Julie arrived home from the office tired and cranky from the hot day and long week. What she wanted was a long cool shower and a drink. These hot, humid days had always left her drained and feeling down. Life had become routine for her, work and home, over and over, sometimes meeting a friend or seeing her sister and her family. But routine it was. She wasn't unhappy, in fact she was a joyful person, but there was something missing, and that was a special love. She wanted to find someone special but she never really did anything about it, so life continued as is for her. Gathering her things she drew a heavy sigh and made her way along the walk to her front door, as always stopped to enjoy the flower gardens along the way. They needed tending she noticed; perhaps that was a good thing, for it would fill part of her weekend.
Arriving at her door she noticed a note in the box, from the nearby florist, simply called "The Florist". She knew the owners, Peter and Linda, for she was a flower lover and bought flowers there a few times a week. They knew her tastes well and usually had something new for her too. They had become friends over the last year and had a few friends in common too. The note was from Peter letting her know she had a delivery and asking her to call if she would like him to return with the flowers that evening on his way home. She couldn't imagine who had sent her flowers; she would call Peter and accept his delivery offer.
Julie entered her home, feeling the coolness right away, smiling to her self for being insistent with the builder about having central air conditioning. He thought it a waste since the sea breeze was enough for most people, but she insisted, she just hated the heat, so coming into this nice cool home made her smile and feel damn good about winning that struggle with him. The house was a lovely contemporary cape cod style set on a lot overlooking the Cape Cod Canal, see could see both the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges from her home.
The land had been in her family for years and left untouched. Her parents were going to build a home there but time ran out for them and the land sat empty as she and her siblings figured out what to do. They all had homes and families of their own, she was single with no children, had a great business and a plan for building a home for herself. They were thrilled for Julie and were excited about the house and of course had designs on being there for summer weekends. It seemed each day one of them would call and say, "hey what about doing this....". Some of the ideas were great and some she laughed at with them. But all in all it was wonderful for the family, they felt this was what their parents would have wanted as well.
The plans were drawn up and her architect had a builder in mind. The builder had a great reputation and Julie visited several homes he had built, she like them all very much. The builder himself however was another story all together. Their first few meetings were very business like if not a bit contentious too. They seemed to clash but it was subtle, nothing overt but there was something she couldn't put her finger on. But she liked his work enough to put that aside and hire him for her house. They spoke on the phone almost daily and met each week a time or two. There was always some undercurrent between them. One call in particular made her want to scream at him. It was late in the day and she just didn't want to deal with one more decision. Her phone rang and grabbing it up quickly she said "Hello?"
"Hi Julie", she knew his voice by now for certain. "Did you decide on the lighting for the baths? We need to know today so the product is here for the install next week. The schedule is getting tight."
"Hello Nick" she responded with a heavy breath. He was the last person she wanted to talk with now. "Yes, I called your office and left all the specs. Donna said she would place the order today, have you spoken with her?"
"No, I haven't. I've been out at your house all day and my cell battery died. Its' been one of those days." He too had a heavy breath in his voice. "Sorry to bother you, I will call there now, thanks." He hung up before she could respond. She just wanted to scream!
That was the way it had been with them for the last few months, always a tension between them. Actually that tension was there from the beginning she recalled. She thought about him at the oddest times and in the most unusual ways. Thinking of this now, as she headed for the shower, she felt that sweet stir in her depths. "What the hell was that she thought? Just from thinking about Nick? No! That man drives me crazy!" Then she realized she was grinning, ah, but wasn't that a tantalizing thought, just what kind of crazy did she want? No, it couldn't be that, stepping into the shower; she tried to dismiss it all, he built her house! That was all he is to me, the builder! Damn it.
When she finally moved into the house she was surprised to find so many little extras that she hadn't thought of or expected, they were not in the plans, and lord knows, they went over those plans thousands of times. It seemed each day she found some new treasure in her home, she had only been there a month now, and already it was home, no longer just a house. And like it or not, Nick was a part of her home. Each time she came across these little extras she thought of him. So many thoughtful additions that only a builder would think of, but she hadn't asked him to do that. Damn him, he is everywhere; in my house, in my thoughts, and worst of all, she was feeling him in her body. Late at night she would lay in bed looking out the skylights and thinking of him, no, feeling him. It was as though he was there and that this was his home too.
Feeling refreshed from the shower, she put on a new sundress she had found at the boutique in Sandwich Village. It was a lovely pale blue halter dress, it made her blue eyes bluer and was very becoming to her figure, it reminded her of the color of the morning sky. She felt so much better now as she made herself a drink. What luxury she thought, and headed for the enclosed porch with her drink and laptop, just a few emails and that was it for the week. When she heard the doorbell ring she made her way to the front, knowing Peter was due with her flowers. She was excited, for she hadn't had someone send her flowers in so very long.
Her eyes about popped out of her head and her mouth dropped open, there in the doorway with the most beautiful arrangement of flowers was Nick, her builder. Stunned into silence, she tried to regain her composure, but Nick was more capable that she was right now.
