Page 16 of Once Upon a Holidate
Garrick stood in the center of his kitchen and took in the changes. A table and chairs stood in front of the big windows facing the front of the house. Some tall plant-tree thing was in the corner, the red and black of the decorative pot picking up the colors of the chair cushions. There were place mats on the table, along with an odd little gnome saltshaker. Sadly there had been an unfortunate unpacking accident with the pepper gnome, but Wynn had said he could buy a small pepper grinder to replace it.
Behind him, the cupboards were full of dishes and pots and pans, while the drawers held flatware, spatulas, knives and other things he couldn’t identify. The Betty Boop canister set sat on the counter.
Small changes that made all the difference, he thought. It was the old cliché about a woman’s touch—especially a woman with style. The right woman. He’d noticed the same thing after Jasper and Renee had gotten together. Subtle additions to Jasper’s house had transformed it into a home. The same with Cade and Bethany. The old ranch house was more welcoming now.
He wasn’t sure how women made that happen. He supposed it was an attention to detail that came with an ability to nurture. He’d been a good dad to Joylyn, but he’d been focused on her, not the surroundings.
He moved to the living room where two big abstract prints dominated the wall behind the sofa. There were more plants and a couple of vase things. Down the hall, Joylyn’s bathroom was fully stocked with towels and shower stuff and soap. A new heating pad sat on the counter.
He walked to the bedroom. The sense of empty furniture with no purpose had been replaced by something more warm. And cozy, he thought with a smile. Fluffy pillows covered nearly half the bed. Fairy prints decorated the wall. The drawers were lined, the closet filled with hangers. The last touch, a rotary dial phone he’d found a couple of years back and had bought for his daughter, was on the desk.
He stared at the plain black phone and wondered if she would remember how much she’d loved rotary dial phones when she’d been a kid. Whenever they’d taken their road trips, she’d always run into the coffee shops they’d stopped in and checked out the public phone, hoping to find a rotary dial one.
Things had been much simpler then, he thought to himself. His relationship with Joylyn had been easy—filled with love and laughter. Now they rarely spoke and she almost never answered his texts.
Hopefully that was going to change, he told himself. Once she got here, they would have a chance to talk. She would understand that he loved her and wanted her to be happy. If he could get through to her, then maybe their relationship could be restored.
He glanced at his watch, then returned to the kitchen where he picked up a bottle of wine before heading next door. On her way out of his place earlier that afternoon, Wynn had invited him over to dinner. At this rate he was going to owe her forever.
As he crossed the driveway and lawn between their houses, he smiled. Maybe she would let him pay her back with somekind of service. Very inappropriate thoughts filled his mind, most of them having to do with Wynn naked and on her back, while he had the delightful task of evening up the score.
He quickly pushed those images away and rang the bell. Seconds later Wynn let him in.
“Hi,” he said, holding out the wine. “I hope you like red.”
“I’m actually not picky when it comes to wine.”
She stepped back to let him in.
He’d been in her house before, when he’d come over to ask for help. Back then he’d been focused on needing to get things right for Joylyn, and he hadn’t paid attention to his surroundings. Now he had a moment to take in the differences between their two places.
Her living room was about the same size as his, but there was no massive TV or leather sofa. Her furniture was all fabric covered, done in earth tones of brown, teal and blue. There were rugs on the floor, and a fireplace. Books were stacked on shelves and pictures lined the mantel.
Plants with long vines and dangling leaves nestled with the books, and there were little knickknack thingies all around. A pair of Hunter’s shoes were by the door, along with a basket containing reusable grocery bags.
Not his style, he thought, assuming he had a style, but still nice. Everything felt right and comfortable. The space suited her and he liked being in it.
“Where’s the TV?” he asked.
She laughed. “You are such a guy.”
“You have to watch sports.”
“Technically, I don’t, but when I want to watch something, it’s in there.”
She pointed to a cabinet in the corner. The doors were closed, hiding the TV from view.
“But it’s so small. Poor Hunter.”
“Yet he continues to thrive.”
“Children are so resilient.”
She smiled. “If it makes you feel better, we have a family room at the back of the house and there’s a much larger TV in there.”
“I’ll sleep better tonight knowing that.”
They passed a large dining room with a big wood table, then went into the kitchen. Here the layout was similar to his. Like the living room, this space had plenty of personal items everywhere, including aStar Warscanister set. There was a round wood table with four chairs by the big bay window. A wicker cornucopia decoration overflowed with apples and oranges.
