“You lost me on that last sentence, but that is OK. Tell me, were you able to come up with some plans for Chris’s house?”

“Yes we did. He had already started ripping down the wall between the kitchen and dining area but realized it was a load bearing wall and so he can’t remove all the two-by-fours. I came up with an alternative. An island cabinet and countertop with a decorative pillar on each end. Not ideal, but less expensive than bringing in steel beams.”

“How was the rest of the house? As bad as he described? Brown?”

“Yeah. Brown paneling. Again I came up with a makeover that didn’t require ripping off the paneling.”

Luna pulled out her sketchbook and showed Chi-Chi the rough drawings. “The yard is beautiful, and there’s a large picture window in the living-room area, and a patio door in the dining area. I thought he was going to break out in a sweat when we started talking costs. But I explained unless he plans on selling the house in the next ten years, he doesn’t have to do high-end appliances.”

“Very wise.”

“And I get to help him pick everything out.” Luna clapped her hands together. “This is going to be so much fun!”

“I am very happy for you, Luna. You have a special glow about you. More so than you had two days ago and, believe me, your wattage is always higher than most people’s.” Chi-Chi chuckled.

Luna’s cell phone rang. It was Gaines. She got all fluttery. “Hi,” she answered.

“Hey. Just checking you got back all right.”

“Yes. Sorry, I should have called, but I had to pick up Wiley, then Chi-Chi came by.”

“No problem.” He paused.

Luna grimaced, expecting that “about last night” conversation.

“Hey, I wanted you to know I’m really glad you came out here. I had a great time. With you.” He wanted to make sure he was being clear. It was about her.

“Me too. It was comfortable. Easy.”

“I concur,” he replied. “I’m planning on getting paint to do something about these walls. You mentioned a fabric for the bottom? I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

Luna laughed softly. “I suggest you paint all of them first, then the fabric, then the chair rail. It will hide any ragged edges.”

“You said gray? Are you sure that will make it brighter in here?”

“Actually, there are over one hundred and one shades of gray regardless of the book title.” She giggled. “Something light. Silver Satin or American Gray are very light and neutral. Depending on how well it covers the paneling, you may just want to go with the chair rail in a slightly darker color.”

“I think I may need your help on that.”

Luna raised her eyebrows with delight. “You let me know when.”

“How about the week after next? I’m off Monday and Tuesday.”