15
By seven o’clock, Nicole and Bernie had everything ready for Alex’s arrival. The barbecued ribs and twice-baked potatoes were warming in the oven. The salads and rolls were waiting on the neatly set table outside. They’d even put a small bouquet of flowers and a pair of votive candles on the table. Very festive.
“So where is your dad?” Nicole said as it was getting close to seven thirty.
“I’ll text him again.” Bernie pulled out her phone and held it up. “That’s from Dad.” She peered down at it. “His flight was delayed. They’re just landing now. He doesn’t think he’ll get here until eight thirty.” She frowned at Nicole. “I’m starving.”
“Me too.” Nicole peeked in the oven. “The ribs might get a little dried out.”
“I’m texting Dad.” Bernie’s thumbs moved quickly on her phone. “We’re starting without him.”
Nicole removed the aluminum tray of ribs. “That seems fair.”
As Bernie and Nicole enjoyed their meal, just the two of them, Nicole actually felt relieved. As much as she liked Alex, she didn’t want to do anything to insinuate her interest was for anything beyond friendship. It didn’t feel right.
They were just cleaning up their own dinner things when Alex came into the house. “I’m home!” he called. “Anything left to eat?” He came into the kitchen, sniffing the air. “Something smells good in here.” He dropped his bags and held his arms open as Bernie ran across the room to hug him.
After he released her, she relayed the menu to him. “The ribs were really, really good.”
“Did you save any for me?”
She laughed. “Just a couple.”
“Hopefully they’re not too dried out.” Nicole was already fixing him a plate.
“Sorry about the delay.” He sat down at the island. “Some mechanical issue kept us sitting on the tarmac for more than an hour.”
Nicole set the loaded plate in front of him. “Bon appétit.”
“Wow.” He looked impressed. “You made this?”
She chuckled. “Not really. We have Betty to thank.”
“Betty?” He frowned as he picked up a rib. Bernie sat down with him, describing her day at the gallery and going with Nicole to Tybee Island and getting the food from Betty’s. Nicole listened as she finished loading the dishwasher. It was obvious Bernie had enjoyed her day—even more than Nicole had known.
She closed the dishwasher and let out a weary sigh. “If you two will excuse me, I think I’m ready to say good night.”
“So soon?” Alex was clearly disappointed.
“It’s been a long week,” she said.
“What about dessert?” Bernie asked. “We have that cheesecake from Betty’s still.”
“You guys go ahead and enjoy it.” She patted her midsection. “I’m still too stuffed from dinner.”
“Well, I owe you one,” Alex told her. “But you’re letting me take you to dinner tomorrow night. I’ll make it up to you then.”
“I don’t know if—”
“Come on,” he said, “you can’t back out on me now.”
Nicole looked at Bernie. “Well, I won’t back out as long as Bernie is coming too. You are, aren’t you?”
Bernie shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”
Nicole could see that wasn’t exactly what Alex had in mind, but she didn’t really care. “Okay then. Sounds like a plan.”
“Where are we going, Dad?” Bernie asked.
“I’m not sure. But I better make a reservation.”
“I know where we can go.”
“Where?”
“The Pirates’ House!”
Alex frowned. “Really?”
“Yeah. It’ll be perfect.” She told him about going on the ghost tour with Nicole and Ryan. “We wanted to eat at the Pirates’ House, but they were full.” She turned to Nicole with hopeful eyes. “You’d like to eat there, wouldn’t you? It really is supposed to be haunted. It would be so cool.”
There was no way Nicole could disappoint her. “Sure, I’d love to go. Sounds exciting.”
“I’m obviously outnumbered on this.” Alex held up his hands in a helpless gesture. “The Pirates’ House it is. That is, if I can get a reservation.”
“You can, Daddy.” Bernie hugged him. “I know you can. You know everyone in this town.” She looked at Nicole. “If anyone can get us into the Pirates’ House, it’s my dad.”
“Well, I’ll be looking forward to it.” Nicole gave the counter a last swipe with the washrag and then, telling them both good night, quickly made her exit up the stairs. She wasn’t quite as tired as she’d made it sound, but she wanted Alex and Bernie to have some one-on-one time. She felt they needed it. And she was weary—it had been a long week. As she kicked off the pumps she’d been wearing since early this morning, she realized just how tired she really was. It would feel good to get into comfy clothes and snuggle down with a book.
As she nestled into the padded club chair by the window, she realized that she actually liked this darker, more masculine bedroom better than the larger, pale yellow one. Somehow it felt cozier, more snug, homier . . . Or was it because it had once been Ryan’s room? She didn’t want to go there. Not after hearing about Dr. Cassidy.
Pushing thoughts of Ryan and his perfect girlfriend out of her mind, she opened her book and attempted to lose herself in the story she’d started on the flight to Savannah, but her mind kept drifting and her eyelids grew heavy . . . until she finally realized she actually was exhausted.
Nicole got up early on Saturday morning. Feeling refreshed after her long night’s sleep, she was eager to enjoy her day off. She planned to start with a casual breakfast by the pool, where she would leisurely read the newspaper. Already the sun was shining and the sky was clear and blue. Perfect.
She was just finishing her second cup of coffee and reading the arts and leisure page when she heard footsteps approaching. Assuming it was Alex, she looked up to greet him. But to her surprise it was Ryan.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Didn’t mean to startle you.” He smiled. “I promised Mom I’d keep an eye on the yard and pool—make sure the guys are doing what they’re paid to do. You know?”
“Oh.” She gazed over the serene blue pool. “Looks good to me.”
“It looks good. But I need to check the chemicals in it. Sometimes the pool guy is careless about balancing the pH. I’ll just be a few minutes.” He headed over to the little pool house and was soon dipping a small container into the water. She watched as he put some drops in, shook it, and then checked it. Seemingly satisfied, he returned the stuff to the pool house.
“Looks okay.” He came back over to where she was still lounging, looking as if he wasn’t quite ready to leave yet. “Any coffee left?”
“Oh, yeah, sure.” She started to get up.
“No, stay put. I’ll get it myself. You look comfortable.”
“I am.” She leaned back. “Enjoying my day off.”
“Good for you. I won’t disturb you if—”
“No, that’s okay,” she said quickly. “I’d like your company.”
He grinned. “All right.”
As Ryan got his coffee, Nicole felt guilty for how glad she was to see him. Then she reminded herself that she’d be glad for any good friend to join her. That was all it was. Just two good friends having coffee, visiting.
“So what are you going to do on your day off?” Ryan asked as he took the lounge chair next to her.
He looked disappointed. “So many interesting things to see in our fair city, and you have no idea?”
“No specific idea. I had considered just taking a nice long walk through some of the historic squares. The ones I haven’t seen. Or I’ve only seen by daylight.” She grinned. “I’m sure they look a lot spookier at night.”
“Would you like to see the McDaniel Mansion?”
“The house you’re restoring?”
“Yeah. It’s pretty much done. Well, other than some finishing touches and landscaping. But it’s in good shape.”
“I’d love to see it.”
“If you really want a walking tour, we could just walk over to it.”
“Really?”
“Sure, depending on how far you feel like walking. It’s probably a mile and a half from here.”
“That sounds good.” She peered up at the sky. “And if we went sooner, we might beat the heat.”
“That’s true.”
While he finished his coffee, she changed into comfortable walking clothes. She also took a minute to brush her hair and put on mascara and lip gloss. Feeling like she looked presentable, she hurried out.
“Where you going?” Bernie asked as they nearly collided in the hallway.
Nicole, slightly startled, told her about the walking tour. “Then Ryan is going to show me his house.”
“Oh?” Bernie’s brow creased, as if she didn’t quite approve of this plan.
“Do you want to come?” Nicole asked tentatively.
“Oh. Well, I should go. We wanted to get started before it gets too hot.”
“Right.”
“I should be back in a couple hours. Probably before noon.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Is something wrong?” Nicole asked.
Bernie gave a crooked smile. “No. Sorry. I guess I’m still just waking up.”
“Maybe you and your dad can do something this morning,” Nicole suggested as they went down the stairs together.
“Yeah, maybe.”
As Nicole went to find Ryan, she wondered why Bernie had seemed different. Was the girl starting to feel possessive of her? Perhaps she felt they should be spending all their time together? But that wasn’t healthy.
Shrugging it off, Nicole told Ryan she was ready to go, and they were soon walking down the tree-lined street, admiring the Victorian homes in the square. Whenever Nicole saw a particularly interesting home or even just an attractive front porch with flowerpots, she would snap a photo on her phone. Her hope was to get one or two that might inspire her to paint.
Ryan pointed to a tall, narrow house a couple doors down from his parents’ home. “This particular Victorian is different in that it has a strong Edwardian influence.”
“I know about art in the Edwardian period, but what exactly does that mean for architecture?” She peered up at the pale gray house.
“The Edwardian period was in the early 1900s, during King Edward VII’s reign. Some of the architecture was a melding of Victorian and Edwardian—sort of the best of both worlds. Edwardian is much less ornate than High Victorian or Late Victorian. See how the trim is more structured and boxy? Not so many curves and corbels and gingerbread. It’s still formal and has a few ornate touches, but it’s much more straightforward than a pure Victorian.”
“It’s a very handsome house,” Nicole told him. “I actually like this Edwardian style a little better than some of the overly busy Victorians.”
He chuckled. “I have to agree, some of the Victorians are over the top.” He continued pointing out architectural details of the homes as they walked. He even told her some of the history of the families who’d originally owned them. “I hope I’m not lecturing you too much,” he said. “I can get carried away.”
“Not at all.” She shook her head. “I love hearing all this.” She pointed at a pink and white house across the street. “Now, that house looks totally Victorian. I would definitely call it frilly. It reminds me of a fluffy French pastry.”
He laughed. “It is frilly. I’m not a fan of the pink and white color scheme. It’s actually owned by some family friends. I keep telling Mrs. Sherman that I can recommend some period-appropriate colors, but she loves pink. I doubt I’ll ever talk her into changing.”
“The Shermans,” Nicole echoed. “Are they the ones who went on the cruise with your parents?” She almost added “Cassidy’s parents?” but stopped herself.
“That’s right.” Ryan continued walking past the frilly pink house, but before they reached the next house, a woman’s voice called out.
They both turned to see a tall brunette jogging across the yard toward them.
“Cassidy,” Ryan said warmly. “What are you doing here?”
“Just checking on things for the parents.” She hugged him, then peered at Nicole, waiting as Ryan introduced them.
“Oh yes.” Cassidy shook her hand. “Ryan’s mom mentioned you were coming to manage the gallery while she’s gone.” She wrinkled her nose. “How’s that going? I mean, is it even possible to manage Amyra?”
Nicole grimaced. “It’s a challenge.”
“I’ll bet.” She turned to Ryan. “So what are you guys doing?”
He explained about the walking tour. “Do you want to come?”
She frowned. “I wish I could, but I’m scheduled at the hospital today. Noon until nine.” She looked back at Nicole. “Enjoy your tour. There’s no one better to do it than Ryan. He’s a whiz when it comes to architecture.”
“I can see that.” Despite herself, Nicole couldn’t help but like this woman.
“Well, I better go. I still have a couple errands to do before work. You guys have a great day!” She waved and jogged back toward the bike parked in the driveway.
“She’s on a bike?” Nicole said as they continued to walk.
“Yeah, she’s a biking freak. Rides her bike almost everywhere. It’s not that I don’t approve, but it worries me that she rides at night.”
“Yeah, that sounds dangerous.”
“She claims it’s perfectly safe and uses good lights and all that. But I’m not convinced.”
They walked together in silence for a bit. She assumed he was worrying about Cassidy. So was she, but her worries were of a completely different sort. Cassidy was even sweeter and more charming than Nicole had imagined. She really wanted to ask Ryan about her—or more specifically, about him and her. But it was none of her business, and she could think of no way to ask without making it sound all wrong.
Ryan continued describing the various elements of the houses and which particular period they’d been built in and how that affected their design, but Nicole felt distracted now. As if the moment had been lost the instant she’d shaken hands with Cassidy.