Page 8 of Developing Hearts (Pine Point Fixer-Uppers #5)

Chapter eight

David

Work was not particularly strenuous. He’d made good time on the Golden Supplements website, so he was on the auto-testing phase. As long as nothing went wrong, he would be in the clear for the most of the day.

And he had a sketchbook. He’d pulled several of them out while they were clearing the condo, but this one in particular was blank.

Once he saw that, he’d gotten a bug up his butt and launched himself a new project.

He could record the whole experience of this remodel, being on the show, in sketches.

He could fill a sketchbook in two weeks, especially since he would be off work for the last week.

He hadn’t been able to completely line his PTO up with the filming, but he’d done the best he could.

So during his mostly empty workday, he’d drawn his best recollection of the meeting that first day.

He’d drawn the view of the Puget Sound from up on the observation deck, something he was familiar enough with to do pretty well from memory.

He’d gotten a portrait of Mason surrounded by boxes in the back of the moving truck, one of Eliza, talking with an older fellow who seemed to be in charge of the cameras, another one of Mason, standing in David’s doorway when he told him he needed to go off and find something else to do, then another of Mason walking away from him.

David didn’t consider himself particularly in touch with himself, but it didn’t take a genius therapist to see that the sketches were already focusing in on a particular subject.

He couldn’t shake the thought of Mason out of his head.

Even when he had to stop and scour the code for something that was throwing an error—turned out to be a colon instead of a semicolon—there was some niggling idea of Mason in the back of his head.

Maybe sketching wasn’t the best medium. David knew he was good with gestural drawings, but there was so much more to Mason that needed capturing.

He had some cameras, so he could try photography.

He could try sculpting, and maybe that would capture the curves and fullness and presence of Mason.

He distinctly tried not to think about painting him. David was pretty sure that he and Mason wouldn’t see eye-to-eye on the type of painting. Still, David toyed with the idea even as he started to rough in the shapes to draw Robinson, the crew’s plumber.

Maybe he could find a way to broach the subject. Maybe David could be happy without painting him like the other men and hanging that nude of Mason above his bed.

He doubted it, but maybe.

David managed to get off work a little bit early, which gave him a chance to clean up and change into real clothes.

Even though he spent his whole workday down in the IT dungeon, the higher ups still had a hard-on for the dress code.

What I wouldn’t give to wear something other than a polo shirt .

He showered, taking maybe a bit longer than he needed to so he could enjoy it, then threw on a white long-sleeve covered in faded patches of paint.

He’d been struck by inspiration once two years ago and didn’t think to change out of the shirt.

After that, he just kept using it when he painted until the splotches made an interesting enough pattern.

Then he slid on a pair of baggy jeans, checked his appearance in the mirror, and headed to the meeting room, sketchbook in hand.

It was surprisingly empty. The cameras and lights were in place, and Eliza was hovering near the same guy she was in David’s sketch.

Mason was as well, bent over his laptop with the back of his shirt riding up, showing off pale skin that shouldn’t have done anything for David at all…

but it did. More than when he walked in, the idea of that painting filled David’s mind.

It would be so striking to paint in white and color on a black canvas.

Maybe that would capture something different.

Mason finally turned around and his eyebrows went up when he saw David. He strode over, pulling at the hem of his shirt as he approached. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t see you.”

“It’s fine. You have things to do, right?” David gestured to the room with a slight circle of his wrist. “Did everyone else die in a horrible condo-related accident?”

“Not as far as I’m aware. We just were talking and thought maybe I should run this on my own.” He sighed. “There’s apparently more work than was initially expected. When you had the new floors put in, somehow they managed to do some structural damage.”

David’s belly tightened up. “Structural? As in I could fall through the floor?”

Mason nodded. “From the way Jake was cussing up a storm, more as in you’re lucky you haven’t yet. We need to get that squared away before we can do anything more interesting, so I hope you don’t need to go back up there any time soon. We’re going to be working around the clock.”

Mason gestured to the table and, after a moment, David finally managed to move. “I’ve got to say, I wasn’t expecting that. How did they damage the structure by just putting in some flooring?”

“Heck if I know.” Mason took a seat right next to him, in front of the closed laptop.

“Apparently there’s water damage. Robinson talked to your downstairs neighbors, and he and Jake checked over their place.

Good news is, it seems to be totally localized to your condo.

Then the water damage led to some warping, and the warping led to some stuff shifting around. ”

David tried to breathe normally and slowly, but the reality of what he was hearing pressed down on his chest. “I was living with that? Wow. Um, I guess it’s a good thing that you guys came in.

” Because David sure as hell wouldn’t have noticed it.

Well, he probably would have when he was falling into the Camachos’ living room.

Might have been able to put the pieces together then.

Mason got up and left him alone for a few seconds. But only a few seconds. Then he came back with a bottle of water that was covered in condensation. “Here. This always works for me.”

David tensed up when the cold hit the back of his neck. For a second. Then, he was finally able to draw a breath that seemed close to actually filling his lungs. It was still a few more seconds before he could say anything, the icy calm spreading across his face and shoulders. “Wow. What was that?”

“Cold can activate the parasympathetic nervous system.”

David nodded. “Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. That’s about where my biology knowledge stops.”

Mason handed him the bottle of water. “Sorry. It’s the part of your nervous system that helps you sleep and rest and slow down.

So when you get nervous or keyed up or anything, sometimes all you need is something cold.

It tells your nervous system to slow down.

There’s other things you can do. Deep breathing didn’t feel like an option, and telling you to rub your lips would have made me seem like a total creep. ”

David could think of a lot of things that suggestion would do to him, but none of them involved Mason being a creep. A lot of them involved David staring unnecessarily at Mason’s lips and imagining what they would feel like under his fingertips.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” David took a long, slow drink from the water bottle, and just like when Mason pressed it to the back of his neck, the cold seemed to shock through his system and calm him a little bit more.

It also bought him a bit of time before he had to respond properly.

And when he finally did, the water helped him speak more smoothly as well.

“What’s the plan, then? Are we postponing the meeting for a little? ”

“We can if you want. But like I said, I’m more than capable of handling that part.

Ozzy and Evander will be down before we get through it all anyway so they can get a look at what we spit out of the model.

” Mason opened up the laptop and tapped the space bar, bringing up the login screen. “If you’re okay with that.”

Time alone with Mason and a distraction from the apparently horrid state of his apartment? “Sign me up.”