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like the services of a licensed electrician and plumber.
Once I have those amounts, I ll have a rough idea of what I d
be looking at, over and above the down payment, before I could
move in. How does that sound?
Sounds like a very sensible plan. Cain helped himself to the
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tai dop voy and chicken chow mein. You might also give some
thought to how long you think it ll take to put the empty apartment
into livable condition. What I mean is, until it s ready, you ll still
be paying rent for your current place on top of the mortgage.
Right! The one thing I hadn t thought of. Noel sighed. A
couple of months rent would buy a lot of paint. It would also be
great if I could take a couple of weeks off and dig right in, or if I
could afford to hire outside help. I can t do either, so the work
would have to be done during evenings and weekends.
The Peony is closed Sundays and Mondays. Cain didn t
know if encouraging Noel to pursue his dream was the right thing
to do. However, he had a feeling that throwing cold water on the
idea would make him want it even more. I know how to paint
walls and do the trim without making a mess. Assuming, of course,
you d be interested in a little help.
Now who s being impulsive? Noel teased. I haven t even
decided if I m going to buy it.
No, but I m pretty sure you want to. Right?
I have this picture of what it could look like, so yes, I admit
it s a huge temptation to simply close my eyes and jump, but&
Noel picked up a fried wonton filled with cream cheese, dipped it
in the cherry sauce and popped it in his mouth. That won t happen
until I know for sure what I m dealing with in terms of time and
money.
You could probably cut costs by doing a little bargain hunting.
Check with a few of the home renovators. What someone else
doesn t want, you may be able to get for a song.
True. I should have thought of that myself. Noel filled his
plate from the various dishes, ate a few mouthfuls, then hesitated,
his fork midway between the plate and his mouth. When I worked
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in construction, I saw skips full of reusable materials& door
knobs, wall hooks, coat rails, closet doors, shelving, all manner of
small stuff that can cost big money if you have to go buy it from a
regular outlet. Sometimes they sell it cheap to anyone who wants
it, and sometimes whoever s in charge will give it away and save
themselves the bother of hauling it to the dump. And with the
house being more than fifty years old, secondhand hardware will
fit in better than new.
Even though Cain couldn t quit wishing Noel would forget
about the house for a while, he was glad Noel had found something
to occupy his mind other than constantly beating himself up for
something which could have happened to just about anyone. With
that in mind, he said, Well, if you do decide to go for it, my
brother Leo has his own plumbing business. I know he does
contract work for an apartment management company so that
means he buys wholesale in large volume. If you want, I ll give
you his number. No promises, of course, but he might be able to
find you a good deal on the bathroom fixtures.
Noel took a sip of his tea and reached for another fried wonton.
Come to think of it, I have a client who s a qualified electrician,
and it just so happens he owes me money. I should give him a ding
and see if he d be willing to work it off.
* * *
After they finished their lunch, Noel drove Cain back to his
place.
You coming in or what? Cain asked as Noel pulled into the
driveway.
Noel ran his hand slowly down Cain s thigh and squeezed his
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knee. If I come in, I won t want to leave.
Sounds good to me.
Me, too, but I ve been wearing these same clothes since last
night. Give me an hour to go home, check my messages and
change?
Cain cupped the back of Noel s head with his hand and brought
him close enough he could kiss him softly on the lips. Sure. But
hurry it up, okay? I m going to be counting the minutes. And
hating every single second you re not here with me.
Noel smiled and gave Cain a mischievous wink as he licked his
upper lip with the tip of his tongue. An hour, max. Promise.
Cain took Noel s hand and pressed it briefly against his crotch,
needing Noel to understand just how much he wanted him before
he opened the car door and stepped out. I m going to hold you to
that.
The day was cold and raw with the threat of snow, exactly the
way the Weather Channel had warned. After Noel left, Cain went
into the house and put a match to the living room fire. He then
went upstairs and exchanged what he was wearing for a pair of
comfortable old blue jeans and his favorite sweater. By the time he
got back, the logs were ablaze and the room already felt warmer.
Instead of turning on a lamp, he lit several candles and slid an
easy listening disc into the CD player. The first track featured a
raspy male voice singing about the wonder of love and the
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