Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls #1)(71)

“I should go set the table or something.” Her mind was still focused on handling him, but she opened the door and headed for the kitchen. She’d already put the mac-and-cheese casserole together that morning, and there was a cold ham in the fridge waiting for dinnertime. Maybe two kids and her grandmother would be ice water for her libido.

“Wait. We have a little time before dinner.” He crossed to the window and peered through the blinds. “Do you really want to go work on your house?”

“Yes. That’s normally what I do when I’m not at work.”

“Come on.” He took her hand and tugged her out of the office. “There’s a cop parked in the driveway. We’ll let him know we’ll be next door for a while.”

They stopped in the kitchen. Hannah typed on her laptop at the table.

“Ellie needs to go to her house for a little while. I’m going with her. Can you manage things here?” Grant asked in a hushed voice.

Hannah glanced into the adjoining family room. Nan watched TV from the couch, her booted foot elevated on a pillow. Also within view, Faith snoozed in her baby seat. Mac, Julia, and Carson were upstairs playing a board game in Carson’s room.

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Hannah whispered.

“Thanks,” Grant said. “The alarm will be on. Call me if you need anything.”

With her hand still held tightly in his, they walked out the front door. Grant pressed the fob to reset the security system. He stopped to tell the cop in the driveway then pulled Ellie toward her house. Inside he checked every room before they settled in the living room.

“What are you working on?”

Ellie stood in the center of the room and surveyed her progress. “I was filling holes in the wallboard and sanding the trim, but that’s nearly done.”

“What’s next, painting?”

“No, I’ll probably wait until the kitchen is done and paint everything at the same time.” Through the archway that led to the dining room, she eyed the sledgehammer leaning against the wall.

“What do you want to do next then?”

She walked into the dining room. Her hand closed around the handle of the sledgehammer. She returned to the kitchen. “I have hated this room since the day we bought this house.”

Surveying the giant yellow flowers, Grant winced. “It is a little dated.”

“Dated?” She snorted. “This was hideous when it was chosen.”

“What’s the plan for the kitchen then?”

Still holding the hammer, she went to a drawer and pulled out a folder. “Here are the plans.”

Grant looked over her shoulder. His body pressed into hers. “That wall needs to come down, but this is a nice design. Who drew these up?”

“I did.”

“I’m impressed.” His complement warmed her.

“This is the fourth house I’ve done.” Energy suddenly filled Ellie’s muscles. She fished two pairs of safety goggles out of her toolbox. Leaning the hammer on her thigh, she settled a pair of goggles on her face and tossed the other set to Grant.

Grinning, he put his on.

She walked to the wall that divided the kitchen and dining room, raised the hammer over her shoulder, and swung it like a baseball bat. The heavy steel head sank into the wallboard, splintering a stud. Bits of drywall scattered. Gray dust poofed. She slammed the wall again, satisfaction surging through her body. She’d felt so helpless about the danger to her family, so angry at the man who had been threatening her, that it was invigorating to finally have something to take it all out on. After a moment, she handed the sledgehammer to Grant. “Want to take a shot?”

“You bet. Is this a load-bearing wall?”

“No.”

His swings did considerably more damage than hers. But then, there was a lot of power behind his body. They took turns with the demolition. She enjoyed watching the play of his muscles almost as much as she appreciated the help with a job she usually tackled alone. Working with Grant made a difficult task enjoyable. An hour later, the wall lay in rubble at their feet.

“That felt great.” She set the hammer down and pulled off her goggles. “It would have taken me all day to do that myself.” Although one wall was only a tiny part of the kitchen demolition, the tearing down felt symbolic. The traumatic events of the past week had forced Ellie to prioritize her life—and commit to some positive changes.

“Glad to help. In fact, I enjoyed it.” Grant removed his goggles and handed them to her. Except for the rings around his eyes, his face was coated with dust. Sweat dampened the chest of his T-shirt. “It’s almost dark, so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to haul this rubble out of the house.”

Ellie shrugged. “Actually, I have to arrange for a Dumpster.”

Grant laughed. “Did we get ahead of your schedule?”

“Yes, we jumped the gun, but that’s all right. I need to learn to roll with changes anyway.” The number of ways that statement applied to her life couldn’t be counted, but first on the list was Julia. Her daughter was growing up. When this was all over, Ellie had to let her.

Within reason.

She shouldn’t automatically assume her daughter would make the same mistakes she had at her age. Her sneaking out fiasco aside, she’d been an exemplary daughter.