Page 63 of Luna

“You plan to add a bathroom up here as well?” Luna asked.

“Yes.” He walked down the hall and stood between two bedrooms. “I’ll take space from both of these rooms and put a small bathroom here in the middle.” He opened a door near the back stairwell. “Want to see the attic?”

Luna’s answer was to hustle up the steps and come to a stop at the top, shocked by all the treasures crammed into the space.

“Look at this,” she said, waving her hand around to encompass everything.

“It’s all going to have to be sorted through. It’ll be something I work on later in the year. Maybe this winter, although I’d prefer this all be cleaned out before I move in.”

Luna blew the dust off the top of a camelback trunk and sneezed. “I’m happy to help.”

“Bless you,” he said as she took a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her nose. “And I will gladly accept your help in bringing order to this chaos.”

“It’s not chaos. It’s like digging for buried treasure. You have no idea what you might find.”

“True. I suppose someone else’s junk might just be of value to the person who finds it.”

“Exactly!” Luna smiled as she edged past him and started down the steps.

They went down the front stairs, and she stood in the entry foyer, turning in a slow circle, letting her imagination fill in the missing details of what the house had once been.

“Well, what do you think?” Hunter asked.

She opened her eyes and spread her arms wide. “It’s fantastic, Hunter. I can picture the lovely, wonderful home you’ll create here.”

He released a long breath, as though he’d feared her answer, then grinned and took her right hand in his. “I’m so glad you like it. There’s a lot of work to be done, but one day it will be a grand house and more importantly—a welcoming home.”

Luna took one more look around, then moved out onto the porch.

“Are you hungry?” Hunter asked, glancing at his watch.

Luna hadn’t thought she could possibly hold another bite after eating cobbler and ice cream, but she found she was growing hungry.

“I’m getting that way. Did you have something in mind?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

He dashed out to the auto, opened the storage box behind the seats, and retrieved a picnic basket covered by an old quilt. He jogged up the porch steps and held an arm out to her. “Might I invite you on a picnic?”

“You certainly may,” she said, offering him a pleased smile as she took his arm, and they walked out to the creek.

Hunter spread the blanket, set the basket on a corner of it, then gave her a hand as she settled onto the quilt.

“The lemonade isn’t all that cold, but it will still be refreshing,” he said, handing her a jar of lemonade. He took out two plates, then set out fried chicken, wedges of cheese, a few peaches, and a jar of the olives that Luna loved from Caterina’s restaurant. They were just like the ones Aunt Angelina and Uncle Franco carried in their store. She could eat a whole jar of them by herself, although she never had.

When they’d filled their plates, Hunter took her hands in his and asked a blessing on their meal and time together. They ate by the creek, listening to the water babble and talking about Hunter’s plans for the house.

Luna offered a few ideas that he seemed to consider as valuable and thanked her for her input.

They didn’t linger after they’d eaten since the sun was beginning its nightly descent toward the horizon.

“I’m going to check in with my crew while I’m here. They’re just over at the other place, and it will only take a minute. Would you like to come with me or stay here?”

“If you don’t mind, I’ll wait here,” Luna said as she held the folded quilt over her arm.

“I’ll hurry,” Hunter said, lifting the picnic basket, then kissing her cheek.

She watched him rush off, then wandered for a bit by the creek, thinking Hunter’s property was quite pretty. The creek made her smile, especially when she saw a fish swimming in the shadows by a tree root.

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