She looked surprised, but shrugged. “Sure, why not? It’ll be nice to see your Highland cows, too. If I’d known they were even cuter in real life than they are in pictures, I’d have gotten one years ago.”
“Terrific.” He jerked his head toward his back seat, where a large brown paper bag sat. “I brought takeout. I’d cook for you, but the kitchen hasn’t been redone yet. I’m sad to say that it’s still in its original, primitive form.”
“No worries. Adorbs and takeout sound pretty good.”
He started the truck and they headed to his place, Ella chatting effortlessly, telling him about her day and the sold-out bake-off and cooking demonstration. He asked the occasional question, but mostly he just savored the feel of being with her.
When they got to the farm, he parked in the gravel drive near the house. “Want to eat now? Or see the cows?”
“I’m pretty hungry. Do you think Adorbs would feel slighted if we ate first?”
“Not at all, especially since I got us the meatloaf special from the café.” He grabbed the bag from the back seat and led the way up to the house.
She stopped on the wide porch and looked around with appreciation. “This is much bigger than it looks from the driveway.”
“When I first came to look at this place, the real estate agent told me it had ‘a spacious porch.’ She didn’t mention there were huge holes in it, where the wood had rotted out. But it’s been fixed now.”
She squinted at the ceiling of the porch. “Haint blue! I love that shade.”
He opened the door and stood to one side. “I need some rocking chairs.”
“Yes, you do.” She walked past him into the foyer. It was partially done. The floors had been newly repaired and refinished but were covered with Ram Board to protect them. The walls had been painted a creamy white to offset the original dark wood trim. A small, simple brass-and-milk-glass chandelier sat on a crate in the corner, ready to be hung from the waiting blue electric box visible in the ceiling.
“It’s not finished.” He could have kicked himself for stating the obvious.
She wandered around, running her fingers over the newel post at the bottom of the stairs. “You’re leaving the original woodwork intact. I like that.”
“Look what we found when we started working.” He walked to the wide, framed opening that led to the living room and slid a pocket door into sight. “Every entry doorway had these. They were still here, still on their tracks, too, but someone had covered them up.”
“Ridiculous.” She followed him into the living room and stood in the middle of it, looking around. “So much light. That’s a huge fireplace.”
“There are four of them this size, two on this floor and two upstairs. Every tile surround is different. I’m trying to restore those, but it’s been a chore finding matching tile.”
Her gaze moved up to the high ceilings. “Uncomplicated and yet strong. I like your style.”
“This house was built in the same era as your family home; it’s just not as ornate.”
“Whatever the age, it has a great vibe.” She turned in a slow circle, and then said simply, “I love it.”
He couldn’t have been prouder. She saw past the unfinished windows, the covered wood floors, and the half-completed masonry. Smiling, he held up the paper bag containing their dinner. “We can eat in the kitchen. It’s not finished, but the workers made it a break room, so there are folding chairs and a few sawhorses with boards over them we can use for a table.”
“That’s all we need. I’m ravenous.”
They went into the kitchen, but Ella stopped at the door. “I’m surprised this room isn’t further along. Having trouble making decisions?”
“Something like that.” He looked at the blank area where the cabinets and appliances were supposed to go. “My contractor is about to go crazy, but I don’t know a lot about kitchens, and I can’t figure out what I want.” He shrugged and went to the so-called table and set the bag on the edge of it.
Ella shot him a curious look. “Why don’t you just go online and find a picture of a kitchen you like?”
“I like everything. To be honest, I’m not really picky about kitchens. All I need is a microwave and a mini-fridge, and I’m good.”
She shuddered. “Not me.”
“Maybe you could help me pick out some appliances and stuff while you’re here.”
Her gaze flickered away. “Maybe.”
And there it was, that nervous, no-way look she saved for whenever he made any suggestion that might move them from point A in this almost-relationship to point B. Usually, that look challenged him to remain in control and maintain his distance, but today it just hurt.
His throat tightened and he turned back to the makeshift table and unpacked the paper bag. “Here we go. Two meatloaf specials from the Moonlight with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans, two bottles of sparkling water, and… the piece of resistance, two pieces of coconut cake.”
She chuckled. “It’s pièce de résistance. But you had me at ‘coconut cake.’ ” She wandered to the table and eyed the food and plastic utensils. “You went gourmand on me.”
“I aim to please.” He gestured to the folding chair next to his, which was the less rusted and bent of the two.
She sat down and picked up her plastic fork.
He joined her and searched for an innocuous topic of conversation. “What are your sisters up to? I see Sarah and Ava all the time, but never hear about the other four.”
“Alex and Madison are still in Raleigh. Alex works as a veterinarian and Madison is a doctor and has her own practice.” Ella waved her fork. “They live just a few houses from each other, but they haven’t spoken in years.”
“Wow. What happened?”
“Some sort of argument. They won’t give us more details, although we’re all pretty sure it was over a guy.”
That figured. “And Taylor?”
“She’s still working in academia, but not teaching as much. She’s doing research in London right now, but she’s due back in the States in a few weeks.”
“So she’s doing well too, then.”
“I think so.” Ella frowned. “She’s not a great communicator, that one. Tay lived in Paris for almost six months back when she was finishing up her graduate degree. When I first moved there and was looking for an apartment, I reached out to her to see which areas she’d liked and which she hadn’t. But all she would say was ‘All of it was beautiful.’ Which, as advice went, was pretty bad.”
Gray unwrapped the silver foil from a pat of butter and put it on his mashed potatoes. “Tay was a few years ahead of us in school. Smart as a whip, that one.”
“She’s a total research nerd, so she travels most summers. Reads all the time and never takes a break. She’s worse than Cara, our computer guru.”
“Your sisters are all so different. Now that I think about it, I’m glad I have only one sibling, even if he’s an overly bossy brother.”
“It’s a drain during the holidays. But when we’re all together…” Ella’s smile softened. “I do love seeing them. Or I do for a few days and then…” She made a face. “I don’t know. It’s just time to go.”