Designing Love: An Inspirational Romance (Sunriver Dreams Book 3)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  “Maybe you could stay here for a week or two. The place is certainly big enough.”

  “True.” But did she really want to live at work. No way! “There has to be another option.”

  “I’m not seeing it if there is.” Bailey closed out the screen. “Have you heard from Spencer?”

  “No. Why would I?”

  “The two of you seemed cozy last night.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Just because we were talking doesn’t mean we were cozy. Spencer is a good friend, but that’s the end of it.” Did it have to be? Trey was warming up to him, and he was such a great guy. If she were honest, she wished his house wasn’t finished because she enjoyed dropping in on him to check the progress. She’d noticed a vulnerability in him lately that she appreciated—as though he was softer somehow and not the tough cop all the time.

  “Oh.” She frowned. “I was hoping.”

  “Why?” From what she knew of Bailey, she wasn’t a busybody, so her interest in Sierra’s love life was weird.

  “Spencer helped me out a few months ago, and I have a soft spot for him.” She shrugged. “I want to see him happy, and I think you make him happy.” She quickly added. “Not that he’s said anything, but I can tell he’s lonely, and he seems to really like you. And don’t forget, he asked you to help him with the mentor program. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t have.”

  Sierra’s head jerked back slightly. “How’d you know he asked me to help with that?” And was her boss right? Did Spencer request her help because he had feelings for her, or at the least because he was interested?

  “Nicole told me.”

  “Oh.” It made sense that she’d know since Mark and Spencer worked closely together.

  “Knock. Knock.” John ambled into the room. “Good morning, ladies.”

  Sierra grinned. “You’re in a good mood this morning. Did they find the—”

  “No.“ He eased onto the loveseat against the wall beside the door. “I’m here for an entirely different reason.” His face glowed. “Bailey, do you remember doing a proposal for a hotel in Bend?”

  “Of course. But they said they were going a different direction.”

  “As it turned out, the new direction was selling the place. They are under new ownership, and they saw and liked your proposal. The job is ours.”

  A little squeal escaped Sierra’s lips. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in days! When do we start?” As much as her housing crisis needed to be addressed, she welcomed the distraction of a big project.

  He filled them in on the details. “I don’t have to tell you how big this is. They liked your original proposal, Bailey, but would also like for you to submit one more for their two executive suites.”

  Bailey frowned. “Why did they go through you and not contact me?”

  She had a point. Bailey ran Belafonte Designs, not John.

  “The new owner is a friend,” John said.

  “Did you tell them about the vandal?” Sierra asked. It didn’t seem right taking on a job that might endanger the hotel guests.

  “No. It’s irrelevant.”

  “I disagree. What if someone happens upon our vandal in the act and gets assaulted? It’s much more likely at a hotel.”

  “Or not,” John said. “They have an excellent surveillance system. The vandal won’t risk being discovered. I predict she will continue to go after our unoccupied homes.”

  Bailey frowned. “Except she didn’t.”

  John sighed. “You’re right, but I still believe this will be fine. And if you ladies will pitch in and do some manual labor there’s a bonus in it for you.”

  Sierra wrinkled her nose. “What kind of manual labor? I don’t like saws or nail guns. They scare me.”

  He chuckled. “Painting mostly.”

  She looked to Bailey who seemed to be considering the idea.

  “That would be a huge undertaking considering we have other clients.” Bailey looked ready to say no to painting. “What happened to the usual crew?”

  “They’ll be there. But the hotel is on a tight timeline, and we need to move fast.” John focused his attention on Sierra. “Would Trey be willing to help? We would pay him minimum wage.”

  “I’m sure he’d jump at the opportunity, especially with summer approaching, but I’ll have to ask to know for sure.”

  “Of course. Let me know ASAP.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “All right then. I’m out.”

  “You’re not going up to see your mom?” Bailey asked.

  “I did before I came in here. I have an appointment with Sarah. I’m buying a piece of property to build on.”

  “Congratulations!” Sierra couldn’t be more pleased for him. Maybe she should check into the local housing market more seriously. She loved her job, especially now that she was being allowed to design. Although Trey had not been happy about moving here in the beginning, he’d adjusted well and had discovered many things that Sunriver had to offer. He would be bummed if he wouldn’t be around for the summer season. The swimming pools had been a huge positive to his way of thinking.

  The idea of randomly choosing a real estate agent didn’t appeal. Spencer could probably recommend someone. She’d be sure to give him a call later.

  “What do you think?” Bailey asked.

  “About what?”

  “Didn’t you hear anything I said?” Dismay filled her voice.

  “No. Sorry. My mind was a million miles away. John got me to thinking that buying a house might be the way to go. But I’m all yours now. What do you need?”

  “I need you to take the rest of the day off and figure out your housing situation, and then I need you to come back tomorrow ready to work.”

  Sierra ducked her chin. That was as close to a reprimand as she’d ever received from Bailey, but she really shouldn’t be here if she wasn’t going to focus. “Umm. Do you think you could manage without me this week?”

  “You want the entire week off?” Bailey’s brow raised. “Are you sure you need that much time?”

  “I don’t want to take the week off, but Mrs. Drake put me in a bind, and until I figure out a couple of things, I think I’ll be useless here. I need to meet with a bank about getting pre-approved for a loan. And I want to have my head one-hundred percent focused when I’m working.” When she’d made up her mind to try and buy a place she didn’t know, but it seemed like the best course to follow.

  “Whatever you need, Sierra.” Bailey stood and walked around her desk. “But we have that hotel job in Bend which will need your full attention no later than Monday.”

  “Understood. And I’ll let John know about painting later today.” Excitement bubbled. She was going to do this—ack, she was really going to buy a house—the only thing that terrified her more was being pregnant at sixteen and then finding herself on her own a year after Trey was born.

  Her choices hadn’t always been the best or easy, but this felt right. She gathered her stuff and stood. “Thanks, Bailey.”

  “Sure. I hope everything goes smoothly.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  John spotted Sierra sitting on a bench in the village with slumped shoulders. What was that all about and why was she here? Shouldn’t she be working? He strolled over to her. “Mind if I join you?”

  She jumped slightly and looked up. “Hi. I didn’t see you. Of course.” She moved over.

  “Everything okay?” Had something else happened at one of the Belafonte sites that he hadn’t yet heard about?

  “I’m fine.”

  He hadn’t asked how she was in so many words, but clearly she wasn’t fine as she claimed, and it wasn’t work related—at least it didn’t appear to be. “Does this have something to do with your son’s dad?”

  She shook her head. “Please. I can’t deal with thinking about him today, too.”

  So he was right. Something was up. “I know you said you’re fine, but I’d like to help if I can.”


  “There’s nothing you can do.” She glanced his way. Hopelessness filled her eyes.

  His gut tightened. Whatever was troubling her appeared to be big. “I hope this doesn’t sound too forward, but it’s clear to me that something is wrong. I’d like to help, but if you don’t want it, I understand. That being said, don’t forget to pray. I’m not an in-your-face religious kind of person, but the Lord is always there, and I know He will help you deal with whatever is distressing you.”

  A tiny smile lifted her lips. “Thanks for the reminder. I should have done that first before leaping into buying a house.”

  “Not the experience you expected?”

  “Not even close. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I am going to pray like you suggested.”

  “Good. It looks like my work here is done.” He stood.

  “Do you have someplace to be?”

  “I do. My meeting with Sarah went well earlier, and I asked her out for coffee.”

  A smile lit Sierra’s eyes. “I don’t know her well, but she seems nice. I’m glad the dinner wasn’t a complete waste.”

  Why would she think her party had been a waste? What an odd thing to say. “On the contrary. Let me know how things go.” He set out toward Brewed Awakenings and couldn’t help wondering why Sierra wasn’t working. Shouldn’t she have heaps of work now that they had the hotel contract? Odd. But he did not oversee Sierra. That was Bailey’s job, and he wouldn’t interfere.

  He spotted Sarah at a distance and waved to get her attention. She looked professional in a black straight skirt and blazer, with impossibly high heels. She waved back. A smile lit her face. How had he never met her before? He ambled up to her. “Hey, there.”

  She grinned. “Thanks for not standing me up.”

  “That’s been a problem in the past?” He opened the door allowing her to enter first.

  “You have no idea.” She rolled her eyes. “One would think scheduling an appointment, or a coffee date in this case would mean something, but some people apparently don’t look at their calendars.”

  “I see.” He couldn’t imagine anyone standing up the lovely woman by his side. He paid for the coffees, waited for them, then they found an out-of-the way table.

  “Any progress on the vandalism?”

  “Not that I’ve heard.” He really didn’t want to talk about work issues, especially in public where anyone could overhear. “So tell me what you do for fun?”

  Her eyes widened a bit, but she recovered quickly at his sudden change in topic. “I’m a bit of a tennis fanatic. You’ll find me on the court whenever the weather permits. How about you?”

  So that was where her trim, athletic physique came from. “I enjoy running.”

  “You grew up around here, right?” She sipped her caramel macchiato.

  He nodded.

  “You don’t play golf? With all the courses I’d think it would be a given.”

  “From time to time, but it’s not a passion.” He was still figuring that out. He’d thoroughly enjoyed working on Spencer’s house. It broke up the monotony of going to the office day in and day out. It had been difficult juggling the remodel with running the business. “Before my dad died I enjoyed hiking.”

  “Why’d that change?” She propped an elbow onto the table and rested her chin on her palm.

  “My brothers and I had to take over and fill in the hole Dad left. I suddenly found myself overwhelmed with work. I guess I got out of the habit of having fun then forgot how. I’m trying to change that.” He grinned. Having coffee with Sarah was one step in the right direction.

  She nodded. “It sounds funny, but I can see how that could happen to someone. Nicole, you remember her, right?”

  He nodded. She was married to Mark, the cop working on their case.

  “Well, when she first came to Sunriver she expressed a similar sentiment. I don’t know why it’s easy for me to keep my friends and hobbies intact where others sometimes lose themselves in their work, but we’re all different. Maybe I’m a little more self-absorbed.” Her eyes widened. “I probably shouldn’t have admitted that on a first date.”

  He chuckled. “I like your honesty.” Sarah’s animated expressions captivated him. She knew how to put a person at ease and make him feel like the only person in the room.

  “We should play tennis together sometime.”

  He shook his head. “I’d be no match for you. I’m a casual player at best. You could run with me sometime.”

  “Or not. Running is boring.”

  He held his fist to his chest. “You wound me. Running is not boring.”

  She laughed. “Compared to tennis it is.”

  He shrugged. “To each his own.” They might not have any sports hobbies in common, but it didn’t matter. This woman intrigued him, and he looked forward to getting to know her.

  Spencer rested his elbows on his dining room table and rubbed the back of his neck. It had been a long day, but not without a couple of victories. He couldn’t wait to tell Sierra, but if he called her, he’d also have to admit they were no closer to figuring out who had been vandalizing the Belafonte projects. He didn’t want to disappoint her, but maybe he could soften the bad news with his other news.

  He palmed his phone and pressed her number in his contacts.

  “Hello?” She sounded tired.

  “It’s Spencer. You okay?”

  “Yeah. What’s up?”

  Something in her tone said otherwise. “You at home?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “I’m on my way over.” He grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

  “I’m tired, Spencer.”

  “So am I, and I haven’t eaten yet. How does Chinese sound?”

  “Wonderful. I still need to make dinner. But I promised you dinner, not the other way around.”

  “Next time. I’ll see you soon.”

  Thirty minutes later, he stood at Sierra’s front door and rang the bell. She pulled the door open and relief poured over him. She looked tired, but otherwise fine. He held up two white bags. “I have sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, wontons, and a couple of other things the sales person recommended. I wasn’t sure what you and Trey like.”

  She led the way to the dining room table. “We like everything.” She swiveled and called down the hall. “Trey. Food’s here.”

  The kid bolted from his room and slowed as soon as he spotted Spencer. “Hey.” Although he didn’t smile, the look of hate he’d once displayed toward Spencer was gone.

  Relief washed over Spencer. “I hope you’re hungry. I brought enough to feed a crowd.”

  “You’ll need it with my son’s appetite.”

  “I’m sitting right here,” Trey said drily.

  Spencer chuckled. “Dig in.”

  “After we pray,” Sierra said. She offered a short blessing over the food, and when she opened her eyes they locked on his.

  His insides jolted. She had an effect on him that he hadn’t expected. Or was it the prayer, which included thanking God for him—that was a first.

  “Did you get fortune cookies?” Trey asked.

  Spencer pulled his gaze from Sierra and focused on Trey. “Sure did. That small bag has them.”

  “My son likes to indulge in dessert before the main course.” Her eyes twinkled. “But he knows better, right?” She looked to Trey.

  “Yes, ma’am.” His eyes looked down.

  They filled their plates with way too much food and dug in with fancy chopsticks Sierra had found in a drawer. “I actually came over tonight to tell you something.”

  “Oh?” Sierra raised a brow.

  “I know this isn’t ideal, but it will buy you a little time. A buddy of mine is going on a short-term mission trip. He’ll be out of the country for a month and leaves in two weeks. I told him about your situation, and he said you and Trey could use his place while he’s gone. I know you have three weeks left here, but it will provide time to find a more permanent place.” He couldn’t
read Sierra’s face. He thought she’d be happy, but she looked more perplexed–or maybe it was surprised.

  “I don’t know what to say except I’ve spent the day praying about our housing situation. I didn’t realize that escrow would take at least thirty days and had given up buying a house because of that—we would be homeless before we could get into a house.” She shook her head and wonder shone in her eyes. “Shortly before you called about dinner I felt peace about our situation. I didn’t expect the answer would be housesitting someone else’s home.”

  “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” he said.

  She raised a brow.

  “What? Just because I didn’t grow up in church doesn’t mean I haven’t heard that phrase, and honestly, I think He does work in mysterious ways.”

  “I thought you weren’t a Christian.” Trey eyed him then took a bite of orange chicken.

  “About that—my status has changed. That prophecy stuff is rather compelling. It’s hard for me to deny that God exists. I’ve seen too much to prove otherwise.” His gaze snagged Sierra’s—her eyes glistened.

  “I had no idea you’d made a decision to become a Christian. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  He shrugged. “I just did.”

  “Tell us more. When did it happen?” Sierra looked ready to burst.

  He had no idea his decision would be such a big deal to her, then again maybe he should have known based on Mark’s nudging him to go to church. The book of John outlined pretty well how he should pray. “You knew I was interested in Bible prophecy. I dug into the verses the speaker had used and then started reading the Bible from the beginning of the New Testament. I’ve read a lot since that night. To be honest, it was difficult to put it down.”

  “You understood it?”

  “Not everything. But I attended church some when I was younger, so it wasn’t completely foreign to me. I also picked Mark’s brain a little and met with the pastor at your church.” He’d planned to ask her a few questions, but his meeting with the pastor cleared up a lot.

  “I’m very happy for you.” Sierra grinned. “I’m glad you have Mark, too. He seemed like a good guy when he was here the other night.”