Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Keaton delayed his morning run, making slow, sweet love to Layne, and then cuddling in bed with her for a few minutes.
They had definitely christened the house last night, first making inventive use of the kitchen island and then later making love again in front of the fireplace of the great room.
Afterward, they had gone for a stroll along the beach behind the house, and he still had to pinch himself, not believing he had this wonderful woman in his life and now lived in a large, sprawling house on the water in Driftwood Bay.
He kissed her again and rose, dressing for his run.
He ran through the neighborhood, knowing in the next days and weeks he would become familiar with aspects of every house.
Who placed hanging baskets on their porch.
Who parked cars in their driveways. Even the few who still subscribed to a newspaper and had one lying on the sidewalk leading up to their doorway.
When he returned home, Keaton downed the bottle of water Layne offered to him.
“We’ll need to go out to breakfast. We ate our way down until hardly anything was left. The only food items we had to move yesterday—besides your bottles of spices—were a jar of peanut butter, my mom’s jams, and half a dozen bottles of water.”
“Let me grab a quick shower, then I’ll take you to the diner for breakfast,” he told her, heading to their bathroom.
The shower stall was large enough to hold a party, with multiple heads. Keaton thought it would be very easy to get used to this luxury, especially after the pathetic water flow he’d put up with in the rental.
Layne said she would drive separately to the diner and stop by the grocery store after they ate in order to stock the pantry, freezer, and fridge.
Nellie greeted them, leading them to a table and handing them menus. “I hear yesterday was moving day. How are you liking the Smith place?”
He met Layne’s eyes. “It’s a dream come true, Nellie,” he told the diner owner. “One coffee and an English breakfast tea for now, please.”
“Coming right up,” she replied.
After their meals arrived, Keaton said, “Don’t forget that we’re meeting Joey at noon today at the Bay Breeze. All the work should be completed, and he wants us to do a walkthrough with him before he presents us with the final invoice.”
“He’s been a lifesaver. We finished all the remodeling so much faster, thanks to him and his workers.”
“I know Stacy was going to come over and take photographs of the interior this morning.”
“She already texted me a few sample shots she took yesterday after she and Sullivan put together a couple of the guest rooms. She wanted to see if they had set up everything the way I wanted. It was so nice of them to help out. They did a great job. We need to see when we can have them over for dinner.”
“We can ask her when we get to the inn. What’s on your agenda before we meet with Joey?”
“I texted Hillary yesterday, and she said I could stop by this morning. I want to ask her about the space that’s about to be vacated next to Laura’s store.
If the rent sounds reasonable, I’ll drop by and look it over.
I also need to head over and talk with Collin Barton about teaching the art lessons. ”
They finished their breakfasts, and he walked Layne to her car, giving her a swift kiss.
“See you at the B&B.”
Keaton decided to walk to his realtor’s office since it was just a block off the square. Hillary greeted him, asking if he wanted some coffee.
“No, I just came from the diner. I think Nellie refilled my cup three different times. I have enough caffeine in me to last through tomorrow.”
She led him into her office. “What’s on your mind? I hope there’s not anything wrong with your new house. I hope you and Layne will hold a big open house once you have things like you want. Everyone is dying to see it.
He wasn’t keen on dozens of people traipsing through his private domain and simply changed topics.
“What I’m here about today is looking for some extra space.
Layne has come up with an idea that I should hold art lessons for those in the community who might have an interest in drawing or painting, and there’s no room for that at the gallery. ”’
“You have time for something like that?” Hillary asked.
He shook his head. “Oh, I’m not the one giving the lessons. I don’t have the time or patience for something like that. I’m hoping it’ll be Collin Barton doing the teaching.”
She frowned, looking as if she were trying to place him. “Collin from the gas station? He paints?”
Keaton chuckled. “Obviously, you haven’t been in Gulf Coastal Gallery for a while.
Collin is a talented painter and has a couple of watercolors for sale.
He could use the extra income right now, though, and I think it would be a nice opportunity for the citizens of the Bay.
Layne heard that the souvenir shop on the square is closing.
I wondered about the rent there, It would be centrally located, so a convenient location for people who sign up for lessons. ”
“I’m afraid that space won’t be available. The owner and his wife are retiring, but he’s already sold his entire inventory to someone else. In a town this size, with all the tourists we get come good weather, a shop filled with T-shirts, shells, and floaties is practically a legal requirement.”
She thought a moment. “No other openings are available on the square, but I do have an idea which might work. Want to go see it?”
“Sure,” he said, and she locked the office.
“It’s only a block from here. Would you mind walking?”
“Fine by me.”
He was surprised when she turned north, knowing that area was residential from his many runs. They stopped at a house on the corner, and Hillary looked at him.
“What do you think?”
“A house?”
“You don’t need too large a space if you were considering the shop on the square. This is about fourteen hundred square feet. Just come inside and see what you think.”
She punched the code of the lock box and removed the key. After she opened the door, he followed her inside.
They stepped into a fairly large room, which had most likely served as a living room and dining room combination. The wood floors had seen better days. The inside could definitely stand a coat of paint to brighten it up a bit.
“This is definitely large enough to hold lessons,” she told him. “You could bring in several long, rectangular tables and have folding chairs. The kitchen is off this way.”
Hillary led them to it. It was small but adequate. Where a kitchen table had most likely stood, she pointed and said, “You could put shelving here and store art supplies or even use one of the bedrooms for that. Notice it’s got a nice farm sink where students could clean their brushes.”
She showed him the single bathroom in the narrow hallway and two small bedrooms on either side of it. An idea began forming, and Keaton pushed it aside for now.
“Is it for rent or sale?” he asked. “I didn’t see a sign in the front yard.”
“The owner passed away two weeks ago. Her nephew in Del Rio was her only heir. He came to the funeral and contacted me afterward. Took a few pieces of furniture with him, and I had a donation truck come and pick up the rest yesterday. He prefers selling it. I was going to put it on the market for the weekend.”
She named what she had decided to list the property at, and Keaton thought it a fair price.
“Could you do me a favor and hold off on listing it? Give me a day to think it over?”
She smiled. “I can do that for my favorite client. Something tells me I’m going to make another sale.”
He walked her back to her office and then returned to the square, where he drove his truck to the gas station where Collin worked. While he was there, he filled the tank first, paying at the pump, and then went into the garage. Collin was changing a tire and glanced up.
“Hey, Keaton. You said you needed to talk to me. Did one of my paintings sell?” he asked eagerly.
“Not yet, but my gut tells me you’re going to break out soon, Collin. In the meantime, I have a proposition to offer you.”
Collin stood. “I’m open to anything.”
“Layne has been pushing me to offer group art lessons at the gallery. There’s really no room for that, though, and I don’t have the time or inclination to teach.
I was hoping you might want to take on a few classes, say, two nights a week.
Maybe even a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
I know the weekend slot would cut into your painting time, though. ”
“I could easily handle the two nights a week if we could fill the slots. If you’re paying me to teach these lessons, that is. Money’s tight, and I could really use the extra income.”
Keaton decided to broach Collin with the idea that had come to him.
“I just saw a house off the square where the lessons could be held. It’s a two-bedroom. How would you like to live there, rent-free? You could take one bedroom as your own and use the other as a studio. The remainder of the house could be used for the lessons.”
Collin’s face lit in surprise. “Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t have to pay any rent—and I would have a studio to call my own? I’m in. All in. Hell, I’ll even teach that afternoon weekend class if it has enough people to make.”
Though he didn’t need the money, he didn’t want to hurt Collin’s pride, and so he said, “We could split the fee we charge for the lessons. I’d be responsible for providing all the art supplies.
I can do a little research online and see what might be reasonable to charge for a group lesson.
So, my role is to provide the space and supplies, while you do the actual teaching. ”
Collin whistled low. “This is amazing. I actually think I would be a pretty good teacher. My mom says my best quality is patience. When do we start?”