Page 43 of Two Hearts' Ploy

Right as he was getting ready to take the steaks off the grill, she appeared in the doorway.

“They sure smell good,” she said, stepping outside to join him.

“Would you like to eat out here? I bought some corn from the vegetable stand yesterday since I was driving my truck, and I put together some salad.”

“Sure. Have you got paper plates?”

“I do, but we might just as well use the real thing since I’ve only invested in basic stoneware anyway,” he said, smiling.

“That makes sense, since you’re the only one living here,” she said, walking back into the house with him to assist with the food.

“Plus, my mother keeps threatening to start handing over some of our ancestors’ stuff, which includes a lot of china, so she’s probably going to follow through fairly soon since the restoration is nearly finished. She says it’s stupid that everything’s tucked away since all of us have homes of our own. Plus she’s so busy at her salon, that she never seems to have much free time. She’d rather we do the entertaining.”

“Your mom was always so nice to me,” Wren admitted. “I was envious of Kelly when we used to work together, modeling.”

He paused, reaching up into the cupboard for their plates. “It’s funny how my mom didn’t mention that she knew you either,” he finally said dryly.

“I heard you had a crush on me,” she answered, grinning.

No use being shy, he decided, staring into her eyes. “Always.”

She blinked.

Another twenty minutes later, they’d finished eating. Jeff had set out a citronella candle earlier, and for the most part, it kept the mosquitoes away.

“When I start working on the sunroom again, I’ll have the area sprayed by the local company to help keep the bugs away,” he said. “Although it doesn’t always work as well as promoted.”

“Have they put cameras out here yet?” she asked.

“Nothing will be hooked up until tomorrow morning,” he said. “They had to order a few custom items. For one thing, I wasn’t going to just allow them to drill into the cabinetry and add the video screens beneath.”

“Is that what those painted boards are for above your French Doors, and even above the doors in the master?” she asked.

“Yes. They’re hinged. I figure there’s no use having those video screens visible in every single room. But the hinges will allow me to pull the cameras down and view them if something should concern me.”

“That I can understand. I have a room exclusively built for security off of my kitchen in LA. When I have gatherings, I have a few security people sitting in there, otherwise, I like to forget about it all since everything is recorded anyway.”

After all the dirty dishes were loaded in the dishwasher, Wren rubbed her hands together in obvious anticipation. “Are you ready for the big reveal?”

“Sure,” he answered, grinning as he followed her up the staircase.

She opened the master bedroom door, and with a sweeping motion of her hand, sent him inside.

“Holy crap,” he muttered.

The quilt looked beautiful on the bed, while the comforter she’d purchased had been covered by a solid deep blue turquoise coverlet that had been folded down at the end of the bed.

“That’s to be used in the winter months,” she said, noticing the direction of his gaze.

“The lamps fit right in, don’t they?” he murmured, noticing she’d bought some kind of sheer coverings, held up by thin decorative rods. “I like what you’ve done with the windows. Everything looks so elegant.”

“The fabric is lightweight, so the rods are held up with special tape that won’t mar the woodwork,” she said.

Jeff nodded, still amazed by the transformation. There was a tray atop the vanity with some type of soft lighting highlighting the vanity surface from behind the mirror. She’d even added a few items from his stash of knick-knacks to the fireplace mantle.

“I even dressed up the bathroom a little,” she murmured. “I’ve only been here a few days, but I’ve noticed that there’s an awful lot of dragonfly décor available in the stores around here.”

Peeking inside, he noticed the hand towels she must have purchased tonight that were layered over the towels he’d bought himself.

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