Chapter 29
The drive to Jace”s house was picturesque. The road curved up the bluff looking over the water. It wasn”t far from Grace”s houses. That was a bonus. The road curved slightly and as they pulled into the driveway, the view of the water below was breathtaking. The sun was beginning to set, though it wouldn”t completely set for another hour and a half, but it was lower in the sky. The brightness of the day was now tinged with an orange hue.
Grace sighed. ”This is stunning.”
He smiled as he watched the movement of the water. A couple of boats were out on the water fishing, the scene nearly picture-perfect. The house was a ranch-style home, sprawling along the bluff, offering a scenic view of the area and water below.
A truck pulled in behind his truck and he took a deep breath and looked over at Grace. ”Ready?”
”Yes. Should I bring Chiefy in or leave her out here?”
Sid shrugged and Chiefy sniffed his ear then licked his cheek. He could almost swear she knew they were talking about leaving her out here. He chuckled. ”She can come in. Jace said so earlier today.”
”He did?”
”Yes. Full confession, he said this would be the perfect house for the three of us.”
He stared into her eyes. Worried she”d bolt, or think he had been trying to trick her into something. He wasn”t. He never wanted to trick her into anything. He wanted her to want to be with him and for only one reason. Because she wanted to be. Maybe someday she”d fall in love with him. That thought made his heart race. His throat dried and he swallowed a few times.
”Okay. I...”
”Hey. No pressure. Not from me. Not from Jace. He merely said this house would be perfect for the three of us, and I said we hadn”t talked about that at all.”
She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. Her blue eyes were clear and bright and so insanely beautiful it left him speechless. ”Okay.”
”You sure?”
He took her left hand in his right hand and squeezed. ”But, if you think for one minute that you”d enjoy living here with me, please let me know. I”m open to you and Chiefy being here. Not only open to it, I”d love it.”
Grace swallowed and the person in the truck behind them tapped on Sid”s window.
Sid turned around to see Quinn grinning ear to ear. ”Hey.”
Sid opened his door and stepped down. ”Jace didn”t tell me you were the one showing us the house.” He hugged his friend.
”I offered this afternoon when he also asked me to check on the fascia on the water side of the house. He thought it looked loose in a couple of spots.”
”Sounds good. Let me help Grace with Chiefy.”
”I”ll go unlock the house.”
Sid hurried around the truck and opened Grace”s door. She looked into his eyes as she stepped down, a soft smile on her face. He leaned down and kissed her lips briefly. ”No pressure.”
”Okay.”
He opened the back door and grabbed Chiefy”s leash. She jumped from the truck and immediately her nose began sniffing the ground as they walked to meet up with Quinn.
”Hey, Grace, it”s nice to see you again.” Quinn leaned forward and quickly hugged Grace.
”It”s nice to see you too,” she replied.
Her eyes turned quickly to his after Quinn hugged her and he got the feeling she was worried. He placed his hand at the nape of her neck and squeezed lightly. She tilted her head up and looked into his eyes again, a soft smile on her face.
Quinn opened the front door and stepped aside for them to enter.
They stepped into a small foyer, a round table in the middle with a vase of flowers sitting on it. To the right was a study, to the left the living room. Quinn moved to the living room.
”Tell me if you”d prefer to walk around and see things for yourself or if you want me along. I can tell you, over the years I”ve worked on this house a few times, before Jace bought it. It”s well-built and the work that has been done by me or my crew was cosmetic and nothing that anyone would worry about. For instance, when Jace bought the house, he wanted the hardwood floors redone. I also did some work in the kitchen. We added a couple of cabinets, hand crafting them to match the existing cabinets.”
Grace smiled. ”You and your crew do custom handcrafted work?”
”Yes ma”am. We do it all.”
Sid glanced down at Grace. ”What do you say, should we meander about by ourselves?”
”Sure. Chiefy will follow us around without hanging on to her leash. She never wants to be left out.”
Quinn chuckled. ”I”ll leave you to it then. I”ll step out of the kitchen door and check that fascia for Jace. I”ll make sure the door is closed so Chiefy doesn”t get out.”
Sid nodded and grinned at his friend. ”Thanks, Quinn.”
They stepped into the living room which had a nice view of the water below. Large picture windows to the side allowed light to filter in and the view to be seen. The hardwood floors were in perfect shape.
Grace stood at the window and looked out at the water. Sid stood next to her for a few quiet moments.
He decided to let her think about this on her own and he moved into the entryway, then down the short hallway which led to a kitchen and dining room. Both with spectacular views of the water below. Large windows again allowed the outside in.
Grace followed him into the kitchen and stood facing the cabinets, which were beautiful gleaming oak. The countertops were granite in a soft caramel color with swirls of dark brown and gold flecks in it. She ran her hand over the smooth granite, and he saw her take a deep breath.
She turned and looked at the gas stove, which was newer, stainless steel. There was also a matching refrigerator, dishwasher, and a microwave above the stove. It was stunning.
He glanced into the dining area, the breakfast nook sat in a little cove with benches built around it, the oak table matching the cabinets sat in the middle. It was cozy and homey and so far, he liked the house a lot. The kitchen door to the outside was between the breakfast nook and kitchen, the dining room off to the left of the nook.
Grace”s voice was soft when she said, ”This is simply stunning.”
”It certainly is.”
They moved together, Chiefy close behind, out of the kitchen and down a hallway to the right, and a row of doors. Actually, only three doors to the left, the water side, and two doors to the right, the driveway side of the house as it sat.
The first bedroom was smaller, and looked as though it was an office. A large section of cabinets painted white, stood against the far wall and a desk was built into the corner, in front of the windows looking out on the water.
Grace stepped into the room and chuckled. ”This is a Murphy bed.”
Sid”s brows furrowed. ”A what?”
”Murphy bed. Look.” She pulled the doors open and then tugged on a strap hanging onto a frame. A wooden frame and mattress lowered slowly to the floor. ”That is so cool.”
Sid chuckled. ”I”ve never seen one of those before.”
”They”re great for a dual-purpose room like this. How fantastic.”
She lifted the frame and he assisted to tuck them back into the cabinet. It moved easily and her smile was genuine as she watched the doors close.
She beamed at him. ”That”s pretty cool.”
”It is.”
The view in this room was as fantastic as the other rooms and whoever built this house did so with the views in mind.
He turned to move along the hallway to the next room and found it was a nice size bedroom with a queen size bed and dresser inside. The hardwood floors were the same throughout the house and in immaculate shape. The view, again, stunning.
Finally, the last room toward the end of the hall had to be the main bedroom. He entered the room and his heart felt...at peace. That was the best way to describe it. The room was large. A king size bed was across from the windows, situated so he could lay in bed and stare out the windows at the view below. Across from the water were palm trees and a field.
He sat on the bed, near the pillows, and gazed out of the windows, picturing the mornings here. But, in his mind”s eye, he saw Grace here too, and Chiefy licking his face. This was a house for all of them, not just him.
He watched Grace as she sat on the other side of the bed and stared out the window, a wistful look on her face.
”What do you think, Grace?”
She turned her head, her lips parted perfectly into a dazzling smile. ”I think it”s perfect.”
He took a deep breath. Fear gripped him tightly as he opened his mouth to ask her the important question, and he couldn”t say it. He cleared his throat and swallowed.
Grace chuckled. ”I could live here.”
His heartbeat increased so fast his head jerked. ”You could?”
”I could.” She smiled. ”This is a gorgeous house, Sid. I had no idea it was here. No idea this bluff existed. But, wow, what a view, and on top of that, this place is stunning.”
”It is. But, I was just thinking I can”t picture myself here without you and Chiefy here. I see all of us in this house, not just me. This isn”t a house for only one person.”
Grace swallowed. ”It”s a big step.”
”It is. But, here”s the thing Grace. We”re both in our fifties. We”ve both been hurt before. We”ve both suffered through divorces. And, we”ve lived on our own. I knew the moment I met you, you were someone I wanted to get to know. Every minute I spend with you is precious to me. Why don”t we try living together. You still have your bungalows. You can start renting the first one out soon, you”ll be here. Then you can work on the second one. And, I don”t think it will happen, but if we figure we don”t want to be together anymore, you can move back to one of your bungalows.”
Her throat moved as she swallowed, her face still gorgeous, but didn”t show the emotion she must be feeling. His heart though, was beating so hard, it was uncomfortable.
Grace turned her head toward him. ”How are you so sure?”
He took in a deep breath. ”At this point in my life, I”ve been through so much. I”m not a young man anymore. I don”t have pie-in-the-sky ideals. I”ve met a woman who has a good head on her shoulders, a great dog, and to be honest, how you take care of Chiefy says a lot about who you are as a person. I know enough in my heart that I don”t want this opportunity with you to just float away. I know in my heart that we”re compatible. I know that what we”ve both been through has molded us into people who have suffered, but still want what life has to offer. And, I know I will do my best to make sure you are happy.”
She smiled. A genuine, beautiful, soft smile. ”What I”ve learned is I have to be happy on my own, not expect another person to make me happy. But, I believe I”ve figured that out for myself. I”m happy to make my own living and live on my own terms. To not be controlled by another human, never again.”
His stomach twisted slightly. ”I”d never try to control you, Grace.”
She leaned over and laid her hand over his. ”I didn”t mean that. But, I thought it should be said.”
”This is why I have such strong feelings for you, Grace. You”re level-headed and willing to talk through the unsaid things.”
”Well, I”m glad you feel that way. So, here”s the biggest thing. I don”t know what Jace is asking for this place, but I can”t imagine it”s inexpensive. What is your plan as it pertains to me?”
”Do you mean do I expect you to pay for this? Or half of it? Or anything?”
She shrugged a shoulder. ”Well...yeah.”
”No. I have money. I”m not a multi-millionaire, but I”ve lived simply, and saved all my life. My parents passed and left me with enough money to never have to worry about where I live or how I live. I don”t have kids. And, I don”t need to live in the lap of luxury. But, this place feels like home to me. Especially if you”re here.”
”Then, I should say, I don”t have a ton of money. I”m making it. I know my little bungalows will be profitable and I hope to buy more.”
”Then, I think this is the perfect fit for both of us.”
He leaned over and kissed her lips. Then, he kissed her again. He touched his forehead to hers. ”Move here with me.”