AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He looks up at the old two-story house. “So this is her?”
“Uh-huh.” I laugh. “It’s really in need of everything.”
“I did a little digging today, and did you know that this is the oldest house in the neighborhood?”
“Is it?”
“Yeah, and originally the entire neighborhood was this house’s meadows.”
“Oh.” I smile up at my big old house. “I knew she was special.”
“Very special.” He smiles. “What are your plans for her?”
I love how he calls my house a her.
“I want to try and keep the old-world feel as authentic as I possibly can.”
He listens.
“You know when you go away for the weekend to a really well-kept country house and everything is modern but with an old-fashioned design?”
“You want to keep the integrity of its age?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“You want it to feel like the luxurious house that it was back in the day.”
“Exactly.” I smile. “That’s exactly what I’m after. I want to walk in here and feel transported into . . . another world. I don’t necessarily want modern, but I want beautiful.”
Joel smiles dreamily up at the house. “Sounds perfect.”
The black Range Rover comes creeping up the road, and Henley looks at us as he drives past. He glares in, and I glare back.
“How long have you been here?” Joel asks as we walk up the front steps.
“Three weeks. I’m ready to get started. If we can at least work out a color design and what couch I need to order, that would be amazing.”
We walk through the front door, and he looks around at the dreary, sparse space. “Wow,” he says in surprise.
“It needs a lot of work, doesn’t it?” I wince.
“This is going to be so beautiful when it’s finished, Juliet.”
I go up on my toes with excitement. Finally, someone who sees in it what I do. He gets out a pad and pencil. “I’m just going to walk through the house and take some notes and make a quick floor plan.”
“Sounds great.”
He wanders around for a little while. I hear a knock just as we are standing in the foyer, and I open the front door.
“Henley.” I frown.
He’s wearing his navy suit, and instantly his dominance is felt in the room. “Hello.” His eyes flick to Joel. “Who are you?”
Chapter 7
I widen my eyes at him . . . rude.
I introduce them. “Henley, this is Joel.” I smile awkwardly. “Joel, this is my neighbor Henley.”
