good/right/real

Chapter 47: Anytime She's Around

Summary:Matt needs a distraction from Stilettos

Matt decided to take a day off from Stilettos to let things between him and Jack cool off. He didn't actually have that much more work to do on the room. He could afford it. Instead, he was over at Sylvie and Stella's. During dinner the other night he'd noticed that a few handles had fallen off of their cabinets and that a couple of the drawers sometimes stuck.

They were easy fixes as long as he had the right hardware. He was purposefully taking a day off from Stilettos but manual labor helped him clear his mind so he needed to do some sort of work today. There was also the added bonus of spending more time with Sylvie.

When he arrives, Sylvie answers the door in an old oversized T-shirt. For a moment he thinks that's all she's wearing and nearly turns and leaves out of sheer panic. But before he can flee the scene he spots the frayed edges of cut off denim shorts.

"Hey! Right on time," she says brightly as she beckons him in and shuts the door behind him. "So, you mentioning the cabinet hardware last night got me thinking."

"Oh yeah?" He asks, still trying to pack away the idea of Sylvie in nothing but a t-shirt.

"Well, a project would be nice right now and I've always hated the color of the wood in the kitchen, so..."

He sets his tools down as they enter the kitchen and his eyes widen. "So, you removed all the hardware, all the doors and drawers, and then sanded everything." He laughs quietly before tossing her an amazed yet concerned stare. "Did you even sleep? This must have taken hours."

"The cabinets had a factory finish," she explains with a shrug as if that says it all.

To him, it does say it all. A factory finish only requires light sanding. But to anyone else that answer wouldn't make sense. If he didn't already have a huge damn crush on her, he would now. She definitely knows her way around a renovation.

"I went out and bought the rest of the hardware and paint this morning," she tells him. "I should've texted you to make sure what I bought matched what you already had. I went with a satin nickel. I hope that works. I figure it's clean and classic, and pretty sturdy."

He smirks and then hands her the paper bag that holds the hardware he brought over. She peeks inside and laughs.

"I went with satin nickel too," he says, despite knowing she's already seen the contents of the bag. "For all the same reasons."

"Look at that," Sylvie replies with a fond grin. "We both have excellent taste."

He holds his hand up for a high five and she enthusiastically obliges. "If you'll start painting then I'll start replacing the tracks and wheels on these drawers."

She nods. "I'll start to the east and then when you're done you can start to the west?"

"Sounds like a solid plan to me," he agrees.

They work in comfortable silence. Sylvie painting primer on the sanded wood. Matt removing all the old drawer hardware and replacing it. He notices it's also filled. She went the extra mile to smooth out the woodgrain by filling it. (Why does he find that sexy? That shouldn't be sexy.)

It finally registers, after a half hour, that the apartment is eerily quiet for ten in the morning.

"Where's Kidd?" Matt asks, as he finishes up the first of two drawers.

Sylvie releases a deep worried sigh before she answers him. "Marriage counseling with Grant."

"You sound like you didn't want her to go," Matt observes.