| Kelci woke at 9 in JC's arms in the center of the small bed. She breathed his smell in deep as she hugged his chest. Slowly she slid from the bed without waking him and took a quick shower. She dressed in a pair of khaki pants and blue t-shirt. JC looked so peaceful and she left him. Just after 11, he found her sitting out on the small patio with her script in front of her and her headphones over her ears. He walked up behind her and kissed the back of her neck. She jumped slightly and whipped the headphones off. He chuckled and dropped his arms over her shoulders. "Morning, beautiful." "You scared me," she pouted as she looked up at him. "Awe! Sorry." "Did you sleep OK?" "Mmmmhmm....slept great. Is there more coffee?" he asked as he took her half full cup off the table. "I just made a pot like 20 minutes ago." "OK," he said and drank the rest of her cup as he scratched his bare stomach, looking at the dark clouds. "Yummy!" She laughed and he headed back inside. She followed after collecting her script, frowning at the sprinkle spots on the paper. Just as she stepped inside, the clouds burst open and rain poured down. "Just in time," she laughed and sat on the couch. "Did you have breakfast?" "Just coffee. Do you want breakfast or lunch, sleepy?" "How about a ham and cheese bagel sandwich?" he suggested still standing at the kitchen counter. "Well...if you take my cheese off and add a little mayonnaise...sounds perfect. Would you like an egg on it, too?" "Only if you want one. I like it either way." "Do whichever you want, chef." He laughed at her, but made the sandwiches complete with egg and delivered it along with coffee and chips. She thanked him and they ate at the coffee table as they chatted. "So...for tomorrow," Kelci started as he took a huge bite and he nodded for her to continue. "If we drive my car, then it'll be stuck there since we switched our departing airport and Rach has her car there. So...I thought we'd rent one, OK?" "Yeah." She nodded and retrieved the phone book. She called Enterprise and made the arrangements before hanging up. "How's a blue Mustang?" "Flashy, but I like it," JC grinned and reclined back on the couch, placing his legs behind Kelci. "They'll also have a map for us." "Very cool." She finished her sandwich then carried the dishes to the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with a banana, bottle of water and 2 vitamins. She handed the water and one of the pills to JC, who swallowed the pill before stealing a huge bite of her banana. "What time do we need to leave to see the house?" JC asked as he mushed the banana around with his tongue. "I figured 20 minutes to 2 so we are a little early, but you'll want to wear clothes and not just your pajama pants." "I can handle that. I also want to touch base with AG about some songs." "Help yourself to the phone. I'm gonna relax here with my script and the TV. There are fresh towels on the counter for you and tooth paste in the cabinet." "Why? Is my breath funky?" he asked with his face really close to her's. "Yes, VERY funky." ************ JC stopped the car outside the huge McAllister ranch at 1:50 p.m. that afternoon and felt his breath catch in his throat. The house was huge with an elegant Victorian style and charming flower beds along the front walkway. The two pillars on the end of each side of the porch were covered with climbing red rose bushes that set off the pure white house paint and the circle driveway looked newly re-rocked. Behind and to the left of the house was a horse barn. "Beautiful, isn't it?" "Wow!" "I know. I'm dying to see the inside," Kelci stated and climbed out of the car to greet the man standing by the Lincoln Town Car, her hat and sunglasses in place. "Mr. Wolfe?" "Ah, Ms. Greene. Lovely to meet you." "You as well." "Hello, Mr. Greene," Wolfe offered his hand to JC, who shook it and played along. "Hello. Shall we head inside?" JC suggested and took Kelci's hand before she could correct the man. "Play along. This could be fun since he doesn't recognize us." They were led through the gorgeous and spacious five bedroom house and Kelci found herself loving it even more. The kitchen was very modern and the roof had just been resurfaced according to the real estate man. Wolfe excused himself to take a phone call on his cell phone as they had just entered the master bedroom. "I'm buyin' this," she informed. "OK, but don't act so excited because he might jack the price up. We'll see what he wants, act like it's too much and out of our budget, then we'll make a counter offer tomorrow or Monday," JC reassured and watched her take it all in. "I can see myself makin' love in this room," she whispered, not realizing he'd heard her until he wrapped his arms around her. "I hope I'm there, too." "Mmm...I think that's you." "You are too funny, C." "Sorry that took so long. I hate to cut this short, but my daughter is in labor with our first grandbaby. Would you mind lookin' at the property by yourselves so I can lock up?" Wolfe asked. "Not at all," JC smiled. "Congratulations." "Thank you. The McAllister heir is askin' $250,000 for the house and another $100,000 for the land. What do you think?" "Well...it's a great house, but that's more than we were lookin' to spend...to be honest," JC stated and Kelci nodded. "Well, think it over and give me a call with some numbers. I'm sure we can agree on a fair price." "We will. Thank you, Mr. Wolfe," Kelci smiled as he shook their hands on the porch then watched him pull away. "I want this house." "It's an amazing house." "I WILL have this house." He laughed at her determined expression then spoke, "Can you afford $350,000 plus taxes and stuff?" "I think so. I want to sit down with the accountant to make sure, but....I do OK financially." "I'm sure you do. What do you think is a reasonable offer?" JC asked as they walked around the house. "Well...I want to have a plumber come out to check the pipes and stuff...I don't know...$135,000 for the house and ....$75,000 for the land? What do you think?" "Well...you're gonna need a security system installed....and the little bathroom off the kitchen needs a new sink...so... $135 for the house sounds about right for first bid, but I'd be willing to pay $225 for the house. I'm not sure about the land though," JC said. "Wow! This is SO beautiful." "There's a lil' stream back behind the barn. I have to have this place." "Well...what if..." "What?" she asked when his words trailed off. He lowered his head and kicked the ground as he spoke just above a whispered, "We pool our money and bought it together?" "Oh...uh..." "It's just an option. Check with your accountant and stuff." He tried not to act hurt by her shock and uncomfortable look. She sighed and hugged him, not meaning to hurt him. "If we DO buy this together, what happens when this ends?" "That's a positive attitude," he scoffed and removed her arms from around him. "Josh...I'm just tryin' to..." "Whatever. Let's just go." She just stared at him as he stomped over to the car. Shocked, hurt and fighting tears, she followed. When had this changed from such a wonderful day to a nightmare? Because she had let her fears slip and said ‘when this ends'? Or had he been ready to pounce for a while? Was this just a spat? Or were they over? She forced herself to swallow and wiped the four tears that had slipped out away before lowering into the passenger seat. JC already had the car started and pulled away from the ranch without even looking over at her. The ride was tense and silent. Kelci fought tears the entire way as she stared out the window then followed him into her apartment. She flinched when he slammed the bathroom door and couldn't hold back the tears anymore. What had she done? How would she fix it? Would he LET her fix it? "I need air," JC growled as he stomped past her and slammed the apartment door. There was no stopping the tears now and the groped for the phone in her blurred state. She dialed Rachel's cell phone, but got voice mail. She didn't trust her voice to leave a message so she hung up and headed to her bedroom. She collapsed on the mattress and cried into her pillow. Just like any other time she cried, her eyes burned and sleep finally came. JC came back two hours later and started dinner. He figured she was in her room since he'd taken off with her car keys, but wasn't ready to speak to her yet so he started the steaks. Once it was ready, he ate quickly while keeping her's warm in the oven then headed in to wake her. "Kelci....Kelci," he said as he gently shook her awake and she finally opened her blood shot, puffy eyes. "Your dinner is in the oven." "OK." Those were the only words spoken that night. JC stuck his head into some song lyrics and Kelci pretended to be working on her lines, but she couldn't concentrate to save her life. Finally she gave up and went to bed. |