Chapter Thirty-Three
THE SOUND OF the ocean floated in through the open windows as Shauna spread a tarp over the kitchen island, singing along to Tate McRae’s “Greedy.” It turned out that she was wrong a few weeks ago when she had lunch with the girls.
The kitchen hadn’t been almost ready to paint.
The following weekend, she and Zander had decided to open the ceiling and stain the rafters.
It was a huge, messy job, but it was finally done, and their hard work had paid off.
The cathedral ceiling changed the feel of the entire cottage.
They’d looked beyond the surface and found a hidden treasure.
She’d found the same in Zander. A bestie that always had her back, a lover who made her feel impossibly sexy, and a confidant who listened without judgment when missing Brian got too heavy or the skeletons of her past rattled her chains.
She carried the kitchen stools into the living room, excited to paint with Zander when he got home from the store.
Kitty was sunning herself in the miniature screened-in porch they’d built her off a window in the living room.
The patio idea hadn’t worked, since the windows were above ground level.
Zander promised he’d outfit Kitty’s porch with removable glass for the winter.
Shauna felt a pang of sadness knowing she’d no longer be living there in the winter, but she refused to let herself get lost in that.
They were almost halfway through their time together, which meant they still had several more weeks.
A knock at the front door drew her from her thoughts.
She glanced out the front window and saw Reba’s car. Happiness bubbled up inside her, and she hurried to the door. She’d seen Reba and the rest of Zander’s family at Brennan’s birthday party a few weeks ago, and they’d had brunch with the family last weekend.
“Hi, Reba.”
Reba flashed a warm smile. Her floral perfume drifting in with the breeze had already become comfortingly familiar. “Hi, sweetheart.” She held up a large tote bag. “Preacher had a hankering for shepherd’s pie, so naturally I made extras for all of our kiddos.”
“Lucky us. Come in.”
As Reba stepped inside, her gaze swept over the living room and dining room, and her eyes lit in surprise. “You have drywall in the dining room.”
“I know. Can you believe it? Zander put it up in the evenings while I was at work.” She’d been shocked to come home the mornings after her shifts and see how much he’d done.
The dining room drywall wasn’t finished, the living room was still only framed in, and they hadn’t yet decided what to do about the fireplace, but the cottage felt a lot homier.
“My son has lived with framing for so long, I was beginning to wonder if he’d ever get around to working on it.” Reba looked across the room, and her brows knitted. “Tell me Zander didn’t build a screened-in porch for his cat.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you,” Shauna said carefully.
Reba laughed. “Where did he get that crazy idea?”
“That would be my fault. I saw a cat patio and thought Kitty would like it. We couldn’t make the catio work, so we built the screened-in porch. I know it seems silly, but look how happy she is lying in the sun and fresh air.”
“You and Zan are two peas in a pod. She does look happy, and so does Zander lately, which makes this mama’s heart very happy. Where is my boy?”
“He went to the paint store. We started painting the kitchen last night and got halfway through one wall when we realized we chose the wrong color. Light gray didn’t go well.
We thought it might look better once it dried, but this morning we both hated it.
” Shauna was proud of the work they’d done in the kitchen. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
As they walked further into the living room, the kitchen came into view, and Reba gasped. “You opened the ceiling.”
“Isn’t it beautiful? The morning after Brennan’s birthday party, we were having breakfast and looking through pictures for inspiration for the fireplace, and one of the pictures had exposed rafters and a slanted ceiling like Zander’s.
We looked at each other, then we both looked up at the ceiling and said, Let’s do it.
It was a hard, messy job. We tore off the sheetrock, and we had to fill in the screw holes and fix a few things before staining the rafters, but it was worth it.
Although I think the stain is what threw off the paint color. ”
Reba set the canvas bag on the counter, studying her. “And you helped him do all of that?”
“Mm-hm. Like I said, it wasn’t easy, but it was fun.” As were the massages and sexy times we enjoyed afterward.
“I think your idea of fun is a little different from mine.” Reba laughed softly and motioned to the partially painted wall. “That color would’ve looked great with the tiles and the cabinets, but you’re right. It clashes with the rafters. What color did you decide to go with?”
“A light taupe. It’s really pretty—look.” Shauna grabbed her phone and showed Reba the color they’d chosen.
“That’s going to be perfect.” As Reba put the shepherd’s pie in the fridge, she said, “I’m glad Zander’s out. I’ve been hoping to get a minute alone with you, but whenever the family is together, the girls and Zander don’t give you a minute alone.”
Shauna got a little nervous. “I’m sorry. I wish you’d said something. I would’ve made time to talk.”
“Oh, no, honey. I’m glad you have them, and I didn’t want to push myself on you. I figured we’d catch up at some point.”
“What did you want to talk about?”
“I just wanted to check in with you to see how you’re holding up. It’s been about six weeks since Brian went into rehab, and your life has changed a lot since then. It has to be hard being away from him and suddenly being married and thrown into a big family like ours.”
Shauna was touched by her concern. “My life has definitely taken some unexpected turns. It is hard being away from Brian this long. In fact, Zander and I were talking about that the other night when I was really missing Brian.”
“Have you visited him?”
“No. When he went into rehab, he asked me not to.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. That had to hurt.”
“It did. It’s hard not knowing how he’s doing, but you go through so many emotions in recovery.
I don’t want to make it harder for him by pushing to see him.
Talking with Zander helps, and Brian and I have been joined at the hip forever.
This time apart has been good for me, even if it’s hard sometimes.
I didn’t realize how much I needed the breathing space.
I’m learning a lot about who I am and the things I enjoy doing, and even about friendships. Mads and the girls have been amazing.”
“I’m glad to hear that, and it’s nice to hear Zander is helping you through the hard times.
How are things between you two?” Reba asked carefully.
“Every time I see you together, you seem to get along well, but looks can be deceiving, and I know how it is to be around family. You want everyone to see the good.”
If there was a problem area, that was it.
She and Zander had fallen into a rhythm that felt too good.
They talked, joked, argued, and fooled around like a real couple.
They’d spent the last few weeks hanging out with his friends and family, working out together, renovating, and going on motorcycle rides with some of the guys and their significant others.
Working out together was fun but complicated.
Some of the girls in her pole class worked out when they did, and whenever Zander thought a guy was checking her out, he’d give her a kiss or smack her ass.
She didn’t hate that, but she gave him hell for it, because once their agreement was over, she’d have to explain the divorce to the girls from her class.
She and Zander hadn’t talked about how they were going to end their relationship or what they’d tell people, and she wasn’t looking forward to explaining it to anyone, especially the guys at work.
They’d bonded with Zander, too. He showed up once a week with dinner, and he’d hang out until they got a call.
“I don’t feel pressure to get along in front of your family. We just do.”
“Well, that is good to hear,” Reba said. “Zander has never shared a house with anyone but family. I hope he isn’t leaving his dirty laundry around or driving you crazy in other ways.”
“He’s not sloppy, and he does drive me crazy sometimes, but I’m sure I drive him crazy, too. He’s a big planner, and I’m not.”
“You sure we’re talking about the same guy? Zander has been winging his way through life since he was a little boy.”
“Everyone says that, including him, but I don’t see it,” Shauna said.
“I mean, Zan is spontaneous, but when all that stuff went down with Brian, I would’ve been lost if not for him.
When he found out Brian had grabbed me, he formed a plan on the spot to keep me safe, and when Brian showed up here in the middle of the night, Zander came up with another plan in an instant that involved his brothers and cousins helping us. ”
“Really?” Reba looked shocked.
“Yes, and it didn’t stop there. When we decided to get married so I could get my inheritance and Brian could go to rehab, Zander found out what we needed to get married at the courthouse, and all the things we’d need to do to get him into rehab.
Then he came up with another plan to take me shopping and get wedding rings and the outfit I wore. ”
“Zander did all of that?” she asked incredulously.