Page 67 of Just a Plot Twist
“Is this the famed Longdale memorabilia collection?”
Her grin stretches across her whole face. “It is. We’ve got a bunch of 4-H pins, newspaper clippings, old photographs of the school and Main Street back in the day...”
I point to a white satin ribbon with gold glitter. “A pageant sash?”
“And tiara! I got them for a buck fifty at a yard sale.”
“I’m sure that former Miss Longdale, wherever she is, is happy it’s being displayed.”
“She should because her stuff made the cut. I need a few more shadow boxes to be able to display everything. The rest of the stuff is in boxes in the attic.”
Claire guides me into the kitchen, then gestures to a table and chairs set.
“I have to show off my kitchen reno, so naturally, I like to entertain in here now.”
“Naturally,” I agree, with a smile. “Wow, I love your kitchen.”
It manages to look both new and lived in at the same time, with the gleaming medium-toned wood cabinets and white-washed red brick backsplash.
She offers me my choice of cold beverages in the refrigerator, and I take a glass
bottle of Coke.
“Nothing like a classic,” she says, taking one for herself.
We sit at the table, and she grabs my bottle from me so she can use a bottle opener on the cap. I catch another whiff of her shampoo and then I try to forget about how she was just in the shower.
She uncaps her bottle with a crispsship. “Sophie and I started it before she married Oliver. She’d wanted to paint the cabinets white, but when she moved out and the project became mine, I got to do it my way.” She rubs her hands together.
“Which meant you refinished the cabinets?”
“Exactly. I wanted the old charm still, just fresh and new. It looks a little how things were in the fifties when the house was built, with the window seats and the built-in shelving everywhere.”
“It turned out great.”
“Thanks. I finished it a few months ago.” She shrugs. “Bless my grandparents for paying off the mortgage when they moved in all those years ago. It’s freed up some of my money for the remodels. I want to tackle the rest of the house when my ankle’s better. There’s only one bathroom right now.” She relaxes deeper into her chair across from me. “So I drew up some plans to build an addition. An owners’ suite in the back with an attached bathroom and walk-in closet. Oh, and if I’m feeling extra wild, I’ll add on a sunroom next to the porch.”
“Those changes would make it an incredible family home.”
As is often the case, my thoughts shift to my kids and having them here in Longdale with me. And…now my brain morphs very predictably into imagining living here with Claire.
My consciousness does a double take.
Living here with Claire.
Would that be so bad?
I picture her in this home, in my arms. Building a life with her. Images of us together flash through my mind. Cooking, laughing, dancing in the kitchen.
That “dancing in the kitchen” part is so cliché.
But I want it.
Maybe we could even get a dog together. And take the dog on hikes all around the county.
I laugh. Claire and I certainly need a do-over where hiking is concerned.
“What?” Claire asks, her eyes narrowing.
