“Well...” He let the door swing open. “I am good at restaurants.”
She stepped inside and looked around. “In this big barn of a building?”
“Oh, come on,” he urged. “I thought your creative brain might kick into gear. Whatever happened to country chic?”
She had to laugh at herself. “I’m sorry. Let me regroup here. I’ll put on my designer’s cap.” She closed her eyes, took a breath, then opened them. “Wow. Okay, I think I can see it.”
“Seriously?” He blinked.
“Well, the space is probably too big as it is. No one wants to eat in a barn. But what if you separated it? You know, break it up some. A restaurant over there.” She pointed to one side. “A lounge there, maybe with a small music stage. And what about a shop near the door for specialty food items? You know, like some of the things you use in your restaurant? Maybe you could even lease it out to someone to help cover expenses.”
Victor was nodding eagerly. “Yes, yes, and yes. Wow, you really do have a designer’s brain.”
“And you’re right about keeping the decor country chic. But you’d want it to be Italian country chic. I’m thinking Tuscany. Like an old mill building in the Tuscan hill country. Maybe a winery or olive oil factory. Not that I’ve been there to see any of that. But I’ve read some fabulous books.” She listed several titles. “And the authors wrote as much about decor as food. It felt like I was really there. In fact, I’ve dreamed of going there ever since reading those.”
“But you chose the Bahamas?” he asked.
“Well, that’s because I was alone, and it was a good deal. I think you really need someone to go with you to a place like Tuscany.” She didn’t admit she’d dreamt of a Tuscan honeymoon.
“I love your ideas,” he told her. “Is this a free consultation, or are you going to send me a bill?”
She laughed, but continued strolling about the building’s interior, listing its assets, like the plank floors and bulky posts and beams that were probably a hundred years old. “It’s really a diamond in the rough,” she finally proclaimed. “Well, as long as you can afford it ... and afford to fix it up. The suggestions I’m making would be pretty costly.”
“All good points.” He rubbed his chin. “And I’ll admit that originally I was just curious about the potential here. I hadn’t really dreamed that it could possibly happen.” He turned to look at her. “I think I’ve been thinking more about dreams ... ever since that time we talked about it. It’s like something ignited in me.”
She just nodded. “I’ve sort of felt the same. I think we need to nurture our dreams.”
“And seize the moment,” he said. “It’s one thing to just dream about something but another thing to act on it.”
“Do you really think you might buy this place?” She felt a smidgen of worry now. Hopefully she wasn’t encouraging him to board a sinking ship.
“I’m going to carefully consider it. And, of course, I need to pray about it as well. This time, I’d like God to be directing me.”
She was relieved. “Good for you.”
He looked at his watch. “It’s past noon. You hungry?”
“I could be.”
“Well, I’m starved. I had a bowl of dry cereal before dawn so I could finish up my chores early. And if you can trust me, I have a plan. Something I hope you’ll enjoy.”
“Try me.”
He grinned. “Okay. I’m going to assume you’re an outdoorsy girl.”
“I used to be ... before my work got so demanding. Then time sort of got away from me. But I used to hike and bike and ski and all sorts of things.”
“Ski?” His eyes lit up. “How about snowshoeing?”
“I’ve always wanted to try it, but—”
“Fantastic. Let me make some quick phone calls.”
Within mere minutes, Victor had gotten them a brown bag lunch from the deli to take with them, and they were outfitted for snowshoeing. Carol knew such accomplishments would’ve taken hours in Seattle. But in a tiny town like this,where Victor seemed to know everyone, it was all surprisingly simple.
It took less than thirty minutes to get to a small wildlife preserve outside Miller’s Creek. As they tromped around on virgin snow, the world became a magical place. But Carol felt the best part was just being with Victor. He was so much fun, and when she stumbled, he would gently pull her back to her feet. On her third or fourth fall, he pulled her up and then held her so close, she could feel his heart thumping in his chest. Or was it hers?
He was looking right into her eyes with an intensity that took her breath away. And it wasn’t just from snowshoeing either! And just like that, it happened—he kissed her. Gently and tenderly at first, but then, as she responded, he added so much passion that she felt slightly dizzy when he let her go and stepped back. So much so that she lost her balance and her feet—like a clown with oversized shoes—flew up in the air as she fell backward. He reached out to stop her fall, but instead of catching her, he tumbled down in a heap of poles and snowshoes and flying snow as well. Both were laughing so hard, they could barely get back up on their feet. Almost like a real icebreaker, they were now so jovial and happy and comfortable that the trek back to the pickup felt like a short hop.
