Page 16 of Bridles and Bribery

“I do.” They’d certainly be a step up from the washable, braided rugs scattered around the apartment she’d been living in on the other side of town.

Eloise pursed her lips. “I think it goes without saying that the dark leather furniture in the great room needs to go.” She swung a thumb over her shoulder like she was visualizing pitching it straight into the dumpster.

Surely not!Jillian straightened, frowning. “I’d rather not get rid of it just yet,” she said carefully. “Dave loves that furniture. He’s always saying how comfortable it is, and…” She bit her lower lip, realizing she was contradicting a woman who owned an upscale Italian villa. “Sorry for getting carried away there. I, um…just can’t imagine a guy my husband’s size perched on the edge of some designer, claw-footed?—”

Eloise Phillips burst out laughing. “Got it.” She didn’t sound the least bit offended by her daughter-in-law’s strong feelings on the topic. “The cave-like furniture stays. We’ll just have to work extra hard to tone down all that dark leather and hardwood flooring with the area rug and wall decor.”

“And maybe some throw pillows.” Jillian warmed to the topic, thrilled to pieces that she hadn’t offended her mother-in-law. “Multiple pairs of them. White and red.” She narrowed her gaze at the outer edges of the room. “We could bring in a few ornamental plants, too. None of that plastic stuff. Real green stems with fat ornamental leaves.”

“Like bamboo?” Eloise rattled off a few more options. “Ficus? Olive? Sago palm?”

“Yes,” Jillian chuckled, not ready to make a final decision tonight. “It really depends on what we find tomorrow. I imagine a lot of that stuff isn’t in season yet.”

“Unless we find a good greenhouse.” Eloise made another note on her pad.

“We’ll need to shop for some pots and pans for the kitchen.” Jillian mentally worked her way through their most immediate needs, preferring not to fill the house with too much too soon. Though shopping wasn’t Dave’s favorite pastime, he’d probably want to have some say in at least a few of their purchases.

“And a teapot,” her mother-in-law added.

“Sturdy stainless steel would be fine with me.” Jillian wasn’t into froo-froo colors and designs. “And some basic daily dishes. Nothing too fancy. I like square plates.” Though it might sound silly to a woman with as much overseas polish as Eloise Phillips, Jillian had always dreamed of owning square plates. “White ones. I’d rather dress up the table with linens, chargers, centerpieces, holiday decorations, that sort of thing.”

“It’ll save a bundle to keep things simple.” Her mother-in-law nodded in approval. “As the old saying goes, less is more.”

“Agreed.” Though they hadn’t spent a penny yet, Jillian was already feeling a bit of buyer fatigue. “I think that’s a big enough list for one evening. I don’t want to bankrupt my husband.”

“Very funny.” Eloise gave her an amused look. Then she sobered. “Oh! You’re serious.”

“Of course, I’m serious!” Jillian blinked at her. “This home must have cost a fortune.”

Her mother-in-law shrugged. “He bought it from Gil, who couldn’t unload it fast enough after his first wife died. Pretty sure he gave my son the friend discount.”

“This is premium real estate on the banks of Heart Lake,” Jillian insisted. “No matter the discount, it still cost him an arm and a leg. Goodness only knows what size of mortgage he had to take out on it.” They’d dated for such a short time before tying the knot that it hadn’t occurred to her to ask.

“As if!” Her mother-in-law made a scoffing sound. “Dave doesn’t believe in mortgages. Trust me. He paid cash for it. His dad was the same way.” She abruptly hopped down from her stool and started fluttering around the kitchen again. There was a rigid set to her shoulders that hadn’t been there before.

“Thank you,” Jillian said softly.

“For what?” Eloise glanced over her shoulder, looking half-surprised and half-irritated.

“For your willingness to come to Heart Lake for our wedding.” When her mother-in-law started to splutter, Jillian held up her hands to shush her. “I can only imagine how hard it was to come back after the tremendous loss you suffered here. If I were in your shoes, I’m not sure I could do it. Ever.” Knowing what it had cost her, though, made her presence in town all the more precious to Jillian.

“You’re probably right about that.” Eloise’s pinched look faded into humor. “The way you carried on about Dave going on a simple business trip…”

“A simple business trip?” Jillian gaped at her. “He’s missing our honeymoon!” Just thinking about it made her eyes brim all over again.

“I’ll give you that.” Eloise slid the box of tissues closer to her.

“It’s not just the honeymoon,” Jillian quavered, trying to come up with the right words to make her understand. “It’s the fact that we haven’t been together for long. We’re not some old married couple ready for a break from each other.”

“You’ll never be ready for a break from each other,” Eloise stated in a morose voice. “There’s just something about those Phillips’ men…” Her voice dwindled as she shook her head. “Never enough,” she repeated in a whisper.

Jillian slid the tissue box forward a few inches, but Eloise stopped her with a venomous look. “Don’t bother. I cried all my tears out a long time ago.”

She was lying. They both knew it, but Jillian didn’t press the point.

Her phone jingled with an incoming text message. She glanced down at it. “It’s Dave,” she announced joyfully.

“Whoa!” Eloise pretended to shield her eyes with both hands. “You just lit up like a blasted Christmas tree.”

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