something light and flowery. It had always reminded him of her grandmother's garden. For a long time he hadn't been able to smell a rose without being transported to Rose Cottage. When Kelsey had wanted
103 103
to put rose bushes all around their house, he'd vehemently protested. To Pete's relief, she'd grudgingly substituted a hodgepodge of lilacs, hydrangeas and azaleas, which she'd then neglected.
He'd eventually come to hate that little house with its haphazard, struggling garden. No more than an aging beach cottage, it was cramped and filled with reminders of all the mistakes he'd ever made. He'd kept the roof solid and the exterior painted, but he'd been so busy building his business, he hadn't had the time or money to invest in any of the extras that would have made it more livable. If the people whose homes he'd built in recent years had ever seen where he lived, he wasn't sure they would be trusting him with their dream homes.
He was about to change that, though. One of the places he wanted Jo to landscape was going to be his. He hadn't told her that. He wasn't sure why, except that he hadn't decided which house to keep just yet. He was half hoping that her reaction would help him decide. Maybe he even feared she'd back out of the job if she thought he was the client she was ultimately going to have to please. After all, he'd pretty much agreed to give her carte blanche to landscape the places for some anonymous buyers who'd hopefully come along in the spring.
They rode the few miles to the first house in silence. That was another thing he'd always loved about Jo. She'd never felt the need to fill every minute with chatter. It was yet another way in which Kelsey had fallen short by comparison. Kelsey couldn't keep quiet for ten minutes if her life depended on it. It had driven him nuts. A million other traits had driven him just as crazy, but
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the one positive?his son?had made him struggle to ignore the rest.
When he turned onto the dirt road that led to the first Cape Cod-style house with its soft gray shingles and white trim, he slanted a look at Jo. She was sitting on the edge of the seat, her eyes filled with anticipation. When the house finally came into view, she gasped.
"Oh, Pete, it's absolutely beautiful." She turned to him with shining eyes. "Can I see the inside?"
He grinned. "You planning to landscape in there, too?"
"Very funny." She gave him a pleading look. "Please?"
He laughed, taking pleasure in her delight. "Of course you can see the inside. It's still a work in progress. A lot of the finishing touches won't be done until March or so. The real estate market around here kicks into high gear in April, so I'm not rushing to complete it too much ahead of that."
"That's okay, I can use my imagination."
The minute he pulled to a stop, she leaped eagerly from the truck without waiting for his assistance. She was halfway to the front door by the time he caught up with her.
"You're awfully eager," he teased. "Or are you just cold?"
"Eager," she said without hesitation as she crossed the sweeping porch and waited for him. "Come on, slowpoke. Open up."
Pete unlocked the front door, then stepped aside and waited, his heart admittedly in his throat.
"Oh, my," Jo murmured as she stepped into the foyer with its shining hardwood floors and a skylight that
105 105
sent sunlight cascading over everything, turning the oak to a golden hue. "It's beautiful."
She walked through the downstairs rooms almost reverently, expressing delight with the windows, the fireplace, the crown molding, the French doors in the dining room that led to a soft pink brick patio, the bright kitchen with its view of the Chesapeake Bay from the window that would eventually be over the sink as well as from the bay windows around the built-in breakfast nook that had been framed in, but not completed.
"It's charming," she said over and over. "Absolutely perfect." She grinned at him. "You have
103 103
to put rose bushes all around their house, he'd vehemently protested. To Pete's relief, she'd grudgingly substituted a hodgepodge of lilacs, hydrangeas and azaleas, which she'd then neglected.
He'd eventually come to hate that little house with its haphazard, struggling garden. No more than an aging beach cottage, it was cramped and filled with reminders of all the mistakes he'd ever made. He'd kept the roof solid and the exterior painted, but he'd been so busy building his business, he hadn't had the time or money to invest in any of the extras that would have made it more livable. If the people whose homes he'd built in recent years had ever seen where he lived, he wasn't sure they would be trusting him with their dream homes.
He was about to change that, though. One of the places he wanted Jo to landscape was going to be his. He hadn't told her that. He wasn't sure why, except that he hadn't decided which house to keep just yet. He was half hoping that her reaction would help him decide. Maybe he even feared she'd back out of the job if she thought he was the client she was ultimately going to have to please. After all, he'd pretty much agreed to give her carte blanche to landscape the places for some anonymous buyers who'd hopefully come along in the spring.
They rode the few miles to the first house in silence. That was another thing he'd always loved about Jo. She'd never felt the need to fill every minute with chatter. It was yet another way in which Kelsey had fallen short by comparison. Kelsey couldn't keep quiet for ten minutes if her life depended on it. It had driven him nuts. A million other traits had driven him just as crazy, but
104
FOR THE LOVE OF PETE
the one positive?his son?had made him struggle to ignore the rest.
When he turned onto the dirt road that led to the first Cape Cod-style house with its soft gray shingles and white trim, he slanted a look at Jo. She was sitting on the edge of the seat, her eyes filled with anticipation. When the house finally came into view, she gasped.
"Oh, Pete, it's absolutely beautiful." She turned to him with shining eyes. "Can I see the inside?"
He grinned. "You planning to landscape in there, too?"
"Very funny." She gave him a pleading look. "Please?"
He laughed, taking pleasure in her delight. "Of course you can see the inside. It's still a work in progress. A lot of the finishing touches won't be done until March or so. The real estate market around here kicks into high gear in April, so I'm not rushing to complete it too much ahead of that."
"That's okay, I can use my imagination."
The minute he pulled to a stop, she leaped eagerly from the truck without waiting for his assistance. She was halfway to the front door by the time he caught up with her.
"You're awfully eager," he teased. "Or are you just cold?"
"Eager," she said without hesitation as she crossed the sweeping porch and waited for him. "Come on, slowpoke. Open up."
Pete unlocked the front door, then stepped aside and waited, his heart admittedly in his throat.
"Oh, my," Jo murmured as she stepped into the foyer with its shining hardwood floors and a skylight that
105 105
sent sunlight cascading over everything, turning the oak to a golden hue. "It's beautiful."
She walked through the downstairs rooms almost reverently, expressing delight with the windows, the fireplace, the crown molding, the French doors in the dining room that led to a soft pink brick patio, the bright kitchen with its view of the Chesapeake Bay from the window that would eventually be over the sink as well as from the bay windows around the built-in breakfast nook that had been framed in, but not completed.
"It's charming," she said over and over. "Absolutely perfect." She grinned at him. "You have
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