I was suddenly concerned. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, it’s nothing like that. I’m absolutely fine,” she reassured me. “When Jonah decided to have a house built, he told me how much he was dreading having to make all the decisions about the interior. So, I wanted to see if you wanted to help me do some of it for him as a surprise.”
I hesitated, unsure of how to answer her and she must have read the uncertainty on my face. “Trust me; if someone doesn’t do it for him, that house will be fifty shades of boring. His other house looked exactly like this one—no decorations, no paint, no color.”
“Maybe he likes it that way,” I suggested.
Leigh laughed. “Oh, honey, if you’re worried about stepping on his toes, don’t be. He’s mentioned hiring someone to do it for him several times. I asked him what he had in mind for the interior, and he said he didn’t care as long as it looked nice. Well, then he added that he didn’t want flowers and pink shit all over his house.”
“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tag along. It’s not like I’m doing anything else today,” I said. “Let me go change and I’ll be ready to go.”
I grabbed my keys and headed for the front door. “Ready.”
“Do you mind if we take your car? I’m not really supposed to be driving just yet.”
“Sure,” I said and headed to the garage. I backed out and noticed the empty driveway. “Uh, Leigh, where’s your car?”
“At home. I had a friend drop me off.” Before I could comment, she asked, “Do you know how to get to his new house?”
“Not a clue.”
She entered the address and I followed the robotic directions across town to Jonah’s future home. To say I was surprised would have been a vast understatement.
We turned down a driveaway almost completely hidden by the surrounding trees. It led to several open acres with a massive two-story, country-style home situated near the front portion of the property. I noticed a barn in the distance as well as a small pond before my attention returned to the house.
“It’s gorgeous,” I breathed. It had light tan siding with black shutters, but the best part was the porch that wrapped around at least three-fourths of the house.
“Wait ‘til you see the inside,” Leigh said and pushed open the front door.
She was right; the inside was breathtaking and would be even more so after it was decorated and filled with furniture. I started upstairs and walked through the house taking in room after room until I made it back to the kitchen where Leigh was waiting for me.
“Don’t get me wrong, because this house is amazing, but why does he need so much space?” I asked.
Leigh gave me a small, almost sad smile. “There’s a couple of reasons for that. I know my boy wants to have kids someday, but I think he also wants to have plenty of room available in case someone needs it.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean by that.”
“When Jonah was fifteen, not long after we lost his dad, my niece and nephew came to live with us after they lost their parents. Duke was eighteen, but he stayed with us for a few months. Harper was only ten years old at the time. Anyway, you’ve seen my house, there was plenty of room for them. Even Trey lived with us for a year or so at one point.” She chuckled, “Come to think of, even Copper and Bronze had a room at my house, though they never officially lived there.”
“Wow. Not many people would open their homes to others so willingly.”
“Well, Duke and Harper were family. Copper’s and Bronze’s mom, Goldie, was one of my best friends, so her boys were like family. And my other best friend was Trey’s mom, Nicole, so again, her son was my son,” she said solemnly. Then, she clapped her hands and got to her feet. “Enough of that. Let’s get to work.”
I hadn’t noticed the size of the purse she was carrying until she pulled a laptop, two notebooks, and several pens from its depths. “Which room should we start with?”
We worked for hours picking out everything from cabinet pulls and light switch covers to wall colors and window treatments. And not once did I think about my current situation. Until my phone rang.
Chapter Forty-Two
Judge
Tina dropped everything she was doing and came straight to the clubhouse. She walked into Church with a serious yet concerned look on her face.
“I have to say I was quite surprised by your phone call. What’s going on?”
Copper placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Before I say anything, I need to be sure this conversation falls under the attorney-client privilege. Will that be a problem since you’re representing River?”
Tina didn’t hesitate to answer. “For all intents and purposes, I’m the club’s lawyer, so there’s no conflict of interest.”