Designs of Love (TP2)

37 - Alex/ Kate

Alex

In the morning, Jen made her special coffee in a coffee machine that Alex had just bought. He was amazed that coffee that good could be made in his house. He wondered if Rick would miss him on the weekends. He didn't say anything about not seeing him last weekend, but he might notice weekend after weekend.

He cleaned the kitchen and made sure the house was ready for the potential buyers to view. Jen said, "It would sell better if you staged it."

"If it doesn't sell, I'll stay longer. I paid a lot for this to start with. Do you want to go to the beach?"

"You do know that I love the beach."

"Are you going to wear your bikini?" he asked, and she smiled, which meant yes.

Other than the owners of a few houses he worked on and his neighbors, he didn't know anyone at this beach. Jen also didn't know anyone. Even if she saw someone from high school, she said they'd never recognized her.

"Why what's changed?"

"Besides about thirteen years. I wore baggy clothes, and my hair was just straight with no style. I looked like a nerd."

"I would have chased you in high school."

"I thought you had your one true love." She teased.

Alex didn't know what to say, so he ignored her. "What color was your hair in high school?"

"My color. This color."

"Oh sorry. Your hair has streaks, so I thought they came from some fancy salon. Girls are always talking about getting their hair done." He felt like he was digging himself in deeper.

"I think there's a compliment there, because you think my natural hair looks like what women pay to have done."

"Exactly... it's beautiful. You're beautiful." He realized what a jerk he was when they first met because he was even critical of her hair color.

They spent a couple hours on the beach and returned to his house. Marcy called him late in the afternoon because the couple made an offer. It was low and Alex wasn't willing to go much lower than his asking price. He knew what his house was worth and wasn't in a hurry to sell. Other than the inconvenience of having a house on the market, he had no reason to sell.

When Alex's phone rang, he thought it might be Marcy, but it was Kate. He answered cheerfully and smiled at Jen. "Hi Kate."

"Alex, you sound happy."

"So. What's up? How's the baby?" He tried to change the subject away from his happiness, because he was happier than he'd been in a long time.

"Joshy is fine. We're going over to mom's for dinner tomorrow. You should come too."

"I've got a lot going on. I'm trying to sell my house and buy another." Jen's flight was around five, so he could go over after he dropped her off.

"Sell your house! I never saw that empty house! Maybe we'll drive by next weekend."

"You'd better call because I've been working seven days a week." His sister was like a dog with a bone. She'd never let up. I would dedicate every weekend to Jen, and he did not want Kate to know about her. She wouldn't understand at all. He still remembered the way she was the last time he was involved with a married woman.

"You don't sound like you worked all day."

"What do you analyze voices now? Listen, I'll try to stop by tomorrow by five." He tried to get her to let up.

"Great. You should get Tommy and Avery to come back. Maybe she can bring her designer friend that you worked with, but don't talk to."

He knew she was baiting him and he refused to take the bait. Instead, he said, "You'd have to talk to Avery about that." Alex smiled because he heard the distinct sound of a baby crying. "Sounds like someone's not happy."