Last Chance Motel 1 (Last Chance Romance Series) by Abigail Keam

something to Mike . . . or even ask him out.
    Regretfully, Eva pushed that thought from her mind. Who was she kidding? When Eva looked in the mirror, she knew she was no prize catch. Her best years were over. Besides, she didn’t need to get tangled up with a man at this point of her life. She had been there, done that. She may have to face the fact that the romantic part of her life was over.
    Still, her heart raced when she heard Mike’s jeep.
    Maybe that was all there was going to be.
    A racing heart on her part.

17
    E va, Mike, and Juan decided to take a break after the third bathroom they had “demo’d” that day and it wasn’t even eleven yet.
    Juan brought his teenage sons to carry out the debris while the Demo Trio, as Mike, Eva, and Juan called themselves, ripped out medicine cabinets, chipped sinks, corroded tubs, leaking toilets, and wall tiles. All bathrooms were to be given a complete makeover.
    The Demo Trio worked like a well-oiled machine. Eva tackled the tile while Mike and Juan tended to the heavier items.
    So far only one floor was so weak that they had to rip out the entire sub-flooring. Otherwise, the construction was tight.
    Eva loved the look of the old bathrooms, but they were just impractical with current bathing practices. Most people today showered rather than bathed. Only three of the bungalows would have deep soaking tubs installed. Eva knew what today’s hip young people wanted in a bathroom.
    Marble subway tiles with a water motif would be used for the walk-in showers. Marble would also be used for the sink counters as well as the backsplashes. Marble stone was a classic and could endure much abuse over the years.
    The floors were to be a black and white tile pattern popular in the forties. All bathrooms were to have handicapped railings and bars installed. Also a special pulley would be installed in each bathroom that a guest could pull if they fell. A bell would sound in the office, notifying the staff.
    Eva was very pleased with her design. The bathrooms would be new and slick, but with the bygone era look of the ’40s. And buying all the materials in bulk kept down costs.
    After the demo was complete, then the plumbers and the electricians would do their thing. That’s where the heavy costs might arise.
    They worked steadily throughout the day until Eva brought the workday to an end, telling everyone to go home at four. She was exhausted and knew they must be too.
    She paid Juan’s boys on the spot, as she knew the teenagers needed the money. Having listened to their patter during the day, Eva knew they had girlfriends who were expecting to be taken to dinner that night.
    Juan loaded up his boys in the truck, arguing that they should save their money and not spend it on women. The boys listened with bored indifference.
    Eva waved goodbye as Juan honked his horn. She stood by the fence waiting for Mike to leave so she could lock the gate, but he didn’t follow Juan.
    She found him organizing the scrap woodpile. “What are you doing, Mike?”
    “I’m sorting this wood. I can reuse a lot of it to make outdoor tables and chairs. You said you liked my table.”
    “Do that tomorrow. Go home. I know you must be worn out.”
    “I will in a little bit. No one is home right now.” He looked up at Eva. “I don’t like going home to an empty house. Something about it creeps me out.”
    Eva noticed that his brown hair was sun-streaked with blond and that he had very long black eyelashes, which emphasized his light gray eyes that were the color of the Atlantic Ocean on a stormy day. “I’m really tired. I think I will take a dip in the lagoon and then take a nap. If you leave before I wake up, will you lock the gate?”
    “Sure. No problem.” Mike watched Eva head for the beach. “Gonna swim in your clothes?”
    “Yeah,” she called over her shoulder. “Then I’ll use the outdoor shower.”
    Mike shrugged. “To each his own,” he commented under his breath.
    Eva stepped