Jennifer shook my hand and smiled. “Thank you for seeing me. I heard it could take months to get an appointment here.”
“That was until M&M hired me.” I laughed, flourishing my hand toward the chair in front of my desk. “Please have a seat.” Once she sat down, I passed her my portfolios. “Tell me about the new home. What all would you like me to do for you?”
She opened my work and glanced around at the pictures. “Basically, everything. We’re going to buy all new furniture for the place and I didn’t want to do that until I spoke with you.”
I opened my notebook to take notes. “When is the wedding date?”
“Eight months from now,” she said happily.
“Good, that gives me plenty of time. When would you want to move in? That way I’ll know how fast I need to work.”
Lips pursed, she stared off into the distance. “Probably in another four months or so. We’re not in a hurry just yet. He still has to sell his condo and I’m waiting for my apartment lease to run out.”
I nodded. “Got it. That works out perfectly. Are there any specific colors you’re interested in? Or do you want me to figure it all out and you take it from there?”
“We want you to do it all. I trust you to make it epic.”
“Thanks, I’ll try my best.” I jotted some notes and smiled. I loved it when people let me take the reins on their houses. So far I hadn’t had anyone not like what I’d done and Jennifer seemed like an easygoing woman. Hopefully I could make her happy.
“Your work is amazing,” she said, passing my portfolios back to me.
“Thank you.”
“I can only imagine what your house looks like. Does your husband admire your work?” she asked, nodding at the picture of me and my brother on my desk.
I burst out laughing. “Oh goodness, no. That’s not my husband; he’s my brother.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth. “I am so sorry. I just assumed he was your husband or boyfriend.”
“Nope, but I get that all the time. He’s the only man in my life right now other than my dad.”
“That’s so sweet. I don’t have any brothers, but I always wanted one.”
“I wouldn’t trade him for anything,” I told her.
She giggled. “I bet.”
“Ms. Thomas,” Mrs. Blanton called out over the phone speaker.
“Excuse me for one second, Jennifer.” She nodded her head and smiled.
Clearing my throat, I pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”
“You have a phone call on line two. It’s the one you’ve been expecting.”
Excitement bubbled in my chest. “Great, I’ll take it in just a minute.”
When I focused back on Jennifer, she stood and straightened her dress. “I should probably get going. I know you’re a busy woman.”
I stood too and walked around my desk to face her. “When would you like to get started with everything?”
“Probably in the next month or so, once we officially close on the house.”
I held out my hand. “Sounds great. I look forward to hearing back from you.” She shook my hand and we said our goodbyes. As soon as she was gone, I shut my door and picked up line two.
“Hello.”
“Ms. Thomas, it’s Boone from the frame shop. How are you?”
“Great,” I said sitting down. “Is everything finished?”
“Yep. All you have to do is come by and pick everything up. I’ll show you what to do when you get here.”
“Thanks, Boone. I’m on my way.”
I’d had something special done for Jack and I couldn’t wait for him to see it. My only problem was having to wait until tomorrow to see him. I grabbed my purse, eager to get over to the shop. Rebecca waved at me in passing and as soon as I got off the elevator to my level of the parking garage, my phone rang.
Seeing Jack’s name pop up on my screen made everything inside me tremble. I had hoped he’d call or text, and now I got my wish. “Hey, Jack,” I answered.
“Hello to you too. What are you doing?”
“I have an errand to run and then I’m going home. You?”
“Just ate dinner with some friends. I was wondering if there was any way possible for you to come by my house tonight.”
My heart thudded in my chest and I smiled. “Of course. There’s something I need to drop off there anyway; it’s a surprise.” The phone went silent and then I heard him sigh. “Jack, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be home in a few minutes, so come over whenever you’re ready.”
“Be there as soon as I can.” I got in my car and started on my way to the frame shop. I was way past ready to see him, and this time I wasn’t going to run away.
—
After I visited the frame shop, I stopped by my house to change clothes before heading to Jack’s house. Boone had made me three custom frames to go with Jack’s sketches. They were gorgeous, all done in dark cherrywood with hand-carved designs resembling vines but without the leaves. I wanted to make sure they were masculine to go with his sleek drawings. I didn’t know if he wanted his sketches showcased in his home, but I thought it would be better than their just lying around unseen. They were amazing and needed to be shown off.
When I got to his house, I covered the framed pictures in a blanket and carried them to his door. Jack opened it before I could even hit the bell. “Hey,” I said nervously.
He smiled, but I could tell there was something wrong. “Hey, what ya got there?”
“Something for you.” I walked past him inside and he shut the door, his gaze downcast. “Are you okay?”
I carefully set the frames down and then he lifted his head, his expression torn. He reached for my hands and pulled me to him. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
His fingers grazed my cheeks and I leaned into him. “No.”
“Well, you are. I can’t seem to stop thinking about you.”
“I feel the same way. I was about to call you when you beat me to it.”