As silently as possible, I pulled the gnocchi out of the fridge, grabbed a fork and a glass of water before sitting sideways on the bench so I could look out the window at the waves.I spelled the food, making it hot, and dug in.Mmm, I needed to remember to order this again.
Even though I was already feeling chilly, I opened the window a bit so I could smell the ocean and hear the waves.I held the food container against my chest to warm myself up.Barely halfway through the food, Declan walked in with the blanket.
“Good.Can I pull anything else out of the fridge for you?”He paused, waiting.
I shook my head.“This is exactly what I want and it’s delicious.”
He nodded sleepily and climbed onto the bench beside me, letting me lean against his chest as he covered me with the blanket.“Keep eating,” he grumbled, seeming to slide into a light doze.
When I finished, I put the empty box aside and snuggled more firmly into Declan, who had his big arm wrapped around me under the blanket.I’d planned to move us both back to the couch, but I was warm, cozy, and had the ocean in my head, so I drifted off instead.
When I woke again, I was back on the couch and early morning light was streaming through the windows.Declan must have carried me here at some point, but I’d been too out of it to notice.On my way to the bathroom, I heard the water turn on.
Declan smiled as I walked in.“Perfect timing.I’ll wash your hair for you.”
“Hold that thought.”I made a pit stop in the water closet, then quickly stripped and joined him in the huge shower under the hot water.Since I’d been too sleepy to jump him last night, I made up for it this morning.When we finally got around to washing my hair, I was having a hard time standing.
After a long and vigorous shower, Declan got dressed, gave me another scorching kiss, and headed down to his workshop.I, on the other hand, took my usual forever to deal with my hair.When it was conditioned and mostly dry, I stepped back into the closet to dress for work: a long-sleeved tee, overalls, sneakers, and gloves.If the little one was coming quickly, I had a lot of octopuses to make in a short time.
Sliding a silk scrunchie onto my wrist for later, I detoured into the guest rooms.Which one should be the nursery?I walked through both, picturing a crib and changing table, considering noise and light, how quickly one of us could get in here, the way light would hit it at different times of day.
I finally based my decision on which had the prettiest view of the woods.Both were beautiful, but when I leaned against the wall where a crib and later a bed would be and looked out the window in one of the rooms, I saw a fox standing between two trees, seemingly staring up at me.I walked to the window and held up a hand in greeting.He tilted his head a moment, then disappeared back into the woods.
I took it as a good sign.Foxes represented wisdom, resilience, and intuition.Plus, they were damn cute.I’d planned to paint an underwater scene in here, but maybe it should be a forest scene instead.I’d have to think about that.Maybe do some sketches.In the meantime, I needed a lift to the gallery.
I took the internal stairs down to Declan’s workshop.He was sanding a large rectangle of wood.He looked up and smiled as he put the sander down.
“Ready to go?”he asked.
I nodded, moving closer to the wood.“It’s like an optical illusion.It’s flat.”I ran a gloved finger over the surface.“But it looks like it’s rippled.”
“Wait until I’m done and have it oiled.I’ve been holding onto this piece for a while.It’ll be our dining room table eventually.”
I scanned the workshop, looking for the crib I knew he was building.“I feel guilty.You’re supposed to be starting a business, but you’re only making pieces for us.”
He wrapped an arm around me and kissed the top of my head.“I can do both.In fact, I have a new client coming by today.I made a coffee table for a friend of his.He loved it.We’ll talk today, but he’s considering a dining table and chairs, with the possibility of a couple of coffee tables, end tables.We’ll see if our ideas align.”
His gaze dropped to my hands.“Where’s your backpack?Didn’t you bring it home last night.”
“Oh, damn.”I headed back toward the stairs, but Declan stopped me.
“I got it.”And much faster than I could have done it, he was jogging down the stairs with my backpack hanging off his shoulder.“Okay, Ursula.Let’s hit it.”
TEN
Summer Camp
It seemed so stupid to need a lift to avoid a five-minute walk down the road, but I wasn’t ignoring direct messages.Declan gave me another kiss when he dropped me off.He wanted to walk me to the back door, but I reminded him we both had work to do, and I was perfectly safe at the gallery.
Seeing the new gate made me happy all over again.It was so beautiful and in the same weathered gray as the rest of the deck.I dropped my backpack on a bench and went to the railing.
“Good morning, Cecil!How are Poppy and the babies?Hey.I just realized.We’re going to be parents at the same time.I’ll bring her down to meet yours when they hatch.”Three of Cecil’s tentacles slapped the surface of the ocean.
Wilbur’s speckled gray head popped out of the water.“Good morning.Let me get your ball.”I found it under a bench.I ducked through the studio back door, got the long orange ball flippy thing, used it to pick up the waterlogged ball, and went back to the railing.
“Are you ready?”
Wilbur barked, so I reached back and sent the ball sailing over the waves.While he arrowed through the water after it, I leaned over again and said hello to my starfish friends, Charlie and Herbert.
