Tis the Season

by Jill Sanders

  “I haven’t thought that far ahead,” he admitted with a frown. The bathroom hadn’t felt empty until she had started putting images into his head of how it could be.

  “Hardwood in wet areas isn’t the best idea. What about tile that looks like hardwood?” she suggested.

  “They have that?” he asked.

  She smiled. “Yes, now they do. I’ll get a few samples and you can choose from them. Have you picked out your carpet for the rest of the house?”

  “Nope.” He sighed.

  “I’ll get some samples for those as well.” She made another note, and then he followed her into what would be his office.

  “What are your plans in here? You mentioned something about taking this large window out.”

  “I’m going to change these to French doors that will open onto the front patio.” He opened the old blinds. The windows looked out on the front patio area. “This room makes up the end of the U. The garage and laundry room are across there.” He nodded across the patio space.

  She nodded and noted it down. “French doors, what about those built-in planters?” She nodded to the long space that had been cut out of the cement directly outside of the window, which currently had weeds and ferns growing out of it.

  “They’ll be filled in. All except the circular one. I’m thinking of planting a small tree in there. Maybe something that has droopy flowers?” He shrugged. “Or just fill it with flowers and a koi pond. I haven’t decided yet.”

  “You could add a table and chairs out here, make a nice sitting area. The space is big enough.”

  An image of the two of them sitting out there on a crisp spring morning, sipping coffee, had him smiling down at her. “I like that idea. Kind of like that little café you worked in when we met?”

  She stiffened when he mentioned their shared past. Reaching up, he touched her shoulder.

  “Blake, if I did something back then…”

  She brushed his hand off by stepping away. “You didn’t.”

  “Obviously, I did. Or you wouldn’t have such a problem talking about it.” He moved closer again. “If I hurt you… I’m sorry. I looked for you. I went to your loft, to your school. It was as if you’d disappeared.” He sighed. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. For a moment, he felt her relax into his touch. Then her eyes met his and she once again took a step back.

  “It’s in the past,” she said finally.

  They watched a truck pull into the driveway and park behind Parker’s truck.

  “That will be the workers.” He sighed. “These are the only two rooms that matter. The rest…” He shrugged. “As I said before, I will leave it in your hands.” He watched as sadness was replaced with determination in her eyes. They turned and left the room.

  For the next few hours, he got rid of his frustration by using the sledgehammer on the kitchen. They knocked out everything except the large windows.

  “Wow.” All four men turned towards the doorway at the sound of Blake’s voice. “This space is wonderful.” She walked into the room.

  “Careful,” Matthew said and nudged a stray nail away from her pathway.

  “Have you designed the room yet?” She turned to Parker.

  “Matthew just wanted new cabinets put where the old ones were.” He shrugged.

  She tapped the pen to her lip and turned a circle. “Give me an hour,” she said, looking to him, “to come up with a different option.” Then she turned back to Parker. “I’m assuming you have the cabinets already?”

  “Some,” he nodded. “I can get you the specs.”

  “Yes, thanks.” The pair of them disappeared down the hallway.

  “You’re in trouble now.” Donny, Parker’s foreman and electrician, slapped his shoulder. “Whatever you’d expected it to cost you can just slap an extra zero on it.” He laughed and started clearing the debris.

  When Parker and Blake walked back into the room, the floor was cleared of the mess they had made.

  “I think we have a plan that will work perfectly.” She set down a laptop and, to his surprise, an image of his kitchen popped up.

  He sat down and looked at what she’d done. When she moved her mouse, the room moved as if he was walking through it.

  The large windows in the corner had been replaced by glass accordion doors that slid open onto the deck beyond so that the entire corner of the room opened to the outside. There was a small circular kitchen table and chairs that sat just outside on a large new deck and he could just imagine taking his coffee out there to watch the sun rise every day.

  The kitchen itself had been moved to where the informal dining room currently sat. The old glass door had been removed and that wall and the back wall next to the laundry room were now filled with the cabinets, sinks, ovens, and the refrigerator. All of the appliances, cabinets, and countertops had been updated, and he found that appealing.

  “What about that wall of cabinets?” He motioned to the current wall behind him. “I’d hoped to keep those. It’s good storage space.”

  “We can keep them,” Parker added. “But I was thinking of moving the storage cabinets to the laundry room.” He walked over, and Matt followed him. “Here, to this wall by the freezers. I doubt you’ll need two full-sized freezers.” He smiled.

  “What would you do with that wall then?” He motioned to where the cabinets were currently.

  “Open it up,” Blake said. “It’s not a load-bearing wall, Parker says. The base of the stairs would then flow into the kitchen and hallway instead of just the hallway. You’ll get more light on the stairs and the flow of the house will improve.”

  “What about the formal dining room?” he asked.

  “It will stay that way. Those built-ins will be replaced with more modern cabinets. Maybe a wet bar with a wine fridge under one of them.” They moved into the room.

  On either side of French doors sat two built-ins with countertops and cabinets.

  As Blake talked, he could imagine the updated ideas she was mentioning.

  “Take out the French doors, since you won’t ever need to close off this area from the hallway and kitchen. Put in arches instead.” She took notes as she moved around the room. “The pocket door that leads to the living room should be kept. Maybe changed to something more decorative.” She tilted her head. “I’ll come up with a few ideas.”

  “Well, boss?” Parker asked. “Are we a go? I’ll have to order the glass doors. It could take a while for them to come in from Portland. But this new design works with all the cabinets we have on order now.”

  He glanced around as the image from her computer screen ran through his mind. He liked the idea of everything she’d planned so far.

  “Let’s do it.” He smiled.

  Chapter 4

  Blake worked on the laptop for almost an hour while the men cleared the rest of the debris.

  When she heard the house grow quiet, she saved her program and went to find Matt. He was in the bathroom off the laundry room. He’d stuck his head under the faucet in the large sink off the laundry area. The shoulders of his T-shirt were wet, and water was dripping from his dark hair.

  “Did everyone leave?” she asked.

  “Lunch,” he replied. “They were running into town. Parker was going to bring something back since, well, you know, I no longer have a kitchen.” He smiled. “How’s it going with you?”

  “I have a few things I want to go over with you.” She motioned back towards the living area. “Do you have time?”

  “Sure.” He took a towel from a rack and ran it over his head, then laid it over his shoulders and followed her into the living room. She sat down on his sofa and woke her laptop.

  “I think a nice solid color like this Amazing Gray for all of your main area walls. We can add accent colors in some rooms, but for the main areas…” She clicked, and an image of his living room came up. It showed the fireplace as it looked now, and she clicked again to the one that showed her changes.


  “Wow,” he said. “You did all this today? It looks totally different. Updated.” He leaned closer, then glanced up at the real deal. “So, remove the wood paneling, texture and paint that wall?”

  “That’s the deal. Dark wood paneling is dated. Not to mention it’s dull and grimy from years of neglect. Since this is the main room in the house, where you’ll be entertaining, I suggest taking the extra care and having the walls textured. The lighter paint color will lighten this room up and make it cheerier.” She smiled. “Not that it doesn’t get enough light with those large windows, but now it will feel bright even at night or on a cloudy day.”

  “I like it. Okay, next.” He smiled at her.

  “Next is the master.” She clicked and an image of the current bedroom came up. Then she clicked once more, and it transformed.

  Gone were the gold wallpaper, yellow carpet, and gold curtains. They had been replaced by hardwood floors, simple beige walls, hints of light blue on the pillows on the built-in window bench, blinds instead of full curtains, and an added hint of color with valances.

  “It looks amazing.” His arm brushed up against hers, and she shifted after feeling the zip travel through her entire body.

  She ran him through his office. She’d put in French doors that opened onto the patio out front. There was a large desk with bookcases behind it, and she’d replaced the closets with built-in shelves. She’d added a touch of color with some blue vases and bookshelf decorations.

  “I love it,” he said, leaning back. “What about the other rooms?”

  She ran through the rest of the house, including the large room upstairs, which she had decorated in a style that most men would have enjoyed. A big-screen television hung above the fireplace, and there was a huge leather sectional. In the middle of the other space, a pool table sat.

  “If you don’t like pool, there’s room for table tennis or something else.”

  “Pool is fine. I think I might already have an in on a table.” He tilted his head. “A dartboard?” He motioned. “Who plays darts?”

  She chuckled. “Men do. They like to hit balls and throw sharp objects, or watch someone doing those things.”

  He laughed. “Not every man.”

  She turned slightly and looked at him. “I remember you playing darts.”

  “You challenged me.” He smiled. “And kicked my butt at it too.” His eyebrows rose. “Which tells me you’ve spent more time throwing sharp objects than I have.”

  She chuckled. “It was luck.”

  His hand moved to cover hers, and she felt the heat spread from his fingers up her arm.

  “What happened? Why did you leave me?” he asked, his voice going low.

  She had to swallow before she could answer. “I couldn’t fall into that trap.” She sighed.

  “What trap?” he asked.

  “The trap of falling for you.” She stood up and walked over to the window, looking out over his land. Fresh snow was falling, leaving the ground blanketed in white. It was going to be a bitch to drive home in tonight. The roads last night had been slick from the melt, and the tires on her truck were a little too bald for her liking. But she couldn’t afford new tires until this job was done.

  “Trap? You think falling in love with someone is a trap?” He had followed her and set his hands on her shoulders. She took a deep breath and turned.

  “Not someone, just you,” she answered truthfully.

  “Ouch.” He dropped his hands. “It was only a week.”

  “You can’t stand here and tell me you didn’t feel something between us growing.”

  “So, what if I did? Why run away from it?”

  “I couldn’t—can’t—afford to get distracted.”

  “Distracted?” He shook his head. “Blake, what’s going on?”

  She wrapped her arms around herself and glanced back outside. “My parents, they aren’t your normal parents.” She sighed.

  He waited and when she didn’t continue he moved closer. “Go on.”

  She thought of how to express her feelings, but everything she started to say sounded lame.

  “It just wouldn’t have worked out.” She turned and walked back to her computer. “The snow is falling faster. I’d better head home now, or I’ll be stuck here.”

  “Would it be that bad?” he asked as she loaded her things up. “Falling for someone like me?”

  Her eyes moved to him and her heart jumped in her chest. “The worst.” She smiled. “I’d better go.”

  “Stay.” He walked over to her. “There’s plenty of rooms. Pick one, move in so you don’t have to drive back and forth each day when you start working here.”

  She shook her head. “I… can’t.”

  He searched her eyes and, seeing her determination fully in place, he nodded. “If you change your mind…”

  “I’ll see you next month, on the twenty-sixth. In the meantime, I’ll email those samples and better graphics to you for your approval.”

  He nodded. “Drive safe.”

  She packed up her car and was pulling out of the drive when Parker and the other workers were just pulling in. She waved to them and headed towards Edgeview.

  She had a few stops to make and spent over an hour at the hardware store grabbing samples for each room. When she loaded up her truck with everything to head back home, there was almost a full inch of snow on the ground. It took her an hour to get home, a trip that should have taken only fifteen minutes. It hardly ever snowed this early in the year, but when it did, it usually meant it would be a very long, cold winter.

  By the time she walked into her apartment, her shoulders and neck were tense from the stressful drive. She pulled out a bottle of wine from the fridge and groaned when there was only a swallow of it left.

  She debated whether to head down to the grocery store at the corner to get more when her cell phone rang.

  She saw Matt’s number on the screen and downed the rest of the wine in one swallow before answering.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Blake.” His voice woke her body up and, suddenly, she didn’t feel the stress in her shoulders any longer.

  “Hi.” She sat down on the sofa.

  “Did you make it home okay?”

  “Yes, I have some samples for you. I’ll snap photos and email them over.”

  “I didn’t really call to talk business,” he answered.

  “Oh?” she said, realizing she sounded a little breathless.

  “We didn’t get to finish our conversation before.”

  “Our…” It took a moment for her to replay the conversation in question. “About before?” she hinted.

  “Why was Italy a mistake?” he asked.

  She really wished for another bottle of wine. “Because…” She racked her mind for an answer he would swallow. “We’d only known one another for a week.”

  He was silent for a moment. “Things can happen fast.”

  “Too fast.”

  “So, it was a time issue?” he asked.

  She closed her eyes and rested her head back. “No and yes.”

  “Blake, talk to me. You didn’t have problems opening up to me then, why now?”

  “Because it’s been two years. And we’d only known one another for a week.”

  “It is a time issue. How long do you need?” She was stupefied. “A month? A year?”

  “Yes,” she answered. “Both, I guess.”

  “Okay,” he said easily.

  “Okay?” she asked, unsure of what he was getting at.

  “I’m going to be out of the country for a few weeks. You’ll be starting work at my place the Monday after Thanksgiving. Until then, I’ll call you as often as I can, we’ll chat, get to know one another again. By the time I return, you’ll feel comfortable enough to go on a date and open up to me again.”

  She could hear the smile in his tone. “Matt, it doesn’t…”

  “I have to go. I’ll call you again tomorrow. Goodnight, Blake.” He hung up bef
ore she could say anything further.

  Tossing her cell phone down, she glared at Butters. “Men.” She rolled her eyes and the cat meowed at her. Picking herself up, she grabbed her purse and walked to the corner store to get more wine and a slice of homemade cheesecake.

  Over the next week, she worked with her current client and still couldn’t get Matt out of her mind. During her free time, she worked on the plans for his place. He was true to his word and called her almost every day. When he knew he wouldn’t be able to call her, he’d text her.

  He sent her pictures of where he was, each time a beautiful scenery picture followed by a goofy selfie of him in some funny pose.

  Her favorite so far was the picture of the Ganges at sunset. There were dark outlines of boats floating on the glowing water. A bright sun was sinking behind them.

  The next image had been a picture of Matt bathing in the Ganges with a couple of small children sitting on his shoulders, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to have strangers’ kids climbing all over him. The smile on Matt’s face told her more about the man than knowing him for years would have.

  He was comfortable with everyone and everything. He’d easily fit in anywhere. There was something sexy and scary about that thought.

  So far, after the first big snowstorm, the weather had cooperated. They had the usual rainy fall weather, which stripped the trees of their colored leaves.

  She spent Halloween handing out candy to her neighborhood kids dressed as a genie. She’d gone to Classy and Sassy’s Halloween party and had enjoyed spending more time with Lilly and Riley.

  After a few drinks, she’d snapped a picture of the three of them and sent it off to Matt before she lost her nerve.

  He’d replied to her text with a simple comment: “I know what I’d wish for.”

  That had given her sexy dreams for the next few nights. They talked as often as he could, and she felt herself becoming more relaxed around him.

  When she finished with a client early, she focused all of her time preparing to start working on his place. She found a few great pieces for him and when she’d texted him pictures, he’d send back the thumbs up sign.