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everything.” He grinned and strode toward his car.
    He stopped his car behind Paige’s and headed over to the Seymours, thinking she would wait for him over there.
    But Mrs. Seymour opened the door and informed him that Paige was already back in her own house, painting the walls inside. So he trudged over and knocked on the door, grinning when she opened the door with tiny dots of paint all over her face, hair, and the black T-shirt she was wearing. Her white earphones, connected to the phone in her back pocket, hung over her neck.
    “What?” She brushed the back of her hand against her cheek. “Did I get it on my face?”
    “It’s all over your face.” His eyes moved down and he saw the shorts she was wearing. He immediately noticed her long and toned legs.
    Her hand flew up again. The action got his attention and he realized he was staring.  
    He reached out and caught her hand. “Forget it, it’s staying until you wash it off.”
    She laughed softly, then shrugged. “Okay.” Stepping aside, she waved him in and headed up the steps.
    “You’re painting the whole house by yourself?” Justin asked as he trailed behind her.
    “Yeah. I’ve never done it before, thought it’ll be fun.”
    “To do it alone?”
    “I have time. You need time to fix up the bathroom anyway.”
    They headed up the stairs into the bedroom. A large can of paint, a tray of white paint with a roller brush, and a water bottle were the only things in the room.
    She had completed one of the walls. On one of the remaining walls, two lines were drawn, separating the wall into three different sections.
    “It’s more motivating to paint when I focus on a small section, seems faster.”
    She shouldn’t be doing it alone. She might not feel the exhaustion yet, but she would after a full day of painting.
    Pushing that thought aside, he wrote down the measurements of the room and bathroom before proceeding to the next room.
    They went from room to room and he took down everything she wanted fixed, recording the measurements in each room. Then, they went back to the living room, sat on the floor, and negotiated the price and payment method.
    He didn’t want to overcharge her. He knew she still had to buy her furniture, but it was still Travis’s job. He wasn’t sure what her budget was, but she agreed without any haggling.
    “You can make the check out to Travis.”
    “I’ll pay in cash.”
    Justin frowned. It wasn’t common for people to pay for renovations in cash.
    “What about you? You’re not getting paid?” she asked with a frown.  
    He laughed at how concerned she looked. “Don’t worry about me; I won’t starve.”
    Her lips puckered before she pressed them into a thin line. “I can pay you until Travis take over.”
    “I thought you have a budget.”
    “Not at your expense.”
    He shook his head with a grin. “Stop frowning. Don’t worry about the money. I assure you that I’m good,” he said. “Now, is there anything else you want to fix?”
    She hesitated for a moment, then continued. “Is it difficult to build a front deck like the Seymours?”
    “Not really, but it could come up to a thousand dollars.”
    “That’s fine. My mom’s house has a front porch and I loved it.”
    “You want to have lunch together and head out to get the stuff you need?”
    “I have lunch. You’re welcomed to join me.” She went into the kitchen and shouted over, “Mushroom pizza, four cheese pizza, carbonara, spaghetti bolognese. We can share the pizza if you want.”
    He walked up to her, peering over her shoulders and into the freezer. “Frozen meals?”
    “Still food.”
    “No, it isn’t.” He pulled her back and close the freezer’s door. “Mrs. Seymour isn’t cooking?”
    “I told her not to cook mine, I thought I’ll have a quick meal and go back to painting.”
    “I’ll take you out for lunch. Why don’t you go over and wash up? We’ll have lunch then buy all the things I’ll need to start