towels and finished cleaning the floor, she felt as if she had known him for years.
"Want a drink?" She hung the last towel on the rim of the tub and pushed back her heavy glasses that kept sliding down her nose.
"Love to." He emptied out the bucket. "All that water has made me thirsty."
Jill went to the kitchen to see what she could unearth. "Red wine okay?" she called back through the open door.
"Sounds great." She heard him crossing the living room. "Can't we take our drinks to the balcony?" he called.
"Sure," Jill dropped the bottle opener back onto the kitchen table. "But we'll get a kink in our necks because there's just enough room to put the chairs side by side and hang our feet across the balustrade."
There was a chuckle in his voice. "We'll switch chairs when that happens."
They switched chairs five times until the sunrise tinted the Space Needle an improbable rose, making it look as if it was going to fly off any minute. It was so easy to talk him him, so easy to tell him about all the dreams and dramas in her life.
When she finally brought him to the door, he said, "Good night, Beast E."
"Good night, Beauty Joe."
Jill only woke when the sun was already high in the sky. Feeling curiously light and happy, she dressed with care and did her hair and face with more attention than usual. Thank God nothing much remained of her hard-core beauty treatment.
As she pushed the pile of towels into the washing machine, she wondered how soon she could call on him without appearing too forward.
When she opened her door half an hour later, she found a parcel on her doormat. Puzzled, she picked it up. Something long, wrapped in light green gift paper. She undid the ribbon that held it together and found a brand new wrench. Underneath it, there was a note.
"Hope you slept well. Here's something for you, in case I'm not at home when the next emergency arises. Have coffee ready, if you should feel like it."