shrinklike on me. Do you really want to dissect this?”
He nodded, his expression serious. “I believe I do.”
“Well, I don’t. It makes me feel like one of your case studies. I’ve told you before, I hate that feeling.”
“Has it occurred to you that friends actually talkabout their emotions to one another? I know for a fact you talk to Abby and Connor about stuff. Why is it different talking to me?”
“You’re a shrink,” she said as if that explained everything. In fact, she thought it did.
“But I’m not your shrink,” he said.
“It just feels weird.”
He backed off at once. “Okay, then we won’t talk about anything you’re feeling, about me or anything else,” he said readily. “What are you planning to do with this space, once you have it cleaned out?”
“I’m hoping to turn it into a suite,” she said at once, eager to change the subject. “A honeymoon suite, in fact.” In her enthusiasm for the project, she described every detail she’d envisioned. “And look out the window, Will. There’s the most amazing view from up here. I’d like to open up that wall with more windows, if Dad says the structure can take it. It would be so incredible to wake up in this room with the bay and practically the whole town bathed in sunlight at daybreak.”
Will smiled at her enthusiasm. He moved to look out the window, then nodded. “It would be fantastic, Jess. Instead of a honeymoon suite, though, you could make this area into your rooms. There’s enough space for a living room, even a little kitchenette. It would be incredibly cozy up here. In fact, the chimney’s right over there. I’ll bet you could even put in a fireplace.”
She glanced around, suddenly seeing the space as he’d described it. “Oh, my gosh, I never even thought of that. What a great idea!” She sobered at once. “Of course, I shouldn’t keep the best space for myself. Guests would pay a fortune for a self-contained suite like that.”
“Up to you, but it seems to me the inn’s owner should be comfortable.”
“My rooms downstairs are fine,” she insisted. Besides, she had a feeling that the room she was envisioning and that Will was describing would be far too romantic for one. It would be meant for a couple, two people in love. Still, the thought of it charmed her.
Will’s gaze caught hers. “What happens when you have a family, Jess? Will you live somewhere else or stay here?”
“I’ve never thought that far ahead,” she admitted. “I mean, if it was just me and a husband, I suppose we’d stay here, but if there were kids…” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged.
“You have plenty of property,” he reminded her. “You could always build a home right here. That way you’d have your privacy, but you’d be close enough to keep an eye on things.”
She couldn’t deny the idea made sense, but such a thing was a long way down the road. She didn’t even have a man, much less a family.
Even as she told herself that, though, she couldn’t help envisioning Will up here in this very space, by her side, sitting in front of a cozy fire, the view of Chesapeake Shores spread out before them. The image was so clear, so captivating, it stunned her. She blinked and forced her attention back to the trunk of old books in front of her.
“I’m never going to be able to do anything up here if I don’t stop daydreaming,” she said.
“But daydreaming serves a purpose, don’t you think?” Will said. “It allows us to play out all the scenarios ofour future so we can sort through them and see which ones seem to fit.”
“Do you do a lot of daydreaming?”
“All the time.”
“What do you think about?”
Will’s cheeks colored again. “Oh, this and that. Nothing worth talking about.”
Jess chuckled. “This and that, huh? Is there somebody special in these daydreams of yours?”
He pinned her with a look. “What fun is a daydream if there’s no one in it with you?”
She had to
He nodded, his expression serious. “I believe I do.”
“Well, I don’t. It makes me feel like one of your case studies. I’ve told you before, I hate that feeling.”
“Has it occurred to you that friends actually talkabout their emotions to one another? I know for a fact you talk to Abby and Connor about stuff. Why is it different talking to me?”
“You’re a shrink,” she said as if that explained everything. In fact, she thought it did.
“But I’m not your shrink,” he said.
“It just feels weird.”
He backed off at once. “Okay, then we won’t talk about anything you’re feeling, about me or anything else,” he said readily. “What are you planning to do with this space, once you have it cleaned out?”
“I’m hoping to turn it into a suite,” she said at once, eager to change the subject. “A honeymoon suite, in fact.” In her enthusiasm for the project, she described every detail she’d envisioned. “And look out the window, Will. There’s the most amazing view from up here. I’d like to open up that wall with more windows, if Dad says the structure can take it. It would be so incredible to wake up in this room with the bay and practically the whole town bathed in sunlight at daybreak.”
Will smiled at her enthusiasm. He moved to look out the window, then nodded. “It would be fantastic, Jess. Instead of a honeymoon suite, though, you could make this area into your rooms. There’s enough space for a living room, even a little kitchenette. It would be incredibly cozy up here. In fact, the chimney’s right over there. I’ll bet you could even put in a fireplace.”
She glanced around, suddenly seeing the space as he’d described it. “Oh, my gosh, I never even thought of that. What a great idea!” She sobered at once. “Of course, I shouldn’t keep the best space for myself. Guests would pay a fortune for a self-contained suite like that.”
“Up to you, but it seems to me the inn’s owner should be comfortable.”
“My rooms downstairs are fine,” she insisted. Besides, she had a feeling that the room she was envisioning and that Will was describing would be far too romantic for one. It would be meant for a couple, two people in love. Still, the thought of it charmed her.
Will’s gaze caught hers. “What happens when you have a family, Jess? Will you live somewhere else or stay here?”
“I’ve never thought that far ahead,” she admitted. “I mean, if it was just me and a husband, I suppose we’d stay here, but if there were kids…” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged.
“You have plenty of property,” he reminded her. “You could always build a home right here. That way you’d have your privacy, but you’d be close enough to keep an eye on things.”
She couldn’t deny the idea made sense, but such a thing was a long way down the road. She didn’t even have a man, much less a family.
Even as she told herself that, though, she couldn’t help envisioning Will up here in this very space, by her side, sitting in front of a cozy fire, the view of Chesapeake Shores spread out before them. The image was so clear, so captivating, it stunned her. She blinked and forced her attention back to the trunk of old books in front of her.
“I’m never going to be able to do anything up here if I don’t stop daydreaming,” she said.
“But daydreaming serves a purpose, don’t you think?” Will said. “It allows us to play out all the scenarios ofour future so we can sort through them and see which ones seem to fit.”
“Do you do a lot of daydreaming?”
“All the time.”
“What do you think about?”
Will’s cheeks colored again. “Oh, this and that. Nothing worth talking about.”
Jess chuckled. “This and that, huh? Is there somebody special in these daydreams of yours?”
He pinned her with a look. “What fun is a daydream if there’s no one in it with you?”
She had to
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