“It’s a spectacular home, I hardly believed it was the same place, when I first drove up. I remember when we used to come up here and throw rocks at the windows when we were kids.”
“I’d forgotten about that,” Mac laughed. “But now that you mention it, I remember Mom telling me that the place was haunted, just to keep us away from here.”
“I think she cooked up that story with my mom,” JB chuckled, then sobered. “I was sorry to hear about your mother, Mac. There was no way I could get back here for the funeral, but I was thinking about you and your dad. She was a good woman; we all loved her a lot.”
“Thanks, man, I appreciate it.” Mac tightened his hold on Chelsea. “How are your parents? Dad told me they moved to the desert.”
“They’re great. Dad wanted warmer weather and level golf courses, so they moved to Palm Springs. I’m not sure what Mom got out of the deal, but they both seem happy.”
Chelsea listened as the guys caught up, marveling once again at how comfortable she felt, standing next to Mac. There was no awkwardness, just a calm knowing that this is where she was meant to be.
Listening to him and JB reminisce, she almost felt as if she were part of their past. Somehow, it cemented her sense of belonging to this place, this mountain that was now her home.
“I need to get back to work, wouldn’t want the client to think I’m slacking off,” Mac grinned down at Chelsea. “Stop by the building site on your way out, I know Dad would love to see you.”
“I’ll do that. Didn’t you say something about a sunset shot from the restaurant? JB asked Chelsea.
“Yes, definitely. Why don’t we all head down there now? I think we’re finished here,” Chelsea looked questioningly at JB.
“I’ve got everything I need. Basically you want shots of every room, from several different angles. You said the furniture will be in tomorrow, how about I plan to shoot everything on Friday?”
“That’s perfect. It gives me a day to get it all organized.”
“Doesn’t sound like a lot of time to put such a large house together.” Mac frowned down at her. “I hope you hired a crew to help you.”
“The movers will place everything, and Sharon will be here to help.” Chelsea bit her lip, glancing quickly at JB when she mentioned Sharon. He barely flinched.
“Well, that’s something.” Mac mentally rearranged his day tomorrow so that he could spend much of it helping Chelsea.
“I’ll meet you guys down there, I need to find my phone, see how many other calls I missed.”
Chelsea heard the men talking as they walked down the hill, Mac describing the restaurant and JB firing questions.
The sun was directly above her as she walked to her car, making Chelsea glad that she parked beneath a shade tree. She found her phone just where she’d left it this morning, lying in the passenger seat.
Aside from the missed calls from Sharon and JB, she also had several missed calls and messages from Preston.
She listened to the messages, each one a bit more terse than the last. It was obvious that Preston was irritated that she was out of reach.
“I may as well get it over with.” Sighing, Chelsea dialed his number.
“Chelsea. I’m so glad you decided to return my calls.” Preston’s sarcasm hit the mark. “I was beginning to wonder if you were still alive.” He smiled at the private joke.
“Hello, Preston. Sorry I’ve been unavailable, but I left my phone in the car. What’s up?” Chelsea tried not to let her own irritation show.
“I’ve been going over your budget and I found a few more ways to increase your advertising. Have you contacted your insurance agent and arranged for the appraisal? We really need to know the cost for the increased coverage before we can move on the rest.”
“No,” Chelsea sighed and rubbed her eyes, “I’ve been busy this morning, but I’ll get to it this afternoon.”
“You really shouldn’t wait, honey.” Preston switched to his sugar sweet voice. “What if something happened, say, God forbid, a lightning strike? You have to protect your investment, and that of your contractor.”
“You’re right, I’ll get on it. Was there anything else?”
Chelsea’s impatience irritated Preston further, but he didn’t let it show.
“Can we meet for lunch? I’d like to go over the numbers with you.”
Closing her eyes, Chelsea resigned herself to the meeting. It was the least she could do, after all, since he was being so helpful.
“Sure, but it will have to be fast. I’ve still got a lot to do here, before the furniture arrives tomorrow.”
“Would you like me to come to you? I could bring a picnic.”
“No, I’ll meet you at the diner, one hour.” Chelsea didn’t want Mac and Preston in the same space; it would cause too much tension. Besides, she intended to tell Preston to leave; there was really no reason for him to hang around. She could honestly say that she was no longer angry with him. She truly didn’t feel anything at all for him. They could part ways as friends.
Happy with her decision, she drove down the hill to meet Mac and JB.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me that you hired JB?” Sharon demanded before Chelsea could close the front door.
“Whoa, wait a minute. Can you let me find an aspirin before you take my head off? Although, if it would make the pounding stop, go ahead.” Chelsea dropped her purse and headed straight for the bathroom cabinet. Lunch with Preston did not go as planned, he refused to listen to reason, changing the subject each time she mentioned him leaving. She felt as if she’d been beating her head against the wall for the past hour and it left her with a ginormous headache.
“Sorry, but I can’t believe you didn’t mention something so important. I felt totally ambushed.” Sharon followed Chelsea, evidence of the past few hours of torment visible in her tear-stained cheeks and wild hair. She looked as if she’d been trying to pull it out by the roots.
Chelsea held up one finger as she downed three pills and a glass of water.
“First of all, I intended to tell you, which was the reason I left you a message this morning. Mac told me you guys dated in high school, something you’ve never mentioned, by the way. We got so busy when you came to the house that it slipped my mind. I’m sorry you felt ambushed, but I truly had no idea that it would matter so much.” Chelsea joined Sharon on the bed. “If it’s any consolation, I think seeing you shocked him as much as it did you. He barely managed a cohesive sentence for the entire tour of the house.”
“Really?” Sharon’s eyes lit up, briefly. “Well, that’s neither here nor there. I couldn’t care less what he thinks.” Dropping her face into her hands, she shook her head. “God, Chels, what’s he doing here? When did he get back? Why didn’t I hear about it?”
Chelsea had never seen Sharon so distraught over anything, much less a man. She’d always been so cool and casual when it came to relationships.
“All I know is that he moved back very recently and started a photography business. Janie recommended him. From his conversation with Mac this morning, I take it that he’s been photographing the war, Afghanistan, Iraq, somewhere over there. He didn’t seem to want to discuss it.”
“That’s why he left, to take photos in the most dangerous place in the world. Idiot,” she added under her breath. “I’ve seen some of his shots in magazines and online, he’s good. Why in the hell would he suddenly decide to come home and take boring local pictures?”
“Hey, you own part of that boring restaurant he’ll be taking pictures of, remember?”
“You know what I mean, anything that happens around here couldn’t begin to compare with the excitement of nearly getting your head blown off just to get a shot. Why is he here?” she asked again.
“No idea. Why don’t you start by telling me why you care so much? What happened between you two? And why am I only hearing about it now?”
Sharon sighed, then stood and began t
o pace, trying to decide where to begin.
“Mac was right, we dated in high school, but it was nothing. He was a senior, I was a freshman. Mom thought he was too old for me, at the time, and she was right. He was going off to college, I was stuck here, what good could come of it? So we broke up and I didn’t see him again seriously until I graduated college.” She stopped pacing and sat down beside Chelsea once again. “It was the summer. I had just moved home, so had he. He’d been working for a newspaper in Sacramento, but decided he wanted more, something he neglected to tell me until after we fell in love.”
“You loved him? I’ve never heard you say that about anyone.”
“You got it right, I loved him. Apparently he didn’t feel the same, but he sure played it like he did.” Sharon shuddered, fighting back tears at the memory. “He was my first, in all the ways that counted. I believed we were destined to be together, that we would be raising kids the same way we were raised, living a quiet life in Starsdale.”
“Did he know how you felt?”
“Of course he did, he even told me that he loved me, that he wanted to build a life together. It was the happiest six months I’ve ever known.” Her voice softened, then became hard again. “He told me he was leaving on New Year’s Eve. We had a special night planned, he’d said he wanted to tell me something. I thought he was going to propose,” she snorted. “Instead, he told me ‘Good-bye.’ Said he didn’t know how long he’d be gone, but that it was something he had to do.” Standing, she began to pace again. “It was the last time I saw him, or heard from him. Until today.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. You know I’d never let you be blindsided that way.” Chelsea stood and put her arm around Sharon.
“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but it’s not something I ever talk about. I just wanted to forget him, you know? But now he’s back,” she finished harshly, “like nothing ever happened. Son of a bitch.”
“What are you going to do? You can’t very well avoid him, Starsdale is too small.”
“Well I can sure as hell try.”
“Is it okay if I use him to take the photographs we need, or should I look for someone else?”
Sharon thought a moment, then ran her hands through her hair again.
“I know it would be a pain to find someone else at the moment, so use him. He really is good. But I won’t use him for the events. We’ll have to find someone else. Hell, I’ll learn how to work a camera if it comes to that.”
“Deal.” Chelsea gave her a quick hug. “And I promise to tell you when he’s scheduled to take the pictures. He’ll be there on Friday afternoon to get shots of the B&B and the sunset. He’ll be back next week to take shots of the restaurant and the event center.”
“The event center will be ready next week? That’s impossible!”
“Not with John pushing things along. You should see your kitchen, it’s nearly finished.”
“I can’t wait.” Sharon felt something other than raw pain for the first time since seeing JB. “I’ll stop by on the way in tomorrow. For now, I have to get ready for work. God, I look awful!” Glancing in the mirror, she started to turn away. “Thanks for listening. I’m sorry I jumped on you, none of this is your fault.”
“No apology necessary.” Chelsea smiled. “I’m heading back to the house, unless you need me?”
“No, I’m fine. Or I will be. It was just a shock, is all. Go on, get back to work.” Forcing a grin, she went to fix her face.
“Okay, but call me if you need me. I promise I’ll keep my phone with me.”
“Thanks.”
~~~
Preston dropped his keys on the scratched dresser and breathed a sigh of relief. Lunch with Chelsea had been a giant pain; she’d all but insisted that he leave, but he’d managed to insinuate himself into her business enough so that she didn’t come right out and tell him to go.
Thank goodness she thought he was having her website built, he thought. Innate good manners kept her from pushing him completely away, at least for now.
“I should lay low until it’s time,” he said aloud. “It won’t do for someone to overhear her telling me to leave.” Confident that no one at the diner was privy to their conversation, he imagined scenarios in which he could continue the ruse that they were together without actually being seen with her.
“I could pick up lunch for the two of us, or appear to run other errands for her around town.” Feeling positive about his solution, he opened his laptop and searched for the file labeled ‘Prospectus’.
Scrolling down the list outlining his scheme, he focused on the timeline for the explosion. Chelsea had mentioned that the furniture would arrive tomorrow, so he would be able to recoup that cost through the insurance. The only thing up in the air was the effective date for the increased coverage. If Chelsea followed through with his suggestion as she should, the insurance would be in place by next week. He could always confirm it with a casual phone call to Chelsea. Staying out of her sight did not mean that he wouldn’t check in.
“If that’s the case, I can get this business over with by next weekend.” Laughing with glee, Preston placed a big red X on his calendar.
~~~
Mac kept one eye on the building site and one eye on the road, waiting for Chelsea to come back from lunch. He didn’t object to her meeting Preston, the diner was a public place after all, but he didn’t like it either. His thoughts kept wandering to the night before, this time he wondered about Hershey’s condition and the way the dog reacted when Preston came to the door. There had to be a reason for that, but what could it be? There was no evidence that anyone had jimmied the doors, Mac checked when Chelsea wasn’t looking. No reason he should concern her if it was his imagination running wild. Still, the dog definitely did not care for Preston, he didn’t even want him inside the house.
Making a mental note to ask Chelsea how Hershey was doing today, he let his thoughts drift to the possibility of relocating to Starsdale permanently. He knew his dad would love it, for whatever time he had left, but it was more than that for Mac. It was also more than his feelings for Chelsea, strong as they were. Both were good reasons, but neither was good enough to make him change his life without regret. No, if he made such a drastic move it had to be because it was what was best for him; anything else would be a mistake.
Recognizing that, Mac reflected on the time he’d spent here, being hands-on with a project without City Hall breathing down his neck. Sure, building codes and inspections were in place, but nothing like he had to deal with in the city. That fact alone brought a level of joy back to the work. He also liked the pace around here. Even though his dad was pushing hard, Mac did not feel the pressure that he felt on the jobs in Sacramento.
There was also something special about working in Starsdale, putting his talents to use for his home town. He liked the idea of helping to revitalize the old girl, make her better than she ever was.
So far, the pros far outweighed the cons, but the cons were there just the same. What would he do with the business his father and he had built? Should he sell it, or hire a manager and oversee everything from here? Would that even work? His dad, and now he, had built a reputation for attractive, innovative design. Would he be able to find someone else with the same values to take over? What about the liability involved, if he wasn’t there on a day-to-day, making sure that things were done correctly? It was a big decision, one that deserved a lot more thought.
“I’ll talk to Dad about it,” he muttered. “He deserves to be part of the decision, it was his company before it was mine.”
Just then, Chelsea’s car came around the bend. Mac couldn’t help the grin that spread over his face or the relief that flooded through him as he waved her along. Anyone who saw him would swear that it was the face of a man in love.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I think I’ll die if I have to move another piece of furniture,” Sharon flopped down on the sofa in Chelsea’s private sunroom.<
br />
“What made me think we should do all this in one day?” Chelsea fell down beside her. “I must’ve lost my mind.”
“Well, we did it, though I had my doubts there for a while. Just think what it would have been like if you hadn’t already planned each room; chaos times ten.”
“I know, it was crazy enough with a plan, there’s no way we could have done it without one. All in all though, I think it went well.”
“Thanks to Mac, it was great of him to bounce between here and the site all day. I wonder what prompted such a nice gesture?” Sharon looked at Chelsea shrewdly. She’d seen the looks pass between Mac and her friend all day; it was time that Chelsea came clean.
“Yes, well, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I couldn’t find the time.” Chelsea grinned and propped her feet on the new coffee table. “Mac and I are seeing each other, I think.”
“What?” Sharon sat up with renewed energy. “When did this happen? What do you mean, you think?”
“He came over for dinner the night that Hershey was sick. We ended up talking until after midnight. There’s definitely something between us, at least on my side and I think on his.”
“Why am I just hearing about this now? You know I think it’s great, I told you he was a charmer.”
“You had other things on your mind yesterday, and you were at work last night. Today we’ve been so flat out that I barely had time to breathe, much less think about my love life.” That was a lie; Mac had filtered through Chelsea’s thoughts all day. “But I’m glad that you approve, just don’t make a big deal out of it, okay? It’s new, let’s see how things go.”
“From the way he was looking at you today, I can tell you where things are going,” Sharon waggled her eyebrows.
“We’ll see,” Chelsea blushed.
“What are you going to do about Preston?”
“Nothing, I mean I tried to tell him to leave at lunch yesterday, but he kept changing the subject, telling me something else I need to do about the B&B or another way he’s thought of for me to save money. His ideas are valid and I appreciate his interest, but enough is enough,” Chelsea frowned. “I have to admit, though, that it was nice of him to drop by with lunch today. I was surprised when he didn’t try to hang around.”
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