Page 23 of Wishes at Water's Edge
“I thought it was your favorite color.”
“It is—I mean, yeah, generally. I also like blue.”
“Okay, well, maybe we could do the accent wall in blue instead. A nice dark, elegant blue.” She watched Jacob for a few more seconds, clearly frustrated by his lack of enthusiasm. “Or a light blue. What would you like?”
This is weird,Julia thought, feeling bad about eavesdropping but not wanting to interrupt yet.It isn’t like Jacob to act like this. Why is he so resistant to her suggestions? I know he likes the way she decorates her house.
Jacob paused for a moment and then shook his head. “I just think you should slow down and think about it all some more before doing anything.”
Hazel sighed. “Do you just not like any of my decorating ideas?”
“No, sweetheart, that’s not it.” Jacob stood up and gave Hazel a hug. “I just don’t want you to rush into anything.”
“But why?”
“Well—” He scratched the back of his neck. “I mean—your choices will completely change the space.”
Hazel blinked at him in confusion. “Of course they will. That’s the point of remodeling.”
Jacob was just opening his mouth, looking as though he was trying to think of something to say, when he noticed Julia. He paused in surprise as soon as he saw her and waved.
“Hey, Julia! We didn’t see you come in.”
“Hey.” Julia hurried forward, feeling a bit awkward about having overheard their private conversation. Neither Jacob nor Hazel seemed embarrassed about it, however, and Hazel hurried to give her sister a hug.
“What brings you over here?” Hazel asked. “Are you looking for Lindsay?”
“I guess so.” Julia sighed. “Lindsay or you, Jacob. Anybody who can tell me how the repairs are going over here.”
At that moment, as if she’d been summoned by their conversation, Lindsay hurried into the room. She was on the phone and seemed completely distracted. She barely waved to Hazel, Julia, and Jacob as she rushed past, saying, “But are you absolutely sure it’s going to take all that long? Isn’t there anything else I can do?”
Julia groaned internally. Seeing Lindsay so distressed over her phone call had done nothing to reassure her.
“Ah, yeah.” Jacob shook his head. “Unfortunately, the burst pipe really is a big problem. We’re doing what we can on our own, and we’ve stopped the water leak to avoid more water damage, but we’re waiting on additional workers to come out and make a more thorough assessment. I can patch the pipework up there, but I can’t tell Lindsay if it’s just going to burst again. She might have a temperature control issue up in the attic. It was cold when the pipes burst, but it shouldn’t have been that cold, since there was still a little heat on in the building, at least downstairs.”
Julia’s head was reeling a little bit. She nodded as she processed everything Jacob was telling her. Hazel put a reassuring arm around Julia’s shoulders, and although Julia was grateful that her sister was trying to comfort her, she had an uncomfortable feeling that Hazel’s pity didn’t bode well either.
“So—” Julia realized that her voice was trembling a little bit, and she inhaled, trying to steady it. “Does this mean canceling the venue for our wedding?”
Jacob hesitated for a moment, his expression full of regret. “I don’t know, Julia. I think not even Lindsay can give you ananswer to that right now, but I have to tell you honestly that things aren’t looking good.”
“Okay.” Julia forced a smile. “Thanks for talking with me.” She glanced down at her watch, even though she knew that she didn’t really need to leave yet. “I guess I’d better get going, since I’m on my way to the pub. Good luck, Jacob, and I’ll talk to you later, Hazel.”
“Bye, Julia.” Hazel gave her sister another hug, seeming to know exactly how disappointed Julia was even though Julia was doing her best to conceal it.
Julia waved goodbye to her sister and her boyfriend and stepped back outside into the cold. Of course she’d known that canceling Turtle Dove Hall as their wedding venue because of the burst pipe was more than likely to be necessary, but she’d gotten her hopes up again since they’d first learned the devastating news.
I so wish things could have worked out after all,she thought, walking toward work with a heavy heart.But it looks as though that dream of mine has been dashed. What are we going to do now?
CHAPTER TWELVE
Alexis yawned, letting out a sound that made her sound like a cross between a kitten and a bear. Across the kitchen, Grayson chuckled at her.
“You alright there, tiger?”
Alexis laughed. “I am. I feel much less sleep-deprived than usual, actually. I guess my body is just relieved that our little angel went to sleep so easily and it’s hoping to get its own sleep in a little while here.”
“You want to stop working and just go to bed? I can finish up here.”
