Two

 

 

 

 

 

Troy and Zach didn’t know it, but Colt had more than that on his side. He already had an inside track to Naomi’s primary likes and dislikes. He hadn’t spent the last week inside the woman’s house without picking up on a few of her quirks and habits.

For example, he knew what music she favored because of all the old albums and LPs she kept stacked against the wall in her bedroom, many from the 1940s and 50s. He knew she had an affection for romance novels, old mysteries by Tony Hillerman, and thrillers by Scott Turow. He knew because he’d seen the hardcovers lining her bookshelves. Along with every Harry Potter paperback, Naomi also kept works by Nicholas Sparks and Stephen King. She also seemed to have held on to every textbook she’d ever used during college. For some reason, the woman seemed to gravitate to weird nonfiction subjects like farming and how to grow the best crops or how to best facilitate crop rotation.

Colt chalked it up to the fact that she hailed from Cornhusker country and must’ve harbored a secret itch to become a farmer.

He also knew she started every morning by working a crossword puzzle that she printed off the Internet. He’d found the wadded-up remnants she’d tossed in the trash right along with the debris he’d thrown out on the curb from the jobsite.

There were also other hints that gave him a clue into her personality. She didn’t like fireplaces. That tidbit had been revealed in the addendum to the contract she’d written up herself to get rid of the woodburning fireplace in the middle of the living room wall. She wanted it removed completely and replaced with more bookshelves. The woman didn’t even want a gas stove in the kitchen, nothing that would give off an open flame. She’d insisted on all-electric appliances.

But that wasn’t the most curious thing about Naomi Townsend. Colt noticed her choice of real estate itself was telling. The property, a stone structure, built in the pre-World War I era, had a colonial look about it. With fading brown shutters, peeling paint around the window casings, and an air of neglect, it was a wonder anyone would have given it a second look. Because somewhere between then and now it had seen a lot of living…and dying.

According to rumors, the place had been abandoned after the last known owner, a Mrs. Francis Fontaine, died in the living room at the ripe old age of ninety-four. She’d been watching reruns of the Lawrence Welk Show. The year had been 1999.

Since then, no one had bothered doing much with the building. Colt didn’t think it was a coincidence that the banker had chosen this particular spot, an out-of-the-way eyesore at the corner of Crescent Street and Beacon Lane. What kind of woman picked a house located on a dead-end piece of blacktop that led to her bumpy, crumbling driveway?

He couldn’t pinpoint the reason she’d been drawn to such a dilapidated relic that needed so much work. Surely her budget played a role, but he didn’t think it was the primary reason.

Although no one could deny that it was an odd place for a single woman to want to live, it was the little mystery that nagged at him since the first day he’d showed up for work.

For now, though, he put the puzzle out of his head and pulled up in front of the bank. The time nudged toward half past twelve, a perfect time for the bank lobby to be buzzing with activity. He’d pretend to use his lunch hour to make a withdrawal.

With that excuse in mind, he surveyed the lobby and walked toward Naomi’s office. To his dismay he spotted her already chowing down on leftovers out of a Tupperware container. He ducked his head into the room anyway. “Hey, where’d you get the Chinese food?”

Surprised by the abrupt intrusion, Naomi almost choked on the bite she’d stuffed in her mouth. She picked up the glass of water she had on her desk and drank generously to clear her windpipe.

“Sorry about interrupting your lunch,” Colt declared, and meant it. “I saw you sitting there enjoying what looks like Kung Pao Chicken and wondered where it came from.” When he saw no recognition whatsoever, he went on, “I’m the guy working on your cabinets, the one working with Zach and Troy as your carpenter.”

Naomi nervously wiped her mouth using a Kleenex from the box she kept tucked away in a drawer. “I know who you are. I just didn’t…” Her voice trailed off in exasperation. “We often eat at our desks. Jordan knows that and brings us in all kinds of goodies she makes for Nick, uh…for all of us to share. This is warmed up from yesterday. She does things like that now and then, knowing that sometimes Nick won’t stop for lunch.”

“Which is one of the reasons Jordan’s gold in my book,” Colt said easily after dropping into one of the chairs in front of Naomi’s desk. “But just because the boss doesn’t break for lunch, shouldn’t mean that you have to stay glued to your chair as well. You should get out of here, take a walk on the beach, eat your lunch looking out to sea, clear your head. That’s the beauty of living right by the ocean.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling like she shouldn’t have to defend working at her desk if she wanted to. “Of course I do that sometimes. It’s just that…today…I have a stack of papers to get through, loan applications to approve and…” Why was she explaining herself to this guy?

Colt took advantage of her flustered state of mind. “By the way, what did you do to your hair last weekend?”

Her hand flew to the top of her head. “Uh, it’s called highlights.”

“The color was better the way it was before.”

Her shoulders drooped. “Gee thanks for your input. I’ll be sure to pass that along to Abby.”

“I just meant that you didn’t need to lighten it up any. It looked good the way it was. Gorgeous. You didn’t need to mess with perfection.”

He was a charmer all right, thought Naomi. “Um, thanks.”

Colt did his best to segue into why he’d dropped by. “Now that I’m here, mind if I ask you a question about your kitchen?”

“My kitchen? Sure. Is there a problem?”

“It occurs to me that you’d benefit from knocking out the wall that goes out to your screened-in porch. Why didn’t you let us take care of that? It would double the size of your counter space and work area. And since I’m the one hanging your cabinets on Saturday, I wanted to point that out and let you know there’s an option. I think you’ll feel awfully cramped in that tiny space if you don’t open it up more when you have the opportunity.”

Before thinking of a comeback, she fidgeted with her plastic fork until she finally blurted out her answer. “I don’t see how the size of my kitchen is any of your concern. It’s my kitchen.”

“But I’m part of the team who’s trying to make your vision for the house come true. You let me knock down that wall and I’ll build you a dream kitchen with twice the light and more cabinet space than you could possibly use.”

“Is this some sort of gimmick, some type of bait and switch? I already signed a very specific contract that lays out everything I want and everything I don’t want. Troy and his partners agreed to all of it.”

“You did. But it wouldn’t cost all that much extra to get the kitchen you want now in time for the holidays.” He saw a spark of interest in her eyes.

“And how much exactly would that decision cost me?”

So it was all about the money, Colt gleaned. “I’ll knock the wall out for free. Me. This afternoon before I clock out. The only thing you’ll have to pay extra for is the new flooring, which it will absolutely have to have, and any extra lumber for the built-ins you’d surely want to add. Then whenever you decide you want that sunroom back, you call me, and I’ll do it at a reduced rate.”

“Why?”

The question was simply put and demanded a certain amount of honesty. “Because I really have nothing better to do since my so-called friends dragged this poor Indian clear across the country and put me to work building kitchens for pretty ladies like you.”

Despite the flush of cheeks at the compliment, Naomi maintained her savvy business sense. “You’re sure I’d only have to pay for the cost of the floor and the built-ins?”

“I guarantee it.”

“Spoken like a true contractor,” Naomi mumbled. But having a bigger kitchen did appeal to her. “Aren’t there plumbing issues I’d have to deal with if that wall comes down?”

“Nope. The original location for the sink would remain where it is. You’d be pushing the cabinets back eight feet and with that amount of extra space you could add an island for more storage and countertop space.”

“Could you work up a blueprint of what you’re talking about before Saturday?”

“Absolutely. Mind if I have a taste of that chicken?”

Naomi pushed the Tupperware toward him. “Help yourself.”

He forked up a generous bite. “This is good stuff. With a beautiful new kitchen, you’ll be able to cook dishes like this before Christmas.”

“How do you know I can even cook?”

“Because your big blue eyes lit up when I dangled the idea of a bigger space. I’ve never met a woman yet who didn’t love the idea of having more room to put the stuff they love to buy.”

She let out a sigh. “I’m no Jordan Harris in the gourmet department, but I do like to dabble in making desserts.”

“Then the change in plans works out for you.”

“I still don’t understand why you went to all this trouble, though. You were days away from installing the cabinets exactly where the client, me, had requested them. Why change it up now?”

Colt got to his feet. “We aim to please. Look, I’ve only been on the job a week, but anyone who loves to read about crop rotation deserves their own farmhouse dream kitchen.”

Naomi’s breath caught. “For a good-looking hunk like yourself, you’re certainly observant.”

He cracked a grin. “Sugar, the Army spent years training me to be observant.”

With that comment, she watched him swagger out of her office.

He’d no sooner reached the front door than Heidi Radford left her teller window and dashed across the lobby and into Naomi’s office. “What did Colton Del Rio want with you?”

Naomi frowned and looked out to see all heads in line turn to stare at her. “Shouldn’t you be manning your window, Heidi? You have customers waiting.”

“I know, but come on, what’s Colt doing coming here to see you in the middle of the day?” the nosy teller urged.

“He’s one of the crew working on my house with Troy and Zach.”

Heidi lowered her voice. “I’ve heard rumors floating around town. The guy is a blank slate with a very mysterious background. I heard that he and Simon Bremmer used to work for the CIA as operatives.” She paused before adding, “They killed people for the government.”

Naomi couldn’t help it, she laughed. “Heidi, do you honestly think for one minute that a guy who worked as an operative would be living here in Pelican Pointe? And when do you think he found the time to learn carpentry while he was attached to the CIA?”

Heidi looked crestfallen. “I guess it does sound silly. But wouldn’t it be thrilling if he did? You should ask him about it.”

Naomi shook her head. “Not me. And yes, I suppose it would be exciting news if it were true, like a movie plotline where the good guy has a dark past. What am I saying? Get back to work. Go help our customers standing in line before they move their business over to San Sebastian Savings and Loan.”

“Yes, ma’am. But don’t you want to know if the rumors about Colt Del Rio are true?”

“Nope. Right now, the only thing I’m interested in is if he can deliver the kitchen he just promised me.”

 

 

Standing inside the warehouse, home to Tradewinds Boatyard, Colt sat at a drafting table busying himself with the rough sketch of Naomi’s new layout before handing it off to Ryder for his input. “What do you think? It’s simple and straightforward, kind of like your client.”

“She’s your client now,” Ryder pointed out, studying the lines and angles of the room. “Where’d you learn to do this? I don’t recall this kind of thing coming up in Ranger school.”

“Just a hobby,” Colt deflected. He’d discovered early on that it was best to maintain a certain degree of pretense when attempting to explain some of his sixteen years spent in the military.

“I’m impressed. You’ll have to shore up the floor underneath that screened-in porch.”

“Yeah, but that shouldn’t be a problem. So, is it okay if I go bust that wall into splinters?”

“Go for it. You’ll probably need to show the client the blueprint first, such as it is. She’ll no doubt make changes.”

“I’d bet on it. Do you have her fax number?”

Ryder raised a brow. “No intention of taking this to her in person?”

“What would be the point? We just agreed she’ll probably tweak the design. This way, I’ll at least be here to make the changes quickly and get her to sign off before the end of the day.”

“Makes sense.” Ryder flipped through his Rolodex and rattled off the number. “Does that mean you’ll still stain her cabinets tonight?”

“That’s the plan.”

“We’re grateful you’re willing to stay late.”

With a shrug, Colt punched in the fax number and hit send. “What else have I got going on?”

“You aren’t still pissed at Simon and Cord for dragging you here, are you? They had good intentions.”

“Isn’t that why you’re here? Because Nick made this place sound like a freaking storybook Utopia.”

“It kinda is. For me anyway. It’s better than Philly and it’s where I met Julianne.”

Colt rolled his eyes. “Good for you. But jeez, gimme a break. Utopia is for suckers. Besides, good intentions only go so far. Look, I don’t want to argue. I’m here. As long as I’m getting a paycheck, I’ll work hard at whatever you guys need me to do. Wherever you decide to put me, I’m willing to do the work.”

Ryder had witnessed Colt’s work habits firsthand. Conceding the fact that the man didn’t need anyone looking over his shoulder, Ryder simply shook his head and left him to deal with Naomi. “I’m going home to have supper with my wife.”

For the next hour Colt went back and forth with Naomi via the fax machine until he looked up from his perch at dockside and saw her burst through the front door. She took one look around, her eyes searching him out. Spotting him from across the building, she made a beeline to where he stood. She began in a breathless huff, “You haven’t started staining my cabinets yet, have you?”

Sensing another change to the plan, Colt winced. “Not yet. Why?”

“Because I’ve decided since we’re making the kitchen larger I want them painted white.”

“White? That’s a big difference from chestnut. You picked that stain over all the others before we ever started the work. Your choice is spelled out in the contract. Are you sure this time? Because once I start the process…”

“I’m sure.” She took out a magazine from the oversized bag that draped from her shoulder. “Like this. I want the kitchen to look exactly like this one.”

Colt studied the photo of a renovated farmhouse kitchen with shiny updated counters and a larger, biscuit-colored sink made from fireclay. “But you already budgeted for an ordinary stainless-steel double sink.”

Naomi let out a sigh. “I know. But you pointed out to me, and rightly so, that I might as well stop being so thrifty about this major renovation if the crew is there to do the work now. Why should I wait another ten years to get the kitchen I really wanted in the first place? It makes sense to make the right choices now. This is actually your fault.”

Colt knew it was true. “Could you adjust your budget with an additional thousand bucks or so? Because with that kind of money…”

Naomi threw her arms around his neck. “Yesssss. I knew you’d say it was okay.” Suddenly embarrassed, she smoothed her hands down his chest. “Oh. Sorry. I guess I got carried away.”

“That’s okay. I can see this means a lot to you.”

“It’s just that…your…suggestion…has given me the courage to turn my little house into the farmhouse-style I’ve always dreamed about.”

“Farmhouse-style, huh? Then why didn’t you just go for it?”

“I don’t know, I’ve just always been very practical with money or tried to be. This is no different.”

“But it is. Different. This is a major investment. You wouldn’t back out if you’d put your money into Apple stock back in the nineties, would you? It’s the same basic principle. A house is your largest investment.”

“As a banker, I should know that.” She turned in a circle to take in the boatyard’s workspace and spied her cabinets in the far corner, the ones that had been sanded and were waiting to be stained. “If painting them white will mess up the timing, I can wait for the installation until you’ve adjusted to a new timeline. I’m suddenly not in as much of a hurry as I thought I was.”

“What changed?”

You did, she thought, but simply stared back at him, wide-eyed. “I guess I needed a push to go after what I wanted.”

“And you wanted a farmhouse?”

She grinned. “I guess I did.”

Colt rubbed the back of his neck. “A few extra days wouldn’t hurt, especially since I think you’ll benefit from adding another wall of cabinets right by the pantry. I’d have to build them.”

She stepped closer to the drafting table. “You’d better show me exactly what you mean.”

He angled back to his work and picked the design he’d been playing with since the last fax. “Something like this.”

Staring at the new plans, for the first time she could picture how it would be. There was a moment of hesitation on her part before she exhaled a breathy sigh. “I love it. This is exactly what I’ve always wanted. How did you know?”

“Honestly, I didn’t. But I know someone who has this same kitchen design back in Rhode Island and she absolutely loves it.”

“Hmm. Well, who knows? I might become an excellent cook with a place like this.” She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Oh, my God! Is that the right time? I completely forgot I was supposed to go to a get-together out at Promise Cove tonight. I’m thirty minutes late. I was supposed to bring the cornbread. What am I gonna do now?”

Colt chuckled. “Bring something besides cornbread?”

A laugh escaped. “No, I mean by the time I get there I’ll be almost an hour late and I’ll be empty-handed.”

“Was this a mandatory bank thing?”

“No. Why?”

“Because I’m pretty sure Nick won’t fire you just because you blew him off. And I bet they managed to eat just fine without a batch of cornbread.”

“Maybe. But I’m brand new at the bank. This was one of those social gatherings where I was supposed to meet more people in town.”

“So you’ll make the next shindig. Want to order a pizza and sit out on the dock to eat it?”

Her lips curved. “I’d like that. I’m actually starving.”

He reached for the phone to call in the order at Longboard Pizza. “Pepperoni okay?”

“With mushrooms and spinach, please.”

Colt nodded in approval before punching in the number. After placing the order, he leaned up against the desk. “Tell me something. Why did you pick that particular house when it needed so much work if you were on such a tight budget?”

“I guess it reminded me of my parents and the house where…there were happy memories there once upon a time.”

“Ah. And will they be coming out for Thanksgiving to get a glimpse of your grand design for themselves?”

“I’m afraid not. They died when I was eight.”

It was stated matter-of-factly, but with enough emotion that it had Colt tipping up her chin so he could look into her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

She lifted a shoulder. “Life doesn’t always deal you the best hand. What about you, the secretive Army Ranger with the mysterious past? Will you be going out of town for the holidays to see family?”

“Never had family. So…no.”

“Never?”

“Nope. I grew up in an orphanage.”

It was her turn to stare into his huge brown eyes. “Aren’t we a pair?”

Without answering, he took her arm and whirled her down the hall and into the kitchen. “You grab some sodas out of the fridge and I’ll run and pick up the pizza.”

She started to say something in agreement when her cell phone buzzed. “This is probably Jordan…or maybe Nick…wondering where I am.”

“Tell them it’s my fault. Tell them I made changes to your kitchen and you had to set me straight. I did make changes. Knocking down that wall led to all kinds of new things to think about.”

She sent him a wide grin. “So it did.”