“Not bad. Not bad at all. Where’d you go to school?”
“West End College in Erie. I worked for Hampshire House Builders—HHB—for a few years. Then I went on my own and started Cutter Designs.” I tell him about the upscale cottages and log cabins I design, which is my passion, and how I pay my bills. The details can become exhausting and unimportant, which I’ve learned throughout the years of singlehood when talking to men, so I end up making my spiel short and to the point, sweet and smooth. Nothing deep and tawdry.
“When did you design this place?”
“Three years ago, I finally had enough saved up to build it.”
“You built it yourself?”
“No. Nelson Builders did. They’re in Redder. A small town twelve miles…”
“East of here,” he cuts me off with a gentle smirk, proving he knows the area. “I
