CHAPTER THIRTEEN #2
Angela couldn’t keep the gasp from slipping out as she opened the folder and caught a glimpse of the kind of money Duncan was talking about. He was offering her more in a month than she’d made in a full year at the bakery. It was ridiculous how much their lives had changed.
“What are we supposed to do?” Kiara asked.
Duncan’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
She lifted her folder. “This kind of money means we don’t have to work. What are we supposed to do with all our time? I can’t imagine just sitting around all day, every day.”
“You can do whatever you’d like. Travel. Take online college.”
“You wouldn’t let me go to an actual college?”
Duncan stared at her for a long moment. “Is that what you’d like to do?”
“I don’t know,” Kiara admitted. “But I’ll need to do something.”
Angela agreed with her. It had been nice not to have to work after working so hard on the homestead and in Briar Hollow. But having nothing to do moving forward didn’t hold much appeal.
“Why don’t the two of you talk it over, then we can meet again to discuss your options.”
“Okay,” Kiara said. “We can do that.”
“Moving onto the second purpose for this meeting,” Duncan looked toward the window as the sound of a helicopter approaching the estate reached them. “I have an architect joining us this morning to help you formulate ideas of what you’d like for your home.”
“Our home?” Angela asked.
“You are more than welcome to live in this house for as long as you’d like, but I thought perhaps you’d like your own space here on the estate.
Annie has her own home, and Julian has a home in New York.
So, I’d like to offer you the opportunity to work with an architect to design a home for the two of you. ”
“That’s… amazing,” Angela said. She’d never imagined she’d one day have a place to call her own, though it had been a fervent wish.
“It’s up to you if you’d like to share a home, or if you’d rather have two separate houses.”
“We’ve never really talked about something like that,” Kiara said. “I guess we figured we’d live together until one or both of us got married.”
“That can still be the case,” Duncan said. “The architect I’ve hired for this project is very good, and he’ll be able to turn what you’d like in your home into reality.”
Angela’s head was spinning, and she felt a bit like she had to be dreaming. This couldn’t possibly be true.
How had she gone from her struggling life in Kentucky to this lavish life in Idaho? It didn’t seem like it was actually real.
And yet the pinch she gave to her arm told her that it was. She was wide awake and getting ready to design her dream home. Whatever that was.
When the architect walked through the door a few minutes later, he had Jude with him.
Angela had been trying her best not to think about the man since she’d stormed away from him after their shopping spree.
He’d made his feelings abundantly clear, and she’d known that she had to keep her distance as best she could.
But she couldn’t deny that something settled inside her at the sight of him. The spinning of her head and the fluttering nerves quieted when her gaze landed on him, even as her heart beat faster.
“Welcome, Garrett,” Duncan said as he held out his hand to the only stranger in the room. “I’d like to introduce you to Angela and Kiara. They are the people you’ll be designing for.”
Garrett was a handsome man with styled light brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked to be in his late thirties. Maybe around Jude’s age.
“Nice to meet you,” he said as he shook their hands in turn. “I look forward to working with you.”
“I’ve also asked Jude to be present to give his input on the security of the building.”
Jude held himself stiffly. And though he nodded at both of them, there was no smile in his greeting. He was probably angry with her for how she’d acted.
She lowered her gaze to her hands. It hadn’t been the most mature way to handle their interaction, she knew that. But it had been difficult to be rejected. And she’d felt stupid and like he was just tolerating her because of his job.
“Why don’t we go into the boardroom?”
Duncan led the way through a door into a space that was decorated similarly to his office, but with a large table surrounded by chairs dominating the space. The room was bright because, like his office, one wall was essentially all glass.
“Have a seat,” Duncan said as he sank down into the chair at the head of the table.
Jude sat next to Garrett, while Angela and Kiara took seats opposite them. There were rolls of white paper on the table between them.
Garrett pulled a tablet out of his briefcase and set it on the table in front of him.
“So, I have the blueprints here for Annie’s house and also for Jude’s.” Duncan looked at Jude. “Hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine.”
Duncan stared at Jude for a long moment before reaching for the rolled papers. “These will give you an idea of what we’ve already done for the homes on the estate.”
“Do you have a location already picked out for this?” Kiara asked.
“Yes, there’s a suitable spot halfway between Annie’s and Jude’s. But there is plenty of forest between all the sites, so you can’t even see the other cabins.”
Angela watched as Duncan unrolled the paper and used some coasters to hold down the corners. There had been some mention of them going to see Annie’s home, but it hadn’t happened, so she was curious to see what it was like.
“Annie’s home is two stories,” Duncan said, then went on to describe its layout, pointing to the papers as reference. It seemed like a nice place for her sister. “Now Jude’s place is bigger, as it was built with a family in mind.”
Jude cleared his throat as Duncan moved on to the other set of rolled papers. “My dad and I moved in there when we came to Idaho.”
“Yes. And it became your home with his death.”
Angela saw again that Duncan viewed Jude as more than just another employee. She wondered whether Jude was aware of that.
She was curious about his home, so she listened more intently when Duncan described it.
“It has four bedrooms, with the master on the main floor. There’s also a space that could be used as a study or a nursery.”
Angela lifted her gaze to find Jude watching her. When their eyes met, something flickered across Jude's expression before he looked away, his jaw tightening. Angela felt heat rise in her cheeks and forced herself to focus on the blueprints spread across the table.
"So," Garrett said, opening his tablet and pulling up what looked like a questionnaire. "Let's start with the basics. Are you thinking of sharing one home, or would you prefer separate residences?"
Angela glanced at Kiara, who shrugged. "We've never really had the option of choosing before."
"What do you think would work best for you?" Duncan asked gently.
"I think… maybe one home?" Angela said hesitantly, glancing at Kiara. "At least for now. We've always been together."
Kiara nodded. "But maybe with our own separate wings or something? So we each have privacy when we want it?"
"That's definitely doable," Garrett said, making notes on his tablet. "What about size? How many bedrooms are you thinking of?"
"I don't know," Angela admitted. "This is all so overwhelming."
"Why don't we start with what you each like to do?" Garrett suggested. "That will help me understand what kind of spaces you'd each want."
Angela felt her cheeks warm. "I like to bake. And read."
"So maybe a really nice kitchen? And a cozy reading nook?"
"That sounds amazing," she said softly, still unable to believe they were actually giving their input into a home that would one day be theirs.
"I love to read too," Kiara added. "And I'd like space for puzzles and maybe crafts. Oh, and a space for lots of plants."
"A sunroom would be perfect for plants," Garrett said, his stylus moving across the tablet as he took notes. "And we could design built-in shelving for books. What about entertaining? Do you see yourselves hosting family gatherings?"
Angela looked around the table uncertainly. She'd never hosted anything in her life. "I… I'm not sure."
"Maybe start with a nice dining area that could accommodate the immediate family," Duncan suggested. "You can always expand later if needed."
"That makes sense," Kiara agreed. "What about outdoor space?"
"Definitely," Garrett said. "Four season sunrooms are popular, and with the right design, you could have outdoor dining and seating areas that would be usable all year."
Angela found herself getting caught up in the excitement of planning. "Could we have a garden? I'd love to grow my own herbs and vegetables."
Not all of the things they’d done on the homestead had been horrible. In fact, Angela was quite grateful for a lot of the skills she’d learned growing up there.
"Of course," Duncan said with a smile. "We can have the landscaping team help design that for you."
"What about security considerations?" Garrett asked, turning to Jude.
Jude had been quiet throughout most of the discussion, but now he straightened in his chair. "Same protocols as the other residences. Security system integrated with the main house, reinforced entry points, fireproofed walls, and automated protective blinds."
Garrett nodded as he made notes. “I’ll have to get more information about what was used on the other houses since I wasn’t the one who worked with you on those security precautions.”
“I take the protection of my family very seriously,” Duncan told him. “There is never any expense spared when it comes to keeping them safe.”
“We will definitely come up with something that meets Angela and Kiara’s needs, but also satisfies the need you have for their security.”
“Thank you,” Duncan said. “How long until you have some preliminary sketches that the girls can look at?”
“Not long.” Garrett flashed him a smile. “Your project is at the top of my list.”
Duncan’s money probably helped to make that the case.
“How long does it usually take to build a house?” Kiara asked.
Duncan looked at Garrett, obviously deferring to him.
“Normally, it could take anywhere from twelve to eighteen months,” Garrett said. “However, since Duncan has expressed his desire to have this done quickly with no regard for cost, we’ll probably have it done in eight months.”
That seemed like a long time. Where would she and Kiara be in eight months? Would they have settled in on the estate? Would they have found things to do to fill their time?
Most importantly, Angela wondered how she’d feel about Jude in eight months’ time. Would her heart still race at the sight of him? Would she still long to be something more to him than just a job?
Or would she have accepted the inevitable and tried to move on from her feelings for him?
One thing she was fairly certain of was that they wouldn’t have any type of relationship beyond a professional one. It hurt her heart to think about that, but it was a reality she’d need to accept sooner than later.