to the roof. Adjoining the room on the left side was an enormous open kitchen that didn’t look like a place for amateurs at all. A wall of patio doors on the right side looked out at Dev’s own gorgeous view. Only, Dev’s place didn’t look down on the valley—it was situated next to a beautiful stretch of creek.
“Wow,” Shea couldn’t stop herself from saying after taking a few steps inside. She also couldn’t stop herself from spinning on her heel, a motion that revealed at least six second-floor doors that lined the open hallway that looked over the great room. The room itself was a masterpiece of comfort and space: sofas and chairs that looked chic and functional all at once in styles that felt both modern and rustic. It was so large, that—even with its open design—each area felt like separate space. A stylish mix of soft rugs beneath the sitting furniture sustained it as a cozy island in an ocean of rustic dark wood floor. Inlaid shelves that lined the wall leading back to the front door had dozens of large, asymmetric spaces that were filled from end-to-end with vinyl records.
“I love this place,” she murmured, because, apparently, she couldn’t shut up, stop gaping or control herself in any way. “That fireplace—”
Dev finally spoke. “I know. It’s the pièce de résistance.”
It had a rather standard—if not large—cube space to hold the actual fire, but the stonework around the mantle was something to behold. Gray stone formed a design that looked like a tall, narrow-based asymmetrical teepee. It only accentuated the height of the ceilings and the shape of the roof.
“You should’ve seen it before,” Dev continued. “Fifty years after it was built, it still had some of the original fixtures. Good, classic bones but on the inside, it was exactly as outmoded as you’d expect. It took me and Pete years to fix it up.”
“How’d you even do that, without you living here?”
“We’d chip away at it when I came home for holidays and long weekends. The year after I finished grad school, we spent the whole summer at it. I’m glad for those times. They were the best thing I ever did with Pete.”
“But now that it’s done, you’re not gonna sell, are you?” Shea didn’t even want to finish the sentence. The idea of Dev selling a place like this would break her heart.
Dev chuckled and got a bit of a pained look on his face as he brought his hand to rest at the back of his neck, looking up toward the second floor as he did. “Oh, it’s not done. Presentable is what it is. You don’t even want to see what a mess it is upstairs. And, no, I’ll never sell this place. “I’ll put it on Air BnB for some of the time…stay in it whenever I want to come back.”
Shea didn’t think she mistook the pride and admiration in his eyes as he answered, carried away with admiring the place himself.
“Here, let me take that,” Dev said, lifting the grocery bag from her hand. It was one of the reusable ones she’d gotten from The Freshery. “Does it need to be refrigerated or anything?”
“No…” she trailed off. “But some of what’s in here does. I brought wine,” Shea motioned to the bag on her shoulder—her purse. “Figured you might be willing to break your Pinot streak.”
Dev smirked. “How do you know what I’m serving doesn’t pair with Pinot?”
“It might…” she admitted, walking toward the kitchen, glad for an excuse to check it out. “Just in case it didn’t, I brought a selection.”
The kitchen had one large island with stools for sitting at countertops the color of dappled sand. Setting down and opening her large purse, Shea pulled out the first of five bottles. It earned her his signature smile. By the time she set the last one on the table, Dev wasn’t even trying not to laugh.
“I figured whatever we didn’t drink tonight, I’d donate to the cause,” Shea declared with an indignant eyebrow arch.
Dev crossed his arms and leaned his hip against the counter. “The cause?”
She smirked. “Obviously, you.”
“Maybe tonight I’ll redeem myself.” Dev came back. “I know I committed a cardinal sin when I drank Pinot that first night at The Big Spoon.”
“Letting me redo the wine list and pair up the menu was your penance.”
“That was just good business,” Dev conceded before lowering his voice a little. “But I’m thinking maybe you’ll let me all the way