Designs of Love (TP2)

24 - Jen

Jen never thought the day would come for her to leave the city. Sterling had been annoying her about the trip and kept asking her questions she had already answered. She would be back on Memorial Day. She had taken care of all her other clients. She had appointments already scheduled when she returned. On a personal note, she assured him she liked Avery's new boyfriend.

Sterling said, "They've gotten serious quickly."

"How long did it take you to get serious with Trevor?"

"Jennifer."

"Sterling," she scolded back. "At least neither of them are married."

All thoughts of Sterling disappeared when she looked down and saw The Point as the plane approached up the coast. Driving over the causeway created a stir of excitement in her belly because she was home and she would see Alex.

When she saw his truck, she knew he was inside. Smiling, she entered and waved at Alex, but greeted her father with a big hug. Then she ran up the stairs to see her mother.

"I'm so happy you're home again."

"I know, mom. Me too!"

Once downstairs, Alex said, "You ready."

"Coffee!"

"Do you want to drive with me?"

"No. I'll take my car."

All she could think was, here he is, here he is. After spending so much time with Tom, she wondered if she was morphing Tom into her memory of Alex. She had her drawing to go back to, but seeing him was better, so much better.

The outside of the house was beautiful, and the landscaping was fantastic. He opened the front door and held it for her. It smelled like fresh paint and varnish and looked incredible. The wide plank floors were perfect. The walls were exactly what she wanted. She was itching to get to work filling the space.

The kitchen was her dream kitchen. "Alex, this is amazing. I saw pictures, but you're a genius."

"Me. You picked everything out. This is your design. My work stopped at the blueprints."

She smiled. "I remember when you offered me copies of the blueprints. That's when I realized you weren't so bad."

He just smiled and shook his head. She toured the rest of the downstairs and then headed up. The colors worked, which was not always the case. Sometimes a color doesn't look right once it's on the wall. Not being able to see as the work was being completed, she was taking a chance. That was one reason she was disappointed she hadn't come that other weekend ─ one of the reasons.

In the master bedroom, the bath was also a dream. She went to look out the window to see the view. There were a few people walking at low tide, but more importantly, she sensed him right behind her.

He put his hand on her shoulder and pointed around her. "See Kristi's walking."

She couldn't respond. His touch muted her as it sent shock waves through her body. She willed him to pull her into him, but instead, he removed his hand and turned away. She stood and steadied her breathing.

Jen spent the entire morning going through the house looking for blemishes or issues but found very few. She asked him, "Did you triple check everything?"

"You bet. I would not give you the satisfaction of finding my mistakes," He laughed. "You saw that you have some boxes over there."

"Yes, you told me last night."

She felt as if she was sharing a secret by mentioning their phone conversations to him directly. She caught him watching her and wondered what he was thinking.