Page 7 of One Lustful Summer (Texas Summer #14)

Rowan

One would think that on Fridays, my mornings would be a little easier because mom has had Jodi overnight and gets her ready and off to school. And while most Fridays are easier for me, I get to sleep in a little longer, catch up on some house duties that may need to be done.

This morning is the complete opposite. I tossed and turned all night. Thoughts of Maggie kept me up. Dreams of Maggie woke me up. I’ve never been this infatuated with someone that I barely even know.

When I walked her to her car last night, I’ve never wanted to kiss someone so bad. Her full lips were begging to be touched and teased. Her coconut and sunshine scent, an enticing fragrance that reminded me of beach filled days. Everything about her drew me in.

It was great to get to spend trivia with her, to see her loosen up. I got to see some sides of her that were exciting, fun, interesting.

And I know I should have given her a heads up that I’m going to be the person at her for the construction consultation. But I’m kind of excited to see the surprise on her face when she realizes it’s me. Hopefully, she will be as thrilled to see me as I am to see her.

When I took on the consultation earlier in the week and put it on my calendar, I wasn’t aware that it was Maggie. I just knew that it was my grandmother’s home.

The home where my mom and her siblings grew up. The home where her father grew up with his siblings. The home that’s been in our family for generation after generation after generation until recently.

When I agreed to the consultation, dad questioned if I would be okay talking with the new owner. He seemed surprised when I said yes. I understood his concern, but in the end I wanted to see the house completed, and it didn’t hurt if I got to be the one to do it.

I had a lot of history already in the house. My grandmother and I work out the details of what she wanted to change and update. It’s why we added the addition to the house. She wanted to stay on the property while we worked on the house. Her new living quarters allowed her to do that and stay somewhere safe at the same time.

Unfortunately, her illness struck, and time wasn’t on our side.

I check the time on the stove clock and realize that I need to get the day started. Grabbing the original plans I draft for my grandmother, I place them in my laptop bag that already has my electronics stowed away inside.

I am interested in learning what direction Maggie wants to go with the house. Will she want a more modern design, a complete architecture change, or is she interested in restoring it back to a farmhouse? While there is a sadness that the house will no longer be in the family. There may be ways I can take the items Maggie isn’t interested in from the house and give them a new life. Restore them into something new for the family, so we always have a little piece with us.

Once on the road, I make a quick detour at Mom and Dad’s. I have a few minutes before mom leaves to get Jodi to school. I park my truck next to dad’s and hop out, leaving the engine running and the air conditioning on full blast. It’s already hot this morning.

I enter through the side door that leads directly into the kitchen. Mom turns from the counter when I enter.

“Just in time. I just wrapped this up for you,”

she tells me and hands me a breakfast burrito wrapped in tinfoil. Feeding everyone is something Mia DuPont will be forever remembered for. No one goes hungry when she’s around.

“Thanks, Ma,”

I tell her, taking the burrito out of her hand and giving her a kiss on the cheek. With my breakfast in hand, I head out of the kitchen and into the open dining room and living room.

“Where’s that crazy daughter of mine?”

I ask loudly, waiting for the giggle that usually follows.

“Oh, Jodi-bug,” I sing-song, looking around the space.

“Oh, shush your racket, boy,”

dad calls from the couch as he stands up for the couch.

“We ain’t got no bugs in this house!”

“No, sir-re. We don’t got no bugs,”

Jodi replies, running around the couch and launching herself towards me. I crouch down and wrap her in my arms and stand up. Her little arms wrap around my neck and she leans back and smiles.

“But we got cows!”

Jodi hollers, and then she moos like a cow. When dad joins in, they both erupt in laughter and I can’t stop from joining as well.

“Should I start calling you Jodi-cow?”

I ask her. Her giggles erupt again, and it’s music to my ears.

“No, Daddy. I’m your Jodi-bug.”

She gives me a tight squeeze, and I set her back down on her feet.

“What do you get when a cow jumps on a trampoline?”

I lift my shoulders up and tilt my head to the side, pondering her question. She doesn’t give me long to think of an answer, her excitement taking over.

“A milkshake!”

I chuckle at her joke.

“That’s a good one. And a milkshake sounds good. I think that’s what we’ll have for dinner tonight. Hamburgers, fries and milkshakes. Sound good?”

“So good,”

she answers while nodding.

“Okay, I’m out. Let me get one more hug and then I need to go check on some job sites.”

She reaches out and I lean down to meet her. After a quick hug and a kiss on her cheek, I stand up.

“Love you, Daddy!”

“Love you, Jodi.”

She runs over to the couch and puts on her shoes.

After a quick goodbye to my parents, I’m back on the road to start the day.

Both job sites were running smoothly, the deliveries arrived on time and the crews were on schedule. In this business, that was great news. I didn’t stay at either site for too long. The anticipation of my ten o’clock meeting with Maggie was my sole focus.

Pulling into her drive, I park my truck next to her black hatchback. I look over the front of the house and I can see where she has been productive. She has trimmed some of the overgrown bushes and pulled some out to give room for those left in the ground to grow and bloom larger.

I grab my bag with my electronics and designs and hop out of the truck. I debate going to the front door to knock, and then decide against it. Since it needs repair, I assume she is likely not using the inside of the house at the moment.

With my mind made up, I head around to the back addition. I notice her the minute I round the corner. She’s sitting on the back deck with her laptop open, soft music playing and an iced coffee in her hands.

“Knock, knock,”

I call out to grab her attention and not startle her. But my attempt to be subtle fails and she still jumps a little in her seat. Her hand flying to her chest above her racing heart.

“Rowan,”

she asks with a hint of confusion and surprise.

“Hey, I’m your ten o’clock, DuPont Construction,”

I tell her as I take the step up to her.

“Oh, are you the cousin that was going to the work on the house for your grandmother? The one that built the addition?”

I give her a nod, answering her questions.

“Why didn’t I put this all together in my head last night? Are you okay working on this?”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Let’s see what you want to do to the place.”

I take a seat and pull out my tablet.

“I’m not really sure what I want to do. Do you have any suggestions?”

I answer her question and begin to show her what I have. I start with some basic plans for this style of home that are more modernized. Next, I show her the plans I had originally made for my grandmother in mind, keeping the architectural feel of this home, trying to stay to the timestamps of when everything would work for this home.

We spend the next hour and a half going over different things that she likes and things she doesn’t like. I try to incorporate it all into what her vision is. Does she want the five bedrooms upstairs? Does she want to make them four, knock down a wall, different scenarios to get the best home for her,

Once we’ve talked it through, I show her a digital version of what we have talked about. Some things that she requested or suggested were not things that I would have thought about in a plan. Different things that a feminine touch brings to designing a home.

“Oh, Rowan, this is going to be amazing.”

Maggie states with enthusiasm. Her excitement bleeding into mine.

We talk about her price point, and when she expresses that she wants to do some of the work to keep cost down, I agree with the stipulation that I will help her. There are things she isn’t aware of with rebuilds and I don’t want anything to happen to her.

She reluctantly agrees, and I take it as a win. If it gives me some alone time with her, who am I to complain?

With the meeting wrapped up, we take one more walk through the main level. We exit out the front door and take a minute on the large front porch. Maggie steps down from the porch, her foot pressing down on the next step.

I’m not fast enough to tell her to warn her about the weak spot, and her foot goes right through. She falls on her butt when I try to grab her, but I’m too slow.

“Oh, ow. Well, I guess we need to fix that,”

Maggie exclaims with a giggle.

I rush to her side and help her up.

“Are you okay?”

My fingers wrap around her forearm as she steadies herself.

With her foot free from the rotten wood, she leans into my hold.

“Yeah, just embarrassed.”

I take a step closer, her scent filling my senses.

“Nothin’ to be embarrassed about,”

I tell her as I take another step closer.

I run my finger over her check and tuck in her stray hair. Her soft skin is such a contrast to mine. Her lips part and I want a taste. My eyes flick to hers and she watches me. Her tongue swipes at her lips, preparing them for what she wants. And who I am to disappoint.

I lean in the rest of the way, a hair breath away, ready to take what I want. But I don’t get the choice. My cell phone rings loud and annoyingly in between us.

I step back to take the call and see the hurt and confusion in her eyes. I try to make quick work on the call and get finished so I can get back to her. Instead, she gives me a wave and walks back inside, stepping over the step that has a hole in it.