Page 59 of Gracie Harris Is Under Construction

In a few more seconds, Horrible Woman is out the door and I’m free to finally stand.

“I’m so embarrassed, but thank you so much. She’s a terrible person that I met—no, wrong word: was accosted by—at home a few months ago. I didn’t want another scene.”

“I’m Marianne, the owner. You must be Gracie, the famous writer I’ve heard about.”

“This is not usually how I meet people, and I’m entirely mortified.”

“On the upside for me, I think you owe me the story of your last interaction with her.”

I put my books on the counter to start checking out while regaling Marianne with the terrible tale I’ve now told three times this summer—once in my book, once to Josh, and now to her. Somehow, it never gets easier.

“If she comes in again, I’m going to slap her in your honor.”

Marianne and I spend the next thirty minutes talking about our favorite books, what it’s like to pitch and write a book, and what I expect the next few months to be like. She’s the first person besides Felicity to truly nerd out with me on all things writing and publishing. Marianne confesses that she’s tried to write a novel multiple times in her life, but it’s never worked out. So she sells books and supports the dreams of others instead. A customerrecognizes me and asks for a selfie—it hasn’t happened much in Canopy, but it makes sense that it would happen in a bookstore.

“I know it’s probably too early to ask, but please know we would love—LOVE—to host a stop on your book tour here at the shop.”

“Only if you promise not to tell the story of how we met.”

“Deal.”

I give her a big hug and head out the door. I need to spend the next few hours taking care of a backlog of business correspondence with Felicity, Lucia, and a host of others. Before I get to work, I text Josh.

Marianne at Canopy Books is my new BFF. You won’t believe how we met…

He calls me and I download the crazy story from the shop. We’re on a video call, and I see his initial disbelief and then relief that Marianne was there to help the situation. He tells me she’s a great person to have in your corner. After twenty minutes, I beg off the phone. Ineedto clear out my inbox before our big plans tonight.

I’m finally going to Josh’s house.

Chapter 24

When Josh’s place emerges aftera quarter mile of wooded driveway, I’m in awe. His modern A-frame house looks ripped from the pages ofDwell. The house has gorgeous wood siding framing huge glass windows. A dark metal roof goes from the peak of the house to the ground. It’s more modern than anything else I’ve seen in Canopy. Josh told me about it, but it was hard to believe such a laid-back guy could have such stylish taste in architecture.

I park my SUV next to his truck and grab my overnight bag from the passenger seat. As I walk toward the front porch, I admire the craftsmanship of the home’s exterior. Before opening the door, I turn around. The view is amazing. The entire drive was on a slight elevation but never dramatic enough for me to realize just how far I’d climbed. From his front door, you see only trees and mountains in the distance. In an hour at dusk, the view from inside the house, out those great big windows, will be exquisite.

Following his instructions, I open the door without knocking. The entire first floor looks to be open space, and he’s straight aheadin the kitchen. He looks up and immediately walks toward me with that beaming smile of his.

“It smells amazing in here,” I say, greeting him with a kiss.

Every time we look at each other after a kiss or make-out session, one or both of us has a look of disbelief on our face. It’s silly, but I think we’re still in a little shock that this is all really happening. It is strange at any age to have a crush on someone that actually pans out.

“I don’t have an extensive repertoire in the kitchen, but the ten or so things I know how to cook I’m really good at,” he says. “Tonight, I’m making chicken Parm.”

“Hopefully you’re okay making the same ten things over and over because I am a terrible cook,” I admit, finally breaking away from him so he can keep making dinner.

I’ve known Josh for six weeks, and this romance has been sizzling for two—and this is the first time I’ve been to his house. The Craftsman is convenient and easy, so despite my curiosity, this is the first day we’ve gotten serious about me coming here and spending the night.

“Can I explore?” I ask, wanting to be respectful of his space even though he knows every imperfect corner of mine.

“Of course. There is a guest bedroom hidden behind us. The stairs take you to a loft, and my bedroom is up there behind it. I’ll just be here in the kitchen making you a delicious dinner.”

I sneak in for another kiss before heading through a short hallway to the guest bedroom. It’s surprisingly large, with a queen bed and a big area rug covering the floor. There’s a spacious walk-in closet and bathroom in here, too. I suspect this is supposed to be the primary bedroom but that Josh has decided to sleep up in thetrees in the loft area. The walls of this room are covered in art prints from different national parks and forests in the western part of the state. I love it.

In short order, I’m climbing the stairs. There’s a small leather sofa facing a huge flat-screen TV at the top of the landing—this is a bachelor pad, after all. Down another short hallway is Josh’s room. My guess was right; this room is smaller than the one downstairs. It’s also cozier, with high-quality linen sheets that look suspiciously like the ones I have on the bed in the Craftsman. The bed itself is a stunning carved wood in a deep-walnut stain. Josh hasn’t mentioned building furniture, but it would not surprise me if he made this bed for himself. Over the bed is a beautiful black-and-white photo of a mountain waterfall. I drop my small bag at the foot of the bed and head downstairs.

“Well, what’s the verdict?” Josh asks.

“This house isso you. It’s like I can feel you in every room and hallway—I guess that makes sense because you literally built it exactly how you wanted it, but it’s still pretty cool.”

---