Designed for Love (9 page)

Yes, she’d overreacted to Jillian’s attire, but after she’d opened her mouth she couldn’t figure out how to back down. So she’d latched on to a reason to leave. She
had
promised Rose she’d come over, and her crew had things covered at Mary’s. Despite the legitimate excuse, Wil couldn’t stop thinking about Jillian, and that bothered her. No one had ever gotten to her so much that she couldn’t lose herself in her work. Since the day she’d hired on with her father, it had always been her escape from whatever weighed on her personally.

But now, at odd moments, the memory of Jillian’s lilting laugh, of the way her smile lifted one side of her mouth slightly more than the other, or of the unexpected contrast of solid metal against Jillian’s tender nipple distracted her. Jesus, it was that kind of thinking that would get her in trouble. But despite knowing this, she involuntarily recalled the feel of that nipple against her tongue.

Just as her mind took hold of that image, Rose came around the corner of the house, and Wil shifted gears.

“I hope being here isn’t keeping you from anything important at Mary’s.” In one hand Rose carried a pair of gardening gloves, and in the other a small foam pad meant for kneeling next to flower beds.

“Oh, no, ma’am. Andy, Tracy, and Patti are taking care of things.” Wil paused and laid down her hammer. “Jillian’s painting the kitchen today.”

“She’s a sweet girl.”

Wil could think of several other adjectives for Jillian, such as stubborn, spoiled, smart, and sexy.

“She’s got backbone and a mind of her own too. She reminds me of Mary when we were just a bit younger than she is now.” Rose smiled. “Do you think Mary knew Jillian was so much like her?”

“I doubt it. I got the impression that Jillian didn’t know Mary well at all. Still, there must be a reason Mary chose her.”

“I’m sure there was.” For a moment, Wil thought she was going to say more, but she changed the subject. “I have bingo, then lunch with the ladies tomorrow. But I never lock the back door, so if you come over, just go on in the house.”

Wil nodded and picked up her hammer. Even though things were changing all over the world, it was still safe to leave the door unlocked in Redmond.

The small town had a sense of history that had dissipated in America’s cities. In Redmond, everyone knew everyone else, and folks could still tell stories about someone’s ancestors. Where else would so many people remember when Boone Rivers got arrested for painting “Marry me, Becky” on the side of her daddy’s barn? Her father had dropped the charges, but only after Boone had repainted the entire barn. Of course, Wil suspected Becky’s father didn’t still have any hard feelings, since Becky and Boone had just given him his fifth grandchild.

Chapter Seven

“The edge of the island will start here.” Wil pulled a tape measure to a point near the center of the kitchen.

“How long is it?” Patti knelt beside her.

“Six feet,” Wil recalled quickly, without looking at her notes.

She had been back to Jillian’s only briefly in the two days since they’d argued, and had purposely stopped by to check the progress when she knew Jillian was out. Her crew was installing the new floor in the kitchen, and she really didn’t need to supervise such a simple task. Instead, she’d finished the projects at Rose’s.

But the cabinets were being delivered today, so she’d had to return. When she’d walked into the kitchen moments ago, Jillian had been talking with Patti and Tracy. But Wil needn’t have worried if she should apologize to Jillian, because just then Jillian’s cell rang and she excused herself to answer it.

So, while they waited, Wil began to go over the layout of the new kitchen with her crew. She paced out the dimensions she and Jillian had discussed, pleased with the traffic flow in the new area. She imagined how easily anyone could move from the refrigerator to the stove or island while preparing meals.

“It’s going to be a beautiful kitchen. Did Jillian design it?” Patti asked as Wil indicated where the dishwasher would go.

“She had the initial plans and I altered them a bit.”

“Well, it’s great. You work well together.” When Wil didn’t respond she continued, “What’s going on between you two?”

Wil glanced up sharply. “I thought meddling was your wife’s job.”

“Hey,” Andy protested.

But Patti shrugged, unperturbed. “Usually. But I’ll make an exception for you.”

“Don’t.” She didn’t want to talk about Jillian, least of all in front of her entire crew. Patti was crossing a line in their normal working relationship.

Patti ignored her warning. “One of the things I’ve enjoyed about working with you all these years is how easygoing you are. I’ve never seen you spend so much time away from a job—”

“You guys have handled things just fine without me.”

“And when you are around you’re jumpy as hell.” Patti went on as if Wil hadn’t spoken. “You bristle every time anyone even mentions Jillian’s name.”

“Damn it, Patti. I said drop it.” When a horn sounded outside, Wil seized the reason to escape. “We have more important things to do than stand around analyzing my moods.”

She walked out through the garage as a white box truck lumbered to a stop at the curb and Bill leaned out the open window.

“Got a delivery for you,” he called as she came down the driveway.

“Hang on. I’ll get Jillian to move her car and you can back in here,” Wil said before jogging back to the house.

Jillian was pacing the backyard, still on the phone. Wil paused as she stepped onto the back porch, and Jillian stopped with her back to Wil and threw up one hand.

“I’m working on it, Mom. Doing it right takes time. Yes, I’ll be there.” Obviously frustrated, she spun around and saw Wil standing there. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you later.”

“Sorry. Bill’s here and we need you to move your car.”

“My mother,” Jillian explained unnecessarily as she flipped the phone shut. “Reminding me that their anniversary party is the day after tomorrow.”

“Are you heading home, then?” Though she’d been avoiding Jillian, a hollow feeling still accompanied the thought of her leaving.

“Just for a couple days. She’s in a hurry for me to get back home for good, though.”

“If I recall, you were in a bit of a rush as well.”

“I was. I mean, I still am.” Jillian paused, seeming to weigh her words. “But there’s something about this house I don’t want to let go of.”

“It doesn’t seem practical to keep it. There’s not a lot of money in rental properties in this town.”

“No, I can’t imagine that there is.” Jillian pulled her keys from her pocket and tossed them to Wil. “Move it wherever you need to.”

Jillian watched her go, then resumed her pacing. Her conversation with her mother had left her agitated. But more than her mother’s words, Jillian was unsettled by her own feelings. She had no connection to this home or the people who made their lives here. But she’d begun to feel invested on more than a financial level.

“This is ridiculous,” she murmured. She had always been business-minded and her goals hadn’t changed. Sell the house, get back to civilization, and find another job. She was surprised at how unconcerned she was with what direction her career would ultimately take. They must put something in the water here. Because certainly that was the only way she could be feeling misty about some small town, an aunt she never knew, and an old house. She purposely left Wil off that list.

*

“Everything you ordered for the kitchen and master bath is here.” Bill handed over a clipboard with the invoice attached for Wil to sign.

When he tore off the yellow copy of the invoice and handed it to her, Wil scanned it, but the prices were higher than she expected. They’d carried the cabinets into the dining room and stacked the rest of the boxes in the garage. She crossed to a nearby box, flicked open her pocket knife, and sliced through the tape. She examined the kitchen faucet, then one of the bathroom ones as well.

“Bill, these aren’t the faucets I ordered.”

“I know. Miss Jillian was in last week and changed the order.”

“But these cost twice as much as the ones we originally chose.”

He shrugged. “I told her how much they were.”

“Damn it,” Wil mumbled.

“Do you want me to send them back?”

Wil considered it, thinking that since Jillian didn’t consult her before changing the order, she shouldn’t have to check with her either. But then Jillian would probably insist on the more expensive ones anyway, so she decided they might as well have this fight now rather than when the original fixtures came in. “No. I’ll take them for now. But if I talk her into the cheaper ones, can I return them?”

“Sure thing, Wil.” His expression said he doubted she’d change Jillian’s mind, and Wil was afraid he was right. He shook her hand, then climbed into the cab of his truck.

When Wil walked into the dining room, Jillian was admiring the cabinets as Andy, Patti, and Tracy removed the protective packing.

“I can’t wait to see these installed. Do we have the countertop too?” She looked around.

“It’s over here.” Tracy crossed to several long expanses of granite leaned against the far wall. She smiled shyly at Jillian and peeled back the corner of the protective paper, revealing the dark marbled surface. “This stuff is so durable. Once we get it sealed it won’t scratch, chip, or stain.”

Wil stared, thinking that was the most she’d heard Tracy say to Jillian at once.

Jillian moved to Tracy’s side and examined the countertop. “It’ll look great.” When Jillian gave her an excited smile, Tracy blushed.

“The faucets and fixtures are in the garage, if you’d like to see them as well,” Wil said quietly.

Judging from Jillian’s guilty expression, she knew right away what was wrong. “Wil, I—”

“Come look at them.” Wil took Jillian’s arm and led her toward the garage. She didn’t want to argue in front of her crew.

“Hey,” Jillian protested as Wil practically shoved her through the door. She jerked her arm out of Wil’s grasp. “I don’t think that was necessary.”

Normally, Wil wouldn’t touch a client, but considering how familiar they’d been, she hadn’t given it a second thought. She reached into the open box, pulled out a kitchen faucet, and held it in front of Jillian. “Do you want to tell me what this is?”

“Well, if you don’t know, then I’ve hired the wrong contractor,” Jillian shot back sarcastically.

“I’m serious, Jillian.”

“What’s the problem? I can afford it.”

“Well, for starters, you could have told me so I didn’t look like an idiot with Bill. I should know what orders are going through for my job site.”

“You would’ve tried to talk me out of it.”

“Damn right. If you keep making expensive choices you’re cutting into your profit. These faucets aren’t going to raise the value of the house.”

“I know.” Jillian sighed. Wil was giving her the same advice she would give a client. But she hadn’t considered that when she’d changed the order. She couldn’t seem to stop imagining how she would decorate the house if she were keeping it. “But I was down there getting the paint and when I saw these, I just had to have them.”

“I can return them and get the less expensive ones. It won’t delay our timeline if we just move on and install them when they come in.” Wil began to put them back in the box, but Jillian stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“No. They’re here now. I’d like to keep them.” She’d made a decision, and Wil’s assumption that she would abandon it at the first challenge only hardened her resolve.

“It’s not a smart investment.”

“I know.”

“You’ve got to be the most stubborn—” Realizing she was raising her voice, Wil paused and took a breath. She didn’t want her crew to overhear them arguing. “Jillian, what am I missing?” Initially, Wil had gotten the impression that Jillian was smart and ambitious about making money on the sale of Mary’s house. Now she seemed not only to be hesitant, but also recklessly spending money in ways that wouldn’t benefit her in the long run. “I thought I understood your goals for this project.”

“I thought I did too.” Jillian pulled a key from her pocket and handed it to Wil. “I’ve got to do this anniversary thing. I’m going to leave early in the morning and drive up. Will you take care of things here while I’m gone? Please, don’t forget to lock up when you’re not here.”

“What?” The quick subject change confused Wil. Jillian had asserted her opinion and now she was refusing to discuss it further. But Wil was not so easily distracted. “We’re not done talking about this.”

“Yes. We are. Put in the fixtures I ordered.”

Wil wanted to argue, but her father’s philosophy regarding pleasing the client echoed in her head. Besides, what business was it of hers if this particular client wanted to waste her money? So instead, she inclined her head in mock submission. “The customer is always right.”

Jillian smiled. “See that you remember that.”

“I will. Do you have any other decrees?” Wil was quite aware that when it came to Jillian, she gave in more than she normally would. And that thought made her uncomfortable, but she couldn’t ignore Jillian’s mildly flirtatious tone.