Chapter 13 Diamond
thirteen
Diamond
“Hi, you must be Arnie, Rhett’s real estate agent. I’m Diamond.”
The man shakes my hand with enthusiasm. “I’m so happy you could get here and do this for Rhett. On paper, I think it’s the perfect place for him.”
I haven’t even seen the house, but when he texted me the address, I knew he’d love the area.
It’s in the country, far away from the lights of Kissing Ridge, but close enough that the commute doesn’t kill you.
I might not know much about Rhett yet, but he’s definitely an old soul who loves the country.
“I’ll look outside first, Arnie, if that’s okay? I’m taking a lot of videos for him.”
“Sure. Just come in the front door when you’re done.”
The home is a bungalow with an addition on the back and a decent-sized deck.
I’m sure the inside will meet his needs, even though he never specified what he wanted.
But I know room for Tater is important, and this is fabulous.
When he said it was five acres, I assumed it was all field or trees. But that’s not the case at all.
The lawn slopes to a line of trees, and once I get closer, I gasp and take out my phone for another video.
The yard has apple trees, four rows of them, and they’ve been meticulously maintained.
Past the apple trees lie a small pond and the remnants of an old building, before the forest marks the end of the property.
Across from the apple trees is a small row of grapevines.
Grapes! I’m not sure how they would taste, but how cool is that?
A substantial area of land lies beyond the grape rows, and if he wanted to, he could build a barn and a space for Wilbur back here.
Noting the time, I rush to get inside since Rhett should be ready to live video any minute.
“Arnie, the yard is amazing.”
“The seller says it’s one of his favourite things here.”
“I can see why.” Glancing around the entrance, I’m surprised to see stonework on the inside of the house. Limestone, I think, as I brush my fingers over it, but it’s a gorgeous feature wall in the entranceway.
“The seller was a mason before he got into cattle. I think you’ll find a lot of fun things in the house.”
“I’m going to start downstairs if that’s okay?”
Arnie nods, and I head down the short flight of stairs just as Rhett calls.
“Hey, cowboy. How was the ride?”
“Great! Scored 91. Won my first event for the year, so not too shabby.”
“Congrats, babe! That’s wonderful!” The endearment slips out, but I bulldoze along and hope he doesn’t comment on it. “I just came inside so we could walk through together, but Rhett—oh my god, the yard is amazing. Tater will love it.”
“Yeah?” His voice picks up, and I hear his smile.
“Yeah. Apple trees, a pond…fucking grapes, Rhett. But let’s look around the basement.”
I flip the phone and start walking, opening closets and doors and answering the questions he asks as we go.
“Is there a bathroom down there?” He asks.
“Um…let’s look.” I had found a furnace room and cellar—still stocked with wine and preserves—a laundry room, more storage, and two decent bedrooms. The large open rec room area has a door off it, and when I flip on the light, we gasp together.
“Holy shit, are you seeing this, Rhett?”
“Oh my god.”
It’s more than a bathroom. It’s a spa. More stone walls, an enormous raised soaker tub, and a walk-in shower with a built-in bench. A mosaic pattern has been laid into the biggest wall behind the tub with different coloured stones. It’s breathtaking.
“This is incredible, Rhett. Arnie said the seller was a mason before a cattle farmer.” The stone walls are just as exquisite as upstairs, and I wonder why the man left his line of work for cattle.
“I just wanted a toilet in the basement.” Rhett laughs, and I spin the phone around to see.
He’s still in rodeo gear, with a number pinned to the flak jacket over his chest. His cowboy hat tries to tame his hair, but it’s the way his eyes smile at the sides that gets me.
Like he used to laugh a lot, and now he doesn’t.
God…he’s so fucking stunning I’m at a loss for words.
Well, almost.
“We could have some fun in that tub. If you buy this place, we’ll give it a proper welcome. It has jets, or what I call underwater vibrators.”
Rhett blushes. Honestly, can he get any sexier?
“Let’s take the rest of the tour first.” Rhett’s voice is thick, and I know he’s thinking about it. But I continue the tour like the good boy I am.
He asks me a few more questions, and I show him other areas in the basement before heading back upstairs.
“Here’s Arnie.” Arnie waves, and Rhett shouts a hello as I move towards the hallway with the bedrooms.
“This looks like the primary bedroom. No ensuite, but the closet is giant.” It’s a walk-in closet, again, not what I expected on the outside.
“That looks like custom-built shelving. Is it?”
“Yeah. No IKEA stuff. This is all handmade. It’s quality, Rhett. Very nice. Frees up more space in the bedroom. Maybe Tater can get a bigger bed.”
Rhett’s quiet laugh makes me ache for him. It’s filled with so much warmth for that little dog, I just can’t keep my crush balloon from expanding.
“She’s already pretty spoiled, but I bet she’d like that. What about the other rooms?”
There’s a second bedroom that’s perfect for a guest room. Smallish, but he doesn’t seem concerned with that. The main floor bathroom is large with updates, including main floor laundry hookups if he wants and another walk-in shower with gorgeous tile work and a double sink.
“The flooring so far is all I’d think you’d want to change initially, Rhett. It’s older and worn in places, and that’s easy enough to update.”
“You’ve done some home renos, have you?”
“Yeah! I helped my dad when we bought the house. Click flooring is so easy.”
Rhett hums, and I glance at the screen to see his expression.
“You don’t think I can do flooring?”
“I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do, Dee. Always full of surprises.”
A beat passes, and for the first time since I met Rhett, I don’t have a reply or know what to say.
“Let’s see the kitchen.”
The kitchen is at the back of the house. Not open concept, but there’s a cutout in the wall from the kitchen to the spacious living room.
“Wow, Rhett. This is something else. Look at this island…. Oh, and the countertops! Holy crap, this is so nice.”
“Is that a demitasse coffee pot?” He laughs. “Is there a huge wooden fork and spoon hanging on the wall, too?”
“Uh…” I turn around, and sure enough, there is. “Yeah, look.”
“Oh my god.” His voice shakes as he speaks, and he puffs out a breath. “I bet there’s a bottle of Sambuca on the counter.”
I switch back to the beautiful granite countertops and locate the bottle by the toaster.
“There is.”
Rhett is quiet for so long, I wonder if I’ve lost the connection. When I flip the camera back to see his face, his eyes are shiny with unshed tears.
“I have to have this house,” he whispers.
“Is everything okay?”
He takes a moment and tries to clear the emotions from his voice. “Have you ever had one of those moments where you think the universe knew what you needed and delivered it so perfectly you almost can’t believe what you’re seeing?”
If only he knew that’s exactly how I felt when I met him the first time. Not the photos or Pinterest board, but when he first walked into my café, and I just knew he was the one.
“Yes. I think so.”
“This is an Italian kitchen, Dee. I bet I’d find all the stuff my grandparents used to have.
One time, my grandpa and I spent all day making cannoli for a wedding and drank an entire bottle of sambuca together.
Fuck…” His throat clicks with a swallow.
“Thank you for your help. This has been…” He licks his lips, and I wish he was here so badly.
“I’ll send you the videos of the yard.”
“I’d like that. But do you mind if I call Arnie now? I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Oh gosh, yes! I’ll tell him, and I’ll talk to you later.”
“Thank you, Diamond. For this… I…thank you.”
“My pleasure.” Because I just can’t leave it like this in case he thinks it’s too deep or whatever, I add, “Looking forward to christening the house with you. Good luck.”
Arnie thankfully wasn’t listening in and was settled on the sofa in the very dated living room. The only room in the house that seemed untouched by time, with its wood-panelled walls and shag carpeting.
“Rhett is calling you now. He wants this house, and I hope you can make it happen. The kitchen seemed to be something nostalgic for him.”
Arnie stands to shake my hand.
“That’s great to hear. Thank you for doing this for him. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I hope I can close on a deal for him. This house will be snapped up quickly. I was in the right place at the right time and instantly thought of Rhett.”
Again with the serendipitous moment of his real estate agent just being in the right place.
“Pleasure to meet you.” His phone rings, and I nod. “That’s probably Rhett. I’ll let you get to it.”
Leaving the house, I take a moment in the yard that’s now dark with an early summer moon casting its light. It’s peaceful and serene, and definitely something Rhett would love.
Peeking in the backyard before I go, I smile at the solar lights on the deck. It’s low-key and just so Rhett that I can picture him out here at night with Tater. Maybe with a drink while he just…exists in a space that’s made for him.
“Jesus, Diamond. Get a fucking grip on the runaway romance shit.” I mutter as I slide into my Jeep.
But I don’t listen, because as I travel down the long driveway, I envision a small barn for Wilbur in the expansive field along the driveway.
He could build a barn and a small, fenced pasture here without disturbing the landscaping in the back.
Stopping the car, I get out and record a short video of the area and send it to him before continuing my drive back to The Thirsty Cow, ignoring the constriction in my chest and hoping like hell this works out for Rhett.