Life Reconstructed: Chapter Twenty-One
“The intercom,” Cat realized, her voice coming out in a croak of surprise. Through the haze of her confusion—from both the kiss and the sound of Ashley’s voice—she fought for composure. Bracing a hand against the wall, she took a moment to steady herself, to lower her breathing, before moving. Her legs felt like jelly as she deftly skipped past the doors littered on the floor, her hands reaching for the backs of her chairs as she skirted by them.
She wasn’t sure if she was running away from Matt or running toward Ashley.
She just knew she needed to move.
The intercom sounded again. “Cat? Are you there?”
“Coming,” Cat called uselessly, her legs picking up the pace as she edged the corner of her hallway toward her front door. Reaching her destination, her fingers flew to the keypad. Pressing down against the ANSWER button, she forced a note of coolness to her voice.
“Hey! Ashley?”
“Thank you! You are home.”
“Yeah, sorry—”
“Explain later. Let me in,” Her friend complained good-naturedly. “It’s cold out here.”
Biting her lip, Cat cast a worried look behind her. From there she couldn’t see Matt’s expression, though she knew he’d heard Ashley’s request. But what else could she do? With a resignation she’d never encountered before, Cat admitted her best friend into the building. Unlocking the door, she turned numbly to head back down the hallway. She’d better at least warn him…
Walking back into the kitchen, she saw that Matt had, indeed, heard Ashley. Packing up his toolbelt—which was now off his waist, he glanced up from the kitchen table at her entrance.
“I’m sorry,” Cat said, unsure of what else to say. She shrugged eloquently. “I-I didn’t know she was coming. I can, uh, I’ll get her set up in the living room while we finish—”
“No sweat,” Matt assured her, tossing his toolbelt easily over one shoulder. “I should probably get going anyway.” His hand hesitated over some of the paintbrushes. “I’ll leave this here for you, huh?”
Cat blinked at his swift response. Nodding absently, she felt her throat bob with the action. “Oh, okay. Yeah, that-that’s…well, thank you. For everything.” She flicked a hand toward the paint brushes. “And I’ll, uh, I’ll take good care of them.”
Matt grunted noncommittally.
She nodded, unsure what else to say. Was he planning to come back tomorrow and help her finish this off? Part of her desperately wanted him too, even while the other half shied away from imposing on his free time any longer. Her legs still felt shaky, and her voice was only just now returning to a normal setting. With a glance, she took in the shambles that was her kitchen. Grimacing, she gestured toward the cabinet doors. “Truly, I can’t thank you enough for today.” She laughed, running a hand through her loosened ponytail. At the gesture, she wondered what her hair looked like now—mussed hair wasn’t usually ideal in an up-do. “We got a lot done.”
Following her words, Matt nodded. “Yeah.” He looked at the doors on the floor. “I’d leave them there for at least twenty-four hours.”
“Okay.” Cat took in the littered space.
“And I didn’t get to these two over here,” Matt said, pointing at the two doors closest to the table.
In response, Cat reached down and picked them up. “I better put them on the table,” Cat said at his furrowed brows. “Otherwise…”
Matt’s lips twitched just a little bit. “Yeah,” he said slowly, knowingly. “Otherwise.”
A new set of footsteps coming from the door announced Ashely’s arrival. “Oh my God,” she cried out, “can I just tell you how crazy my week has—oh!” Stuttering to a stop, her voice petered out as the tall, leggy brunette followed shortly behind the sound of her voice—Cat wasn’t sure if it was Matt or the disaster zone that had once been her kitchen, but her best friend’s large hazel eyes rounded as she entered the kitchen.
“Uh, hello?” She ventured, swinging her inquiring gaze on Matt’s gentle amusement.
Stepping forward, he held out a hand. “Matt McBoy.”
“From the hardware store?”
Matt raised an eyebrow. “You know it?”
Ashley smiled. “Well, I can’t say that I ever frequented the place much but…my dad is definitely a repeat customer.”
Matt grinned. Shaking her hand, he brought his gaze back around to Cat—who was now holding the cabinet doors up against her chest as though they were a shield.
“And clearly, I’m interrupting something,” Ashley realized, her front teeth coming to bite down against her bottom lip. “Well, shit. I guess a surprise visit wasn’t such a good idea…”
“No, no,” Matt assured her. “It was good timing, actually.”
Ashley raised disbelieving eyes.
“I actually have someplace I need to be,” Matt said evasively. With a dry glance, he took in Cat’s stiff posture. “In fact, I almost completely lost track of time.”
At the words, Cat seemed to snap out of her reverie. Smearing a smile on her face, she hugged the doors to her chest more tightly. “Ah—yes, well, thank you. A-again.”
He didn’t respond to her directly. Then again, he never did when it came to accepting her appreciation. “I’m sorry to leave you with this mess.”
“Oh, please. It’s nothing.” Cat waited for half a beat. Waited for him to say something.
“Okay,” Matt said, scratching his chin. “Well…try not to paint the walls when I go.”
Cat smiled. “I’ll do my best.”
Matt nodded toward the paintbrushes. “Keep those as long as you need.”
So, he wasn’t coming back. Cat swallowed carefully. It was what she wanted, anyway. It would have been hardly appropriate to expect him to give up his entire weekend. She would have outright refused. She frowned.
“Okay.” There was a stiltedness in the conversation now. She shrugged. “But I think I can knock out the last of this tomorrow, anyway, so…”
For a split second, she let one last hope enter into her voice.
But she was doomed again.
Matt nodded. “Sounds good.” Turning then to Ashley’s unabashed curiosity, he nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, you too.”
“Cat.”
“Matt,” she returned dryly, watching bemusedly as he turned and walked out of the kitchen, the fall of his feet echoing slightly as he beat a retreat back down her hallway and out her door…
Ashley had the decency to wait until he was completely out of her apartment, the sound of the door closing behind him, before she turned her large hazel eyes on her best friend. Her full lips split into a large smile. “Okay. Spill!”
Cat rolled her eyes. Setting the doors down on the kitchen table, and then trying to unobtrusively run her sweaty palms down the sides of her pants, she refused to meet her friend’s penetrating gaze.
To keep herself focused, Cat brought the brushes to the sink and began to clean them out.
“Seriously. Who the hell was that gorgeous man?”
“Oh, enough.”
Ashley laughed. “Try saying that without blushing.”
“Oh,” With a snap of the brush against the edge of the sink, Cat dropped the act. Setting the dripping brush down on an old rag, Cat spun back around. Ashley was leaning over the back of a kitchen chair, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “God, isn’t he something?”
“I’m still trying to get my heartrate under control.”
Cat wagged a finger at her friend. “Hands off.”
Ashley held up both hands, laughing delightedly. “Ohh, you really like him.”
“Excuse me?”
“Ready to bust your best friends nose for just looking at him.”
Cat rolled her eyes again. Then, as her amusement ebbed, she took herself across the kitchen. “By the way, get over here,” she commanded, holding out her arms as she reached the table. Grabbing Ashley around her shoulders, Cat brought her in for a hug. “Hi!”
“Oh, hi!” Ashley returned, throwing her arms around Cat tight. “I truly am sorry if I interrupted something…”
“Seeing you is worth it,” Cat lied.
“I sincerely doubt it, but thanks for saying that.” Breaking away from her friend, Ashley nodded toward the kitchen. “So—want to explain what’s going on here?”
Cat looked back behind her, sighing with exhaustion. Now that Matt was gone, she realized how tired she was with the whole thing. Glancing back at Ashley, she rubbed the side of her neck. “It’s kind of a long story.”
“Well, I hear that Cranky’s Bar serves beer at this hour.”
“Let me get my coat.”
“’Atta girl.”
