The House

Sarah spent every waking moment of her Christmas break from the office working on the house. Audrey got into the habit of dropping by. She had gone to the library to research the history of the house, and found some interesting bits and pieces she shared with Sarah, and she had some surprisingly good suggestions about construction and future decoration. For the first time in years, Sarah was enjoying her mother's company. Mimi dropped by several times, too. She brought Sarah sandwiches to keep her fed while she hammered, sanded, and sawed. The bookcase she was building was taking shape, and she was oiling the paneling and boiseries diligently. They were beginning to almost glow.

Jeff spent several evenings there with her when Marie-Louise went skiing. They were working hard one night in separate rooms. He didn't charge her for the time he spent there, only his designs and drawings and liaison to contractors during that time. He said it relaxed him working on the house. He came to check on her progress, trying a new wax on one of the paneled rooms. She looked exhausted, her hands were a mess, her hair was piled high on her head, and she wore overalls and workboots. She stopped working for a few minutes, as he handed her a beer.

“I feel like my arms are going to fall off,” she said, as she sat down on the floor to take a break, and he looked down at her with a grin. They had shared a pizza earlier.

“Do you know what day this is?” he asked, setting down a small sander as he sipped the beer he had opened for himself.

“I have no idea.” She lost all sense of time when she was working. They had set up temporary lights, which shone on the areas they worked on. The rest of the room was bathed in shadows. It had a gentle feeling, but wasn't spooky. She never felt ill at ease here, even late at night, when she worked alone. But it was nice having him there.

He had just checked the date on his watch, and smiled when he saw it. “It's New Year's Eve.”

“It is?” She looked amazed. “That means I have to go back to the office in two days. It's been great having every day free to work here. I'm going to hate going back to just being here on weekends. Maybe I can do some things here at night after work.” The faster she worked, and the more days she spent doing it, the faster they would be finished.

She couldn't wait to move in. She hoped it was far enough along to do that by spring. And then she remembered what he'd said. “What time is it?”

“Eleven fifty-three. Seven minutes to the New Year.” She held up her beer in his direction, as she sat on the floor and he stood near her, and toasted him. It was a nice way for her to see in the new year, and for him, too. Easy and comfortable, with a good friend, which was what they had become. “I hope it's a good one for both of us.”

“Me too. Next year at this time, I'll be living here, and I can give a New Year's Eve party in my ballroom.” It didn't seem a likely scenario to her, but it was fun to imagine.

“I hope you invite me,” he said, smiling at her, teasing her a little, and she gave it right back to him.

“Yeah, sure. You and Marie-Louise. I'll send you an invitation.”

“Please do,” he said with a gracious bow. Marie-Louise was skiing in Squaw Valley. She didn't care about New Year's Eve, and neither did he. Phil was still in Aspen with his children. He had called her the day before, but didn't mention New Year's Eve, nor did she. He was due back in the coming week, when the kids had to be back at school. “Eleven fifty-eight,” Jeff announced, checking his watch again, as Sarah stood up with her beer. She set down the bottle in her tool chest, and wiped her hands on her overalls. She was filthy from head to toe, and even had streaks of dust and wax on her face. She caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror set into a panel and laughed.

“Nice outfit for New Year's Eve, huh?” He laughed too, and she was happy they were there together. It might have been too quiet otherwise. She was far less lonely working here than she had ever been in her apartment.

“Eleven fifty-nine.” He kept his eyes on his watch this time and took a step toward her. She didn't move away or step back. “Happy New Year, Sarah,” he said softly. She nodded, as though giving him permission. Just this once. For New Year's Eve.

“Happy New Year, Jeff,” she said softly as he put his arms around her and kissed her. They hadn't done that for a while, and had meant not to. They stayed in each other's arms for a long time, and then slowly came apart, and stood there looking at each other. “Thanks for being here.”

“I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.” Slowly, they went back to the projects they'd been doing, without commenting on the kiss or whether it should have happened. They left together at three o'clock in the morning.