Page 1 of Now You See Him
Chapter
One
Tina set the last of her boxes on the polished wood of the bedroom floor. “That’s it for me,” she said as she brushed her hands on the dusty fabric of her jeans. “All of my boxes have been unloaded from the car and are now sitting in the rooms they belong in. I think.”
Her fiancé tugged on the comforter he’d arranged over their bed. Despite assisting with dragging boxes throughout the 4,500-square-foot house, he looked like he’d just gotten home from work; slightly disheveled hair with pressed slacks and a tucked-in polo shirt creased in all the right places. He was tall, lean, and movie-star handsome. When he smiled at her over his shoulder, his teeth were a brilliant white that almost sparkled.
She’d once swooned over that smile.
“Do you want to start unpacking the great room?” he said. “We need the TV ready for the cable-and-internet company when they come tomorrow.”
“I thought they couldn’t come until Friday.”
Logan planted his hands on his narrow hips and cocked his head in a way that felt almost condescending in nature. “No, I told you they were coming tomorrow. Which is why you need to unpack the great room.”
She bit back the retort that sat on the edge of her tongue. Over the last three years of their six-year relationship, Logan had taken on the irritating habit of ordering her around like she was one of his employees. She hated that, but she’d been too busy with her own life, her own work, to really have a conversation with him about it. Now that they were far away from city high-rises in a remote town in the Pocono Mountains, she’d hopefully have the time to address his habit.
Six months.Six months, and if it still isn’t working, then we’ll part ways. That’s what we promised each other. I own this house, and he has a family home twenty minutes away. We have options…just not with each other. Not with the future we imagined.
“Why don’t I start in the kitchen?” she said as she started towards the bedroom door. “We should have plates and cups washed and ready to go for dinner.”
Right before she turned to leave the room, Tina saw the irritation on Logan’s face. He had that familiar frown that meant he was not only displeased, but he’d most likely get back at her in some other passive-aggressive way.
Which was so disappointing that their relationship had devolved to pettiness.
She shrugged off the sensation of Logan’s glare as she walked down the wide hallway that had been freshly painted. The floors were a pale-oak color, and the new windows illuminated the orange and red hues of sunset across the rolling mountains in the distance. She was beginning to feel peace in her surroundings.
If you would’ve asked her ten years ago if she was interested in moving to the country, she would’ve laughed. Tina had never envisioned a future for herself in any place other than New York or New Jersey, much lessPennsylvania. She’d grown up surrounded by concrete, gone to college while living in a five-floor walk-up, and had enjoyed the offerings of the Big Apple ever since. But then her parents moved back to India for their retirement, and her sister left for California to start her family near her in-laws. Even her friends had left. Some were driving distance, while others had ventured out of state.
New York City was a husk of its former self in her eyes. And after being with the same man for six years, she was ready for something different.
Her sign came less than five months ago on one of their weekend getaways to Logan’s parents’ house in the Poconos. She’d seen a For Sale post in front of this beautiful colonial tucked away in the trees with a wide front porch and big windows.
It was love at first sight.
Everything about the house called to her, and she immediately wanted it.
Logan looked terrified, then alarmed for some reason. He kept insistingwhy this house? As if the building was a personal affront to him. He was very clear about how much he hated it. Tina assumed it was because he left small-town Pennsylvania at eighteen and never looked back. Their short weekend trips were always out of obligation. Over the last few years, he’d had to go by himself more often because of his father’s health, and that was enough country for him.
But at that point, they both knew the writing was on the wall: they’d been engaged for three out of six of the years they’d been together, and it was time to move forward or call it quits. So, despite his protests, Tina bought the house, and Logan begrudgingly agreed to move in, even though he dragged his feet and almost threw a tantrum every step of the way. But now, he was here. For her. For them. They’d agreed to give Pennsylvania a shot and evaluate their relationship in six months.
And Tina had to do better at giving their future a chance outside of the years they spent in New York City monotony.
Either way, she now had this fabulous house.
Her tension began to ease as she walked down the wide flight of stairs made of polished wood that gleamed in the sunlight and entered the great room. The vaulted ceilings, the exposed beams, the shiplap fireplace with a custom designed wood mantle. She ignored the boxes that were stacked everywhere, and rounded the corner into the kitchen. It was one of the most beautiful rooms in the house with an eight-foot-long island and white-and-gray marble countertops, light natural-wood base cabinets and glass-front upper cabinets. The two-bedroom, two-bath apartment she’d lived in for the last ten years could fit into this one room, she thought.
Tina picked up a rag and tucked the corner in her back pocket. Hopefully, they could unpack and clean up in time to invite Logan’s parents over for dinner. They weren’t big fans of hers and had hoped their son would marry someone who was related to their country club circle. She hadn’t cared, because their relationship wasn’t serious at first. Logan had been convenient when they’d first met. She was in market research, and he was in finance. Their schedules worked out for sex dates. They’d blow off some steam and then get back to work. They saved each other the hassle of finding plus ones to weddings or obligatory family engagements.
Then he’d saidI love you, and she’d just…said it back.
But as the years went on, she found safety and comfort with him. He was dependable. A solid presence in a life where her parents, her sister, and her friends no longer existed on a daily basis. And that meant something to her.
Tina picked up one of the boxes in the corner and put it on the kitchen island. After using a box cutter that she’d left nearby, she quickly sliced the tape and unloaded the securelypackaged glassware. Six squat glasses, six tall glasses, six whiskey glasses, six wine glasses, six coffee mugs. With the same efficiency she used to approach her work, she unloaded plates, bowls, serving dishes, cooking utensils, cutlery, pots, pans, and small appliances. By the time she was done, the boxes were empty, collapsed, and lying in a neat pile in the corner with her apartment contents fitting on the center island of her new farmhouse kitchen.
“Shelf liners first,” she muttered. She’d already wiped down the kitchen from top to bottom with Logan earlier that day. Once the liners were in, she’d wash the dishes and put everything away.
Tina began laying out the shelf liner. She used the edge of the sink to make a clean tear along the perforated vinyl paper. Just as she finished her third sheet, she heard the slow creaking sound of a door opening from behind her.
