“And you don’t mind doing business that way?”
“It doesn’t make a difference to me how I get it done as long as I get the signature on the dotted line.”
“Don’t you think there are better uses for that thousand dollars?”
“I consider it an investment toward a bigger bet. I’m trying to get someone to sell me his entire corporation. It will make me millions, and the thousand dollars is a blip on that scale.” He started toward the door but turned around. “Is there anything else you’ll require before I head out?”
“Caroline said she’d love a visit.”
He nodded and then walked past her through the door and into the hallway, leaving her standing there. In the silence that remained, she was still pondering the fact that he was going to bet all that money. In an attempt to refocus herself, she tried to recall the sound of the piano, and at that moment, she wished she could have Nick’s memory to remember it perfectly. But the betting on horses was still weighing on her.
“Wait!” she called after him.
He turned around.
“What if you win? Then what?”
He stood silent for a moment, pondering her question. “What would you like me to do with the winnings? You choose.”
“If you win on the horse, I’d love you to donate your winnings to charity.”
He smiled. “Okay. I promise. I’ll let you pick the charity.” With another smile and a wave, he headed down the hallway.
Feeling pleased with her arrangement with Nick, she slipped her shoes off and set them on the bottom step before walking up the curving staircase to the second floor as she tried to get herself together. When she got to the top, she opened the door to the first bedroom, walked inside, and, still trying to recall the sound of the music, she opened her sketchpad and began drawing.
She looked up, taking in the shadows of the room, the color of the walls, the way the fixtures reflected in the winter light. Then, with her hand moving as fast as Nick’s had on the piano keys, she sketched, long, gray lines, shading in at the edges. She drew a four-poster bed, stark linens, and romantic lighting. More sketching—tall dressers with rounded corners, and warm rugs to cover the cold hardwoods. Her pencil moved along the paper effortlessly as the ideas came to her. When she was finished, she looked at her creation, and was happy with what she’d drawn. Despite her initial frustration over the way Nick spent his money, his music had stayed with her and actually inspired her. She set her pad of paper down and walked the space, getting a good look at it from every angle.
The next two bedrooms went just as smoothly. Abbey had a wonderfully colorful list of furniture to look for, and she couldn’t believe she was going to buy so much. Before she left each room, she checked the closets just in case there was anything in there that she could use. They’d been empty, and she almost didn’t check the one in the third room, thinking it, too, was probably bare. But something made her check, and was she glad she did.
Abbey let out a gasp as she squatted down in front of the most gorgeous framed picture of a landscape. At first, she wondered why it wasn’t hanging up somewhere, but then she realized that Nick’s ex-wife had taken all the furniture, so why would he have this one picture up anyway? She pulled it out to get a better look. The picture itself had an overall green tone to it, the landscape full of trees and underbrush with the most incredible white waterfall slamming down onto jagged rocks below. It was some sort of print, she figured, but it was absolutely amazing—the scene looking more like streaks of color than an actual waterfall, even though it was clear that it was real.
As she looked at her plan for the room, she realized that she’d gotten this room wrong. This picture needed to be the focal point. It was perfect in every way, and she couldn’t believe it had been abandoned in a closet. Since it was already there, it also boosted her confidence. This picture was certainly elegant enough; it had a dark wood frame and creamy-white matting. Abbey imagined gauzy fabrics in white with green accents, perhaps a lamp with the tiniest floral pattern on it. She saw bookshelves and dark wood furniture, a bright white oval rug to cover the dark hardwoods. She flipped her page over and began sketching, the picture inspiring her.
When she was finished, she slid it back into the closet. This would be her surprise. Finally, she’d found something of Nick’s to include in her decorating. Even if it meant nothing to him, he’d said she could have free rein of the house, and it moved her. It was the perfect piece to include—almost like putting her stamp on the room. Abbey would pull his personality into this house any way she could. She felt such a need to make it his.