AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He turned and grinned at me. It probably should have bothered me that he’d gone through my things without asking, but I trusted Chris. And I really didn’t mind him getting in my underwear drawer, especially since my old-lady panties and time-of-the-month panties were shoved all the way in the back.
“Youarefull of surprises, Christopher Warner,” I said.
He smiled and winked at me.
As we crossed through downtown and drove out of town on the other end, I realized I didn’t recognize the area. I’d never been to Chris’s house before and had never had reason to visit the area. The apartment he’d had when I graduated college had been downtown. He hadn’t bought the property in the country until after we weren’t friends anymore.
The driveway was bright white gravel that almost looked like no one had ever driven on it. His two-story blue farmhouse appeared as we drove though the thick trees on both sides of the drive.
Everything looked well-designed and brand-new. The porch had a white railing that looked freshly painted, and a wooden swinging loveseat hung near some large potted plants. Compared to the messy young man’s apartment I’d visited in my early twenties, this was amazing.
This was an adult man’s home. An accomplished man.
Suddenly, I felt like I was out of my league all over again. Why would a man like him be interested in me? He was successful, while I managed a small family bookstore that hadn’t been thriving in a long time. I had my BA degree, but I didn’t earn much money. Not enough to even move off Grampa’s property.
Chris parked to the left of the house and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Home sweet home,” he said and gave me that panty-melting smile of his.
“I knew every inch of your grubby apartment years ago. It feels strange that I’ve never been here before,” I admitted out loud.
“I never liked that. I always wanted to show it off to you.”
“Well, now’s your chance.”
As we went in, I took in the homey decor. “Wow, you decorated this?” I asked in awe. I pointed at some of the artful photos on the wall in amazement.
He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, no. I hired an interior designer. I sent her pictures, and she printed them out and framed them. She used the few items I owned as inspiration to decorate the rest of the house. I’m sure it’d be pretty empty without her input.”
“She worked some magic. This is great.”
“Make yourself at home,” he said. “I’ll grab us some drinks.”
He headed into the kitchen, and I decided to explore. I was sure he could find me wherever I ended up. There was a cozy sitting room with a couch and two recliners to the left of the front door. To the right were stairs that led up to three bedrooms. One was converted into an office, another was the spare bedroom, and the one at the end of the hall was the master bedroom with a modest master bath.
Back downstairs, I followed the door to the right and entered a converted garage. Being so out of touch with Chris, I’d almost forgotten his favorite hobby. Sean hadn’t mentioned it, and I guess I’d assumed he’d given up wood carving, too busy with building his construction business. But the room was full of sculptures in various stages of completion.
A miniature sculpture of a woman sitting on a stool reading a book with a tall stack of books beside her sat on the desk. The stack was tall enough to reach past her head. She wore glasses, and her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail.
I turned when I heard footsteps behind me. Chris stood in the doorway with two glasses of wine. He seemed nervous as he crossed the distance between us, offering me a glass. I took it and sipped. It was the semi-sweet wine I’d mentioned liking during one of our conversations. Had he gone out to buy it specifically for me?
Chris was much more thoughtful than I realized he would be. I couldn’t stop feeling giddy and lucky that his attention was on me. I turned and pointed to the miniature sculpture.
“Who’s that?” I asked. She looked like Belle fromBeauty and the Beast, but I couldn’t be sure.
His cheeks darkened in a blush. “Oh, that’s, uh, you?” he phrased it as if it were a question.
I blinked. “Me?”
He nodded, shuffling his foot. “Yeah, I carved it a few months ago while thinking about you.”
“A few months ago?” That was before our truce. Before we had drawn closer, he had already been thinking about me.
He stepped closer. “You were always on my mind. Always have been. If I could be around you like we used to be, I figured I could have a sculpture of you nearby, at least. Of you and your books.” He grinned. “I remember going into your room when we were younger and finding you with a book in your hands and a huge stack from the library beside you.” He chuckled. “Smoothing down the pages and putting your bookmark in between them just right, so nothing got creased.”
My heart thundered at how he’d always paid such close attention to me, noticing things few other people did.
He licked his lips and gestured for us to head back into the main house. “Come on. I’m gonna get dinner started. You can watch.” He offered his hand, and I took it, letting him lead me anywhere he wanted.
---
