“Cutting the grass or painting the Adirondack chairs is something to do, Nate. Adding an entertainment room is on a whole other level. I never should have introduced him to HGTV.”
Nate laughed. “I’m sure my brothers-in-law wish my sisters hadn’t discovered the channel either. But me taking this on isn’t a big deal. I like to keep busy and work with my hands. Then again, I’m not the one who lost their room.”
“Losing my room isn’t the problem. Cost is, and so is time.” She told him about Sunday’s tour.
“Shouldn’t be a problem having it done by Saturday night. Hunter offered to give me a hand, and I’ll put Ryder to work. He needs to stay busy. He’s already cut the grass, and he was painting the Adirondack chairs when I left. Joe and the judge were supervising.”
And she’d offered to put Ryder on the payroll. Between that and the costs of the renovations and redesign, she’d blow through her savings in a couple of weeks. “How much did all that cost?” She nodded at the supplies in the bed of the truck.
“A lot less than it would to rent a two-room suite at the inn, so don’t worry about it.”
“At the rate you’re going, you’ll have a room at the inn with your name on it.” Just what a commitment-phobe wants to hear, she told herself, but at that moment she was too overwhelmed to think of something else to say.
A car door slammed. Nate glanced in the direction of a black BMW and grimaced before refocusing on Ellie. “You should get back to the inn and check on Joe and Ryder’s progress. I won’t be long.” He moved away from the truck, turning toward a leggy blonde striding in his direction. She wore a tight-fitting red T-shirt with short shorts and four-inch platform sandals. It was a look Ellie couldn’t hope to pull off, but this woman rocked it.
“Hey, Tiff,” Nate said, sounding uncomfortable.
“‘Hey, Tiff’? That’s all you’ve got?” The blonde drilled a cherry-red fingernail into Nate’s chest. “You told me you didn’t do relationships, and I actually appreciated your honesty.”
Nate glanced at Ellie over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. She started the engine, but instead of pulling away, she sat in the idling truck, too intrigued to leave. She was pretty sure Nate sighed before saying to Tiff, “I didn’t lie to you. I don’t do relationships.”
“Really, so what’s this?” She held up her phone. “You’re obviously in a relationship with this woman. You’re in seventh place for the Most Romantic Couple in Highland Falls.”
“Oh, crap,” Ellie murmured, putting the truck into Drive. It was time to get out of Dodge. No way was she explaining to the ticked-off blonde that she was the other half of that couple, even if they were on the list under false pretenses. She had a feeling Tiff wouldn’t believe her. Besides that, Ellie didn’t feel like sticking around to see how Nate reacted to them being on the list. She’d rather do that without an audience.
She’d left Forever Treasures feeling like she had things under control, but all it had taken was a five-minute conversation with Nate to prove she was kidding herself. And not just about the room redesign. Her crush on Nate was alive and well. She didn’t stop thinking about him and Tiff the entire drive back to the inn. She wondered if he’d take Tiff out to make it up to her. Nate might not do relationships, but as she knew from personal experience, he also didn’t like to intentionally hurt people.
A tiny spark of jealousy flared to life inside her at the thought of Tiff and Nate on a date in Highland Falls. Every business in town had jumped on the love-and-romance bandwagon. Tiff looked like a woman who’d use that to her advantage.
“Get a grip, Ellie,” she muttered as she parked the truck at the inn. She had more important things to do than obsess about Nate’s love life. She had to confront her grandfather, for one.
The first place she checked was his room. He wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the dining room either. But the gaping hole to the right of the dust-covered kitchen was. She went to stand in the wide-open empty space that had been her bedroom for the past eight months. It used to be part of her grandparents’ suite. She’d reconfigured the room the day she’d arrived. She’d wanted to be close to her grandfather in case he needed her in the night.
But as she stood there surveying the space, she had to admit converting it to an entertainment area for guests was a good idea. It was the timing of the reno that she wasn’t on board with. She glanced out the window and spotted Ryder sitting on the dock painting an Adirondack chair. Toby was the only one with him.
“You can’t hide from me forever, Grandpa,” she called out, and headed for the sliding glass door. She heard a bang—like something had dropped, and it wasn’t a body—as she stepped onto the patio. She’d deal with her grandfather later. Right now she wanted to check on Ryder. She hadn’t spoken to him since she’d tucked him into bed last night.
“Great job,” she said as she walked across the lawn to the dock.
“You don’t mind that I painted the chair different colors?” he asked, looking nervous. “There were a bunch of half-empty paint cans, so I thought I’d use up what was there.”
He’d painted the chair a pale turquoise, the three middle back slats mint green. “I don’t mind at all. It looks amazing. You’re very creative. Do you like to paint?” She crouched beside Toby, waiting until he nudged her hand with his nose to pat him.
Ryder shrugged, but a small, pleased smile turned up the corner of his mouth. “Other than finger painting and that kind of stuff in grade school, I’ve never painted before. It’s okay, I guess.”
He liked it better than he was letting on. “I love to paint. I find it relaxing, rewarding too.” She used to get lost in her painting. It was the best form of stress relief. But she hadn’t painted in years.
“Were those your paintings in the closet? I wasn’t snooping,” he quickly added. “It’s just that we cleaned out your room this morning.”
“To make room for my grandfather’s man cave. Yeah, I heard.”
He grinned. “I bet the guests will like it. Especially if they have kids. Joe’s plans for it are pretty sweet.”
“I bet they are. He should be watching Low-Budget Designs instead of Bargain Mansions on HGTV.”
“That’s what Nate told him.” He laughed, then glanced at her. “So the paintings, are they yours?”
She nodded. “I painted them years ago. I got my bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Columbia.”
“They’re really good. Why don’t you paint anymore?”
Because every time she did, she heard her mother’s withering critiques. It hadn’t been long before Ellie’s internal critic had parroted her mother. Self-doubt, Ellie had discovered, was crippling when it came to artistic expression.
“Thanks. I’m glad you like them. But I discovered pretty quickly that I wasn’t going to make a living as an artist. My degree wasn’t a complete waste though. I make my living finding special pieces and artwork for my clients.” She told him about Custom Concierge.
“That’s cool.”
“It is.” She smiled and glanced at the chairs lining the beach. “If you’re up for it, you can paint the rest of the chairs. They look boring compared to this one.”