On the Market by Audrey Wick

Author:Audrey Wick [Wick, Audrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781950510320
Publisher: The Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2019-04-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Valerie pushed the living room furniture into the center of the room, leaving only the wood stove exposed. Not only could she now see what she truly had and make important decisions about what to keep and what had to go, but she could also get to the walls.

Oh, the walls!

In the library book she was using as her guide, there was a beautiful combination of whitewashed wainscoting at chair-rail height matched with pastel walls painted above. The combination was like reverse daybreak, cozy yet inviting. Earlier that day, she had brought along the book to Nailed It to match a paint sample to the shade she saw. She had left with semi-gloss paint, primer, and all the tools she needed to make this project happen.

Each step forward was progress. And as long as Valerie kept heading that direction, she’d make her way to the end goal.

With access cleared and the walls readied, she took a flathead screwdriver, pried it beneath the paint lid in several locations, and waited for the audible poof to indicate when to lift the lid. The color saturated the top of the can in a sheen so perfect, she wanted to poke it with her finger just to make sure the hue was real.

Yet she resisted the temptation since, she suspected, she’d have paint in places she couldn’t control soon enough.

With her hair tied back, her work clothes in place, and her enthusiasm for the task at hand, Valerie grabbed the complementary stirring stick with the authority of a symphony conductor. She eased the stick into the paint can, the flat ruler shape cutting through the paint to mix any last bits that hadn’t released during the mixing process.

Taking her time, following protocol, and advancing with care were the ways forward in this DIY process.

And once she got her hands on the roller, there was no turning back.

A meditative ease pervaded the process of dipping, rolling, and coating. The paint applied to the wall magnetically, as if every little molecule was as excited to be there as Valerie was to put it there. The method itself was soothing, a repetitive and fulsome process in which she could be completely self-absorbed yet not feel the slightest pang of guilt for doing so.

Valerie floated through the process on a high of more than paint fumes. As she transformed the space, something bloomed in her as well. Her previous anxiety melted away as she rolled and rolled, her body enjoying the monotony as much as her mind. Valerie was feeling fine.

And, in no time at all, the place was looking that way too. Or, at least, it was headed in that direction. Truly, this pastel had been the right choice. It was neutral without being bland, soft without being overly feminine. Against the wainscoting, it provided a subtle pop of contrast that would soon become a fabulous backdrop for her shabby-chic décor and furniture staging. She could hardly wait to see it all come together.

As she worked, thoughts slid to her grandmother.

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