It Started With A House: Lizzie. Book 1 (The Westport Mysteries) Read Online Free Page B

won’t
take long.” I watched him as he walked around the room taking notes. I actually
loved this room. It’s an exact copy of the living room underneath it. It’s the
length of the house and has a big bay window in the front. On a clear day I
would be able to see the river from here.
    “I notice you
don’t have any wardrobe space.”
    Yeah, that was
pretty obvious by the mountain of boxes scattered around the room. I had
absolutely nowhere to put my clothes so leaving them in their boxes seemed like
the best idea. Now I just felt embarrassed by the mess.
    “Yeah, a
wardrobe is also on my To Do list.” This list just keeps getting longer. I let
out a very long sigh.
    “Old houses are
a lot of work,” smiled Riley, looking at me through those incredible lashes. “But
they are worth the effort. This one is something special.”
    I felt myself
blush. I don’t really know why, but it felt like Riley was paying me a
compliment. I mean, that’s what I’d thought when I bought it, right? It was
something special.
    “So I’m not as
stupid as everyone keeps telling me then?” I saw the puzzled look cross his
face.
    “No, you’re not
stupid at all. I wanted to come to the auction and put a bid in myself but got
called away at the last minute. I was hoping it got passed in so I could make
an offer later. According to the agent a lovely young lady bought it before I
had the chance.” Now I really did blush. “Looks like he was right.”
    Oh boy . The temperature in here must have risen
about a hundred degrees judging be how hot I was feeling.
    “I could get this
started tomorrow if you like,” Riley continued. If he noticed how red I had
gone, he thankfully didn’t mention it.
    “That would be
great,” I smiled. “But really my priority is in the attic. I have to start work
up there in less than two weeks and right now, it’s a mess.”
    Once again he
followed me up the stairs and once again I felt like my backside had grown to
about three times its actual size. Right now I felt like my backside was so big,
I would fill the gap between the walls and I’d be stuck, wedged in with no way
out until Riley left and it deflated again. Gratefully reaching the top of the
stairs, I stepped back and allowed Riley to enter the room first. His eyes
immediately dropped to the carpet and I could see the look of amusement cross
his face.
    “What happened
here?” he asked, smiling at the mess I had made of the carpet.
    I am such an
idiot. With all the blood rushed to my face, it’s a wonder I hadn’t passed out.
Absolutely no other body part was receiving oxygen right about now.
    “As you can see
I have no idea what I’m doing,” I said. “I’m thinking my mother was right. I
have bitten off more than I can chew.” I hated admitting my mother was right. Riley
looked at me and gave me an absolute killer of a smile. It was so amazing I
actually felt brain cells die as I basked in its glow.
      “It’s okay. That’s what I’m here for.” Oh,
shit he’s talking again. I’d better listen so he doesn’t think I’m an idiot. “How
about I go home and get some tools and come back here after lunch. I can have
the bedroom carpet out in an hour or so and then I can get started in this room
in the morning.”
    “Really? That
would be fantastic,” I said gratefully, my brain rejoining the conversation. “Oh,
and if it’s not too much trouble, could you change the lock on my bedroom door?
Every night I lock it, but I wake up every morning to the door wide open.”
    After lunch
Riley came back and headed upstairs to my bedroom. I followed him this time and
must say the view was spectacular. He fitted those jeans really well. Even
before I’d seen the quality of his work, I knew he was more than worth the
money I was paying him!
    “I’ll have to
move the bed out to the hallway for a while. Is it okay if you give me a hand
moving it?” he asked. Just the thought of him touching my bed had