Love by Design (Crystal Falls Book 1) (4 page)

Noah sipped his latte and let his mind wander as he drove, thinking back to the day before, to finally seeing Lily again. He couldn’t get the sight, or the smell, of her out of his head. He remembered how it felt to hug her close, how she folded herself into him when he kissed her, how good it had felt making long slow love to her on mornings just like this, with a storm on the horizon and warm sheets to lay between.

If only it hadn’t ended the way it had.

She’d broken his heart, and done it in front of a crowd. As baffled as he’d been by her wild accusation that had fueled their breakup, at the time he’d been more angry about the embarrassment of it, and hadn’t denied anything she’d said. Instead they’d fought loud and hard in front of friends and strangers alike, both saying things best left unsaid. He regretted the way it had all happened now, but he knew if he had to do it over again, he’d probably react in the same way. For better or worse, when it came to Lily, he couldn’t control himself. Sometimes the lack of control had turned into wild passion, but more often than not it had been the start of heated arguments between the two of them, arguments that he hardly missed.

He angled into the cabin’s long driveway just as he finished his latte. The clouds had held so far and he jumped out of the truck and grabbed his notebook to start inspecting the outside of the house. Pine needles crunched beneath his feet as he walked around the cabin, cocooning him in the smell of the mountain. He breathed in deeply, still in love with the area even after living in Crystal Falls for almost four years. He couldn’t imagine going back to the life he’d had before, the bustle and concrete of life in San Francisco, where he’d grown up.

Noah walked around the house making a few notes as he checked the foundation. The cabin was old, but he was glad to find it well-built. With any luck the remodel would be smooth and easy. When he made it all the way around the house without the rain starting, he turned and strolled through the grassy yard.

A path wound down through the side of the mountain and he could see that it led to another grassy area, this one smaller and circular with a tiered concrete fountain right in the center. He checked his watch and strolled down the path, crunching rocks beneath his feet. Birds chirped and he stretched out his arms, loving the feel of being alone in the forest. The clearing was bigger than he’d realized before, lined on three sides by irises in every color. Just as he stooped to get a closer look at the old fountain he felt the first raindrop hit the back of his neck.

Before he could make a move the clouds broke open and rain washed over him.

“Shit!” he cried and started quickly back up the path. He could feel the cold drops soaking through his button-down shirt and hunched over more, trying to block his notebook from the rain.

Lily’s Mini Cooper pulled into the drive just as he was running for the house.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she got out of her car, safe beneath a mauve umbrella. She looked stunning standing there in the rain and he couldn’t help but slow down to take her in. Her long hair was curly today, swooped up gently from her face. She wore a gray trench coat, beneath which he could see her sexy bare legs. He wondered if it was a dress or skirt beneath the coat and imagined himself slipping it slowly off her shoulders, kissing her neck like he’d done so many times before. He shook his head both to get rid of some of the water clinging to his hair and to clear the thoughts of Lily from his head. The last thing he needed was to start thinking about her like
that
again.

“I was just checking out the foundation and it started to rain.” He made it beneath the front door overhang and turned to wait for her.

She stood where she was, slowly running her eyes over the wet shirt sticking to his muscles, the jeans clinging to his legs. He felt heat rise throughout his body, knowing that she was checking him out. He wanted her to get a good look at him. Maybe she would remember what she was missing, regret how horrible she’d been to him.

Her eyes met his for a moment and her stare made his breath quicken. But just as swiftly as something passed between them, it was gone. She turned to lock her car and he moved into the house, tired of waiting for her.

“I didn’t think you’d be here,” she said as she followed him in.

“I wanted to get some measurements that I missed yesterday.”

He raked a hand through his soaking hair, trying to straighten it, and Lily put her bag and umbrella by the door. He rolled up his sleeves, feeling the wet fabric already chilling his skin and watched as Lily peeled back the coat she wore, revealing a dark blue shirt dress, the hem just short enough for him to get a peek at her thighs. His thoughts flashed to her beneath him, those creamy legs wrapped around his back, and he quickly turned away.

Obviously working with Lily was going to be a problem for him. He just wondered if he could control his desires. He’d never once quit a job before completion, but this cabin remodel was starting to look like it might be the first. Dredging up these old feelings and desires again just didn’t seem worth it.

Lily stole a glance when he looked the other way. He was wearing a white shirt that clung to his back and she could make out every muscle. Despite herself, she felt a warmth spread over her, starting from her core.
Think angry thoughts
, she told herself.
Think angry thoughts.

They both turned when they heard the front door swing open. A short woman came in holding so many boxes in front of her that they couldn’t see her face.

“Hello?” she cried out to the room, not seeing them at first. She shifted and dropped the boxes in the doorway, shaking rain off her cashmere blazer. “Brr. Oh hi there,” she said when she saw Lily and moved to her with an outstretched hand. “You must be Lily.”

“That’s me. Lydia?”

“In the flesh, darling.”

She gave Lily a warm smile, so unlike the bland greeting she’d gotten the day before from her employer. Lily liked her already. And loved her timing. She was afraid that Noah would have started talking to her if they’d been alone another minute.

Lydia had short cropped black hair and bangs that accentuated the cat-eye glasses she wore. Her eyes danced with a friendly excitement that put Lily at ease immediately.

“Hi, I’m Noah. I’m the head architect,” Noah said and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Lydia. And the pleasure is all mine. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“I bet you have,” Noah replied, a frown turning down the corner of his mouth. “I’ll let you two get to it then. I’ve got some more measurements I need still. And who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and find a towel.”

Lydia nodded to him and she and Lily both watched as Noah sauntered down the hall toward the back bedrooms.

Lily finally turned and gave Lydia a tentative smile. “So you’re the one in charge of all the design decisions.”

“That’s what I’ve been told. And OMG, could this place use a little sprucing up, am I right?” She ran a finger over the sagging leather couch left in the living room by the previous owner.

“I think so,” Lily nodded and walked to the line of windows looking out at the storm that was now drenching the hillside.

“I know we’re going for shabby chic and all that, but wow. I don’t think I’ve seen a lamp that ugly in twenty years.”

Lily laughed and nodded. “Obviously the last owner was in a hurry to get out of here. We’ll have to have a cleaning crew come in and take this stuff away.”

Lydia nodded and began opening her boxes. “So are you planning to spill the beans? What’s up with you and the hunk?”

Lily turned back. “Hunk?”

“You know, the sexy boy-toy in the wet clothes who just left the room?”

“Oh, him.” Lily frowned and gave her a shrug. “Nothing’s up.”

“Could have fooled me. The two of you had some fire going on when I walked in.”

“It’s nothing. He’s just the architect.”

Lydia stopped what she was doing and gave Lily a look so intense that Lily had to turn away. “And I take it we don’t like the architect?” she whispered conspiratorially.

“We don’t like him.”

“Well isn’t that a shame.” Lydia raised her eyebrows, hoping for some juicy gossip but Lily shook her head.

“That is a very long story, best for another day.”

“Understood.” Lydia nodded and moved to the stack of boxes she’d brought in. “So I brought a few things to get us started. Christina didn’t have much of an opinion when it comes to the design here. She was much more interested in the remodel.” Her head shot up and she gazed down the hall. “And now I know why.”

She rummaged through the first box, pulling out a ring of fabric swatches that immediately caught Lily’s eye. She grabbed it from her and began looking through the samples.

“I decided to bring a few things that match the style in her other places-”

“Other places? Just how many places does Mrs. Upton have?”

“Ha ha. Nobody knows for sure, darling. I’ve been to, let’s see, three, now four.” She continued to pile magazines and knick-knacks on the floor around her. “Polite people probably shouldn’t ask about these things, you know.” She continued to rummage through a box but shot her a sly look. “But who are we kidding? Ask away, darling. Christina can go suck an egg for all I care.”

She blushed as Lydia continued. “And a few things I picked up here and there, knowing her as well as I do, that I thought she might like. The plan is that I spend a couple of days with you, working out the major design elements. Then, sadly, I must leave and you can take over from there. You can send me weekly reports, pictures whenever you want, et cetera, et cetera. And at the end of this whole big shebang I’ll come back, give my final approval, and we will be done with this delightful project. What do you say?”

She smiled at the array of pictures, samples, vases and throw pillows that sat at Lydia’s feet. “Sounds good to me.”

Noah came back down the hall, drier and more put together after finding a towel and fixing his hair.

“I know you two have a lot of work to do today, so I’ll try to stay out of the way. Just so you know, I’m planning on starting the remodel next Tuesday so expect some noise. And dust.”

Lily frowned. As if having to see Noah again wasn’t bad enough, now she had to worry about working around him.

“I’ll try to go room by room instead of having my guys work on everything at once. That should give you a little more space. Is there a particular room you want me to finish first?”

Lydia and Lily looked at one another. “The master?” they said in unison and both laughed. She thought she and Lydia were going to get along just fine.

“Sounds good,” Noah replied. “I’ll let you get to it then.” Neither of them looked up from their stacks of samples and he turned back down the hall with a shrug.

“He looks so familiar,” Lydia whispered to Lily when Noah had left the room. “I could swear I’ve seen him before.” Lily watched her puzzled look and startled when she jumped up quickly from the floor. She pulled open another box and began tearing through the contents.

“Nope, not that one,” she said, flinging aside the now empty box and opening a third. “Ah, here.”

She pulled a magazine out and scanned the cover a minute. “Yep, thought so,” she said, handing it to Lily.

And who was on the cover but Noah, looking sexier than she’d ever seen him. He wore a black suit jacket, a crisp white button down that was open halfway down his chest, revealing just a hint of the muscled chest beneath and a loosened tie. He also wore the new wire-rimmed glasses she’d seen for the first time the day before. She let her breath out audibly.

“I know, right?” Lydia said. “Christina told me he was sexy, but I’m surprised she didn’t mention he was cover-of-magazine material. Or maybe she did and I just blocked her out. Definitely a possibility.”

For some reason Lydia’s comment plunged her into the past and suddenly the sight of Noah on the cover had her imagining him as she’d done many times before, locked in the bathroom with some strange woman during spring break. She’d never actually
seen
the two of them together. She’d heard about it in the worst way possible, from two girls gossiping through a bathroom stall door. They hadn’t realized she’d been in the bathroom with them and they’d quieted as soon as she’d emerged. But her mind did a fantastic job with all the dirty and painful details and it hadn’t taken anything more for her to end the relationship that she’d thought might last forever.

Lydia must have seen the change in her face because she slowly took the magazine out of Lily’s hands and gave her a pat on the shoulder. The movement brought her back to reality. She shook her head. “So, should we get started then? Maybe go check out the master?”

Lydia nodded and held out a hand to help her up.

The rain finally let up midmorning, making way for a crisp blue sky. Noah stood at the window, his arms folded over his chest, and watched the flood of water pour down the side of the mountain. He’d done everything he could think of at the cabin and he knew it was time for him to head back to his office. But for some reason he was having trouble leaving. Every now and then he heard a peal of Lily’s laughter coming from the living room and it made his heart thud in his chest.