Page 126 of Lone Star Longing
“You and me both,” Lacey said, but Leonard had gone across to check on their table and called to them from the door of the diner.
The place was noisy with all the people treating themselves, and the two waitresses were running from table to table, swapping menus for coffee cups, slinging napkin-wrapped silverware to each customer. The stimulation was hard to deal with after her mother’s revelation.
The crackers were a knot in Lacey’s stomach, and the smell of the bacon and sausage cooking turned her stomach. At this point, all she wanted was buttered toast, maybe some jam.
The warm room didn't help her reaction. The restaurant not accustomed to all these bodies. But she supposed every Sunday morning was like this.
She sat beside her mom, and every once in a while, her mom reached over and squeezed her hand, and Lacey squeezed back. As the noise in the restaurant faded to white noise, she realized that her mother’s confession affected her whole attitude.
Her mother had left town because she had depression. The town had not helped that, but the town was not the reason she left. If she had been treated, she might have been able to find ways to find pleasure in the town, made friends, so many things that would have made a difference in her enjoyment of the town. She could have driven to San Angelo for the stimulation she needed. She could have leaned a little harder on her husband.
How much had her dad known? Did he know that Joyce had been diagnosed now?
Lacey realized that all the reasons she was holding onto, afraid Beck would want to leave because he’d be bored, didn't matter anymore. As long as they had honesty between them, they could deal with any restlessness that either of them had. And if he really did hate it here, she could go with him, wherever he wanted to go, as long as he wanted her. Her dad didn't need her anymore. He had Marianne. So while Lacey loved this town, and her friends, she wasn't tethered to it like she had been.
Like she thought she had been.
She needed to talk to Beck. Before the shower. She needed to talk to him.
He wasn't at the diner. She thought he might be here, thought maybe he and his mother could sit with her family, but maybe the crowd was too much for his mom.
Once breakfast was done, she decided to make the drive out to his place. She wasn't sure he’d be there, but in case he was...at least they’d be mostly alone to talk without interruption.
She didn't tense as she usually did when she made the turn onto the road. In fact, she was excited, her emotions bubbling. The babies must have sensed her excitement, because they were kicking and squirming as much as they could with the little bit of room they had left.
She slowed as she turned onto the property. Beck’s home was north of the barn at the far end of the property, facing toward the creek but above it. She hadn’t been out in a couple of weeks, because Mrs. Conover had been going to see Austin, who then sent her to San Angelo for more tests. Beck had assured Lacey he’d take care of the house and meals, since Lacey did have a lot going on with her family in town.
So she hadn’t seen the progress he’d made on the house. She parked in front of his mother’s house and walked around to the construction area, quiet today. The walls and roof were on. The walls were covered with Tyvek, unfinished but protected. Lots and lots of windows were placed at even intervals, and a porch, deep and long, on three sides of the house, that she could see. She remembered telling him how if she lived out here, she’d want a big porch to enjoy the view, and she wondered if he remembered that conversation, too.
Cautiously, she made her way to the wooden constructions steps and pulled herself up on the porch, liking the sound of her shoes on the new wood.
He hadn’t hung a front door, which worried her a little, because they were out in the middle of nowhere and she’d seen coyotes on the road near here. She hoped that none had decided to explore the interior of the house. She walked into the maze of two-by-sixes, no sheetrock yet, and jumped about a foot when she saw Beck standing over a plank of wood on a saw horse. She had a moment to appreciate him, bare-chested, broad-shouldered, muscles flexing, before he looked up and met her gaze, his eyes going wide.
He reached behind him for his shirt, pulled it over his head quickly. “Lace! What are you doing here? You should be getting some rest before the shower.”
“I came to talk to you, but I didn't know you’d be out here. I was just being nosy.”
“Yeah? What do you think?” His face eased into a smile. “Let me show you around. Watch your step.” He moved toward her and took her elbow to guide her through the site.
“I can’t believe you’ve gotten so much done in such a little amount of time.”
“Yeah, the walls are going up this week, and the plumbing next. I mean, the pipes are all hooked up and everything, but I’m talking the sink and the toilets and all that. I’m having professionals install those.”
“Good plan.”
“So here’s the kitchen, and I have a door here that goes out to the wrap-around porch. The railing for that is not scheduled until down the road a little ways. You’ve got the sink here, with a window over it so you can watch the kids play while you’re cleaning up, or whatever. Going to put an island here.” He turned her to show her, stretching his arms down the center of the room. “It’ll have a little spot for barstools or whatever. Oven here, refrigerator here.” He turned her back to the wall.
The oven vent had already been installed, so she could see where it was going.
“Lots of cabinets, those are going in after the plumbing. Going to go with cement countertops.”
“Cement?”
He lifted a shoulder. “It’s a thing. Supposed to be easy to clean. Tile floor in here, also easy to keep clean, but wood floors in the rest of the house. That’s another month away, I’d say. I was going to try to do it myself, but that seems a little nerve-racking to me, so I’m going to pay someone to do it. Come this way. I’ll show you the bedrooms and the bathrooms.
“It’s going to be four bedrooms, two and a half baths, and instead of a separate dining room, it’s just going to have a big living area. Part of that can be a dining room, but for now I’m not planning one. So this is the master bedroom, and it’s got French doors that go out to the porch on this side. Got a great view of the cliffs.”
He motioned her to the door and indeed, great view of the cliffs.
