Page 20 of Always My Love

ChapterSeven

The moment they stepped into Nick’s house, her curiosity had her scanning around his place.

The front door opened up into the living room and attached kitchen area. Light hardwood flooring ran throughout the massive space.

The walls were painted a soft gray color and only a few pictures hung on them. The windows had blinds on them but they were currently open to allow the colorful sunset to fill the room.

His furniture was modern and appeared brand new. A dark gray leather sofa sat against a wall of windows and faced two soft gray leather chairs. A huge leather ottoman acted as the coffee table and had a tray on top that held bright yellow flowers in a blue vase.

There was a gas fireplace in the corner between two walls of windows that looked out to the backyard.

Nick hung up his coat and Blue’s leash on a wall of hooks next to the door while she took a moment to further explore what she could.

His kitchen was huge. The cupboards had glass fronts on them and were made from the same light wood as the floors. All of the appliances were stainless steel and appeared to be brand new. Actually, everything she could see appeared new, including the marble countertops. The dining room table and chairs sat on the opposite side of a high-top bar area with four bar stools.

She could make out a coffee bar on the back side of the kitchen just beyond his refrigerator.

“Blue’s kennel is back here,” he said, motioning for her to follow him through the kitchen.

There was a massive laundry room past a small powder room. Besides his washer and dryer, there was a full freezer and rows and rows of shelves filled with canned goods.

Blue rushed into his kennel and snuggled down, and Lucy happily climbed in with her brother.

“Do you think they’ll be okay sharing for a while?” he asked as he shut the door behind the dogs.

“I think they’re going to sleep the entire time we’re gone,” she said. Then her curiosity got the better of her. “How about a tour of your home before we head to get food?”

“Sure. This is the laundry slash storage area for all the canned food my mom and aunt think I need to eat.” He smiled. “Plus, I use this as a mud room now that I have Blue. He comes in a little wet and covered in sand when we take walks on the beach. That door leads out to a walkway. Less than a block away is the beach.”

She nodded, then followed him out of the room. “The kitchen, dining room, living room.”

She smiled. “I saw them quickly. I like your coffee bar area.” She ran her hand over the marble countertop.

“I built that. This space used to be just a wall. This door leads to the garage.” He motioned to the door next to the coffee bar. “Powder room, which I finished remodeling a few months ago.”

She poked her head into the small space.

The walls were painted a pale blue. There was a pedestal sink, a toilet, a small window that she guessed looked out to his side yard, and a painting over the toilet of a sailboat.

“Nice,” she said and then followed him back through the kitchen. He opened a solid wood door.

“My pantry.” He waved his hand.

She stepped in and gasped. “This is a dream.”

There were shelves of organizers all labeled with their contents. A countertop held his toaster, blender, and air fryer. Everything was so organized Harper wanted to take a picture of it so she could recreate it at her place, somehow.

“Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit. Blake Stevens came up with the design. Actually, all of my furniture and the colors in the place are her doing,” he admitted.

“Wow, she did an amazing job.” She followed him down a little hallway.

“We’ll head downstairs first.” He stood back as she took the stairs at the end of the short hallway, then followed her to the basement.

She hadn’t expected to step into a massive music room. Guitars hung on the wall above a grand piano.

“You play?” she asked, walking over to the piano.

“I had lessons while Kate danced. I like the guitar better. It’s more manly, or so Kate always joked.” He grinned.