Page 34 of The Lake House (Southern Charm #2)
Chapter Thirty-Four
It was never going to end. The work. It was relentless. Every step Matilda took forward, she felt as though she was pushed back two. She’d paint something, but then have to strip it again because they found mould. Or she’d fix something only to realise that there was far more broken.
She stood in the centre of the clinic and looked around.
The painters weren’t done, but had cancelled today.
It had taken them longer than they’d thought and they had another job to go to, which left her stranded with half the work to be done and only today to finish it.
She was having the new furniture delivered on Saturday and was opening for business on Monday.
It didn’t give her enough time. There was no way she could paint half the clinic on her own by the end of the day.
Her throat tightened, but she was determined not to cry.
Tears wouldn’t help, and she had to stay focused if she was going to have any chance of finishing.
Just as she was about to dip her paint roller into the white paint, the front door opened, and the sound of footsteps filled her ears. Who was that?
She set the roller down, pushed the protective goggles up onto her forehead, and stared at the entryway with her mouth agape.
Ryan stood there, surrounded by his mother, father, and other family members she’d met at the BBQ.
They were all dressed in work gear, most held some kind of paint brush or roller, and many wore protective goggles, hats or scarves over their hair.
Ryan grinned. “We came to help.”
She ran to him and threw her arms around him, leaping into his arms at the same time.
He laughed. His mother patted her on the back.
The rest of the family filtered around her, calling out greetings and continuing into the building.
Ryan set her feet back on the ground and got to work.
She stood with her hands on her hips watching, a wide smile splitting her face in two.
She couldn’t believe it. They were here. It was as though the world had been lifted from her shoulders. They could do this.