t breathe down our necks when we’re working. I mean that. But you might want to take a look at the work on the master bath before you close off again.”
“All right.”
Kevin peeled off in the direction of the master, and the dog started down with her. Tag paused on the stairs, sniffed the air. If a single bark could signify utter delight, his did before he all but flew down the stairs.
She heard Lelo laugh. “Hey, there he is! How’s it going, big guy!”
She found them, already wrestling over the painter’s tarp. Lelo wore a wet cowboy hat and a yellow rain slicker.
“Hi. Figured it was a good day to take a look around since we’re rained out on this patio job.”
“So you want to slosh around outside here instead?”
“Rain’s gotta rain. I didn’t want to go poking around without letting you know.”
“Let me get a jacket.”
“I can just make some notes and all if you don’t wanna get wet.”
“Rain’s gotta rain.”
He grinned. “There you go. Meet you out there. Okay if Tag tags with me?”
“I’d have a hard time stopping him. I’ll be right out.”
She grabbed her rain jacket, a ball cap, and took the time to change her sneakers for boots.
When she got out front, Lelo wandered in the steady rain, tossed a sodden tennis ball for the delirious dog.
“Got a good start on the cleanup,” he called out.
“Xander did. I’d barely started on it.”
“He likes the work. My dad’s always saying he’d hire Xander in a heartbeat, but then who’d fix his truck? I want to say right off, I hope you’re not in love with those old arborvitaes because they gotta go.”
“I’m not in love.”
“Excellent. Anything you especially want?”
“I thought an ornamental weeper, like a cherry. Over there.”
“Uh-huh.” He stood, rain dripping off the brim of his hat, studied. “That’d work. Have you ever seen a weeping redbud?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s not red. It’s lavender.”
“Lavender.”
“Awesome color, and just a little less usual. And it’s got heart-shaped leaves.”
“Heart-shaped.”
“You maybe want to look it up.”
“I’m going to.”
“You could maybe do some pavers, you know? Kind of winding, not straight-arrow-like. And set off the house with native shrubs and plants. You like birds and butterflies? Like that?”