Page 16 of Devoted Enough

“Yeah, they all go potty before our hike.”

All he did was nod.

“Ted comes sometimes as well.”

Nate’s jaw clenched, and he turned away to clear his throat.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, curious why he had reacted that way to Ted’s name.

I waited for him to say more but changed the subject when he didn’t.

“So, care to take me on a tour?”

He smiled. “Sure. You’ve seen down here. There is a half bath right out here.”

I left my beer and followed him through the family room to peek into a nicely decorated half bath. There was a rustic cabinet that held a copper bowl sink. The room was painted a light shade of green with only a few decorations. It was simple, and I liked it.

“You said Rose did all of the decorating?” I asked as I followed him up the steps to the main floor.

“She did a lot of it. My mother and Lily had a hand in it as well.”

We walked back up the steps, and Nate walked into a room. “Another guest bedroom. This one is smaller and doesn’t have as nice of a bath as the one downstairs.”

The room was simple, with finished-out walls and no wood. The feel of the room was a bit more modern, with light taupe walls and carpet on the floor. It was the first room I had seen carpet in. The bathroom was also contemporary, with more of a streamlined look to the cabinets. There was nothing rustic about this bathroom at all. There was also a pretty decent-sized shower and no bathtub.

“This has a very modern feel to it.”

“This would be Rose. She wanted to do something completely different for those guests who might want a different feel than the rest of the house. I have to say, it is my least favorite room.”

I smiled and followed him out of the bedroom and through the hallway to the front doorway. The hallway was like a passage from one side of the house to other, with the family room open below. A beautiful wrought-iron railing ran along the one side of the hallway until we reached the other side of the house where the kitchen was. We walked into the kitchen, and I got a better look at everything. Dark rustic cabinets with beautiful black finishes made the room feel like I had stepped into the past. Large rock columns flanked the sides of the sizeable six-burner stove. A built-in microwave with a coffee station was to the right of the stove. The backsplash behind the stove was a large slate of stone framed with a large wooden beam. It was beautiful.

“Wow, the kitchen is beautiful.”

Nate smiled. “Thanks.”

The island held the sink and was surrounded by a stunning slab of granite. It was off-white with brilliant golds and browns. In front of the island, a wooden table seated four. The rock column under the table matched the other two near the stove. Tall wooden chairs with leather seats sat around the eat-in table.

Another large rock column separated the kitchen from the formal dining area. In a small nook, a beautiful wood table sat. The legs were large, stump-looking pieces of wood. It was unlikeanything I had ever seen before. The windows faced the front of the house, but I still couldn’t see anything with the rain and darkness outside.

“This table is stunning,” I said as I walked around it.

Nate smiled as he looked at the table. “My father and I made it. I bought the chairs for it, but we made the table. It’s one of my favorite things in the house.”

I looked at him and grinned. “I can see why. I bet it’s heavy.”

“You have no idea.” He turned and pointed to the living room. “And the living room, of course. I like how open this all is. The sliding doors can open all the way, leading to a balcony. That looks down into the backyard. The covered patio outside of the family room is under that balcony.”

“Beautiful,” I replied, looking at the tan sofa covered in decorative pillows. Two oversized leather chairs sat on either side, facing a large rock fireplace. The rustic wood mantel matched the same wood used for the dining room table legs. There wasn’t a TV in this room, which I thought was odd. Didn’t guys love giant TVs?

“What if you want to watch football and you’re cooking?” I asked.

Nate looked confused, and when he scrunched up his face, he looked adorable. “What?”

I pointed to the fireplace and around the living room. “No TV.”

He laughed. “This is more of a formal living room. I watch TV downstairs or in my room.”

“Oh,” I said, sounding a little too breathy after his mention of his bedroom.

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