Page 114 of The Lost Book of First Loves

“The designer already helped. Juniper Connelly, this is Heather Mason. She’s the one responsible for this gorgeous renovation. Heather, this is June. She’s staying at a cabin near my place and kindly let me drag her along today.”

June seemed to collect herself. She matched Heather’s cool look with one of her own.

“Heather. Lovely to meet you. The house is beautiful.”

“I didn’t have much to do with the exterior, other than working with the architect and the builder to design the new entryway. You must come inside and see what we’ve done. New everything. You won’t know what a huge improvement it is over the old house. It was a disaster. Nothing had been done to it for more than thirty years. Now it’s like an entirely new place inside.”

Beck had personally liked the old place. It had character and a unique style. He couldn’t deny the renovation had been lovely, though.

“If you can help me guide the table, I can set it in place while you give June the grand tour. As long as you don’t think the homeowners will mind.”

“They absolutely won’t. They’re so excited to move in after all this time, they’re showing it off to everyone.”

While he did most of the work to push the wheeled furniture mover through the front doors, both June and Heather helped by steering and stabilizing the table so he didn’t dump the whole thing into the flower gardens on either side of the sidewalk.

By the time they made it inside, June and Heather were talking about a new decorating trend and the importance of creating timeless styles that wouldn’t look dated in a year or two.

“Oh, it’s lovely,” June said when they walked inside the huge vaulted entry.

“The architect and I decided to open up the second floor to create more space in here. Come on, let me give you a tour.”

“Do you need more help?” June asked him.

“I should be fine. Thanks.”

He was finishing the table setup, which mostly involved making sure it was straight and removing the rest of the protective coverings, when they both returned, looking like fast friends now.

“So? What do you think?” he asked.

June looked around in admiration at the big great room with its soaring windows offering a view of the Tetons. “It’s gorgeous. And what a spectacular setting. Makes me wish I had a place like it here.”

“If you buy one, I can help you decorate it,” Heather said with a friendly smile.

Before June could answer, Heather’s phone rang. She looked at it briefly then made a face.

“Sorry. Will you excuse me? It’s a supplier I’ve been trying to track down for a week.”

She walked away to take her call and June wandered over to the two-story wall of windows and the jagged mountains beyond.

“It’s hard to believe they’re real.” The sheer awe on her features left a funny ache in his chest.

“I have seen the Tetons countless times in my life, especially during the past five years, but I have the same reaction every time I catch another glimpse of them. It’s like seeing the Pacific Ocean from a favorite beach after I’ve been away from California for a while.”

“The world is a beautiful place, isn’t it? I tend to forget when I’m in a constant round of development meetings and strategy sessions with my team.”

“It is. And lucky you, to have been given a second chance to see and appreciate all the things you never had the opportunity to experience before.”

“You’re absolutely right. I am lucky.” She seemed surprised at the concept. “The table looks great. And the huge dining table in the other room is stunning. Absolute perfection.”

He had to smile. “It’s not. That’s part of the beauty of working with wood. No two pieces of timber are alike. My favorite pieces to use are those that have gnarls and burrs or other imperfections. They give the piece character and life.”

She seemed to mull that as Heather returned. “I’m sorry about that. Not everyone is as punctual as you are, Beck. And few take as much pride as you do in your work. I gave him an earful, believe me.”

He had no doubt Heather would be tough on anyone whose work wasn’t up to her standards. That was probably one of the reasons she was one of the most exclusive designers in Jackson Hole.

He glanced at his watch. “I promised June a picnic lunch so we should be going. The deli closes early.”

Heather made a disgusted face. “Jackson has dozens of fantastic restaurant choices and you’re going to the deli for lunch?”

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