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When he saw the size of the kitchen to the right and the setup he realized the reason.
“No way this house had a kitchen like this when you bought it.”
“No,” she said, laughing. “I had it all redone. There were a few rooms back here. Kitchen, dining room and living room. Now it’s all open. I wanted a massive island and that is where I eat most of the time.”
The island looked almost like a table with stools on one side and each end. Looked like eight by his count. Two on each end, four along the side.
There was a big dining table off to the side of the kitchen, then her living room on the opposite side.
A TV to die for on the wall over a fireplace, comfortable leather furniture and a gorgeous view of the ocean past a patio.
Who was he kidding? This house was worth a few million by the view alone.
“It’s stunning,” he said. “I don’t think I’d leave this spot though.”
He was looking out over the glass doors. Four of them that he bet all opened up like an accordion.
“I spend a lot of time on the patio. With a coffee or glass of wine. If it’s cold I’ve got the fire pit going.”
He saw it with some chairs surrounding it. Nice and cozy.
“We can sit out there later if you want,” he said.
“I’d like that. You didn’t answer my question, but you can tell me it’s none of my business if you want.”
“Huh? Oh, what my parents do. My mother is a teacher’s aide. So she gets out early and has the summers off. That is why she loves to garden. Guess it gives her something to do in the summer. My father is a welder.”
He wasn’t going to be embarrassed over his parents’ careers. Brice and Katy Harrington were great people and wonderful parents.
“And you went into the Air Force,” she said. “Is that always what you wanted to do?”
She didn’t say anything else about his parents’ careers. He wasn’t sure what he expected. She didn’t look down on them or make some comment about their working-class status.
Guess he’d built things up in his mind there from the past when he didn’t need to.
“It is,” he said. “I didn’t see myself going to college. It wasn’t for me. I got through school because it was expected, but that was about it. My mother has a two-year degree, my father trade school. They tried to talk me into doing something like that.”
“They must be proud of your career,” she said. “Proud of your service to our country.”
“They are,” he said. “I’m an only child. They just wanted to make sure I was settled. I am.”
“Do they miss you not living close by?” she asked.
He laughed. “I’m ninety minutes away by air. I take one of the helicopters home when I visit.”
“That’s nice of Egan, but I’d expect no differently.”
“In the past if I was gone it’d just be sitting there anyway. But now with four pilots and three aircraft, I’m not so sure that will always be possible.”
“I’m pretty sure Egan wouldn’t have a problem with it,” she said. “Not with his best buddy.”
“He still has a business to run,” he said.
“Can I get you a drink?” she asked. “Dinner will be ready soon.”
“Sure,” he said. “Do you have beer?”
“I do,” she said. “Help yourself to what you like. There are a few in there.”
