Touching Stars by Emilie Richards

Author:Emilie Richards [Richards, Emilie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 2007-11-21T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Eric was exhilarated. Instead of nightmares, he’d spent most of the past night thinking of new and better ways to renovate the garden-shed cottage. Several times he’d gotten up to put his ideas on paper, making rough sketches and scribbling notes. When he’d finally fallen asleep it was simply to pass the time until morning.

Now breakfast was over, and he was enthusiastically taking measurements. He knew what Gayle planned to do here. She needed space for a family. Children could be disruptive in the main inn, where many guests had come for a quiet atmosphere. But families were a market she didn’t want to ignore.

He did some calculations. There was a sizable living area where the kitchen had taken up one end until it had met with his crowbar, one medium-sized bedroom, and a bathroom that needed to be updated along with everything else. But if this wall was removed—and he was sure it wasn’t load bearing—and the useless back porch was incorporated into living space? He got more and more excited as he saw that his ideas of the night before were sound and attainable.

Two hours later he stood back, flushed and proud and utterly exhausted.

“I brought you…”

He pivoted to see Gayle in the doorway.

“Some…coffee.” She stepped into the room, or as far as she could go, anyway. She set a travel mug on the only surface that was left to hold it, a window ledge by the door. “Eric, what are you doing?”

“It was supposed to be a surprise. After I removed all the debris.”

Her tone was oddly flat. “I can honestly say you achieved your goal. I am surprised. Exactly what are you doing?”

“I spent the whole night thinking about it. I know you planned to keep the space like it was more or less, with new wallboard, cabinetry and counters. But I have a better idea. You need space for families, right? And I’m guessing you were going to put a pull-out sofa in the living area for kids, but this way, by carving a little space from the living area, we can fit two bedrooms in here. See?”

He paced off what he could, stepping over chunks of Sheetrock and splintered timbers. “We’ll extend the smaller bedroom into what’s now that useless porch on the back. You can easily fit two twin beds in there, and a dresser. And the bathroom will connect them. It’ll work for two sets of adults as well as children.” He grinned at her and waited for praise. “So what do you think?”

“I think…” She looked away, her gaze roaming the room. Then she looked back at him. “I think you’ve forgotten this isn’t your inn anymore. Your name isn’t on the deed. It’s not on any document that registers it for business with the Commonwealth of Virginia. The last time your name was connected with Daughter of the Stars was on our divorce papers, when you gave sole title to me.”

For a moment he wasn’t able to work his way through the mire of her words.

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