He climbed the stairs to that cramped little room where they’d waited for the ghosts of Great-great-Aunt Anne to make her presence known. Once up there, he surveyed it again. It seemed to him it might be possible to knock out the narrow wall between that room and the one next door to create an office and sitting-room arrangement. The wall at that point wasn’t much broader than a wide doorway, but it would do. He knew enough to be sure it wasn’t a bearing wall before he took a sledgehammer to the old plaster.
Amazing, he thought as dust flew and settled all over his bare shoulders and filled his nose until he had a minute-long sneezing fit. Physical labor, which he’d always avoided like the plague, did provide a certain amount of distraction. Maybe it would keep Bobby Ray on the straight and narrow.
As he worked, Kevin thanked heaven for the summer he’d worked for Ray Mason during college. He had a basic knowledge of the rudiments. With any luck, he wouldn’t send the whole house crashing to the ground.
He was barely aware of the passage of time as he cut the doorway into the next room, framed it and installed wallboard from the supply the contractor had left downstairs.
The second room was larger, better for an office, he concluded, envisioning where Gracie could put her desk and still have a view of the river and room enough for file cabinets. She was going to love it.
As for the tower room itself, he imagined a couple of comfortable chairs in front of the tall windows, with a table in between for a pitcher of lemonade and some sandwiches. He also envisioned a narrow daybed along the back wall, something Gracie could use to catch a few winks when she was tired.
Something they could share for a few stolen moments of steamy sex, if he had his way. The floor was damned uncomfortable, and it wouldn’t get any less so as the years passed by and their bones grew creaky.
He sat down against the wall and sipped at the cold beer he’d brought up with him and let his imagination run wild. His flesh heated with the combination of memories and vivid expectations. More years of expectations than he’d ever considered with any other woman.
He wasn’t sure at first whether Gracie was real, when he heard the rustling beside him and the low, sweet murmur of his name. It was the perfume that convinced him, something fancy and sexy. French, no doubt. Meant to drive a man crazy.
“So,” he said without opening his eyes. “You’re back.”
He felt the swish of something silky settling down next to him, then another teasing hint of that perfume.
“I’m back,” she agreed. “I’m surprised to find you here in the middle of the night.”
“What time is it?”
“After 2:00 a.m. The plane got in at midnight. I spotted the light on up here when I was driving home and stopped to check on the place. I see you’ve been busy while we were gone.”
“I had an idea.”
“Apparently.”
“I figured if you were determined to hang out up here in the attic, you needed more room to move around.” He opened one eye then and glanced at her. She looked sleepy, but there was no mistaking the fact that she’d been buffed and polished and fancied up by experts. She even had a sassy new haircut that emphasized her eyes. It made her seem more mysterious, more out of reach than ever.
“Gracie?”
“Yes?”
“I’m curious about something.”
“What?”
“Why don’t you ever ask me for anything?”
“I don’t need anything.”
He sighed heavily. “That’s what I figured.”
“Kevin?”
“Yes?”
“Need isn’t what makes a relationship work.”
He forced a half smile. “Couldn’t prove that by me.”
“Just wait,” she said with a confidence he didn’t fully understand. “You’ll see.”
“You gonna stick around that long?”
She seemed surprised by the question. “Of course. Where else would I go?”
He voiced his worry, tried to keep his tone casual. “I thought maybe you’d be having second thoughts about Cannes about now, since you’ve had a taste of France again.”
“Heavens, no,” she said emphatically, reassuring him. “The trip was fun. I’ve never shopped so much or so fast and furiously in my life. Helen is astonishing. The rest of us just hung on for the ride.”
“Did you get Marianne outfitted for the wedding?”
“Oh, my yes. You should see all the sexy lingerie.” She grinned. “Not Marianne’s, of course. That’s for Bobby Ray’s eyes only. But I got a few things, too. Interested?”
His spirits perked up ever so slightly. “Now? Here?”
“Not in the middle of this dust and debris. No way. You’ll have to rouse yourself enough to walk over to my place.”
He glanced sideways at her. “But you’re going to make it worth my while.”
“I’ll do my best,” she assured him.
“Couldn’t ask for anything more,” he said. He stood up and held a hand out to her, drawing her to her feet and straight into his arms. “I missed you, Gracie.”
“I missed you. Maybe one of these days you’ll tell me where you disappeared to.”
“Not far. Just to Richmond.”
“On business?”
He touched a finger to her lips. “Enough. We’ll talk about all of that another time. Right now I have a very important fashion show to attend.”
As it turned out, it was the very first time in his adult life that he’d enjoyed watching a woman slip into clothes as much as he’d thrilled to watching her strip out of them.
And when she’d shown him everything and his body was aching with wanting her, he swept off the last little lacy number and replaced the scraps of silk with his hands and tongue, until Gracie was every bit as hot and bothered as he was.
Only later, after she’d fallen asleep with her head resting against his shoulder and her arm flung across his chest, did
