Free Perfect on Paper by Destiny Moon

put down her brush and walk toward him, smiling in spite of the chilly gray afternoon. She threw her arms around him.
    “Thanks for bringing lunch,” she said.
    “My pleasure.”
    “You really didn’t have to.”
    “That’s what makes it pleasurable.” He gave her a telling smile.
    He grabbed the bag of coconut curry and spring rolls and closed the door to his car. They walked up to her open garage.
    “So let’s see what you’ve got going on,” he said. “Wow. Nice pieces.” He examined the wardrobe and the dresser carefully.
    “I’ll show you the ‘before’ photo inside.”
    “Impressive finishing.”
    “Thanks. I’m not finished yet, though.”
    “Should we eat out here?”
    “No, no,” Nadine said. “Let’s go upstairs and get out of the fumes.”
    He followed her up the stairs, through the living room they’d cuddled in mere hours earlier, into the kitchen where she gestured for him to put the bag of takeout on the table in the dining nook. He could imagine belonging here, being a regular part of her life. He felt comfortable in her surroundings and though he tried not to appear too comfortable too soon, he also wanted her to see him there.
    “Where do you keep the plates?” he asked. “I’ll get us set up while you go wash up from your work.”
    “Really?”
    “Sure.”
     
    Nadine gave a brief overview of her kitchen then went to the bathroom to wash up. At the sink, as she exfoliated her hands, she recognized that something she’d only ever fantasized about was actually happening. A man had showed up to be supportive of her. This was highly unusual. He was making himself useful in the kitchen, and he was genuinely interested in her work. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. There wasn’t a trace of makeup or pretense about her in this moment, yet here he was.
    They ate lunch quickly.
    “How did you come upon the pieces downstairs?” David asked.
    “I’m still working on the ones for the woman who wants them on Tuesday. They’re acquisitions from an old farm. Both are late nineteenth century, my favorite time period.”
    Once they had finished eating, David said, “Well, I’ll take care of the dishes if you want to get back to work.”
    Nadine looked puzzled, as though she’d seen a unicorn. David paid her look no mind and took the plates to the sink. He packed the remainder of the food into containers and put them in her fridge. Then he got to work on the dishes.
    Nadine went downstairs and was just about to start up again when David reappeared.
    “So, what can I do to help?” he asked.
    “What?”
    “Let me help.”
    “You really don’t have to. I’m fine.”
    “Four hands are better than two, and I’m kind of hoping you’ll finish before the deadline so we can spend a bit of time together.”
    “Oh, I see,” she said flirtatiously. “So this is a ploy to spend time with me?”
    “Well, yeah. But I also really would love to help. I’ve been studying a lot lately and it’s good for me to get my hands dirty now and then.”
    “All right, mister. I accept.”
    “Good. Show me what you’d like me to do and I’ll try my best to impress you, just like in the bookstore dungeon.”
    “Let’s not talk about that place right now,” she said, but then she added, “You did impress me, by the way.”
    He smiled. “I tried.”
    She showed him what to do, how to apply the varnish, and let him take over on the wardrobe’s back side to get the hang of it.
    They set to work quietly and Nadine became aware that it might be awkward that she didn’t have any music set up or anything. She liked to just be in her own thoughts when she worked. Maybe that was part of the appeal of furniture restoration—hours and hours of alone time. So she figured this was a good chance to get to know him.
    “So, David,” she began. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
    “Happy,” he said immediately.
    “No, I mean as a career.”
    “Whatever makes me happy,” he