Liesl was putting the finishing touches on piece she was restoring for Janka at the gallery when her phone rang. She noted the number and smiled. She was truly beginning to enjoy when he reached out. She prepared for the way her goosebumps were going to coat her skin when he said her name.
“Good afternoon, Isaias.”
“Good afternoon Liesl. How are you today?”
“Well, I have been working on a restoration piece for two months and it’s finally finished.”
“Restoration?”
“Yes. Customers will bring Janka paintings which have been damaged over time and we restore them. It’s one of the services she offers at the gallery.”
“Very cool. We have something in common then. I like to restore old homes. You like to restore old paintings.”
She smiled, “you like to restore old homes?”
“I sure do. I started in this business flipping houses. I much prefer fixing than destroying.”
“Wow. I didn’t know.” She admitted as she put her brushes into the solution for cleaning. “I should have googled you.”
He laughed at her comment. “No need for that. I’m an open book. Ask me anything and I’ll tell you.”
“I’ll start with an easy one. Why are you calling me?”
He was chuckling earnestly now and Liesl considered his laugh was warm and comforting to her. She could picture his dark eyes as she had seen them on Friday night sparkling with curiosity.
“I am calling to say thank you for the tip. I have made wonderful use of the information I received. If you have additional information, I would be thrilled to conduct further business.”
“Is this so?”
“It is,” he laughed.
“Are you busy?” She asked suddenly feeling brave. After talking to him on the phone for the last few days, she wanted to see him in person to see if her memory was flawed or if he truly was as gorgeous as she remembered.
“I am always busy but if you’re asking me if I have time to see you, then I do. Are you asking me out?”
Her smile was toothy at his words. “There is a coffee shop about a block from the gallery and they make extravagant drinks. If you happened to be there at the same time I was there, I might have a thumb drive in my pocket I would exchange for a great cup of coffee. I want an extra large one with loads of whipped topping.”
“You would give me information for a simple cup of coffee?”
“I’m a simple woman, Isaias. Easy to please. If you put the information to good use, it’s almost payment enough. Almost. I need caffeine.”
“Thirty minutes?”
“Sounds good.” She told him the name of the coffee shop and then ended the call. She looked up to see Janka leaning against the wall, her arms folded and her grin wide. “What?”
“You like him.”
She couldn’t deny it. “He called me last night and we talked for an hour about the house. He was asking me if I was a hundred percent certain on my desire to demolish it. He said it’s a very final decision and once it’s started cannot be undone. He’s received all the permitting. He has the gas shut off and the water disconnected. He has already removed all the fixings he felt he could resell. Apparently, the marble in the master bathroom was in great shape so he had it all pulled out. He said the interior of the house is almost down to the studs now.”
“How do you feel about it?”
She held up her phone, “my sister is on her honeymoon. They’re at the resort Merlin took me to for our honeymoon in Barbados. Instead of doing what normal people do on a honeymoon, she’s been busy spending her time sending me a hundred messages a day telling me how angry she is at me for boycotting her wedding and how I need to make it up to her by giving her my house.”
“Bitch!” Janka scowled angrily. “I really want to smack her.”
“It’s not as bad as Merlin messaging me yesterday to remind me how I used to imagine our children playing in the sun’s rays in the foyer and how he wants to keep this dream alive by allowing my nephew to grow up in a house of light.” She grimaced with the rage she still felt. It had been a month. She shouldn’t still feel this angry, and she probably wouldn’t if they would simply move on with their lives and leave her to her own. She hated them both. “His level of emotional blackmail is on par with hers.”
“You know we never liked him, right?” Janka’s voice was condescending.
She laughed at Janka’s comment. “Yes, you and Elsie made it very clear you pretended because I loved him.”
“Anyway, when I told Isaias what they had been texting me while they were on their honeymoon, his question to me was why they were both messaging me about a house when they should be fucking their brains out on a honeymoon. He then started cracking jokes about how Merlin was probably too busy counting the grains of sand stuck to his skin to truly enjoy the beach, which was on point to be honest. He also was eerily on the money about how Sandy was likely making the housekeeping staff’s lives a living hell. He had me laughing so hard I could barely breath, Janka. He cracks the most inappropriate comments, and they make me laugh.”
“Really?”
“He even commented their honeymoon must be boring and dull. He said he’s met Merlin multiple times and he assumed he always assumed his wife was a blow-up doll and was very glad to see me escape his captivity. He told me he couldn’t for the life of him imagine a woman like me with a man like him.”
“He likes you too. How much have you talked to him?”
She twisted her lips, “he called me Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night and then last night.”
“The only night you didn’t speak to him was Monday?”
“We texted on Monday. He was out of the country but sent me messages.”
“Liesl! Why am I only hearing of this now?”
“I don’t know. But I’m going to go meet him for coffee in exchange for a thumb drive.”
“You should tell him the next thumb drive is exchanged for orgasms.”
“I should not!” She blushed furiously.
“You definitely should.” Janka smirked, “and don’t tell me you haven’t considered it. He’s gorgeous. We ogled him for a solid half hour Friday night from the kitchen at Mara’s. He is the definition of tall, dark, and handsome and is the exact opposite of your troll, beady-eyed blond-haired, pasty ex.”
“You know, you really should have told me how much you hated him. It might have made me look at him in a more discerning light.”
“You were happy.” Janka shrugged. “I mean in a conditioned, brainwashed, way, but you were happy. Liesl, some women are happy to be a housewife and if it was your dream to be with him in the refined, cultured way he demanded you behave, then we weren’t going to crush the dream. However, I will say, hearing you drop f-bombs and wear brightly colored blouses and skirts again, the way you did most of our lives, makes me infinitely happy. I feel like you’ve found your way back to the Liesl we knew and loved. You changed for him and I’m not saying it was a bad thing. I’m simply saying, as much as I love you, I really love this version of you better.”
She was quiet as she considered her friend’s words. “You know, I like this version better too. My art feels like it’s come alive. I wish it didn’t still hurt so much. It’s been six weeks and there was a night I woke up last week in the middle of the night and reached for him. I had to get out of the bed and go sleep on the sofa because it hurt. I’m glad I’m out of the house now. I think it was a big part of my pain. I just want to see it crushed to the ground.”
“Well, if you’re going to meet a hot billionaire for coffee, wipe the paint smear off your cheek and get a move on.” Janka tossed a rag at her. “And seriously, offer the next thumb drive for sex. Make the bribe count.”
She laughed as she went to the bathroom to clean up, strangely wondering what he would say if she proposed such a thing. She shivered as she considered all the possibilities.
