Amanda Welling at your service!

I was immediately drawn to her eyes; they were so captivating and... I'm snapped out of it by her voice.

"...just really have to thank you for this opportunity. You'd be surprised how little business I get," Amanda said, her head hanging slightly. She didn't seem like the kind of girl to be this open. Her countenance gave off a more walled-off personage. The way she held herself and the way she spoke seemed to be at odds with each other.

"I can sympathize there," I replied, offering her a small smile. "But I looked at your credentials and did some background work on you and you seem pretty set. Who knows, after you finish this job, I could recommend you to some colleagues and you can renovate their spaces?" I extend my hand, offering it to her with the potential promise of more business. "I'm John Doe ; nice to meet you, Amanda."

Her eyes lit up ever so slightly - damn, those eyes... - and she eagerly took my hand. "That would be great! And it's nice to meet you!" She looks around the room, her smile fading a bit. "We have a lot of work to do here, don't we? This place would even get a no from Austin Powers," she jokes, moving over to the desk. She knocks on it then runs her hand along it, "this wood is pretty solid. We can keep the desks, though they won't really fit with any modern theme. Still, it would be a shame for them to go." She hoists herself up on top of Renee's desk and sits down on it. "Don't ya think?"

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what I even want the theme of this place to be. I know I want it to be more modern and I'd like some damn windows in here so it doesn't feel so cramped and claustrophobic," I say, sitting down on the small, uncomfortable chair in the waiting room.

"Well, that will be a little bit more difficult. Interior work will be easy; getting new carpeting and paneling is simple. That doesn't require much from the city. Adding windows, though... that's another story. And you're renting this place, aren't you? Wouldn't it just make more sense to, I don't know... find a new place?" Amanda shrugged her shoulders and gave me a bit of an apprehensive look. I could tell that my ideas were a little bit more grandiose than she expected.

"I've thought about it, but the rent and the asking price were too good to turn down. Soon enough, I might even own this small, little space. I'm sure I could work something out for the windows, but that does seem a bit more complicated," I ran my hands through my hair. I'd expected this to be rather simple and fun. I hadn't taken into account the finer details of the things I wanted to do. But as if sensing my anxiety, Amanda hopped off the desk and walked over to me.

"How about we go get something to eat first. We can worry about the renovations and permits and all of that other shit when we get back. You seem pretty stressed and it's not even noon yet," she giggled, extending her hand. She could read me pretty well, it seemed. I was almost caught up in the moment before I realized the implication of what I was doing. Going out to get food with this essential stranger? I was a married man. What would people think? I could always pretend she was a client. Or I could just tell the truth and say she's my new contractor. There was nothing wrong with that, right?