Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Every step that Eleanor got closer to her bookstore’s opening, the happier she got with the progress she was making on transforming the big, rambling house she’d purchased, sight unseen.
Yes, a tiny part of her would be sorry when the renovations were over, but then she would have the bookstore itself to keep her busy… plus, she still had plenty to get done before opening day.
Even so, she took a moment to enjoy herself as she finished the last coat of paint on the rear side of the house. Everything looked fresh and clean and hers.
And, yes, she did still leave some of the more advanced stuff to Garrett, since he was a pro. But she didn’t think she was flattering herself to say that she was improving. She had come a long way since she’d nearly taken out Garrett with an improperly hung shelf.
Speaking of the man in question…
“Looking good out here,” he said as he emerged through the backdoor, an icy cold glass of lemonade in his hand.
If Eleanor was improving in building and other construction projects, Garrett was developing some top-notch snack preparation skills under her careful tutelage.
The glass he gave her was no boxed mix—this was fresh lemon juice and a spoonful of sugar, mixed to just the right level of sweetness and tartness.
“Mm, thank you. This is delicious,” she said, accepting the glass and taking a sip. “And for the compliment too. I think it looks pretty good myself.” She took another sip, the icy drink a perfect counterpart to a hot day spent working outside. “How are the sprinklers looking?”
While Eleanor had been painting in the back, Garrett had been connecting a sprinkler system to her outside water supply.
They got decent rain here, as close to the coast as they were, so Eleanor had chosen a type that could be easily turned on or off, based on the rainfall.
It was something that appealed to Eleanor both in a financial manner and an eco-conscious one.
No sense in wasting water or money when it came free from the sky!
“All hooked up and ready to go,” he said. “The connector is in the basement, near the water shutoff, but apparently there’s an app you can get on your phone too.”
He sounded disgruntled, like the very idea of an app controlling the sprinklers offended his sensibilities.
“Don’t think I didn’t hear that grumble, old man,” she teased.
His jaw dropped behind his thick beard. “I’m a year younger than you,” he protested.
“Not at heart,” she teased. “And that’s where it counts the most.”
“If you’re going to mock me,” he said with an exaggerated primness that was greatly at odds with his overall brusque demeanor, “I’m not going to share my lemonade.” He feinted as though he was going to snatch away her glass, and Eleanor took a hasty gulp.
“I didn’t mean it!” she protested, blocking his reach with her back. “You’re very young! And your lemonade is really good!” She paused, suspicion suddenly overtaking her. “Wait a minute,” she said, eyes narrowing. “This is too good. How big a mess is in the kitchen, huh?”
“Oh hush, woman,” he chided. “Just enjoy your lemonade. The kitchen will be clean before you know it.”
She shot him one last suspicious look. “Yeah, okay. I’ll believe you… just this once.”
He pressed a fond kiss to the top of her head. “That’s my girl.”
For a moment, they stood in companionable silence, just enjoying the afternoon. Eventually though, there was nothing left in their glasses but rattling ice cubes.
It was as good a signal to wrap up their break as any.
“What’s on your list for the rest of the afternoon, El?” Garrett asked.
She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m going to get a first coat of paint on that fence while the weather holds. I want to get it dry before that bad weather we were promised later in the week rolls around.”
She and Garrett had put the fence in together the day prior.
It was a picture-perfect picket fence style.
Eleanor had dithered over the choice, worrying that it would be a little too perfect, but she felt more confident now that the posts were all in place, hammered securely in their new homes.
She planned to paint them a crisp blue, just a shade or so brighter than navy, to give it a classy, almost nautical look.
She thought that was fitting for her new seaside home.
“That sounds good,” he said. “Anything else you need from me?”
She shook her head. “No, you’ve been a huge help. I’ve dragged enough manual labor out of you for the day.”
“Aw, you know I’m always happy to do it.” She snuggled into his side for a minute, until the day proved a bit too hot for that much body heat. She’d get a proper hug when the sun went down… and when they were inside some air conditioning.
She looked down at the glass in her hand.
“Before I start though, I think I’m going to have more of this delicious lemonade.”
A rare look of panic crossed Garrett’s face.
“Um, why don’t you let me get that for you, honey?”
She felt a grin spread slowly across her face. “Oh, why is that? Is there perhaps a giant mess in there?”
“No, no, nope. Not at all.” He was not a good liar. “But, um, let me just get in there before you.”
With that kind of fib, Eleanor really had no choice. She bolted for the door, Garrett hot on her heels.
“Hey, you little sneak!” he called.
She laughed loudly, feeling young and full of joy.
This meant that the crash was all the harder when she saw the note on her front door.
She drew to a stop so quickly that Garrett nearly crashed into her from behind.
“What’s that?” he asked.
She snatched the paper down from where it was taped on the front door and read it out loud.
“’Dear Ms. Ridley,’” she read. “Ooh, ‘Ms. Ridley.’ Why is that already so annoying?”
“Keep going, El,” he urged.
“Okay, okay. ‘Dear Ms. Ridley, I am leaving this note to inform you that your new fence, which was not approved by any of the relevant town councils, is seven and a half inches closer to the street than can be installed without a permit. This means that your fence is currently installed on public property and will need to be removed posthaste.’” Eleanor paused again with another squawk of outrage.
“’Posthaste?’ Is that meant to be a joke about fences? Like fence posts?”
“I don’t think so, honey,” Garrett reassured her. “I think it’s just a fancy way of saying ‘do it right now.’”
“Maybe,” Eleanor grumbled. “Anyway, there’s more. ‘Please let me know when you have moved the fence accordingly so that I know you have completed this task satisfactorily. Sincerely, Winnie Burnett.”
She lowered her hands, fighting back the urge to rip up the note into tiny little pieces.
Ooh, that Winnie Burnett really ground her gears!
Garrett put reassuring hands on her shoulders, as if he could sense her ire. She wouldn’t be surprised if he could. The tension was practically rolling off her in waves.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said soothingly.
This was, for whatever strange reason, the thing that pushed Eleanor’s temper right over the edge.
“Can you believe this?” she demanded, shaking the letter. “Move my fence? Report to her when I’ve done it? When I’ve done it satisfactorily? I assume that means to Winnie Burnett’s satisfaction, hm?”
Garrett rubbed his hands up and down her arms.
“Listen,” he said. “This is a pain in the behind, no doubt about it. And Winnie Burnett might be highly involved in the goings-on about town, but she isn’t the mayor, and she isn’t a lawyer.
But we’re going to actually talk to a lawyer, or at least a town council member who can help advise us about whether or not this note is accurate regarding the rules. ”
“That is… a very measured response,” Eleanor grumbled.
“That’s what I’m here for,” he said, wrapping her into a hug. Heat or no, it was a very reassuring kind of embrace. “For now, we’re not going to worry. And we’re not going to act rashly.”
“But we’re probably not going to paint the fence either,” she complained.
He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. It was beginning to become his signature move, and Eleanor found it even more reassuring every time he did it.
“You’re the best,” she said.
He laughed. “You don’t have to sound so disappointed about it… and, by the way, don’t forget that you said that in a minute when you see the kitchen, huh?”