Happily This Christmas (Happily Inc #6) - Susan Mallery Page 0,15
how good he looked in jeans and a T-shirt. “Hunter and I have unpacked all the kitchen stuff.” She motioned to the stacks of dishes, pots and pans and utensils on the counter. “The first load is already in the dishwasher. Once that’s done, these have to be put through a quick wash cycle. The bed is made, the towels are in the dryer and I’m about to put shelf paper in the cupboards.”
“I was going to ask Jasper and Cade to come help with all this, but you’ve already finished it.” He gave her lopsided grin. “I’m going to owe you big time.”
“Yes, you are, but no doubt some roof or plumbing crisis is looming in my life and you can help with that.”
“I will be there.” He made an X over his heart. “Until then, what can I do? Want me to measure? Cut? Place? Sweep?”
She laughed. “No sweeping until we’re done. Why don’t you—”
She paused when she heard the sound of a big truck pulling up in front of the house.
“Why don’t you go deal with the delivery and I’ll keep doing this?” she said.
“Consider it done.”
He walked toward the front door. Wynn watched him go, thinking the more she got to know her neighbor, the more she liked him. Which was both happy news and just a little terrifying.
* * *
GARRICK STOOD IN the center of his kitchen and took in the changes. A table and chairs stood in front of the big windows facing the front of the house. Some tall plant-tree thing was in the corner, the red and black of the decorative pot picking up the colors of the chair cushions. There were place mats on the table, along with an odd little gnome saltshaker. Sadly there had been an unfortunate unpacking accident with the pepper gnome, but Wynn had said he could buy a small pepper grinder to replace it.
Behind him, the cupboards were full of dishes and pots and pans, while the drawers held flatware, spatulas, knives and other things he couldn’t identify. The Betty Boop canister set sat on the counter.
Small changes that made all the difference, he thought. It was the old cliché about a woman’s touch—especially a woman with style. The right woman. He’d noticed the same thing after Jasper and Renee had gotten together. Subtle additions to Jasper’s house had transformed it into a home. The same with Cade and Bethany. The old ranch house was more welcoming now.
He wasn’t sure how women made that happen. He supposed it was an attention to detail that came with an ability to nurture. He’d been a good dad to Joylyn, but he’d been focused on her, not the surroundings.
He moved to the living room where two big abstract prints dominated the wall behind the sofa. There were more plants and a couple of vase things. Down the hall, Joylyn’s bathroom was fully stocked with towels and shower stuff and soap. A new heating pad sat on the counter.
He walked to the bedroom. The sense of empty furniture with no purpose had been replaced by something more warm. And cozy, he thought with a smile. Fluffy pillows covered nearly half the bed. Fairy prints decorated the wall. The drawers were lined, the closet filled with hangers. The last touch, a rotary dial phone he’d found a couple of years back and had bought for his daughter, was on the desk.
He stared at the plain black phone and wondered if she would remember how much she’d loved rotary dial phones when she’d been a kid. Whenever they’d taken their road trips, she’d always run into the coffee shops they’d stopped in and checked out the public phone, hoping to find a rotary dial one.
Things had been much simpler then, he thought to himself. His relationship with Joylyn had been easy—filled with love and laughter. Now they rarely spoke and she almost never answered his texts.
Hopefully that was going to change, he told himself. Once she got here, they would have a chance to talk. She would understand that he loved her and wanted her to be happy. If he could get through to her, then maybe their relationship could be restored.
He glanced at his watch, then returned to the kitchen where he picked up a bottle of wine before heading next door. On her way out of his place earlier that afternoon, Wynn had invited him over to dinner. At this rate he was going to owe her forever.