Chapter 17 #3
The money I got from selling my car would hold me over for a few more weeks, so I’d decided to wait.
“Okay. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
We said our goodbyes, and I got comfortable in the passenger seat. Vance had been waiting with me, but as soon as I moved, so did he.
“Was that your realtor?”
I clicked my seat belt in, then watched Vance maneuver the car out onto the road. “Someone made an offer.”
“You don’t seem excited about it.”
“They offered forty grand below asking.”
“You made the right decision.”
Vance drove us out of town a little, but since Butler was small, that meant a ten-minute drive.
I immediately fell in love with the house as soon as we made our way up the long driveway and I got my first glimpse of it.
It was on a huge property, surrounded by woods.
The mountain rustic style fit in perfectly with the hilly landscape, and if it hadn’t been so huge, I would have called it homey.
The inside backed up what the outside promised. Everything was painted in a muted gray and white, leaving room to add brighter colors. There was an enormous staircase opposite the front door, plus a hallway leading to the right wing of the house.
We entered the kitchen first, and I couldn’t hold back the tiny gasp that escaped.
It was huge (and bigger than my apartment), but also beautiful and functional.
The appliances gleamed in the light shining in through the many windows and a large island divided the kitchen from the living room.
It had high ceilings and a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the expansive backyard that stretched all the way to a forest, a pool glittering in the sun.
“This is beautiful.”
I’d always loved the house I’d lived in with Cockalorum. But compared to this place, it was a shack.
Vance watched my every reaction as if cataloging each one.
The rest of the house was equally perfect, the upstairs big enough for five bedrooms and three bathrooms. I wanted to play it cool.
I really did. Especially because I wasn’t the one moving in.
But one could not remain calm when walking into their dream bedroom.
And dream bathroom. Not to mention their dream closet that was big enough to fit all the clothes my kids and I owned with plenty of room left over.
Vance followed me as I flitted from one corner to the next, taking it all in. I eventually stopped at the wall of windows in the master bedroom, soaking up the beautiful view.
His hand on my lower back made me look up at his beautiful face. “What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful.”
He looked almost relieved at my words. “Good.” He kissed the back of my hand, which he’d been holding during the whole tour. “You ready to head to Denver?”
I knew exactly what furniture would work best, because I’d had my Pinterest board going for a long time.
I had one for my dream house (and it looked scarily similar to the one we were currently standing in).
One for my dream furniture (which came in handy now).
One for the perfect outfits (and there were many).
One for dog outfits (I didn’t create one for cat outfits because I knew there wasn’t even a minuscule chance that Winston would ever let me dress him up).
One for origami (a failure so far). One for kids’ dresses (that I would never again be able to actually buy).
And the list went on. So yes, the answer was, I was ready.
Vance led me to the staircase, and I couldn’t help but brush my hands along the polished wooden banister as we walked downstairs. Do they use wax to get it so clean? Or a special cleaner? Should I stop touching it? But it’s so shiny.
“Do you want to stop for coffee?”
I abandoned my worship of the banister and grinned at Vance. “That is one question where my answer will always be yes.”
We stopped in front of The Cookie Jar not long after, getting a prime parking spot. Something that seemed to be a frequent occurrence with Vance.
We ordered two coffees and waited off to the side. The café was busy as always, but it didn’t take long for our order to be ready. Mariela handed Vance our coffees and a paper bag, winking at me.
Once I’d had a sip of my coffee, I lifted my gaze to Vance, who was already watching me.
I blushed, which seemed to be my new norm around him.
His smile grew bigger, and he pulled me close enough so he could place a kiss on my lips.
Right. In. The. Middle. Of. The. Coffee.
Shop. I only hoped he knew that he’d now announced to the whole town that we were seeing each other.
He pulled back and grinned at me. “You taste like caramel.”
“Errg…”
Eloquent as always, I was still looking for a response when he put his hand on my back and led me out of The Cookie Jar. I felt eyes on me the whole time but couldn’t bring myself to give even the slightest shit.
Once we were back in the car, he handed me the paper bag. I raised a questioning brow at Vance, who shrugged. “I know how much you love chocolate.”
I peeked inside and saw a chocolate croissant.
Don’t cry. It’s not that weird for someone to be thoughtful. Your friends do it all the time. This is the same thing. Except that you’re half in love with him. Minor difference, nothing else.
“Thank you. It’s one of my favorites.”
It had a gooey chocolatey center. Pure heaven.
“Should we start with Howard Lorton and then move on to Denver City Furniture?” Vance navigated his shiny car—which always looked like it had just been washed—through town. “And if we still don’t have everything we need, we can check out Furniture Row.”
I loved Howard Lorton and had been on their website quite a few times. They had a beautiful maple sleigh bed that I’d looked at. Not that it would fit into my apartment, but a girl could dream and make up numerous Pinterest boards.
“Sounds good.”
I was surprised that he wouldn’t have had all his furniture custom-made. Or gone to a more exclusive place. The confusion must have shown in my voice, because he frowned. “Do you want to go somewhere else? I don’t have a preference. I just thought those places had a good selection.”
“They’re great places. I’m just surprised you would want to shop there.”
He turned onto the highway, the frown still on his face. “Why not?”
I blushed, because now I felt stupid for thinking he would only shop at exclusive furniture stores. “I’m sorry. I’m being ridiculous. All those places sound great. I’ve been looking at their selections online, and I think there are a few things that could work.”
“You’ve been on their websites? Are you looking for new furniture?”
“The day I can afford new furniture is a long way off. But a girl can dream. And I love making up my perfect room without buying anything. It’s great retail therapy without the actual retail. So I’m familiar with what they have.”
I found myself looking forward to not only going furniture shopping but also spending the day with Vance.