uncertainly. “We’ll see.”
“Okay. We’ll take baby steps with this then.”
When they walked back outside, the rain was starting again. Before Cassie had time to reconsider, she invited Luke in for coffee.
Luke flashed a quick grin and nodded.
“I’d love a cup. I’m usually a bear without it in the mornings, but I knew you were anxious to get your van so I didn’t bother at the house.”
As Cassie opened the kitchen door to her small, modest house she had an overwhelming urge to take back her invitation. After spending time at Luke’s spacious home, her own seemed tiny in comparison. She wondered what Luke’s reaction would be. But she needn’t have worried.
“This is great, Cass ie. ” Luke moved into the kitchen, her archiŹtect’s hands and eyes moving over the cabinets that had been built well before either of them were even born. “How old is this?”
“It was built in the thirties, they tell me. And he wasn’t even a cabinetmaker, he was a farmer. He and his son built the entire house. It’s been remodeled a few times, me included, but no one’s touched the cabinets,” she said.
“Who would dare? I can’t believe all the detail,” she murmured as she bent for a closer look. “Custom cabinets, sure, even back then they had fine cabinetmakers.” Luke turned back to Cass ie. “You had them refinished?”
“They were painted when I bought the house.”
“Painted?”
Cassie tried to hold back her laugh, but the look of total disgust on Luke’s face was too much.
“I know. You must be completely appalled. I couldn’t believe it myself,” she teased.
Luke smiled good-naturedly.
“It was a sin, whoever did it.”
“Yes, I agree.”
Cassie poured water into the coffeemaker, then pulled out sevŹeral varieties of coffee.
“I hope you don’t do decaf,” she said.
“Of course not. But I do tend to tamper with it a bit,” Luke cauŹtioned.
“Sugar?”
Luke nodded.
Cassie made a face. “And cream?”
Luke lifted one corner of her mouth wryly. “I add enough sugar and cream to disguise the coffee, I’m not sure why I drink it.”
“Well, you’ll have to make do with soy milk. I don’t have any cream,” Cassie said as she turned back to her task. She felt Luke move close behind her, peering just over her shoulder.
“Smells good,” she said. “Do you mind if I look around?”
“No. It won’t take you but a minute, though. The two bedŹ
rooms are now one and then the living room,” Cassie explained,
relaxing a little as Luke moved away from her. She returned a short
time later.
“I like it,” she said. “It’s …”
“Quaint?” Cassie supplied.
“I was going to say cozy,” Luke said. “I like your bedroom.”
Cassie managed not to blush, but she turned back quickly to her coffee, making a production of pouring two cups.
They sat at her small kitchen table and she watched, horrified, as Luke put an outrageous amount of sugar and milk into her cup. She sipped her own, enjoying the rich flavor but smiled as Luke made a satisfied moan at her own first sip.
“Perfect.”
“Sure you have enough sugar?”
Luke ignored her with a flick of one eyebrow.
“Tell me what you’ve done here. The sliding door to the patio is obviously new. What about in here?”
“The laundry room is through there,” Cassie said, pointing to a door at the opposite end of the kitchen. “When I bought it, that was a large storage room, I guess. The connections were outside so I brought them in and remodeled that room and extended the patio. In here, just new flooring.”
“Was your workshop here?”
“Yes. That’s the main reason I bought this place. The workshop was perfect. And I just remodeled a little at a time. The bedroom wall was the first to go,” she said.
“I guess having one bedroom cuts down on company. Of course, that can be a good thing sometimes.”
Cassie stared into her coffee, wondering why she was even con-
sidering
“Okay. We’ll take baby steps with this then.”
When they walked back outside, the rain was starting again. Before Cassie had time to reconsider, she invited Luke in for coffee.
Luke flashed a quick grin and nodded.
“I’d love a cup. I’m usually a bear without it in the mornings, but I knew you were anxious to get your van so I didn’t bother at the house.”
As Cassie opened the kitchen door to her small, modest house she had an overwhelming urge to take back her invitation. After spending time at Luke’s spacious home, her own seemed tiny in comparison. She wondered what Luke’s reaction would be. But she needn’t have worried.
“This is great, Cass ie. ” Luke moved into the kitchen, her archiŹtect’s hands and eyes moving over the cabinets that had been built well before either of them were even born. “How old is this?”
“It was built in the thirties, they tell me. And he wasn’t even a cabinetmaker, he was a farmer. He and his son built the entire house. It’s been remodeled a few times, me included, but no one’s touched the cabinets,” she said.
“Who would dare? I can’t believe all the detail,” she murmured as she bent for a closer look. “Custom cabinets, sure, even back then they had fine cabinetmakers.” Luke turned back to Cass ie. “You had them refinished?”
“They were painted when I bought the house.”
“Painted?”
Cassie tried to hold back her laugh, but the look of total disgust on Luke’s face was too much.
“I know. You must be completely appalled. I couldn’t believe it myself,” she teased.
Luke smiled good-naturedly.
“It was a sin, whoever did it.”
“Yes, I agree.”
Cassie poured water into the coffeemaker, then pulled out sevŹeral varieties of coffee.
“I hope you don’t do decaf,” she said.
“Of course not. But I do tend to tamper with it a bit,” Luke cauŹtioned.
“Sugar?”
Luke nodded.
Cassie made a face. “And cream?”
Luke lifted one corner of her mouth wryly. “I add enough sugar and cream to disguise the coffee, I’m not sure why I drink it.”
“Well, you’ll have to make do with soy milk. I don’t have any cream,” Cassie said as she turned back to her task. She felt Luke move close behind her, peering just over her shoulder.
“Smells good,” she said. “Do you mind if I look around?”
“No. It won’t take you but a minute, though. The two bedŹ
rooms are now one and then the living room,” Cassie explained,
relaxing a little as Luke moved away from her. She returned a short
time later.
“I like it,” she said. “It’s …”
“Quaint?” Cassie supplied.
“I was going to say cozy,” Luke said. “I like your bedroom.”
Cassie managed not to blush, but she turned back quickly to her coffee, making a production of pouring two cups.
They sat at her small kitchen table and she watched, horrified, as Luke put an outrageous amount of sugar and milk into her cup. She sipped her own, enjoying the rich flavor but smiled as Luke made a satisfied moan at her own first sip.
“Perfect.”
“Sure you have enough sugar?”
Luke ignored her with a flick of one eyebrow.
“Tell me what you’ve done here. The sliding door to the patio is obviously new. What about in here?”
“The laundry room is through there,” Cassie said, pointing to a door at the opposite end of the kitchen. “When I bought it, that was a large storage room, I guess. The connections were outside so I brought them in and remodeled that room and extended the patio. In here, just new flooring.”
“Was your workshop here?”
“Yes. That’s the main reason I bought this place. The workshop was perfect. And I just remodeled a little at a time. The bedroom wall was the first to go,” she said.
“I guess having one bedroom cuts down on company. Of course, that can be a good thing sometimes.”
Cassie stared into her coffee, wondering why she was even con-
sidering
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