Designing Hearts

  Jill put one finger to her lips as a new thought formed. “It would be nice if your mother could see the room after you’re finished enhancing it. Does she still like to play this piano?”

  Joni let out a harsh laugh. “The only one who touches this piano is the housekeeper, whenever she dusts it.”

  “Wouldn’t it be nice if your mother could sit down to play this piano at a family gathering?”

  Joni’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. They trickled down her cheeks, leaving traces in her otherwise perfect makeup. She wiped them away with her fingertips and paused for a few moments to regain her composure. “I remember when I was a little girl and she sat down to play “Greensleeves” for my grandfather. He always stood near the piano, sucking on his cold pipe. He didn’t actually smoke.” Her breath caught as she fought back a sob at the memory and then let out a choking kind of laugh. “He sucked on that pipe when he was thinking extra hard about something. He would listen to her play with such pride. Afterward, he would always say the same thing: ‘I have never heard you play that song so beautifully, Paget.’ That’s my mom’s name: Paget.”

  “What a sweet memory, Joni. It’s one that you ought to keep in mind as you enhance this space. I hope you’ll find this to be a healing process and that you’ll actually enjoy fixing this room. I’d love to see it when you’re done.” Jill picked up her handbag in preparation to leave.

  “Please don’t go just yet.” Joni reached out and placed her hand on Jill’s arm. “I’d like for you to come into my kitchen studio, as I call it, and let me treat you to some of Joni’s Delights.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Thank you,” Jill said. She followed Joni down the stairs and through a long hallway to a lower level of the house that was equipped with commercial kitchen equipment, including a large gas stove, double oven, dishwasher, and walk-in refrigerator. Long tables were covered in trays of fresh chocolates ready to be boxed. Colored foils and tissue-filled boxes were lined up on nearby shelves. The rich smell of chocolate hung in the air until Jill was sure she would smell it on her skin for days.

  “You have your choice of espresso truffles, cherry cordials, caramel and sea salt squares, blueberry crèmes, thin peppermints, pecan turtles, peanut butter melts, and almond clusters, all freshly made, of course.” Joni washed her hands, pulled on latex gloves, and donned a white lab jacket with embroidery on the breast pocket that read, “Joni, Chief Chocolate Artist.”

  Jill’s eyes were wide with amazement as she surveyed the display of candy. “I don’t think I can decide. May I try one of each?”

  “You certainly may.” Joni deftly began wrapping chocolates in colored foil and shiny paper wrappers and placing them in a three-pound box. “One is never enough, you know. With this many, you can share.”

  “I’d better share if you’re giving me that much chocolate,” Jill said, laughing. “I have to ask, though. Whatever led you into the chocolate business?”

  “I came by my interest in chocolate genetically, you might say,” Joni answered with a twinkle in her eye. “Nana’s family owned a large candy business in New Jersey, and she taught me how to make candy when I was just a little girl. I’d stand on a stepstool at the kitchen island, and during the holidays, help her make chocolates for our family members and friends.” She handed a turtle to Jill, who bit into it and closed her eyes in bliss.

  “Joni, this is divine.”

  “Why bother eating it if it’s not? That’s the whole point. Chocolate-making is an art and a science intended to produce pleasure,” she said, looking up from her task. “Nana told me you have to love your work. If you don’t really love making candy, it won’t taste as good.” She handed the box to Jill with a flourish.

  “This is such an unexpected treat,” Jill said, pretending that her knees were buckling under the weight of the heavy candy box. “I can’t help thinking that between decadent chocolates and that concert piano, your family ought to share only happy times together. I’d love to hear how things go after you make those enhancements to your music room upstairs.”

  Joni grinned widely and gave Jill a spontaneous hug. “You just gave me the best feng shui idea of all.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sunday dawned cold and overcast with a chance of rain. Jill crept out from beneath her down comforter and stood shivering in a gray jersey nightshirt and thick socks. Denny had said he would pick her up at ten thirty to deliver the painting to Joel and Diana, and she wanted to bake a pan of whole-grain tart-cherry muffins to take along.

  So far, Diana’s cancer seemed to be in remission, and she was scheduled to see the oncologist in two weeks for another consultation. In the meantime, Diana’s mother returned home to Hartford until she was needed again. That meant Joel had more childcare and household responsibilities, in addition to his job. But Jill had to give him credit; he bore his duties like a champ.

  “It’s just Diana, Zoe, and me together again,” he said, when Jill called to arrange their visit. “We’re managing okay, except Zoe doesn’t like my cooking.”

  As she stirred dried tart cherries into a mixture of cornmeal, oatmeal, and whole-wheat batter, Jill thought about the hopes and wishes that fed the various feng shui enhancements in her students’ homes, and decided it was time to tackle the creativity and children square of the bagua at the next class. Later in the day, Liam, Brian, Finn, and Missy were coming over for dinner. She wanted to talk with Missy about enhancements to the creativity and children area of their apartment in preparation for the baby’s arrival.

  “Will Denny be there for dinner?” Missy asked.

  “Denny and I are just getting to know each other,” Jill said. “I like him a lot, but I want to take things slowly.”

  “I like him,” Missy said. “So did Finn, although he won’t tell you that.”

  Nancy’s reaction to hearing that Jill had gone out to dinner with Denny was positive and predictably maternal. “I’m glad to know you’re getting out and having a good time, instead of sitting at home alone crying over David. Just keep your knees crossed until you know he isn’t one of those—whaddya call them—players.”

  “For heaven’s sake, Mom! I’m glad you approve, but I hardly need your advice in that regard,” Jill said, rolling her eyes. Yet she realized her mother’s point was well taken. She didn’t know Denny very well, and he was a longtime bachelor, after all. She knew it was possible that she was playing with fire.

  Denny soon arrived in his truck, the mountain painting for Joel and Diana safely tucked into bubble wrap and brown paper in the back seat. They drove forty minutes to the Fosters’ home, enjoying the crisp Sunday morning and the sights and smells of autumn. Already, most of the jewel-toned leaves had fallen off the trees, and roadside stands were well stocked with pumpkins, gourds, dried corn, apples, and cider. Autumn was Jill’s favorite time of year, a season when she enjoyed flea markets, cooking and baking, chilly evenings by the fireplace with a good book, and biking along the country roads near her home.

  “Mm, it smells delicious outside,” she said, breathing in the woodsy outdoor scents.

  “Aye, it does,” Denny said, smiling to himself as he accelerated.

  When they arrived at the Fosters’ home, Diana was wrapped in a shawl on the sofa, sipping a protein shake. Over her bald head she wore a pink-and-white silk scarf that matched her pink robe and fuzzy slippers. Her blue eyes looked enormous and unprotected minus eyebrows and eyelashes.

  “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Jill!” she said, standing with difficulty to offer Jill a fragile hug. She accepted the straw basket of muffins in the blue-checked cloth. “These smell wonderful.” She handed the basket to Joel, who immediately picked out a muffin and bit into it.

  “Mm, food that I haven’t cooked,” he said with relish, devouring the rest of the muffin in three bites.

  Diana held out her hands to Denny, who grasped them gently as a look passed between them that was palpable in its meaning. “I can’t thank you enough,” she
said. “It’s a thrill to meet you and have one of your paintings. I’m sure it’s quite valuable.”

  “A painting is only valuable if it’s well loved.”

  Denny unveiled his painting to sounds of appreciation from Jill, Diana, and Joel. A whitewashed stone cottage stood in a rocky field beneath tall, craggy mountains. The peaks of the mountain were misted in swirling white, heather, gray, blue, and violet.

  “This is the Buachaille Etive Mor,” Denny said. “That’s the Gaelic name. It’s the prettiest summit in Scotland, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “It’s lovely,” Diana murmured as Joel put his arm around her.

  “Diana, the mountain represents earth, and the triangular peak is a strong symbolic shape in feng shui. Look upward to the summit and believe that good health is yours,” Jill said as Denny began hanging the painting in the stairway.

  Zoe woke up from her nap when she heard the gentle tapping of Denny’s hammer on the wall. Joel headed upstairs to retrieve her from her crib before she put up a fuss. As they descended the stairs, he pointed to the painting. “See what our friends have brought Mommy to help her feel better.”

  Zoe had her mother’s prosthesis tucked tightly against her body. Wordlessly, Diana held out her hands as Joel gently transferred their daughter to her waiting arms.

  “Are you sure you can manage?” he asked as Diana’s eyes widened in surprise at Zoe’s weight.

  Diana juggled her on one hip. “I’m okay, but I believe my next challenge will be getting this thing away from her,” she said with a wry grin as she held up the plastic breast.

  “I’m sure there are many men who would like to have that for their sleep toy,” Denny joked.

  They all laughed. Jill blushed when her eyes met Joel’s, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. She knew from his expression that she was in for some good-natured teasing.

  On the way home, Denny and Jill stopped for lunch at a rustic lodge, where he promised that mulled wine and the best crab cakes in the state were on the menu. “In fact, this might be a nice place to spend a bit of time some weekend,” Denny said with a wink. “Not that I’m trying to put the rush on you or anything. Just stating my interest.”

  “Duly noted,” Jill said, lowering her eyes as they went into the dining room. “But it’s not going to happen this afternoon, so don’t get your hopes up.”

  “Aye, I dinna think so.” He grinned and picked up his menu. “Canna blame a man for trying, though.”

  Jill noticed with amusement that Denny’s Scottish brogue became more pronounced when he flirted or became nervous. It was one of the qualities about him she found most endearing—his total lack of guile when it came to sharing his thoughts or feelings. He was a man who spoke from the heart.

  As their mulled wine was served in steaming glass mugs, Denny leaned across the table and took her hands. “Honest, I dinna mean to make you uncomfortable with that remark about spending a night here. You’re a beautiful woman, Jill, and I would no’ be a normal man if the idea dinna cross my mind to think of us together that way.”

  Jill’s eyes softened and she reached across the table to take his hand. “Although it sounds wonderful, and I’m definitely interested, I’m not ready yet, Denny,” she said firmly. “I was married for twenty-five years to the same man—who I also dated for three years before we married. I’ll know when the time is right. I appreciate your patience.” Jill smiled. “I don’t see anything that could possibly happen to slow things down or stop the divorce, but I need to move carefully. I could hurt you without intending to.”

  Denny nodded. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’d be worried about my feelings?” He paused to give their order to the waiter before continuing. “I care for you, Jill. I know I might seem to be a man who has avoided commitment all his life, but it is no’ true. I never wanted to settle for less than my heart’s desire. There’s something about you that speaks to my mind, soul, and body. You’re a good woman with a heart that cares for others. From the first day I laid eyes on you, I knew that.”

  “Then we have a good foundation to build on, because I feel the same about you.” Suddenly embarrassed, she cleared her throat. “Giving that painting to Joel and Diana was such an incredible gesture. It means a lot to me that you cared enough to do that.”

  “They’re fine people, and someday I’d like to paint the little girl. She reminds me of the storybook The Littlest Angel.

  At dinner that evening, Missy nibbled oyster crackers and took slow spoonfuls of chicken broth. Bluish circles were visible under her sunken eyes, and her lips were nearly bloodless.

  “This won’t last forever, honey,” Jill assured her. “I had about three weeks of morning sickness with the twins, but then one day I woke up feeling fine, and I never had another moment of nausea the rest of the pregnancy.”

  In response, Missy smiled weakly, wiped sweat from her upper lip, and made a beeline to the bathroom. It was the third time in less than an hour. Finn, looking worried, got up to check on her, as he had done each of the previous times.

  When he returned to the kitchen, he said, “It isn’t just morning sickness, Mom. She’s been sick pretty much twenty-four/seven, but she doesn’t want meds for it, and she won’t stay home from work, either.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe she worked every day last week. Just the smells alone in a pediatric office would do me in, if I was pregnant.”

  Jill got up from the table and pulled out a large Nordstrom’s bag. “Maybe this will help her look past this not-fun stage and focus on the future,” she said, setting the bag on Missy’s chair.

  While they awaited Missy’s return from the bathroom, she updated Liam, Finn, and Brian on her feng shui cast of characters. “I just visited the most fascinating woman, Joni, who has a chocolate business in her home. In fact, there’s a huge box of her candy on the kitchen island that you ought to sample,” she said. “I’m not planning to eat them all myself, that’s for sure.”

  “Why were you visiting her?” Brian asked. “Are you redecorating her house?”

  “She’s one of my students, and I’m helping her feng shui her family area,” Jill responded. “Oh, Brian! I have to tell you about the gorgeous piano in the center of the room that her mother, Paget, used to play when she was a concert pianist—back when she lived in the house many years ago.”

  “Paget Weintraub? Are you saying that your student’s mom is Paget Weintraub?” Brian could barely contain his excitement.

  “I don’t know Paget’s last name, actually. Her daughter’s married name is Silversmith. Brian, how do you know Paget?”

  “I don’t know her that well,” Brian admitted. “I’ve been introduced to her at benefactor parties. She’s quite the diva—a real legend from when she performed many years ago. Now she’s a benefactor to the arts. I sometimes see her at receptions and shows.”

  When Missy returned and saw the Nordstrom’s bag, her eyes lit up. “What’s this?” she asked as she peered inside. She lifted out a plush brown teddy bear and said, “Oh, he’s adorable!” A little color returned to her cheeks. “Thanks, Jill. This will be the first thing to go into the nursery. Will you help us decorate the baby’s room?”

  “Just try and stop me.”

  “I’d love an animal theme,” Missy said. “And I’d prefer the colors not to be pink and blue.”

  “The room in your apartment that you’re planning to use as a nursery isn’t in the creativity and children area of your apartment. Your bathroom is. So I thought we’d add some yellow and white to your bathroom to strengthen that area. We can do whatever you want color-wise in the actual nursery, since it’s in the prosperity area, and most colors work great in there.”

  “She probably already has a dozen designs for us to look at,” Finn teased.

  “Just two,” Jill admitted. “I couldn’t resist playing around when I found out you were pregnant. One idea is to decorate the nursery, which is your prosperity area, in greens, reds, golden yellows,
and purples. We could do a rainforest theme with giraffes, elephants, and any other animal you want.”

  “I love that idea!” Missy’s face lit up.

  As they discussed furniture for the baby’s room, the doorbell rang. “I’m not expecting anyone,” Jill said, starting to rise.

  “I’ll get it, Mom,” Liam said and headed to the door.

  There were low, muffled voices and then footsteps in the hallway. Suddenly David was standing before Jill, a bottle of red wine in his hand. Liam quietly returned to his chair, his face stony.

  “David, I didn’t know you were coming over tonight.” Jill rose quickly to accept the wine from him, but turned her face so that his kiss landed on her cheek. “Th-thank you,” she stammered, unable to meet his eyes. “I’ll be glad to set another place, if you haven’t eaten yet.”

  The tips of David’s ears turned red. “That’d be great. I figured everyone would be here for dinner, so I thought I’d take a chance and stop in.”

  It was the first time Jill had ever seen David appear out of his element. He was dressed casually in a navy argyle sweater and dark jeans, and his hair was noticeably gray. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as Liam, Finn, and Missy exchanged subtle and not-so-subtle looks.

  Missy was the first to break the silence. “It’s good to see you, David,” she said shyly. She stood and gave him a hug.

  David held her tight, his hand caressing the back of her blonde head as he touched his lips to her hair. “How are you feeling, Missy?” he asked.

  “Not great, but I’m sure this morning sickness thing will be over soon.” She eased herself gingerly down into a chair.