Hannah moved about the large room, dodging his tools and supplies like a fine dancer. “Do you honestly think it’ll be completed before Easter?”

“Are you saying you doubt me?”

She shook her head but her gaze didn’t meet his. “I was just beginning to think with the flood and then the insurance company giving me a hard time, that it wasn’t meant to be.”

He felt bad for her. This was supposed to be one of the most exciting times in her life, and now it was marred with additional stress and worry—none of which was any fault of her own.

“That’s all behind you,” he said, continuing to work on the wall. “Now you just have to envision this place finished.”

“I’m trying to, but it’s not going to look how I’d originally imagined.”

He paused, worried he wasn’t doing something right. “What’s wrong with it? If you tell me, maybe I can fix it.”

“Oh no. It’s nothing that you’ve done. It’s just that originally I wanted to put some history back into the place. This bakery has been here for at least a hundred years. It just feels weird to make it totally modern.”

He smeared more mud on the wall. “So what were you thinking? Some old photos on the wall?”

“No. But I like that idea.” She reached for her phone, and her fingers started moving over the keypad.

“Did you just write that down?”

“I did. With this place, my work, the upcoming wedding shower and Spring Fling, my brain is leaking information.” She laughed. “So I’ve started making notes for myself on my phone. It’s helpful. You should try it sometime.”

“Maybe I will.” It would definitely help him with this remodel. “As for the bakery, you have a lot of ideas in your notebook. Is there anything it’s missing?”

“I had picked out some antique fixtures online. You know like switch plates and light fixtures. I even found an antique cash register and was going to see if someone could strip out the guts of it and replace them with modern-day technology.”

He was impressed. “Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“Trust me. When you’ve been dreaming of something for nearly half your life, you have a lot of time to envision just what you want.” She sighed. “But those were dreams and this is reality. I need to be happy with what I have and stop wishing for something different.”

He gave it a little thought. It didn’t take much. With a mother that prided herself on being the best shopper in all of New York, perhaps the country, he knew how to get Hannah what she wanted without breaking the bank.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

She turned a wide-eyed gaze his way. Her pouty lips were slightly agape as she stared at him. What in the world had he done to create such a reaction? He glanced down to make sure he hadn’t knocked over his bucket, but it was standing right where he’d put it.