The Millionaire Myth (12 page)

             
“Brillo, Down!” Drew said firmly.  Brillo dropped immediately to the ground and Drew squatted to his level.  “No jumping.  Bad boy,” he scolded.  Brillo dropped his head forlornly and to my amusement Drew melted.  “Okay, give it a rest buddy, I'm not going to beat you.”  He patted the puppy on the head and immediately, Brillo was up again, tail wagging with excitement.

             
Drew turned to me.  “Sorry about that, he's still a puppy, and we're still working on training.”  He looked over at the dog.  “Brillo's almost got me behaving right, don't you Bud?”

             
I dropped to the ground and Brillo came right over to get his much-deserved attention.  I cooed, “You are just the most adorable thing, aren't you?  I bet you hear that all the time, don't you?”  The dog flopped down shamelessly onto his back, presenting his belly for scratching.

             
“What, did you two know each other in a former life?” He teased.

             
I looked up at him sheepishly.  “No.  Not that it matters, you never need an excuse for loving dogs.”  I turned back to Brillo.  “Especially adorable, well-trained ones like you.”

             
Rolling his eyes, Drew said, “Okay, now you're just buttering him up.”  He whistled and Brillo jumped up and stood at attention at Drew's feet.  “Get in the truck, buddy. At least then I can keep an eye on you.”

             
Drew patted the tailgate and the dog bounded in with ease.  Once Drew shut the tailgate and Brillo was contained, I felt nervous again.  Without the dog as a distraction, I was back to having to come up with a reason my my being there.

             
Instead of giving Drew a chance to question me, I went on the offensive.  “Where are you headed?” I asked, nodding in the direction of the cooler and other camping gear.

             
“Just out to the lake.  I try to get out of here every couple weeks.  I actually haven't been able to go in a while, but we're going today, come rain or come shine, right Brillo?”

             
“Must be nice.”             

             
“Yeah, it's great.  If I didn't do it every once in a while, I'd go nuts.”  He paused for a moment, then added, “Plenty of room in the truck.”

             
“For what? For me?” I pointed at my own chest in surprise.

             
He leaned against his truck, his tone as casual as his posture, “Sure. Why not?”

             
I felt my face flush as I stammered, “No.  I mean-no, I wasn't trying to invite myself along.  I just meant-”

             
He waved a hand at me casually.  “You didn't invite yourself, I invited you.  And I wouldn't have done that unless I wanted to.  What do you say?”

             
Part of me wanted to ask where his girlfriend was.  The other part of me didn't want to know.  He was fun.  Relaxed.  He made me feel relaxed.  Why not? 

             
I shrugged my shoulders, hoping to look as casual as he did.  “Sure, I'd love to come.  I just need to run back to my place for a couple things.”

             
“Sounds good.  How much time do you need?”

             
“Twenty minutes sound good?”

             
He nodded.  “Sounds good.  I'll swing by and get you.  106, right?”

             
He remembered my apartment number.
  “Right.”

             
I turned away and sauntered toward my apartment building.  Once I got around the corner and was out of sight, I broke into a full out run.

Chapter 21

             
Who was this person wearing my clothes?  Certainly not anyone I recognized.  Though it had been a while since I'd buried Estelle, it seemed like I might need to replace Stella, because that name didn't do this woman justice. This woman sharing a truck with two males-one human, one canine-that she hardly knew, headed to the lake on a lazy Friday afternoon. 

             
I glanced over at my companions, Brillo in the center of the seat, ears at attention, eyes scanning, nose happily sniffing the fresh air. 

             
And then there was Drew.  Right hand at twelve o'clock on the wheel, Left arm propped on the open window.  He was leaning back in his seat, on his face were sunglasses and a big old grin.  Yes, this was definitely new territory.

             
He glanced over, aiming that grin right at me. “So, are you a big camper?”

             
Hmmm...big camper...nope. I'd only been once as a kid. My parents had been talked into going with another couple. It was a long night that included the other couples kid peeing in the sleeping bag we shared. Add to that my mother's complete revulsion of the port-a-potty situation, and it was the first and last camping trip I'd ever experienced. But would it be wise to share all of this with Drew?

             
“Uh, I've only camped a couple times as a kid.” I peeked over at him. “But I am a big fan of s'mores, does that count for anything?”

             
He nodded. “That counts for everything, Stella. We all know that s'mores make the camping trip.”

             
I returned his grin, feeling even more comfortable with him. This was a whole new experience for me, being comfortable with a man so quickly. Maybe it was because I knew he was off-limits? She may not have been physically present, but Ms. Stiletto Heels was right between us.

             
Drew slowed the truck and pulled into a campsite. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I was relieved to see that he'd picked one that had bathrooms and showers. He pulled into a site near the bathrooms and turned off the engine. “This look alright?”

             
I nodded, taking in the trees and other greenery, and absolutely no people. “This is perfect. Do you come here a lot?”

             
He shrugged. “Not too much really, I usually go out and find a place that's private, but I figured you might want to be somewhere with showers and stuff.”

             
“I do appreciate that, thanks. I hope I didn't mess up your plans though.”

             
He shook his head. “Not a bit. I'm happy to have some company for a change. Brillo's a good boy, but he's pretty tight-lipped.” He reached out and rubbed the dogs head.

             
“Well when you're that pretty, you don't have to be witty. Where did you get Brillo, anyway?”

             
Drew kept rubbing the dogs ears. “He's a rescue. Poor guy was picked up as a stray. He's about a year old, so he's past the cute baby stage, but still enough of a puppy to demand a lot of work.” Drew looked over at me. “I just felt for the guy, being there alone. Figured he'd make a good partner in crime.”

             
“That's so great. I've always wanted to get a dog, but living in the apartment, I just didn't feel like it'd be fair to the animal.”

             
Drew shrugged. “I felt like that a little too, but I take him out camping a lot, and he gets lots of roaming time when I'm working at the-” he paused, looking like he'd forgotten something. “Uh, when I'm working.”

             
“I thought you worked in construction?”

             
He focused on Brillo. “I do.”

             
I was surprised he'd take his dog into an environment like that. “Isn't that dangerous? Having him run around all that equipment and everything?”

             
Drew's tone turned defensive, “No. I'd never put him in a situation where he could get hurt.”

             
I leaned back a little, surprised by his reaction. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I can see you love him.” This was weird, I felt like I'd said something wrong, but that seemed unlikely, since we were just talking about his dog. I struggled to come up with something to say, something to change the subject.

             
I had nothing. And now we were just two strangers sitting in this truck with nothing to say to each other. I glanced at him, he was just petting Brillo, looking as uncomfortable as I felt.

             
“Look, maybe this wasn't a good idea. Why don't you just take me back, then you and Brillo can have your camp out like you originally planned.” I smiled at Drew, hoping it would make the situation less awkward. “I have lots to do at home anyway, so it's probably better if we just go back.”

             
Drew finally met my eyes, his expression was not happy. “I'm an idiot. I'll take you back if you really want me to, but please don't leave because of me.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “I screwed up, I kind of forgot who I was talking to.”

             
I shook my head slowly, trying to catch on to what he was telling me. “I'm lost.”

             
“It's nothing. It's stupid.” He eyed me for a long moment. “Are you and Mick really through?”

             
“Yeah,” I said slowly, trying to figure out what Slick had to do with anything.

             
“Please don't mention this to him, because if he told my girlfriend I'd be in hot water.”

             
Now I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the explanation. What was he going to tell me? He was secretly gay? That he wants to break up with his girlfriend? That he loves to flirt with stupid girls, talk them into camping, then decapitate them?

             
“Drew, if you're going to decapitate me, please let me have a s'mores first.”

             
He tilted his head and wrinkled his forehead. “Huh?”

             
I waved my hand, dismissing my comment. “Never mind. I wont say anything to Mick.”

             
He nodded. “Okay. What I was going to say before, is that Brillo has lots of time to run when I'm working...on my house.”

             
It took a second for his sentence to soak in. Mainly because I didn't understand why it was such a big secret. “You have a house? Then why are you living in an apartment?”

             
“Well, it's a house, but it's got a ways to go before I'd consider living in it. I'm working on it a little at a time, and once it's fixed, I'm hoping to live there.”

             
“Hoping?”

             
“Yeah. That's where it gets tricky. Trina hates the place, thinks that it should be bulldozed. I'm hoping that once it's all finished, she'll see how great it is and change her mind.” He shrugged. “That's why I was worried about you telling Mick. Trina is pushing to buy a house, and I'm stalling, trying to buy enough time to finish mine. She hates when I talk about the house, thinks that if she keeps taking me to look at houses, that I'll find something I like.” He smiled at me. “It's real estate tug of war, I guess.”

             
“I get it. So, where is your house anyway?”

             
He tipped his head toward the driver side window. “About 3 miles that way. It's not right on the lake, but it's got a nice view.”

             
I knew it was rude, but I couldn't help myself. “Can I see it?”

             
He looked surprised. “Really?”

             
Suddenly getting my manners back I shook my head. “I didn't mean to put you on the spot.”

             
“No, I'd love to show you, I was just shocked that you're interested.”

             
“Oh, I'm interested, I love houses. I want to buy one day, but that wont be any time soon. That twenty percent takes a while to save up.”

             
He looked in his mirror as he backed out of the campsite. “I hear ya. I wouldn't have close to what I'd need to buy either, especially a place with a lake view. But, about six months ago my grandpa died. He used to bring me up here all the time to fish and stuff. It was great. I guess he knew I'd love to have the place.”

             
Ah, the irony.

Chapter 22

              I thought that since Drew's house was only a few miles away, it would take only a few minutes to get there. Not so. The last mile of the trek was on a dirt road barely big enough for one vehicle. As the truck rocked over deep holes, I bumped up and down on my seat, watching through my window as low tree branches scraped the truck as we passed them.

             
“Sorry about the rough road,” Drew said, as he tried to avoid the deepest ruts. “I'm going to have it smoothed out, but it's pretty low on the list.

             
I held onto the handle above my window. “No problem, it's like a mini roller coaster.” I grinned at him.

             
“I like your outlook, maybe you'll see something good in the house too.”

             
A few moments later we came around the last bend and the trees opened up to a large piece of open land. Set far back was the house. I wish I could say it was quaint, cozy, charming, or that it had good bones.

             
It was a mess. The front porch-what was left of it anyway-was sagging on the left corner, most of the paint long since faded away, leaving only the raw wood, grayed from exposure to the elements. I could tell by the few spots that still held paint, that the place used to be cream colored. The windows were cracked and coated with dirt, and the front door, for some reason, was hot pink.

             
I looked over at Drew and saw his face full of hope, looking right at me. “Well? What do you think?”

             
I immediately plastered a big grin on my face. “It's great...I mean, I can see it needs work, but the land is beautiful. Is it all yours?”

             
Drew shook his head. “You're a horrible liar. I can't believe you thought I'd buy that! 'it's great',” he mocked. “It's a pit. But I'm working on it. And yeah, the land is mine too. That's part of the problem. It's worth a pretty good chunk, that's part of the reason Trina wants me to sell it, she says we could put the money towards something nicer.” We climbed down from the truck and walked around to the front bumper. He took my elbow and pulled me forward, while he continued, “And all I want to do is make
this
place nicer. Come on, you'll see what I mean once we get inside.”

             
Drew whistled and Brillo came bounding out from the trees as we made our way up to the porch. “Careful where you're stepping,” Drew cautioned. “This whole porch has to be replaced, I have the wood on order.”

             
I paused and pointed at the front door. “I never pegged you as a hot pink kind of guy.”

             
“Well yeah, I love me some hot pink.” He smirked at me. “Get real, it's ridiculous. But it's better than nothing, which is what was here before. I found this for free on the curb of some house. It was the right size, and the right price.”

             
“But pink?”

             
He shrugged. “I know, but I figured it'd be a waste of money to paint it right now. When I decide on the outside colors, it'll be a nice respectable door.”

             
He had a point. And I couldn't help but like him a little more. A guy who wasn't embarrassed by a pink door had a hell of a lot of confidence. I looked at him again, sizing up his tall frame, his relaxed manor.

             
“What are you looking at?”

             
I shook those thoughts away. “Nothing. I just think it's great that you aren't too concerned with how the place looks, that's rare I think.”

             
He pulled his keys from his pocket and turned to unlock the door. “Don't get too crazy. This thing is butt-ugly. But for right now, cheap trumps ugly.” He winked at me as he pushed the door open.

             
“Wow,” I whispered, as I walked through the door. “You weren't kidding.” I couldn't believe how different the inside looked. It was a small place, but the ceilings were vaulted, making the room feel airy, and there were exposed timbers running above our heads.  He'd painted the walls a clean white, so the entire room was filled with light.

             
At the far end of the room was a compact kitchen. There were a decent amount of cabinets, all sanded, but not yet painted. There were also no counter tops. I assumed these were probably also low on his list of things to do.

             
One thing that was finished was the floors. Wide planked wood floors ran through the entire room, gleaming in the light. I couldn't help it, I crouched down and ran my hand across the silky finish, admiring the beauty of them.

             
The sound of Drew's laughter made me look up at him. “What?”

             
He shook his head. “It's just weird. I got the floors finished a couple weeks ago. Once the three days were up and I was able to be in here again, I walked through the front door and did exactly what you're doing right now.”

             
Still crouched down, I asked, “Really? That's funny.”

             
He crouched down next to me. “Yeah. These were such a mess, they'd been neglected for decades. My Grandpa wasn't too worried about appearances.” He smiled to himself. “But I just knew that if I got them sanded down they'd be like new again.” He ran his hand over the wood. “And I was right.”

             
Our faces were about a foot apart as we crouched together near the floor. We both smiled at each other for a few seconds. It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he never did. We just kept looking at each other. It was so quiet that I suddenly felt self-conscious. I stood back up. “I give the floors a five star rating, that's for sure.” Hoping to get him talking again, I moved toward the kitchen. “What are your plans in here?”

             
He came up behind me. “I'm not sure. I have the cabinets ready to be painted or stained, but I haven't decided what I want to do yet. Any suggestions?”

             
I thought about it for a second. “What kind of counter tops are you getting?”

             
“I'm not sure about that either, why?”

             
I walked further into the kitchen and ran my hand over a cabinet door, the wood cool and smooth under my hand. “If this were my house, that's how I'd decide about the cabinets. If you wanted something classic like butcher block or a dark granite, then paint the cabinets bright white. If you're thinking about a light granite, or something white for the counters, the cabinets would be really beautiful with a stain, or even a natural finish.”

             
He didn't respond so I turned around. “What? Am I being annoying? I am, aren't I? I'd hate it if someone came into my place and told me how to decorate.” I waved a hand, dismissing my comments. “Just ignore my rambling.”

             
He shook his head and stepped closer. “No, that's not it. I'm just surprised that you have so many thoughts. Most of my family thinks I'm wasting my time, and Trina barely wants to come inside, much less talk about kitchen finishes.” He looked around the kitchen, relief on his face. “I was starting to think that maybe everyone else was right, that I was just holding onto the place because of my grandpa.” His eyes met mine again. “Thank you. Seriously,
thank you
for seeing some potential in here.”

             
I was surprised and touched by his words. I suddenly felt for him. How awful it must be for everyone in your life to disagree with your choices. Once again I found myself admiring him more for going with his instincts, even if he had to go it alone.

             
He clapped his hands together. “Well, now that you've seen the kitchen, let's see if you can give me some ideas for the upstairs.” He led me up the staircase to the second level, which also had the same beautiful hardwood floors. The first door on the right opened to reveal the only bathroom in the place.

             
“Well at least the one bathroom is roomy,” I said as I stepped inside. There was more than  enough room for a separate bathtub and shower. If he was creative, he might even fit in double sinks. I looked down. “No hardwood in here, huh?”

             
He shook his head. “Nah, not in the bathroom. I'm going to do some kind of tile, easier to clean. Trina always likes her bathrooms to be spotless.” He walked into the room and motioned to the far corner. “I'm thinking about a jacuzzi tub in this corner, and a glass shower on that side.” He waved to the right of where the tub would be.

             
Jacuzzi tub? I hated the idea immediately. When I saw the space, I imagined a claw foot tub, a nice clean pedestal sink, maybe a built in cabinet for towels. I had a hard time envisioning such a modern bathroom in this old house. But I also knew that Drew was designing this for his girlfriend, hoping that the bathroom would make her love the house. I was not about to crush that dream. “Sounds like a bathroom that Trina will love.”

             
He nodded, a smile on his face while he studied the empty room. “That's what I was hoping.”

             
We moved on to the two bedrooms, they were at the end of the hall, across from each other. Both were identical in size, big enough to fit a queen size bed and a couple dressers. Again, I held my tongue when I saw the rooms. Neither one had a large closet, and there was no way either room could hold a king size bed. I started to feel bad for Drew; there was no way Trina would want to live here. I knew enough about her from the day Slick and I had shown her houses. She wanted a spa en suite, walk-in closets, and a custom kitchen. If we'd shown her something like this place, she would have laughed in our faces, and probably found a new agent.

             
“When's the last time Trina was here?”

             
“It's been a while, she hasn't even seen the floors yet. Why?”

             
“Just wondering. She seems to have such extravagant tastes, I just wondered if she'll ever warm up to such a small place.”  We made our way back downstairs, and stood in the middle of the living room.

             
“Maybe she does like the finer things, but she's a good person. She knows how much this place means to me.” Drew's tone was sharp, “Once she sees how much I've done out here, she'll love it as much as I do.”

             
I could tell that I'd hit a nerve. Why did I open my big mouth? Where Drew and his girlfriend lived was none of my business. “You're right, I didn't mean anything by it, sorry.”

             
He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “It's fine. You just don't know her, that's all. You can't judge her based on a few hours of house hunting.”

             
“I know. Like I said, I'm sorry. I'm sure she will love what you've done here. Anyone could see how much effort you've put in.”

             
He let out a long breath, and with it, seemed to blow off his bad mood. “Should we head back to the campsite? I don't know about you, but I'm starving.”

             
“Sounds good to me.”

             
Drew locked up the house and we got back in the truck. Brillo sat between us again, and as Drew backed out, I looked at the cabin as the sun set behind it. “Thanks for bringing me out here, for trusting me.”

             
“Hey, like I said, thanks for wanting to see it. Sorry I snapped a little back there. I shouldn't have. You're right, Trina does have extravagant tastes. I know she may not like it, even once I've finished all the work, and that worries me, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you.”

             
I shook my head. “I never should have mentioned it. None of my business.”

             
“Let's just forget about it.” He smiled at me. “Hope you like hot dogs. Brillo picked out the dinner tonight.”

             
“Hey as long as I get the s'mores you promised, I'm a happy camper...get it? Happy camper?”

             
He eyed me for a second. “Yeah, I got it. Stick to real estate.”