Blue Smoke

in more of that honey oak with a wide, chunky mantel topping it.
    “God, that’s gorgeous, Bo. Seriously.” She crossed to the fireplace, ran her fingers over the mantel. There was dust, but beneath it was silky wood. “Oh, look what you’ve done around the window!”

    It was flanked with shelves, mirroring the wood and beaded accents on the trim. “It’s just the sort of detail a room this size needs. Brings it in without losing the sense of space. Makes it cozy.”
    “Thanks. I’m thinking about fronting them with glass—pebbled maybe. Haven’t decided. But I’m doing that with the built-ins I’m making for the dining room, so I may just leave these open.”
    He was proud of his work, but her enthusiastic response gave him an extra boost. “Kitchen’s done, if you want to see.”
    “I do.” She glanced back at the fireplace as she walked out. “Can you do something like that in my place?”
    “I can do anything you want.”
    She passed him back the towel. “We’ll have to talk about your rates.”
    “I’ll give you an infatuation discount.”
    “I’d be a fool to say no.” She poked her head in other rooms on the way. “I’m nosy. What’s this going to be? Like a TV room?”
    “That’s the plan. Room enough for a good-sized entertainment unit. I’m working on a design.”
    “Using the monster in your living room as a measuring tool.”
    He smiled easily. “You’re going to watch, why not watch ?”
    “I’m thinking of using this space in my house for a library. Lots of shelves, warm colors, maybe putting in one of those little gas fireplaces. Big cushy chairs.”
    “That wall’d be best for the fireplace.” He gestured with a lift of his chin. “Could do a nice window seat over there.”
    “A window seat.” She considered him. “Just how infatuated are you?”
    “I was going to have a beer and the ball game. Then I saw you.”
    “Pretty infatuated.” She strolled out, glanced into the half bath. New tiles, she noted, new fixtures. Then the dining room, where she found major construction in progress. “It’s a lot of work.”
    “I like the work. Even when I have to shoehorn it in between active clients. Business is good, so this place is taking me longer than the last one. But I like it here, so that’s a point. Then there’s you.”
    “Hmmm.” She left that without comment and wandered into the kitchen. “Holy crap, Bo. This is amazing. It’s like a magazine.”

    “Kitchens are the hub.” He opened the laundry room door, tossed the towels inside. “Major selling point. It’s generally where I start the rehab.”
    He’d done the floors in big slate-colored tiles, echoed that on the counters and used white-washed cabinets. Some were fronted with leaded glass. He’d put in a bar for casual seating, added in a box window to bring in the backyard. Wide windowsills were stone and called out for pretty pots of plants or herbs.
    “You went high-end on the appliances. I know my appliances. I’d love to have one of these built-in grills.”
    “I can get you a good price. Contractor’s rate.”
    “I love the lighting. This mission style is perfect.”
    He flipped on a switch and made her eyes gleam. Light beamed down from under the top cabinets.
    “Nice touch. Now I have kitchen envy. This display cabinet’s great. Why don’t you have anything in it?”
    “Didn’t have anything. Guess I do now. Some of my grandmother’s stuff.” He opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of white wine. “She left me everything. Well, she made a bequest to the church, but the rest she left to me. The house. Everything.”
    “It makes you sad,” she stated softly.
    “Some, I guess. Grateful.” For a moment, he just held the wine bottle, leaned back against the refrigerator. “The house is free and clear, and once I get over the guilt, I’ll sell it.”
    “She wouldn’t want you to feel guilty. She didn’t expect you to move in. It’s just a house.”
    He got glasses, poured the wine. “I’m coming around to that. Doesn’t need much work. I’ve kept it up for her. I’ve started clearing stuff out. The boxes in the other room.” He handed her a glass. “Mostly photographs, some of her jewelry, and . . .”
    “Things that matter.”
    “Yeah, things that matter. She had a couple of pictures I drew her when I was a kid. You know, box houses with triangle roofs. Big round yellow sun. W birds flying around.”
    “She loved you.”

    “I know. My