Page 28 of Taking a Chance on Charlevoix
“What’s going on, Izzy? Is Skipper protective of you?” Sam asked.
Reaching up to tighten her ponytail, Izzy looked flustered. “That's absolutely ridiculous. He has no reason to feel that way. And I don't want him to.”
What was going on? Sure, Marlowe had been surprised to find Skipper working as pastry chef in Izzy’s shop, but the two seemed to have boundaries. Marlowe definitely wished she was in Charlevoix to see this in person.
“I think Skipper Malone has changed,” their aunt said, her voice thoughtful. “He's not the boy we knew fifteen years ago or so. And yes, I think he's still sweet on you, Izzy.”
“After all these years,” Sam said with a sigh. “I wish Kurt felt that way.”
“Oh, come on.” Marlowe couldn't believe her sister's comment. “You wouldn't take your ex back, would you?”
“Not under the circumstances.” Sam seemed positive about that and Marlowe was glad. Kurt didn’t deserve her, not after the stunt he’d pulled.
“Anyway, forward.” Izzy stood up to get the baby, who was fussing again.
“What about the hottie’s qualifications. Izzy?” Marlowe raised her voice so that her sister could still hear her. “You didn't like the first guy, but what about the second guy? Besides being devastatingly handsome...”
“Devastatingly handsome? I never said that.” Coming back, Izzy sat down and bounced the baby on her lap.
“No I did.” Looking a little dreamy, Aunt Cate sat back on the sofa. “Hot in a rough hewn way, I would say.”
“Rough hewn? What the heck does that mean?” Marlowe couldn't believe her aunt had just said that. “Have you been reading romance novels?”
Blushing a little, Aunt Cate held out her hands and shrugged.
“He was capable and respectful.” Izzy took a stab at it. “And I don't mean that he respected me. I'm talking about the house. We don't want someone coming in here and tearing down walls and stuff that can't be put back, do we?” Stooping over, she snatched a toy dinosaur from the floor. Holly grabbed it with delight. How Marlowe missed that baby and wasn’t that a surprise?
But back to business. “What walls are we talking about?” Marlowe asked.
Izzy took them through Chase Wilson's suggestions, and they all had a discussion. Some of the points Chase had thrown out were good, in general. But Seth had offered drawings and to her, that meant he was more invested in this project.
Although Marlowe wished she’d been there, it sounded as if Izzy had handled it just fine. The idea of opening the kitchen up to the living room was interesting. She couldn’t imagine how that would look.
Of course Izzy wanted to keep the screen porch. She must have been horrified when Chase suggested adding that space to the kitchen or making it into a powder room. That breezy porch in the shade of the large oaks was their favorite place to read during the summer.
The porch was right below Marlowe’s bedroom window. As a teenager, she’d sometimes jump onto the roof late at night, shimmy down the drainpipe and escape to the beach. Sam often joined her as they raced through the tall grass down to the sand where their friends had built a fire. That’s where Sam had met Josh McCall, who back then had been a “townie.”
Years ago their mother had planted blue hydrangeas around the side porch. The sandy soil was good for the plants, which were now chest high. Looking out from the double hammock, you could get lost in that sea of blue. Marlowe smiled, thinking of how the three of them had piled into that hammock as young girls to talk and dream.
But back to business. “What are the benefits of taking down the wall between the kitchen and the living room?” Marlowe hadn’t considered such a drastic change, and it sure was exciting.
“Just think,” Aunt Cate said with a dreamy note in her voice. “Then I would be able to see the fireplace and the Christmas tree while I was cooking,”
“Boy, we would have to keep the kitchen really clean.” Izzy looked worried about that small point. Picking up after herself had never been Izzy’s strong point.
“Is the hottie making a sketch of that area?” Aunt Cate asked.
“I don't know,” Izzy said. “But I can ask him. Actually the other guy, Chase Wilson, also made that suggestion too.”
“Just because one of our prospects suggested something doesn't mean he owns that idea,” Aunt Cate said. “Which areas is the hottie working on?”
Izzy pressed a slender hand to her forehead. “Please stop referring to Seth like that. I might end up calling him a hottie to his face.”
“Maybe he'd like it,” Aunt Cate said with a giggle.
Marlowe had never seen her aunt like this. What had gotten into her? Their uncle had been gone for five years. Had their aunt ever dated after Uncle Monty passed away? She'd never talked about it and they’d never asked. But in the recent past, the three sisters hadn't been in close contact with their aunt. Those days were over.
Izzy turned away from the phone and Marlowe could hear the baby fussing in the background.
