“I can look for you before we leave. Why don’t you give Jordan a tour?” He’d seen the house plenty when they’d been together, had helped her pack up her grandmother’s clothes and things that she didn’t need. They hadn’t realized Chelsea wouldn’t be coming back right away.
Taking Jordan’s hand, Chelsea roamed from the spacious entry hall through the living room. It still had all the old Victorian furniture in it with the dated wallpaper and pictures.
“Are you leaving it like this?” he asked.
“I hadn’t thought that far yet. This is all Gram’s stuff, and I loved her, but it’s not family friendly. I wouldn’t mind getting some furniture that was a bit cozier.”
“You could always keep one of the rooms in the old time period and update the others.”
Her head tipped. “That might be nice. Pick out my favorite pieces of furniture and decorations, put them in that back parlor, but redo the rest of the house.”
After scoping out the kitchen, dining room, office and back parlor, Chelsea led them upstairs.
“This a weally big house, Mama. Who are all these wooms for?”
“This one was my grandmother’s.” She pointed to the one to the right of the stairs, then moved to the other front room. “This one was mine anytime I came to visit.”
As they filed inside, Theo was transported back in time. Chelsea had been here for a few months, and they’d spent lots of time together. It had been a hot July day, and they’d finished packing up most of her grandmother’s things. Giving them away had been hard for her. At one point, the pain of losing her grandmother had overwhelmed her and he’d held her close, trying to comfort her. One thing had led to another, and soon they’d found themselves on her old bed, kissing, touching, caressing, and so aroused with passion they couldn’t stop. That day, he knew he never wanted her to leave.
Glancing at her now, he felt the old longing and desire pulse through him, stronger than ever. Her cheeks blushed a pretty pink as she stared back. Her mind must be on the same memory.
“Can I have a woom when I visit?” Jordan asked, jumping up and down, oblivious to the charge of electricity coursing through the space.
Chelsea eyed him cautiously. Was he ready to do a split custody thing? It wasn’t anything he’d ever thought he’d need to worry about.
“Maybe once your mom has the house in better shape.” Right now, there was evidence of rodents and disrepair. Nothing too bad, but he’d never want Jordan exposed to any kind of danger.
“Yippee!” The jumping got more enthusiastic. “Can I pick out my color to paint it?”
“Of course, you can,” Chelsea said. “What color would you like?”
Theo already knew what the answer would be.
“Pink.”
“A nice pale pink would look pretty.”
“You might want to choose the shade. Last time she picked out the color for her room, it was neon pink. I had to veto that.”
“I’m not sure when I’ll get around to hiring a painter. The inspector you recommended is coming Monday. Since the Jordan Pond cleanup is close to done, I figured that would be okay.”
When he touched her arm, she inhaled swiftly at the contact. “Concentrate on what you need to do here, Chelsea. The house needs lots of work.”
“Mama, what is this?” Jordan held a small frame with some stitching on it.
Chelsea stepped closer and took the frame. “Where’d you find this, sweetheart?”
“In the drawer in there.” She pointed to a back bedroom.
“Jordan Marie, you shouldn’t go snooping in other people’s things.” He’d taught her better than this.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” Chelsea said softly, quelling the anxiety on their daughter’s face. “I need to go through everything in the house, anyway. I never quite got around to that when I…left.”
Her gaze landed on the frame again, and her brows knit together. Then, she reached under her top and pulled out a small locket.
“The saying on this embroidery sampler…it’s the same as the locket my grandmother gave me years ago. ‘A joyful heart is good medicine.’ I never knew where the saying came from.” She held up the frame. “This says it’s from Proverbs 17:22.”
“Can I see, Mama?” Jordan stood on tiptoe to see the locket.
