Page 88 of Seeing You

Billie hadn’t realized that was a thing.

“How are you doing?” he asked, and by his tone, he knew about the breakup and seemed genuinely concerned. “Last weekend at Chloe and Tanner’s was chaotic so you and I didn’t really have time to talk, but…are you okay? Is there anything you need? Want me, Levi, and Tanner to hunt Marcus down and kick his ass?”

That made her laugh. “I appreciate the sentiment, but no. No hunting.” With a shrug, she said, “I’m not gonna lie…things totally suck right now. I think the kitchen project is really justa distraction. I’ve thought about doing some upgrades for years but kept putting it off. Then Marcus made a few comments about it, and it got me thinking. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if a new kitchen is going to be the thing to get me out of this funk. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and buy a house that has everything I want. I mean, what am I waiting for, right?”

“Now probably isn’t the right time for you to be making major decisions,” he reasoned as they turned onto Boulder Street. “This is a great block. The lots are big, tons of mature trees, and everyone keeps their property pristine. Everyone I’ve met has been friendly, too.”

“You’ve been chatting with the neighbors?” she teased.

“People seem to be out all the time.” He motioned to the person walking up ahead. “Like…this guy’s out walking his dogs. Up ahead, there are people riding their bikes. Every time I stepped outside, people stopped to talk or just wave. It’s nice.”

She had to agree. Reid slowed down a bit as they drove around the guy with the dogs. “That’s something else I wish I could do—get a dog. It would really…” She gasped as her eyes went wide. “Was that Marcus?”

Beside her, Reid chuckled. “Bill, come on. I think you’re seeing things. What would Marcus be doing here?”

He kept driving, but as Billie stared at the side-view mirror, she swore it was him. Turning her head, she tried to see him, but he wasn’t there anymore.

Okay, I am clearly imagining things. Marcus wouldnotbe here.

“Here we are!” Reid said as he pulled into the long driveway. “The house is kind of incredible—four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, an office, full basement, living room, dining room, and now this massive kitchen. The yard’s fenced in, there’s a two-car garage plus a detached two-story, two-car garage with aguest suite on the second floor. I think this is one of the biggest houses I’ve worked on in Sweetbriar Ridge.”

She wasn’t sure why he was giving her all the details on this place when she was only interested in the kitchen, but…whatever.

Climbing out of the truck, Billie listened as Reid talked about how they tore all the cabinets and appliances out and how the electrician came in and re-did all the lighting. There were now two dishwashers, two ovens, and one of those massive French door refrigerators. “I think someone said all the stuff was restaurant grade,” he went on. “There’s also extra refrigeration out in the detached garage. I guess these people entertain a lot.” Glancing over his shoulder at her, he added, “Something else for you to think about. I know you’ve got access to all the appliances at Books & Beans, but it might be nice to have more stuff at home so you don’t always have to be at the coffee shop. You could probably build something like this on your property.”

Nodding, she followed him into the house. There was no furniture and the house was completely bare. “Did they move out for the renovation, or they haven’t moved in yet?”

“Haven’t moved in yet. They wanted all the work done before they put any furniture in.”

That made sense.

When she stepped into the kitchen, she froze. It was magnificent. “Oh my goodness,” she whispered as she smoothed her hand over the marble countertop. If she could have designed a kitchen, this would be it. Nothing like this would fit in her house, but the style and design were utterly perfect.

“Right?” Reid said with a playful nudge. “I knew you’d like this. It’s just…” He paused as his phone rang. “It’s Ash. I’ll take it outside. Take your time and maybe take notes so you can tell Kevin what you’d like.”

Nodding, she kept walking and touching everything. The shaker cabinets, the stainless pulls, the massive farm sink… “I think I’m in love.” It all looked like something out of a magazine or one of those HGTV shows. Basically, she knew she could afford this, but it would seem so out of place in her little house. “But it would look fabulous in a new place.”

And that got her mind leaning toward looking at the real estate sites when she got home later.

In the distance, she heard dogs barking. At first it was far away, but then it seemed to keep getting closer and closer and closer until there was a puppy running in circles around her feet. “What in the world…? Where did you come from?” she cooed, squatting down to scoop the little guy up. She didn’t know enough about dogs to know what breed it was, but it was licking her face like she was the greatest treat in the world, making her giggle uncontrollably. “Oh my goodness! You are just precious! Yes, you are!”

Then a second puppy appeared.

“What the…?” It was easier to just sit down on the floor with them. They were yipping and crawling all over her and the only thing she could do was sit there and enjoy it while laughing her ass off. “Reid!” she called out between fits of laughter, figuring he was standing out there maybe with their owner. “Reid!”

“Brownie? Cookie? Where are you?”

Billie turned her head because she thought she recognized that voice. It wasn’t Reid, but maybe it was someone she knew from somewhere.

Then he called out again and that’s when she knew. Sheknewshe wasn’t imagining things earlier! Dammit, what was he doing here, and with dogs?

Getting up was nearly impossible, and one of the puppies was nibbling on her ear, so she stayed where she was. “Come on, you guys…let’s go get your owner. Come on…let’s…let’s…”

“Sorry,” Marcus said as he came and crouched in front of her. “They’re ridiculously playful and they love meeting new people.”

He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and looked casual and…different. Something was definitely different, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Scrambling to her feet, she stared at him like he was an intruder. Backing away with her heart thundering, she demanded, “What are you doing here?” Looking around frantically for Reid, she waited for his answer.

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