Page 34 of A Vineyard for Two
Harper laughed. She couldn’t imagine Tyler with anyone. He was a bachelor through and through, and it wasn’t just that the army kept him travelling abroad, but a lifestyle choice. He was attractive and kind and girls fell over him, but he had never bothered to get involved.
‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’
‘When the time is right, it’ll happen.’
‘I’m sure it will.’
‘I’m going to head off now. The wiring looks good, you have nothing to worry about. Just keep Brookes away from cutting up any other walls. He’s lucky there were no wires in the one he started demolishing.’
‘I’ll do my best.’
He glanced at his watch. ‘I promised I’d deliver some tools to Lisa and give her a hand with a bit of heavy lifting.’
‘Be careful with that one.’
Tyler laughed. ‘Yeah, she can be a handful, but I’m keeping things strictly professional. Lisa is not my type, and besides I think she has a thing for someone else.’
‘Oh I know she does.’
After Tyler left Harper allowed herself a few extra minutes staring out the window. The vast space outside allowed for many options even in winter. They could get a few fire pits that patrons could hire out and sit by with bottles of wine and charcuterie boards, even roasting marshmallows as they admired the view by a crackling fire. There was something to do here for every season and she started to feel a little of the excitement that Brookes emanated from the start. It didn’t change the fact that there was a lot of work still ahead of them and it was time to stop the daydreaming and get on with it.
‘We need a blank slate,’ Harper said when she found Brookes on his knees with a measuring tape. ‘Probably best to start clearing out the stuff. Segregate it between what can be sold, donated or has to be thrown out. There might be a lot of sentimental items. I might run those past Georgia.’
‘That’s a good idea. She’ll know what Hugh might have wanted done with them,’ Brookes said getting to his feet and rolling back the tape measure. ‘Pete is going to stop by later. He closes at three, so should be here by four, just after the structural engineer.’
Harper checked her watch. ‘That gives us about three hours of solid work. Let’s get to it. We’re time limited as it is.’
‘It’s going to be okay,’ he said, his gaze fixated on her. It was that look in his eyes, the deep connection. She had to look away to not get lost in his gaze.
‘There’s a lot of work. I don’t want to waste any more time. I’ll start with upstairs and work my way down.’
‘The most important thing will be this area. If we want the Christmas in July function to go well, we need to make sure that the living area is larger and more comfortable. The rooms upstairs are important, but unnecessary for the event to go ahead.’
‘What if people want to stay the night?’
‘Do we give them that option?’
‘They will drink, so they probably shouldn’t be driving.’ Harper focused on the practical things, and safety was paramount, although he had a point. They were to host a dinner, not offer the entire venue. It would be good to at least declutter the place so that there was a room available if anyone needed to crash for the night. Plus, she was curious about all the history in those rooms. The photos on the walls told one story, and it only piqued her interest to know more. Hugh had been a pillar in the community for decades. He had helped build the town and the wine industry in the area, but there was still so much they probably didn’t know.
‘We can be in the same room together, Harper.’
‘I know. But this is more efficient.’ Harper grabbed an empty couple of boxes that lined up against the wall and went upstairs again, and the tension she felt shrunk, slightly. How in the world was she going to get through the next week and a half in the same house with Brookes? She couldn’t avoid him forever and she knew that there would be difficult questions popping up as the days went by. It was inevitable. But she couldn’t get close to him. She would help with the revamp and then she’d get in her car and go back to the city. Ten days. She could do this. She had self-control. More than that, she knew Brookes was not the man for her. They wanted two completely different things out of life. She wasn’t going to get in the way of his.
Upstairs, Harper struggled with the window latch before it slid open, letting a gush of cold winter air into the room. She stood staring out to the yard and she could see the potential. With a good clean up, the place would look incredible, but it would take time. There was only so much they could do in ten days. Wasting no more time, she got to work.
The first two rooms were simple. Besides the queen-sized bed, two bedside tables and a chest of drawers that held an old Bible and spare sheets, and dust, there was nothing else. After a good laundering, the sheets could still be used for future guests. She stripped the bed of the blankets and pillows and carried them downstairs to be laundered.
Back upstairs, she gave each room a closer inspection. A fresh coat of paint would go a long way, as would new carpets, but that wouldn’t be done this week. The room would do with a decent clean. Already, with the fresh air coming in, it seemed lighter and more inviting. She wanted to move on to Hugh’s room, but she wanted Georgia there to guide her.
‘I’m just in the middle of something, my dear. I can be there later this afternoon. Will that work?’ Georgia said when Harper called.
‘Sounds perfect.’
‘You’ll be starving too, no doubt. I’ll bring some dinner.’
‘Thanks Georgia. See you soon.’
Harper found the laundry and found a bucket she filled up with water, and added some detergent, then grabbed a duster and two old rugs from the laundry cabinet.