Chapter Thirty-Three
Interior Design Genius
I’ve given him time, and I’ve been patient. Another week has passed since I gave myself the last pep-talk, but I’m starting to run out of optimism. Sadly. The more time that goes by with Sam working fourteen-hour days, the more I think I’m better off alone.
Seriously.
Feeding this man is a full-time job.
Today, I’ve got a roast in the slow cooker. A slow cooker I had to go out and buy because so many of the recipes I found required one.
I fought myself on it, believe me. I asked myself, why do I need one? I work from home. But this does make things easier, because when he finally gets home, I can just heat up the package of ready-to-go rice and the steamable veggies, and voilá, dinner’s ready.
See, I seem to enjoy complaining about my newfound desire to cook, but the truth is, I’m not bad at it. Cooking. And I’m a firm believer in life-long learning.
I’d smile at that entire last paragraph if I weren’t so frustrated and depressed about it all. I should really talk to him. We’ve been in this particular holding pattern going on three weeks, and I’m not sure—
“Colette?”
I look up from my desk to see Sam walk through my front door. I glance at the clock. “What are you doing home so early?”
Gah. I called it home.
I’ve been doing that a lot.
“I’ve got a surprise for you.” In his left hand, he holds out a small bouquet of wildflowers. In his other, he’s actually got a box of candy. The good stuff.
“A surprise?” I ask, reaching for the candy.
“Can you take the afternoon off and come with me?”
I glance back at the manuscript I’ve been working on. I’m way ahead of schedule on it. “Sure.” I stand up and slip on my sandals. “Where are we going?”
He ignores my question. “Ready?”
“Yep.”
He holds his hand out. I place mine in it and let him pull me out the door to his truck.
****
Pulling up the long driveway to his house, I glance over at him. “What are we doing here?”
“You’ll see.”
Sam parks in the same spot as the first time we were here. I wait for him to help me down even though I can now do it on my own. At his front door, Sam smiles at me. “Close your eyes.”
“Okay.”
I hear him unlock the door, then open it. “You can look now.”
Opening my eyes, I gaze at the inside of the house. My eyes go straight to the large windows, then down. “The floors are in?” Stepping over the threshold, I see the tile I chose for the entryway. “The tile.” I point down.
“Check out the fireplace.”
I glance to my right and see everything I chose for that, including the mantel and stone that goes all the way up the ceiling. The walls are white as I suggested, and there are faux beams on the ceiling that were also my idea. I mentioned that one night in bed. He must have been paying attention when I assumed he was dozing.
Then my eyes move to the kitchen. I walk at a fast clip so I can get a closer look. “The counters and the island. It’s perfect in blue.” I check out the cabinets, then the backsplash that is full of rich pattern in earth tones and blues. “Perfect,” I say as I run my hands over the cool, smooth texture.
