Chapter Ten #2
“Until I bought it out from under you. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Please. I’m thrilled someone purchased the place who seems to be committed to preserving and protecting it. I was
honored when you chose Lucas Construction to do the renovation.”
Was she really? He wasn’t sure he would be magnanimous enough to willingly help someone else renovate his own dream house.
She was obviously a better person than he was.
His mother had been the one to persuade him to use Lucas Construction, delighted by the work they had done on her own cottage.
He remembered being impressed by the bid he had looked over. It had not been the lowest, but he remembered their plan showed
integrity to design and attention to detail, with the clear goal of restoring the home with authenticity instead of simply
renovating it.
“I’ve been happy with your work,” he said. “I only wish you could move faster.”
“I know. We’re working on it. On that note. I need to let you know that I will be taking over as the project manager here
at Stormhaven.”
He frowned, not at all thrilled by the announcement. He didn’t need the excuse of propinquity to give him more inappropriate
dreams about Rosie Lucas.
“Where’s Bryce? Don’t tell me he quit.”
She looked aghast at the idea. “No. Heaven forbid. I would be lost without him. We had to make a few changes as Bryce is a bit overextended right now. I assure you, you won’t see any disruption in the project.
In fact, I might be able to accelerate things for you.
It made sense for me to be the one to take on this project, since I am intimately acquainted with the house and the challenges it presents. ”
Some of his misgivings must have been clear on his features. She gripped her bundle of papers more tightly and took on a haughty
expression at odds with her soft, lovely features.
“I’m a fully capable project manager. Since taking over the company, I’ve overseen more than two dozen builds or renovations.
Beyond that, Gary and I managed just about everything on our own in the early days of the company. We were a good team.”
Something in her voice, some shadow of old pain, struck an answering note in him. Perhaps their shared experience losing a
spouse explained why he felt this unwilling bond with Rosie. They were part of the same unfortunate club.
She turned brisk once more. “I haven’t been on-site in several weeks. Would you mind walking through with me so I can familiarize
myself with the progress over the past few months and what still needs to be done?”
He thought of his manuscript, always waiting with the impatience of a hungry toddler for him to return to it. He felt the
pull of the scene he had been working on as well as his inescapable deadline. On the other hand, Rosie was here, and needed
his help.
He had scheduled out time to meet with Bryce Kendall. He couldn’t avoid the obligation simply because his attraction to his
new project manager seemed a complication he could definitely do without.
“Sure. Let’s go.
He walked her through the house, starting on the main floor. He showed her through each room, pointing out areas still to
be completed.
When they encountered the dry wall team in the space that would eventually serve as a luxurious media room, she greeted them
all by name. She spoke Spanish to a couple of the guys and asked another one how his granddaughter was doing after her appendectomy.
It was clear she was well-known and well-liked among the contractor’s crew.
They moved from the main living area up to the bedrooms. His own bedroom was huge, far larger than he needed, with a spectacular
view over the ocean.
He had to admit, the en suite bathroom was his favorite part on this level. The clawfoot tub was original to the house, though
it had been resurfaced. The rest of the bathroom had a massive shower with three different heads, as well as a huge window
if he wanted to scrub up with a view.
She paused in the doorway, taking in the fittings and the view both.
“Wow. Great bathroom.”
“It will be when it’s done.”
“I’m hoping you’re putting in blinds. Otherwise you’ll give anyone down on the beach quite a show.”
He made a face. “I’ve checked it out from down there and you can’t even see the bathroom from that angle. But yes. Automatic
blinds are on the way.”
Seeing the renovation through her admiring eyes as they walked through the rest of the house gave him a new appreciation for
all the work that had been done so far.
The construction crew really had worked miracles to take the house as far as they had in only a few short months. He had an unfortunate habit—in life and when it came to his work—of focusing too much on all that had to be done instead of how far he had come.
“Have you been to the secret room?” she asked when they returned once more to the main living area.
He stared. “What secret room?”
She grinned as a shaft of sunlight came in, lighting up her features. She looked breathtakingly lovely.
“I wondered if you knew about that.”
“Obviously not, since I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Apparently during Prohibition, the owners of Stormhaven installed a hidden door behind the fireplace in the dining room that
leads to a small room. Inside, they set up a bar where they could entertain guests with booze they smuggled down the coast.”
He gaped at her. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not. I swear. Why would I joke about something you can prove yourself in five seconds?”
“Are you seriously telling me this house has a secret room that no one has bothered to tell me about? My real estate agents
never mentioned it and neither has Bryce.”
Her smile widened. “I’m not sure anybody else knows about it, to tell you the truth. I only stumbled upon it by accident after
we bought the house, when I was walking through making initial plans for our renovation. For all I know, some of the old Prohibition
bottles might still be there.”
“You have to show it to me. Right now.”
She laughed at his burgeoning excitement, the sound ringing through the empty house like a melody, soft and musical, brightening
the room.
“Come with me.”
She led him into a room they had already walked through, the formal dining room with its marble fireplace and Tiffany-style
chandelier. The room was lovely and elegant, though he expected it would have little use while he was here. He wasn’t exactly
the kind of guy who threw elaborate dinner parties.
A secret Prohibition bar, though, might change his mind about entertaining.
She went to the fireplace, feeling around the carved embellishments. “If I’m not mistaken, the button is right . . . about . . .
here.”
She pushed something on the fireplace mantel and a gap suddenly appeared as a door swung open.
His younger self would have adored discovering a door like this, a secret portal to untold adventures.
Hell, his current self thought it was pretty spectacular.
“We have to go check it out.”
“After you,” she said, turning on the flashlight of her phone. He did the same and, with anticipation bubbling through him,
he led the way past cobwebs through a small hallway and into what was little more than a walk-in closet, possibly six feet
by six feet.
He aimed his phone light around the room, taking in the huge dust-covered mirror against one wall and an old polished wood
bar that must have been assembled in this room, since it certainly wouldn’t have fit through the doorway.
No more than three or four people could squeeze in here. Even he and Rosie were a tight fit. Andrew was suddenly intensely
aware of her. She smelled of sunshine and lemons and he suddenly wanted to press his face to her hair and inhale.
That wouldn’t be weird, would it?
“I can’t believe I never knew this was here.”
“I am not surprised. The previous owners you purchased it from were only interested in demolishing the home. I doubt they visited more than once or twice and they probably completely forgot about it, if they even knew.”
“The kids are going to love this. I can’t wait to show them.”
“Emma was really excited about it. We were going to make this our secret reading room. My plan had been to take out the bar
and add bookshelves around the whole space as well as a couple of big, plump chairs.”
He loved that idea and was always down for anything he could do to foster a love of reading in his children.
On the other hand, a secret Prohibition-era bar was next-level sick.
“I’ll have to give it some thought before I figure out what I want to do in the space. In the meantime, show me how you open
the door again.”
They went back out, with him resolving to clear out the cobwebs and dust as soon as humanly possible.
“The button is right there, in the middle of that flower. It releases the handle for the door. When you pull the door closed
again the button slides back into place.”
He leaned around her to try his hand at it, doing his best to ignore the urges clamoring through him to lean forward a few
more inches and press his mouth to hers.
What was wrong with him? He had never reacted to any other woman like this. He tried to tell himself it was because she had revealed something
amazing to him but he suspected the hidden room had nothing to do with his reaction to her.
“What other secrets does this place have?”
“That’s part of the fun of restoring an old house, all the mysteries you can discover along the way.”
“Did you renovate your own house?”
“Oh yes, but not all at once. It was Gary’s parents’ house and his grandparents’ before that, so it needed a lot of work.
After his father died, his mother decided to move to Portland to be closer to Gary’s sister, so we bought the house from her.
We worked on it here and there, whenever we had a bit of extra money. Which wasn’t often in those early days.”
“I’m sure it’s lovely.”
“It is, though not on the scale of Stormhaven. It’s about a third the size of this house. We have a very nice sea view as
well and it has a lovely garden, along with a small guest cottage on the property where my mother lives now.”
As if on cue, his own mother and the kids came in through the front door.
“Hi, Rosie,” Zara said cheerfully.
“Is Dottie here?” Finn asked, looking around.
“I’m afraid not. Sometimes she comes to work with me but today she’s hanging out with my mom.”
He hugged both of his children, then sent his mother a look of inquiry. “I thought you guys were going to a movie after day
camp.”
“I should have bought tickets online. Turns out, they were completely sold out. I bought tickets for tomorrow afternoon instead.”
So much for his long stretch of writing time. He sighed. Apparently he would have to plan for another late night to get all
the words.
“Hello, Rosie.” His mother smiled brightly at her. “You’re looking lovely today.”
“Thank you.”
Rosie stepped forward and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve been catching up on the progress here at Stormhaven.”
“Doesn’t it look good? It’s turning out even better than I had hoped. It’s going to be such a wonderful home once it’s done.”
“Did you know Rosie once owned the house?” he asked.
His mother nodded as she unwrapped her scarf. “Sylvia told me that. It must be tough for you to work so hard restoring a home
you once dreamed of owning yourself.”
He watched a tiny flare of color rise up Rosie’s cheekbones, though she gave his mother a cheerful smile. “I was telling Andrew
how happy I am that Stormhaven ended up with someone who will love it as much as I did.”
Rosie was far more generous than he could ever be.
“You’ll never believe what Rosie just showed me. It’s the coolest thing, something I had no idea the house had.”
“What?” Finn demanded. “Does it have a secret dungeon?”
“Close,” Andrew said with a grin. “Rosie, do you want to do the honors of showing them, too?”
She led the way over to the mantel, gave the children a mischievous look, then pushed the button.
Zara and Finn both gasped as the secret door opened, both children wearing matching incredulous looks.
“What’s in there?” Zara asked.
“Is it a monster’s lair?” Finn asked.
“Nothing so exciting,” Rosie assured them. “Your dad should show you.”
As he led the children inside the narrow passage to the hidden room, he couldn’t help thinking about Rosie’s generosity and
grace. Her ability to show such enthusiasm for a home she once loved, now in another’s possession, spoke volumes about her
character.
Andrew found himself increasingly drawn to her. Her strength, her kindness and the way her eyes lit up when she spoke about the house.
But even as he felt the pull of attraction, Andrew knew he had to keep his feelings in check. He was here to give his children
stability, to rebuild their lives after loss. Starting anything with Rosie, no matter how tempting, would only complicate
his life in ways he couldn’t begin to contemplate.