continued to mark the tiles for cutting. Scraping wallpaper was too mindless. He’d needed something more complicated to keep his mind off Alice, so he’d started to lay tiles in the bathroom instead.
It had been going pretty well, but now he’d somehow managed mark this one diagonally. He tossed the marker to the side and grabbed a rag, rubbing the errant mark. Hey, as long as he wasn’t drawing hearts and arrows, he was probably okay...
"How was your date?" he asked pointedly. He needed to remind both of them that Alice was on a mission, and he was not one of the intended targets.
"Okay. Not an axe in sight. Nice, friendly guy. I’m still alive and well. No thanks to you, though."
Gabriel shrugged and busied himself with cutting the tile. "I’m not your keeper."
"Hey, you’re the one who demanded that job. It’s not like I asked you to look after me."
"Yeah, well, okay, I quit."
"Fine. Terrific. And you’re fired, too, just to make things crystal clear." She strode back into the house, and he twisted around just in time to see her push open the bathroom door. "No!" he shouted, but it was too late.
He sighed as she cursed, and leaned against the wall, staring up at the evening sky. It had been inevitable, hadn’t it?
Slowly, Alice lifted her foot. She leaned against a wall to inspect the sole. "Great," she bit out. "New shoes. Ruined."
"Use the upstairs bathroom," he grumbled. "I’m working in there."
"You should get some Men-at-Work signs," she shot back as she hopped around, pulling off her shoe. "This place is a hazard area! Do you have any idea how much time I spent finding the perfect shoes to go with this outfit?"
"I left the bathroom for a second to cut the last few tiles -- there’s barely a square foot of wet mortar left on that floor, and of course you manage to put your perfect shoe where it doesn’t belong..." He shrugged and stared up at the sky again, shaking his head. "It is The Way of the Alice."
Alice beamed at him, her bad mood obviously evaporating in an instant. It often did. Alice never held grudges. "Gabriel, this is so cute! We’re having a lover’s tiff! Just like an old married couple!"
He took one threatening step towards her and she giggled as she ran up the stairs towards the upper bathroom, one foot bare, the other wearing a 3-inch heel. "Be right back," she called. "Just need to clean this mess off my face. Susan wanted to experiment, and I swear, it’s almost as horrid as that gunk on your floor."
Gabriel rolled his eyes and quickly finished cutting the remaining tiles. With luck he’d be able to finish setting the last tiles before Alice got back. Then all he had to do was apply grout, and at least two rooms in this house would be perfect.
The upstairs of the house looked slightly better than downstairs. Gabriel was getting better at house-improvement. The upstairs bathroom needed serious work too, but it was clean and the water worked.
The two bedroom doors were not closed, but not open wide enough for her to see inside. She tiptoed to the nearest door and pushed it slightly open. She reached inside and felt for a light switch, and the room was bathed in soft glow instead of the 100 watt work light that seemed the standard in every other room in the house.
This room wasn’t a mess. It looked feminine. The soft pastel colors, drapes, furniture – all new, all decidedly feminine.
All very much at odds with the rest of the house.
Alice leaned weakly against the door jamb. The room was finished. It must have been the first room he worked on.
What did this mean?
When she got back downstairs, the tiles were finished, except for the grouting, and Gabriel had retreated to the kitchen and peeling wallpaper. She used a closed paint can to stand on as she hoisted herself up on the counter right next to where he was crouched in a corner. "Gabriel, when are you going to tell me why you’re fixing up this house?"
"Hand me that other scraper, will you?"
"I saw
It had been going pretty well, but now he’d somehow managed mark this one diagonally. He tossed the marker to the side and grabbed a rag, rubbing the errant mark. Hey, as long as he wasn’t drawing hearts and arrows, he was probably okay...
"How was your date?" he asked pointedly. He needed to remind both of them that Alice was on a mission, and he was not one of the intended targets.
"Okay. Not an axe in sight. Nice, friendly guy. I’m still alive and well. No thanks to you, though."
Gabriel shrugged and busied himself with cutting the tile. "I’m not your keeper."
"Hey, you’re the one who demanded that job. It’s not like I asked you to look after me."
"Yeah, well, okay, I quit."
"Fine. Terrific. And you’re fired, too, just to make things crystal clear." She strode back into the house, and he twisted around just in time to see her push open the bathroom door. "No!" he shouted, but it was too late.
He sighed as she cursed, and leaned against the wall, staring up at the evening sky. It had been inevitable, hadn’t it?
Slowly, Alice lifted her foot. She leaned against a wall to inspect the sole. "Great," she bit out. "New shoes. Ruined."
"Use the upstairs bathroom," he grumbled. "I’m working in there."
"You should get some Men-at-Work signs," she shot back as she hopped around, pulling off her shoe. "This place is a hazard area! Do you have any idea how much time I spent finding the perfect shoes to go with this outfit?"
"I left the bathroom for a second to cut the last few tiles -- there’s barely a square foot of wet mortar left on that floor, and of course you manage to put your perfect shoe where it doesn’t belong..." He shrugged and stared up at the sky again, shaking his head. "It is The Way of the Alice."
Alice beamed at him, her bad mood obviously evaporating in an instant. It often did. Alice never held grudges. "Gabriel, this is so cute! We’re having a lover’s tiff! Just like an old married couple!"
He took one threatening step towards her and she giggled as she ran up the stairs towards the upper bathroom, one foot bare, the other wearing a 3-inch heel. "Be right back," she called. "Just need to clean this mess off my face. Susan wanted to experiment, and I swear, it’s almost as horrid as that gunk on your floor."
Gabriel rolled his eyes and quickly finished cutting the remaining tiles. With luck he’d be able to finish setting the last tiles before Alice got back. Then all he had to do was apply grout, and at least two rooms in this house would be perfect.
The upstairs of the house looked slightly better than downstairs. Gabriel was getting better at house-improvement. The upstairs bathroom needed serious work too, but it was clean and the water worked.
The two bedroom doors were not closed, but not open wide enough for her to see inside. She tiptoed to the nearest door and pushed it slightly open. She reached inside and felt for a light switch, and the room was bathed in soft glow instead of the 100 watt work light that seemed the standard in every other room in the house.
This room wasn’t a mess. It looked feminine. The soft pastel colors, drapes, furniture – all new, all decidedly feminine.
All very much at odds with the rest of the house.
Alice leaned weakly against the door jamb. The room was finished. It must have been the first room he worked on.
What did this mean?
When she got back downstairs, the tiles were finished, except for the grouting, and Gabriel had retreated to the kitchen and peeling wallpaper. She used a closed paint can to stand on as she hoisted herself up on the counter right next to where he was crouched in a corner. "Gabriel, when are you going to tell me why you’re fixing up this house?"
"Hand me that other scraper, will you?"
"I saw
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