Page 53 of Bear's Heart

“Good.Because I don’t like going out.”He laughed, before moving on to the dining room, painted with the same dark chocolate paint, which worked as the two rooms opened into each other.

He touched the round pedestal dining table, thinking it was the perfect height for him to roll under.A thick slab of stone topped a sideboard that was slightly lower than expected.He recognized his teak dining table, but he hadn’t bought the sideboard.“Where did this come from?”he asked.

“I found that in a thrift store here in town.I cut the legs down—”

“You did?”

She nodded, clearly proud.“I have my own saw and tools now.But I didn’t cut the granite.The tile guys did that for me, and I think it looks really good.It’s practical, too, as you can turn this into a buffet, and put hot and cold dishes on it without worrying about burning the wood.”

“And since this is granite not marble, it can handle the heat, too,” he said.

“Exactly.”

“I’m really pleased.”

“There is so much more.The kitchen, your bedroom and bathroom, the office.It’s all done with you and your needs in mind—”

“I hope I’m not that demanding.”

“No.And I went up and beyond in some cases since this is also for my project.I’m glad most of the interior is done, because Monday the Farrell Building is yours and I know we’re going to be busy with that for a couple months.Are you still hoping for an October open date?”

“Rye thinks it’s a little ambitious,” Bear admitted.“He thinks November is a better bet, maybe even the new year since the weather will be a challenge.”

“The weather is always a challenge.Tell my brother he has sixty to ninety days, and that’s it.The work is mostly constructing your office, a break room, and the bathrooms.”

“Which means just carpentry, plumbing, electrical, drywall, tile, painters, equipment.”

She laughed.“See?Minor.”

“When I first met Rye, I envied him for having such a positive working relationship with you.Now I feel for him.You’re a task master.”

“I am.But that’s how we get stuff done around here.”

“Speaking of around here, I hope you put some TLC into your own space.”

“Come see,” she invited, leading the way down the hall to her room.

Bear rolled just inside her door and glanced around.He was surprised at the simplicity.One wall had weathered boards from the ceiling to the floor, and the other three walls were a creamy white.Her bedframe was a dark gray metal.A vintage yellow and white sunburst quilt covered the bed.She had a small dresser with an oval mirror hanging above it while black and white framed photos of her family hung on another wall.

She sat down on the foot of her bed.“What do you think?”

“I think you should be a designer.”

Josie grinned.“I had fun with this.It’s a small room so I added a lot of textures—the reclaimed lumber for an accent wall, the metal bed frame, the quilt, the Queen Anne wall mirror.”

“Did Rye do that wall for you?”

“I did it myself.He’s shown me in the past how to use a power saw, so it was just a matter of measuring, cutting and attaching.Easy with a nail gun.”

“You have skills.”

“I have to.I can’t afford to pay everyone to come in and execute my ideas.I have to be able to do a lot of it myself.”

“So how would you describe your style?It’s not that shabby chic look because this is very uncluttered.”

“I’d say I’m a little farmhouse, a little eclectic.I can’t handle clutter—maybe it’s because my house growing up was full of things, and not very well organized—so I like to keep things simple.Clean lines.”

Bear rolled further into her room, his attention on the framed photos.“That has to be you and your sister,” he said, gesturing to a picture of two little girls outside, in matching dresses, smiling bravely even as they squinted against the sun.“How old were you here?”

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