Chapter Twenty-Seven
Wren had been right, Jeff realized the following morning after getting very little sleep. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her the entire night. The place had felt empty when he’d come home after dropping her off.
How was he going to feel when she finally left town – and him – for good? Especially since there were already reminders of her everywhere.
More than he’d realized, when one of the security guys who was finishing up the connections called him out onto the deck.
“I just wanted to check to see if you thought we needed to install one more camera out here, maybe from the second story, since your sunroom could obstruct the lakefront view once you have it finished,” Sam Osbourne, a guy who worked with his father asked. He and Sam had also been friends in high school.
“That’s probably a good idea. You’d better go ahead,” Jeff replied.
Sam cleared his throat, motioning at a wispy piece of fabric resting in the corner of the deck near the house. “Looks like someone forgot something last night.”
Jeff snorted, feeling strangely embarrassed.
“I’d say it’s about time,” Sam said, smiling widely as he continued making notes.
Suddenly, Jeff laughed, picking up Wren’s lacy bra and stuffing it into his pocket.
For some reason, he felt better after that as he sat drinking coffee. What had happened last night had been very real, and this afternoon, the weights and work out equipment would arrive, so at least he could begin getting everything squared away downstairs once Wren moved in.
Meanwhile, he hadn’t been over to Luke’s in a while, so he’d probably better work out over there tomorrow before picking up Wren since he wasn’t sure if some of the equipment arriving would require assembly.
At around eight, Sam walked into the kitchen, prepared to explain the security setup, which was all good to go.
As Sam got ready to take off, he turned to Jeff. “You’ve got a really great place here. I remember when you lost your leg, how sorry I felt for you.” Sam grinned. “I shouldn’t have. If I’d have been in your place, I would have never been able to handle it. We need to hang out again sometime. Why don’t we ever do that anymore?”
“I’d like that, Sam. I don’t know. I guess it’s my fault that I’ve kind of been a recluse every time I’ve returned to town. That way I don’t have to think too hard about the future.”
“Well, now that your house is pretty much finished, you should have more time, even when you’re teaching or working at Eve’s studio.”
“I promise I’ll give you a call sometime,” Jeff replied.
“Good,” Sam said, handing over a couple sets of keys. “Since I think the security is here for a reason, especially since Jake Loughlin’s involved, I won’t count on hearing from you for at least a couple of months.”
“That would be about right,” Jeff agreed, grinning.
Sam rolled his eyes. “I’ve never seen anyone with as much drama in his life as Jake Loughlin. It’s like he’s drawn to it.”
“Tell me about it. He and Dad have been best friends since I was a kid.”
They laughed as Jeff led Sam through the house to the door, since he was ready to leave himself.
* * *
Jeff wasn’t sure why he’d expected awkwardness between them today, but it wasn’t like that at all, he realized when Wren walked out from inside the Inn, smiling.
“Jake told me to do as much shopping as I’d like at the Inn. I can’t wait. He’s going to be covering my purchases and also made sure that I’d have access to as much cash as I need since he’d prefer I wouldn’t use credit,” she admitted, stepping inside his truck. “Did you get all your security installed?”
“I did. But I’ll go ahead and have another surveillance camera connected overlooking the lakefront if I somehow manage to get the sunroom built while you’re still living at the house,” he replied. “And the workout equipment is supposed to be delivered this afternoon.”
“Almost good to go then. Jake said that it might be better for me to stay at the Inn for the whole week because he’s working on a plan. He’s hoping to have everything in place before I leave.”
“I almost hate to admit this, but I’ll probably have your demos ready sooner if you wait to move in,” he replied, smiling, trying not to show his disappointment. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, and you’re probably going to be a big distraction for me when you’re around.”
She laughed loudly. “I told you so. I managed to get a little more sleep last night, but I suspect it was because I didn’t get much the night before.”
“Okay, so let’s concentrate on your music this week. Maybe we can have lunch together though, if you’d like, even go to the beach before I drop you off at the Inn. When you’re staying at my place, we can probably get away with doing more – say go out on the lake in the cruiser, maybe eat dinner in another town nearby, or even hit a few antique stores that I know about.”
“Yes. I’d love that. I’ll focus on my music – get in a little more practice on piano and guitar. Didn’t you say something about me performing some of my own instrumentals?”
“I’m positive that your audience would appreciate it. I’ve never known you’ve had the potential to do more than dance with your vocals, as great as your performances are. You’re a fabulous songwriter too, you know,” Jeff said, pulling into the studio parking lot.
“I’m finally beginning to believe you,” she said, smiling. “Especially since you’ve mentioned it a time or two.”
Reaching over, he cupped her chin, giving her a sweet lingering kiss.
A few minutes later, they headed inside the studio.