Listen to Your Heart - Fern Michaels [59]
Josie ran to the van for the pink tool kit that Kitty had given her for Christmas one year. In seconds she was standing on the kitchen counter screwing in an eye hook to hang a delicious fern, as big as a bushel basket, over the sink. “I love it, I love it, I love it!” She laughed at the dogs, who were sitting on their haunches watching her with interest. “That thing that looks like a bordello bedspread has got to go. What do you think of this?” she said, waving yards of red-and-white-striped sailcloth. “Let me tell you, this was a find! You see, you fit two rods into it and you have a canopy curtain.” She banged more nails. What was it her father always used to say? Screw and glue. Well, she didn’t have any screws or glue, so nails would have to do. “Do you believe this!” she shouted to the dogs when she jumped down from the ledge. “Look, it’s a whole different kitchen! No, not yet. The rugs!” She ran to the van again and carried in two braided rugs made of colored fiber. One went down in front of the sink and one in front of the stove. “I should have been a decorator,” she said, tweaking Zip’s ears. She stood back to survey her handiwork. “What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is one hell of a cozy, warm kitchen. If there’s even the remote possibility that I might be living here one day, I can handle this. I should have been a decorator. Maybe I missed my calling. Okay, onward and upward. Dining room and living room are next.”
It was four o’clock when Josie called a halt to her decorating. She popped a Coke and sat down on the floor with the dogs. “Plants make all the difference. Some junk on the tables, some colored cushions, some flower arrangements, and the place looks lived in. I do like color. I think Paul likes it, too. Okay, guys, we can go home now. We’re coming back later. Do you want to bring anything, Zip? Go get it, boy! No? Okay, let’s head for home. Want a ride, Rosie?” she said, bending over to pick up the little dog. In a flash, Zip was between her and Rosie. He picked her up daintily and carried her out the door. Josie’s vision blurred for a moment. Such devotion. “It’s okay, baby. I understand.” And she did understand. She really did.
Outside, the air was fragrant with the scent of lilies of the valley. Josie closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She looked down at the flower border to see that all the tiny, fragile flowers had turned brown. She leaned over to pick one. There wasn’t even the faintest scent emanating from the flower in her hand. “Thanks, Mom.”
Paul had his jacket off before he hit the back door. He jerked at his tie, yanked it free, then slung it over his shoulder. He opened the door and blinked. Was he so tired he had walked into the wrong house? He craned his neck. No, this was his house. He stepped into the bright, cozy kitchen, his jaw dropping. He walked around, looking and touching everything, his eyes full of wonder.
He toured his house, his eyes getting wider and wider until he thought they would pop right out of his head. The whole place had been transformed. Everywhere he looked there were plants and bright, colored cushions. Knick-knacks were everywhere. He even had tassels and bell-pulls. Josie had done this. For him. For one incredible moment he thought he was going to burst wide open. The only room she hadn’t touched was his and Zip’s room. His sanctuary. No, she wouldn’t touch that room. That alone told him everything he needed to know about Josie Dupré.
The doorbell pealed while he was standing in the middle of the living room. He opened the door and accepted the groceries he’d ordered. Wait till Ms. Josie Dupré found out what a good cook he was. He laughed all the way to the shower and was still laughing when he dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
He opened a bottle of beer and sipped at it as he fired up the grill on the patio. He seasoned the steaks, then turned on the oven. He scrubbed the potatoes and vegetables. In less than an hour he had everything ready. All he had to do was set the table. When he opened the cabinets,