Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
For the first time in three days, Keaton awoke with no company in his bed. A poignant ache filled him, wishing Layne were here beside him.
The only people he’d ever become close to were Miss Peggy and Frankie.
Even then, it had taken him a while to warm up to both women.
After Frankie’s betrayal, he didn’t think he would ever let down his guard again as far as a woman was concerned.
But Driftwood Bay was slowly changing him.
The residents of the Bay had a warmth about them.
A friendliness. It seeped into his soul.
He had already made friends with Carson and Sullivan and expected the bonds of their friendship to grow over time.
Layne had thrown him for a loop, though. He had never bared his soul to anyone as he had her. It had thrilled him when she had said she would be staying in town, at least for a little while.
Keaton planned to make the most of that time with her.
He rolled out of bed, stretching his muscles, and then set out for his daily run.
He wasn’t sure what today would bring. He’d told Layne that he needed to check in with Hillary before they made plans to take off to Dallas.
If the realtor had been able to set up the house inspections, he wanted to be present for those.
Miss Peggy had drilled into him that home ownership was a responsibility, and he wanted to be aware of every aspect of his new home from the beginning.
Once he arrived home from his run, he showered and got ready for the day. As he was brewing coffee, a text came in from Hillary, asking him to call her at his earliest convenience. He did so, and she answered on the first ring.
“I thought you were an early bird, Keaton,” she said.
“I wanted you to know that both inspections are on for this afternoon. The Smiths’ attorney has already agreed to everything in the paperwork I drew up.
That means once the inspections are completed, we’ve got smooth sailing ahead of us, especially since you aren’t having to finance a mortgage.
Do you still want to be present this afternoon while the inspections take place? ”
“Absolutely. Can I bring someone with me?”
“Of course. I don’t think any red flags will appear in these inspections and throw a kink into the sale. The Smiths have lived there for years and have maintained the property well, as you saw. Be there at one this afternoon. It’ll probably take two to three hours.”
“Will you be there, too?” he asked, having come to trust his realtor and knowing she had both the knowledge and experience to help him through this process.
“No. I have a showing at one-thirty. Besides, the reports will be texted to me right after the inspections are completed. Let me look at my calendar.” She paused a moment.
“Would you like to stop by the office about four-thirty? We can look things over together and decide if you’re ready to proceed. ”
He couldn’t think of anything that would cause him to back out of the deal at this point and agreed to be at her office later this afternoon.
Knowing now that he and Layne wouldn’t be able to leave for Dallas today, he texted her, asking her to call him when she had a chance.
Immediately, his phone rang, causing him to grin like a schoolboy when he saw her name light up his screen.
“Hey. I just heard from Hillary. She was able to get the inspections scheduled for this afternoon, so we can leave for Dallas early tomorrow morning if that’s all right with you.”
“I’m glad that’ll be taken care of. You’ll be one step closer to home ownership once those are out of the way.”
“Are you free this morning? While I want to patronize local businesses as much as possible regarding the renovation, the hardware store’s selections of paints is pretty limited.
If you’re up for it, we can go into Corpus this morning and choose the paints for the interiors and exteriors of the inn. ”
“That would be fantastic. What time? I’m ready now.”
“Let me head over and show you what I’ve drawn up so far. We should also talk about color choices before we hit the store. It would better to have solid ideas in mind before we get there.”
She chuckled. “You’re telling me I would be overwhelmed by the choices available? I get it. I’m all about having a game plan going into this. See you in a few.”
His step light, he went to his truck and drove to the Bay Breeze. The structure had good bones. It just needed a facelift to become more appealing and highlight its beauty.
Layne was sitting on the porch steps when he arrived and rose to greet him as he came up them. Keaton brushed a quick kiss on her cheek, fighting the urge to devour her. He told himself she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon and that these sparks would not fizzle and die out.
“Come on in,” she told him. “I’ll make us a cup of tea, and we can look over what you’ve come up with.”
He sat at the kitchen table while she bustled about, preparing their tea. Soon, she placed two mugs on the table and joined him. The smell of orange spice floated up to greet him.
Dunking her teabag a few times, she asked, “What do you think about the idea of each bedroom having a different color? Remember, we talked about that possibility before. I got online, studying about forty or fifty B&B’s up and down the Texas coast. A lot of people have themes for their rooms. They might pick the name of classic authors, such as the Shakespeare or Jane Austen room.
One place chose the four seasons as their theme.
I know living near the water, I could go with an all-coastal look in each room, but that wouldn’t distinguish the guestrooms.”
“I like the idea of using color to identify a room. Are you partial to any?”
He picked up his pen and opened his notebook, ready to take notes.
“I’ve always loved flowers,” Layne said. “I would enjoy naming each room after a particular flower and working within that palette of colors. The Daffodil Room. The Hydrangea Room. That kind of thing.”
“Okay, the four rooms. What colors do you want to run with?”
“Definitely daffodil. I can see pale yellows with accents of slate blue or soft grays.”
Keaton made a note. “That sounds appealing. Go on.”
“I mentioned hydrangeas. I’d like to maybe have shades of blue in another room.”
“We can work with that,” noting her choice. “That’s two. Number three?”
“Roses might sound clichéd, but I still think that would be a good choice. Maybe tea roses on the wallpaper.”
“What about a rose gold?” he suggested.
When she frowned, he pulled out his phone and brought up a few images using that color.
“Oh, that’s lovely. I’m definitely on board with rose gold. Rose. Blue. Yellow. Maybe something in the purple family. Lilacs?”
Writing down her final choice, he said, “I like that. It’ll give each guestroom a distinct flavor and identity. You mentioned wallpaper. Would you like to see that in all the guestrooms?”
“Only if we can find something suitable, running with that flower theme. If not, we can just focus on the color scheme. What about the rest of the house, though?”
“That’s where you can draw in some elements of the coast. Incorporate things related to the beach. The surf.”
Once more, he tapped his phone and brought up a series of images he had saved to a folder.
One had light gray walls, with furniture and accents in white and sandstone.
Another layered blue tones, from sky to sea.
One example leaned into nautical themes, using anchors and sails, while another focused on starfish and seashells.
They discussed each photo, and Layne liked the idea of the light gray walls and mixing whites and sandstone shades with a few pops of color on accent pillows.
She really liked the idea of using seashells and starfish.
“Bringing elements of surf and sand into the neutral palette appeals to me,” she said.
“Not that I’m pushing the artists represented at my gallery, but I want to stop by there and show you some of the pieces available.
I think if you had paintings of the coast and various art objects scattered in the public rooms, playing up the coastal design theme, it would unify the place.
Make it light and airy and still homey at the same time. ”
“This is where I’m going to really lean on you, Keaton.
I don’t have your vision or sense of style.
I’m going to turn over the colors and furniture choices downstairs to you.
The public room. The kitchen and dining room, minus the table there, which we have to keep.
Let your vision flow. I know I’ll be fine with whatever you come up with. ”
Then she bit her lip. “I need to also redo Mom and Dad’s room, as well. I don’t think I would be happy running an inn. I’ll hire someone to do that for me. They would be given that room, in addition to their salary.”
“Then definitely neutrals for it,” he said, his heart beating quickly. “You want it suitable to a man or woman.” Casually, he added, “Where would you stay?”
Her gaze met his. “I have gotten that far yet. Because I’ll need to stay in the Bay for a few months—just to get the inn up and running—I could rent something for myself. Maybe even the house you’re in now when you move out. That would be ideal, being so close to Mila.”
He relaxed a little, hoping she would consider remaining in the Bay permanently.
They spent a few minutes talking about the kind of furniture to purchase for the common rooms, and then he pitched ideas for paint choices regarding the exterior.
She narrowed her choices down to two after seeing his photos he’d saved, and Keaton told her they could make a final decision based upon the paint selection available in Corpus.
“Let’s leave now. The store I have in mind will be open by the time we get there,” he said. “We can choose all the paints and then even look at items such as light fixtures. Faucets for the bathrooms. Handles for kitchen and bathroom cabinets. That kind of thing.”