Home for Christmas (7 page)

As Savannah sat cross-legged in the
middle of her borrowed bed, she found that she’d successfully buried those
personal emotions and allowed a growing excitement to build over her new
“project.”

Though it was well-past midnight,
she was too geared up to even think about sleeping. Her mind was whirling with
possibilities as she spread out all of the fabrics they’d chosen, color palates
and photos she’d printed from her iPhone the minute she returned to the condo.
The public rooms were taking shape in her mind and she couldn’t be more
thrilled with the sense of accomplishment and joy she was feeling in giving new
life to her old home. Gone were the former reservations, the old feelings of
moving on with her life.

Retrieving the photo of an iron
farm implement, she allowed her mind to run back to the man at the center of
all her plans. He didn’t know about this piece but it was something she
couldn’t overlook. He didn’t talk much about his rural background; in fact, she
guessed it was something he tried to bury, intentionally keeping it to himself.
But time and again, he was drawn to symbols of that agricultural past. Even the
colors and textures he tended toward were natural and symbolic of that life.
Azure blues, amber and toasty colors that reminded her of wheat under a blue sky.

Savannah knew what Austin’s
immediate plans were for the house. What
he
didn’t know was that she
also had a plan for the house, one that involved him. She planned to make the
estate so comfortable, so perfect … so
him
that he couldn’t even
contemplate moving from there. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt like they,
Austin and her house, were a perfect match. And soon, she hoped, he would see
it for himself.

She smiled as she remembered his
reluctant agreement to go shopping with her. How that reluctance had turned to
something neutral yet curious, which had finally given way to a budding and
growing interest in the things that would occupy his new home. Austin would
most assuredly deny that. But she saw the signs.

She remembered especially how opinionated
he became as he sat on first one sectional and then another. Down cushions
verses a blend. Fabric choices, etc. But what delighted her most was his
attention to the little accessories that drew his eye, clear across a showroom
in some cases. When she would question him about it, he would make some comedic
response, sloughing it off as if it didn’t matter. But it did, and she knew it.

Shaking her head to clear it from
her musings, Savannah pulled out her pad of paper and went back to making
copious notes. The smile never leaving her face as her plans unfolded on paper,
envisioning her old empty house once again filling with life.

Austin spent the next morning
burying himself in the ongoing details of his business. Memories from the
evening before kept creeping back into conscious thought as he diligently tried
to bury a growing fascination with Savannah. She was different than any other
woman he’d ever come into contact with. He had women friends who would
accompany him to events, parties, etc. He was surrounded by women in his
business, in the tech world. But somehow, this one woman was different from all
the rest and he couldn’t quite put a finger on what made her so unique. And
that was bothersome. He didn’t like things he didn’t understand.  

In his world, problems most often
were software glitches. Careful study and analytical skills could usually
eliminate the glitch or the bug or the worm or the virus. In some cases, it was
a quick fix. Nothing about Savannah was quick. Although trying his best, he
wasn’t finding a fix that could get her out of his mind. 

“Lois,” he called more sharply than
he’d intended. “I need to go over a couple of things with you.”

Lois entered the tiny space,
remotely opening the shades behind him. “This place is like a cave, Austin. How
can you stand it?”

Glancing back over his shoulders
toward the now spectacular view, he simply shrugged and returned his attention
to the paperwork in front of him.

“How is the new house project
coming?” Lois asked casually.

“Uh, it’s coming, I guess. In fact,
that’s what I wanted to go over with you. Pull up a seat.” After she was
comfortable, Austin began giving her a litany of details pertaining to the
coming entertainments that he wanted scheduled in the new house. Her fingers
nearly flew in an effort to keep up with his rapid monologue. She was used to
this side of him. As long as she’d known him, he had worked this way. Fast,
efficient, detailed to a point, and demanding the same of his employees. To
her, and only to her, he’d shown a softer side.

Twiddling her yellow pencil between
her first two fingers during a lull in his rapid-fire lists, Lois decided to
ask the question she was most interested in. After all, while it was business
as usual today, she’d noticed a distraction in Austin she’d not seen before.
Perhaps not a distraction as much as a preoccupation. After all, she couldn’t
help but notice how rumpled his hair was. And that was most definitely out of
the ordinary. Glancing out the window she asked in the most casual tone she
could muster, “And how is it working out with Savannah Wentworth?”

Finally gaining Austin’s attention,
he looked sharply at her. That
look
was one that usually delivered
results among his employees. But not Lois. The only result it garnered was a
sweet, grandmotherly type smile.

“I think she picked out most of
what she needed,” he answered evasively.

“I see,” she replied, kindly. “And
do you think she’ll do a good job for you?”

“I don’t know, Lois, he answered
with a barely controlled exasperation. As you well know, I’m completely out of
my league with that sort of thing.”

“Well, I was just hoping that you
two would work well together—“

“I don’t intend to be working with
Savannah, Lois. That’s what I hired you to do. I need you to handle the
details.”

“Of course, but I’m sure she will
be needing input directly from you from time to time,” she answered slyly.

Completely ignoring the line of
conversation, Austin continued as if there had never been an interlude.
Instructing his assistant to bring Savannah into the office and have her sign
papers from legal on the contract, going over with her the details of the
offer, compensation, etc.

“I also want you to ask legal to
work up a separate contract for consulting. I want to bring her into some of
the marketing meetings and get some input from her. As you know, Wentworth
stores were notorious for making a splash, and that is exactly what I need.”

“And she knows about this new
contract?” she carefully asked.

“No. I’ve not had a chance to
discuss it with her.”

Lois put her pencil down. “I’ll be
sure to schedule her when you have a slot available on your calendar.”

“I can’t wait for that, Lois. I’m booked
solid.”

“I can assure you that what I’ve
learned about Savannah Wentworth is that you can’t just slide a contract in
front of her marked with an “x” and tell her to sign,” she finished simply.

Running his fingers through his
hair again. “Okay. I know. It’s just hard to make time.”

“No it isn’t. That’s my job and one
that I do quite well.” She stood smiling brilliantly at Austin. “I’ll let you
know when it’s all arranged.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Austin
mumbled to a now vacant office.

Two massive lion statues greeted
Savannah as she stood at the iron sculpted gate leading to the East Prospect
property. It was how she was determined to view her old home, merely a
property.

It had been more than a week since she’d
locked those front doors and thought to never return. But here she was, her old
keys heavy in her mittened hand, having been returned to her keeping just hours
ago.
Familiar
. She loved the security of the familiar. She jiggled their
weight. Although she’d certainly had her misgivings, she was delighted to be
here again, to celebrate the holidays here … one more time. She would take
nothing for granted, and savor every last memory she could.

Savannah let her eyes roam lovingly
over the exterior of the house. The rain had stopped and an unseasonal sun
break was temporarily warming the November air. Perfect. The fall maple trees
were coming into peak late this year but served as a brilliant backdrop with
their vivid colors of russet, gold and red surrounding and enveloping the grand
old estate.

Built in the early 1900’s on
Seattle’s Millionaire Row, this house was a well-known example of Neo-Classical
Revival architecture designed by the famed Frederick Sexton. By any stretch, it
was an impressive monument, from the date of its completion more than a hundred
years ago clear through to this autumn day. But it wasn’t just a building, it
was also a home.

She shook her head, rolling her
eyes over the reminiscing. While she would enjoy each day spent here, she also
had a job to do. A job that by anyone’s forecast would be difficult to complete
given the time constraints, but one she was determined to execute with her
usual flair.

So grateful on many levels. This
holiday season wouldn’t be as dismal as she’d expected. On the contrary, she’d
been given a gift to do what she loved, in a place that was more dear than she
even realized just weeks ago. Loss was certainly a catalyst for appreciation.

Checking her watch, Savannah ran
lightly up the stairs and into the dwelling.

The house was too cold, she noted
determinedly; heading straight for the kitchen and some needed caffeine.
Setting her bag and tablet on the kitchen desk she’d already appropriated for
her use, she made her way toward the boxes of cutlery and dishes recently
delivered from Amazon.

Thankfully, the house had three
dishwashers in the kitchen and already more than half of what she’d ordered had
been washed and was ready to put into the cabinets by a recently re-hired
staff. Retrieving a white Pottery Barn mug, she headed quickly toward the newly
installed espresso machine. No time for another Starbucks.

 After an early morning
meeting in Austin’s office with Lois, Savannah had been struck anew by his
generosity. While she had assumed she was merely going over guest lists and
picking up the keys to the house, she had been pleasantly surprised to find the
promised contract with terms that were more generous than she could even
imagine. She’d argued the generosity with Lois before realizing the futility. Austin,
according to Lois, had been firm and absolute with the terms. Savannah would
just enjoy the windfall.

With a promise to meet in the early
afternoon, Savannah had left Austin’s building with a spring in her step.
Planning, designing and executing were her strengths; entertaining was her
passion. Due to the lucrative contract, she had the wherewithal to do both. The
dwindling funds she’d worried so about were no longer an issue, her future much
more secure and her circumstances decidedly less dire.

Sipping her latte, Savannah
regrettably left the warmth of the kitchen, which received morning light, and
began her tour throughout the house once again, increasing the heat as she
neared the control panel.

Wrinkling her nose, she noticed the
slight musty smell. Knowing she’d left the house in meticulous condition, she
was surprised that in a matter of days, it could have that closed up smell. She
hated that smell.

Within minutes, she had windows and
French doors thrown open allowing the decidedly cool yet pleasant autumnal
breeze coming up from the Sound to fill the house. She knew it would throw the
heating system off, but it couldn’t be helped.

With boot heels clicking on the
hardwood floors, Savannah began to recalculate her plans for the first of the furniture
scheduled for delivery any minute. Walking off dimensions and conferring with
her notes, already she had a different plan. Something completely unique for
the new owner. While she still longed to see some of the antique furnishings
lovingly collected over the years for this house alone, she was excited to
create something new. 

Savannah’s crew arrived just prior
to the convoy of furniture trucks and was immediately put to work arranging
furniture, rugs, accessories, lighting, and installing media. It was a mad
house, at times, with creative tempers flaring among a design crew she had
worked closely with in the stores. It was like old times.

Upholsters were on site and her
drapery crew had arrived. Each room would have a treatment that would accentuate
the beautiful moldings, yet allow light to flood each space. Given only a week
to plan the entire interior of the home, Savannah was more than pleased with
how the whole was coming together. She couldn’t wait for Austin to see what
she’d done. It was becoming more important to her than it should. And that was
concerning.

Another brewing quarrel in the
dining room claimed her attention.

Austin walked in the open front
double doors of the house for the promised meeting with Savannah.  While
he knew nothing about putting a house together, even he knew it was a
gargantuan task in the amount of time allotted her. His expectations were low.

Within seconds, he’d revised his
low expectations. In fact, completely threw them out the window. He was
thoroughly amazed at what, in one day, had been accomplished. His idea was just
to stick a few pieces of furniture in each room, places for people to sit, and
be done with it. But little elves were busy in each room creating, well,
atmosphere, he guessed. Actually, they were creating warmth. How different this
placed looked than when it was empty.

Everywhere he looked he saw signs
of Savannah. It was like he could actually picture her in the details.
Everything reminded him of her. And that was disturbing.

As he stuck his hands into the
front pocket of his jeans, Austin heard loud voices coming from the dining room
followed by a more conciliatory tone.

By instinct, he headed in that direction.
And he found her … in the middle of an argument between a designer and a
painter. Each offended by the other, each with inflated opinions of their work.
He rolled his eyes, finding little patience with the whole scene. But amused
and impressed as he watched Savannah expertly ease both of their ruffled
sensibilities, sending them off to new projects, on opposite ends of the house.

“You’ll be a good mother someday,”
he said, surprising Savannah
and
himself. Shocked at what had come out
of his mouth.
Mother?,
he questioned himself. Where in the world had
that come from?

Savannah looked amused. “Because I
sent them to their rooms?” she queried with a smile.

“You handle conflict well. I can
tell you’ve done this a time or two,” he replied with an answering smile.

Savannah’s smile turned brilliant
after consulting her watch and realizing that Austin had actually come earlier
than expected, carrying compliments, no less. Betraying her best intentions,
her heartbeat accelerated.

Hands again buried in the front of
his jeans, Austin rocked back on his heels as he looked around the room.

“You’ve done wonders here,” he
crooned. “It’s a little amazing, really.”

She smiled her thanks, equally awed
at what they had been able to accomplish in just a few hours. “I told you it
could be done,” she replied proudly. “My only dilemma continues to be this
room.”

“Hey, is that the couch we picked
out?” he questioned, quickly walking into the living area? “I can’t believe how
much different it looks in here! And this … I remember this,” he continued,
voice trailing as he walked from room to room, touching objects, pointing out
details. Savannah basked in his praise and enjoyed experiencing his delight.

After a quick tour, they came back
to the bare dining room.

“Did we pick out furniture for this
room?”

“We didn’t,” she said frowning.

“Don’t we need to?”

Savannah walked off the room again.
She, however, knew the dimensions by heart. “I haven’t forgotten this room. It
is one of the most important rooms for the entertaining you’re going to be
doing.”

“Like in a few days,” he reminded.

“I know. The problem is, the room
is massive. My grandparents had a dining table built for this space, including
the chairs and buffet. I ordered an antique but had to send it back this
afternoon because it was too small. I’m in a bit of a quandary about what to
do,” she admitted.

“I’m guessing card tables wouldn’t
suffice for Thanksgiving?” he quipped, enjoying the alarming expression that
crossed her face. “Where is the original furniture? I’d be happy to purchase it
from you.”

She shrugged. “Everything of value
was sold to an estate auction house before I vacated the property. I actually
called Winston Estates earlier and wasn’t able to get any information.
 I’ll come up with a solution,” she promised. “There are a couple more
dealers I’ve yet to connect with.”

“Can’t we have something made?” he
asked, also walking off the dimensions of the room and doing his best to
understand why a dining room table could be so difficult.

“Not and have it as quickly as we
need it and on the scale and proportion you need. This is definitely not a room
to skimp on. It has to be meaningful. But, I’ll do what we have to do. Perhaps
with a beautiful linen covering …”

“The card tables?” he interrupted.
“Okay,” he acquiesced when glimpsing her disgruntled face. “I’ll leave that in
your capable hands. I know a few people as well, Lois can make some calls and
we’ll see what we find. In the meantime, I’ve got a room full of people waiting
for me at the office.”

Impulsively, he leaned over and
quickly placed a kiss on her cheek. She was stunned, warm electricity spreading
throughout her body, her cheeks pinking; desperately she tried to hide her
reaction. Austin was equally flustered by how much he wanted to do it again. Except
this time, it wouldn’t be on her cheek.

Backing away from temptation, he
asked, “Anything else you need before I get back?” She shook her head, not
meeting his eyes and therefore missing the contemplative expression in his
eyes. Followed quickly by a gleam of some kind, an acceptance of something that
only his heart acknowledged. He shrugged and walked away, immediately shifting
his focus back to the office.

“Oh,” she exclaimed. So lost had
she been in her reaction to his kiss, well, really it was more like a peck,
she’d forgotten to cover an entire half of the house.

“If you could just spare five more
minutes?” she inquired, quickly moving toward the spiral staircase as she
spoke, already back in business mode, determined to keep it that way.

Consulting his watch, Austin
agreed, finding out how very difficult it was becoming to say “No” to her.
Running lightly up the mahogany tread of the staircase, he couldn’t help but
appreciate how gracefully she moved and in particular how she filled out those
designer jeans. “Get a grip,” he chastised himself as he raced up behind her.

“I don’t think you’ve seen the
upper floors before, right?” she questioned.

“Haven’t had a chance. But aren’t
you working on just the downstairs right now?” he questioned, almost jogging
down the hallway to catch up to her.

“We are, but believe me; people
will find a way to come up here. They are very curious. I need to furnish all
the rooms and that’s what I need to discuss with you. Now, down here,” she
gestured, “is my parent’s room, ah, I mean the master.”

“Yes, let’s do clarify that,” he
smiled. Savannah ignored his teasing. “I’m assuming you’ll want this room,” she
said swinging the double doors wide into the spacious retreat.

“I wasn’t planning to occupy any
room.” 

“What?” she exclaimed, her surprise
evident. “But, but you have to! It wouldn’t be right!”

“It wouldn’t be
right
?” he
questioned. “Right according to
who
?”

“Well, to everyone,” she said with
a hint of exasperation. “You have to live here!”

Walking across the expanse of the
room, Savannah turned to face Austin, determined to win this one. “Listen to
me,” she intoned seriously. “If you don’t live here, you are going to send the
wrong kind of message to the very people you are trying to get involved with. You
don’t entertain in a home you never occupy. It’s just not done.”