Investment in Love (Contemporary Romance) (2 page)

The GPS led him through a few small-town streets and back into open forest.
That’s it? I thought the house was in Carterville,
Calvin thought. In truth, the address was technically within the boundaries of the town, but the small dirt road that led to it was a few more turns up the highway.

Dim memories flashed through his mind as he drove. He and his mom had visited Carterville once when he was in middle school, but nothing seemed familiar. He remembered a long drive and the forest—and an argument between his mom and her Aunt Loretta, but that was it.

He tapped his fingers nervously as he rattled up the rough dirt road. It seemed far too bumpy to lead to a house, but the GPS said he was on the right track. Calvin had high hopes—Mr. Greenfeld referred to it as a mansion, after all. Finally, he came around a last corner and the GPS beeped. “You have arrived at your destination!”

Calvin stared in disappointment when he unlocked the creaky door. The outside was nice enough—colonial style in cream and brown—but the inside was mostly very dusty. He peered in room after room, looking at flowery décor and faded drapes, and finally just collapsed on the soft bed in what seemed to be a guest room as jet lag caught up.

At first, his intention was just to relax and regroup before taking an inventory.
Mr. Greenfeld had made it quite clear that the mansion—and everything in it—was his to sell and was outside of the will provisions. That meant it was Calvin’s backup plan if the whole wedding scheme fell through. He could get a couple hundred thousand out of the place, probably—no small sum—and if he sold the curios and other items inside, that amount would be increased. But cleaning was going to be hard work, and he was
so
tired… so Calvin let his eyes drift shut.

The next morning, a strange noise tickled
at Calvin’s ears until his bleary eyes forced themselves open. For one blank moment, he had absolutely no idea where he was. The walls were decorated with dusty paintings of flowers, and he was pretty sure he was sleeping in shoes and a belt, not to mention slacks and a button-down shirt. Feeling stiff, he pushed up on his elbows and looked toward the end of the bed. Yup. He was still wearing everything from yesterday. God, it was
bright
in the unknown room. He squinted out a gap in the rose-colored curtains at the tops of trees before recognition hit.

He was at his Great-Aunt Loretta’s house. His dead Great-Aunt Loretta, who he’d only met once, who had left him $10 million if he married someone from this tiny town.

The strange high-pitched noise that had woken him up was definitely birdsong. Still groggy, Calvin shoved two hands through his mussed hair and stretched his back. As soon as he was fully awake, he was eager to get to work.
There were only three months (less, actually, since his vacation time wasn’t going to stretch the full three months) to fix up this house, get it sold, and find a wife. A
wife
, of all things.

Calvin decided to focus on the house first. It was much less terrifying than the thought of finding a wife.  He jogged downstairs and grabbed a phone book. He flipped through, skimming headings until one caught his eye: “Interior Decorators and Designers.” Perfect! His heart sank when he saw that there was only one small ad under that category, but still, this could be a solution to the house problems.

“Parker Home Design,” it said in flowery script. “Interior Design Consultation! Furnishings and Decor! Upholstery and Flooring! Home Appliances! Affordable Prices!”

Calvin noted the address and rushed to get dressed. Surely someone there would be able to fix up the house for him! Market value on this had to be a couple hundred thousand at the least, so even if the service was on the pricy side, he was sure to make a profit.

After quickly brushing his teeth, dressing, and splashing some water on face and hair, he fled the house, grateful to be free of the dusty air, and bounced back down the road into tiny Carterville.

In the morning light, the sky was a beautiful shade of pure blue and the forest was a velvety green in the crisp, fresh air. The landscape was beautiful, but the town felt very empty
after being walled in by skyscrapers. Carterville had been empty when he’d driven through the day before, and it wasn’t any busier today. The place was barely big enough to be called a town, with only a few streets and three two-story buildings, one of which was the old-fashioned courthouse. Thankfully, a familiar fast food chain’s golden arches had made it even out to Carterville, so Calvin was able to get his morning coffee from a chirpy teenage employee.

Finally, the sun had risen high enough that the interior design place would probably be open. Calvin typed the address into the on-car GPS and hit the road again.

***

Elizabeth Parker whistled quietly as she stacked bottles of carpet cleaner onto the metal shelf—or rather, she tried to whistle. She’d never quite mastered the skill, though, and instead a shrill, breathy sound was all that came from her lips. The bells on the front door jingled, and a moment later, the bell at the register dinged. She called, “Be right up!” without looking away from her armload of products. With the last one stacked neatly on the shelf, she finally spun and stepped quickly toward the front.

“What can I do for you?” she asked cheerily, welcoming smile turning to a confused expression when she saw the customer who stood before her. He wore fancy-looking pressed khakis and a blue dress shirt. She wondered why he was dressed up. She also wondered who he was and why he was so absurdly handsome—a pair of dark blue eyes gleamed at her when their gazes met, and she had a stupid urge to run her hands through his curly brown hair.

“Hi,” she said a little breathlessly. Then, “What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for a full floor-to-ceiling renovation.” He said it brusquely, without even bothering to return her greeting, and Ellie felt the beginnings of irritation.

“I’m sorry?”

“A full renovation. Furniture, carpet, appliances, paint—everything.”

“For
what
?” She hadn’t meant to sound quite so confused, but this man clearly wasn’t a local, and she couldn’t think of anyone who needed a full remodel.

The man’s navy blue eyes went from looking distant to looking irritated. “A
house.
” His voice had the edge of a regional accent that she couldn’t quite place.

She flushed. “I gathered that, yes. I was wondering which house.”

“Oh.” Silence reigned for a moment before he opened his full lips again. “Uh, up on the hill. My Great-Aunt Loretta’s old place. Big purple house.”

“You’re remodeling Miss Meyer’s old place?” For a moment, Ellie was excited, but then she remembered the resources at her disposal. She bit her lip anxiously, glancing around the small, familiar store. “Um, I’ll do whatever I can to help, but I have to be really honest with you: We’ve never done a full renovation before.”

Her mind was racing. It had seemed so exciting back in college, when the design degree was almost in her grasp and she had sweet-talked her dad into adding those services to their ad. Sure, she technically knew how to do it—in fact, Ellie had been hoping for years that someone would give her free reign with the design and furnishing of their house. She had years of experience with appliance and furniture sales, as well as carpet installation and that sort of thing (from working with her dad), plus a keen eye for design (honed by her college work). It was just that so far, she hadn’t actually had any big clients, and now that Dad was gone, the task seemed suddenly intimidating.

Calvin eyed the pretty girl before him in irritated surprise. Sure, the town had looked even tinier today than on the way through yesterday, and this home improvement store had seemed small. But he had just assumed that they had a big warehouse somewhere.

This shop girl was pretty enough—golden brown waves gathered up in a messy bun, big brown eyes, and a waist so tiny he thought he could close his hands around it. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure she was also dumb. At least, she was looking at him like she could barely comprehend what he was saying.

“You’ve got to be kidding. I checked the phone book. You’re the only place under interior design.”

She shifted before him, looking uncomfortable. “We do interior design and renovation! It’s just that we’ve never had anyone request such an extensive renovation before.” Ellie bit back the sassier remarks that wanted to come flying out of her mouth. Who did this guy think he was? Just because he was rich didn’t mean he was smarter than her. She wouldn’t have listed the services if she wasn’t qualified to provide them.

The man spoke again, looking irritated. “Can I speak to—” he turned to look back at the door “—Parker?”

Parker Home Design.
Ellie recited the name, feeling a twinge of pain at the thought of her dad proudly hanging the sign twenty years ago. “That would be me. Elizabeth Parker. Everyone calls me Ellie,” she said, letting a slight edge creep into her tone.

She held out her hand, and at last the handsome-but-rude man seemed to remember his manners. “Calvin,” he said, shaking her hand with a firm, dry grip. She forgot her irritation in the frisson that sparked in her hand at the man’s touch.

As he gripped her delicate hand, Calvin found his eyes drawn back across Ellie’s heart-shaped face and full lips to the purple T-shirt and jeans that she wore. They clung to petite curves, and he wondered again about the question of marrying a Carterville girl.
It really didn’t matter if she was smart—just if he could stomach a three-month relationship with her.
He thought spending three months with this girl might be an easy task, as long as she let him look at her beautiful self.

On second thought, she had narrowed her eyes into a suspicious, unfriendly glare. Maybe this Ellie wasn’t such a likely prospect. “Look,” he said, “could you at least give it a look, give me an estimate, that kind of thing? I can’t afford to have furniture trucked out from Portland.
You’re really my only option, if your business actually does home renovation and interior design.”

Ellie wondered how he could afford a full renovation if he was so tight on money, but if he was going to pay her, who was she to question it? Of course, if he kept eyeing her like she was a piece of meat, maybe she wouldn’t accept his money after all. It was flattering to have a handsome, sophisticated rich boy looking at her like that, but she wasn’t going to be swayed by a handsome face.

She broke off her train of thought, suddenly remembering that he—Calvin, apparently—needed a response. “Um, sure,” she said quickly, feeling a blush spread across her cheeks. Nope, she couldn’t turn down his money. The man was wearing expensive leather oxfords, hinting that he had plenty of money to spend.
And he looks good wearing them, too,
said her mind before she could shush it. “Why don’t we sit down and talk about everything that you think you’ll need?”

“Sure,” said Calvin. “Is there any chance we could do that over lunch right now? The sooner you and your team can start, the better.” He followed the statement with a quick half smile that made his eyes crinkle up adorably.

Ellie agreed, and said that she would drive her own car to the restaurant and he could follow her in his vehicle.

She led the way to a small restaurant labelled Susie’s Sandwiches
in a small green SUV, with Calvin driving the rental car behind her. They pulled in and parked in a small paved lot, populated by only by a few other cars, and Calvin mused over the easy parking. The free, empty public lot was in such contrast to the competitive parking he had experienced last time he went out in New York.

Speaking of…
“So, um, Ellie,” he started awkwardly, staring at her slim form from the back as she hopped out of the car and headed toward the restaurant, “is there much of a nightlife around here?” He needed to figure out where the suitable place to meet women was.

“Nightlife?” The pretty shop girl turned and looked genuinely confused.

“You know, like a singles scene?”

She started laughing and he felt his cheeks redden slightly. “Singles scene? In Carterville? Well, there’s a dance at the community center once a month—this month’s is tomorrow, actually—and we have a decent Italian café that lights up pretty at night.”

Calvin’s heart sank. How was he going to meet a woman, much less win her heart, if that was all that was available to him? He couldn’t exactly lay on the charm and sophistication at a community center dance. The laughter in Ellie Parker’s eyes stung, and he quickly changed the subject. “Listen, did you know my great-aunt at all?”

As they seated themselves in a booth, she said, “I didn’t really know Miss Meyer, sorry. She didn’t come out much. She’d worked out a delivery system with most businesses around town.”

Calvin mulled this over, biting at the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. “So she just stayed up here all alone?”

Ellie nodded, looking momentarily saddened. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and said, “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

It
was
sad, now that he thought about it. Why had his great-aunt been all alone? She’d never tried to reach out to the family, and the requisite Christmas cards had gone unanswered. When his mom had been alive, she’d sent a card to every family member—including Great-Aunt Loretta—every holiday season. Most had responded, but Great-Aunt Loretta had stayed silent and distant. And now here he was, with a will that entitled him to a pile of money, and a hundred puzzling questions.

“It’s okay,” he said quickly. She couldn’t ask too many questions or he might slip up and let on about the strange inheritance situation.

His train of thought was interrupted by the middle-aged waitress who came to take their order, and by the time she left he remembered that he was trying to get a wife.
Time to put on the charm.

“So,” he said, “let’s talk about whatever kind of magic you’re going to work on the house.”

Ellie was a little suspicious of the sudden easy humor in his voice, but at the same time she couldn’t help blushing from the comment. “Well, I guess it depends what you want. We should talk about what kind of style you’re looking to bring to the place, types of furnishings, that sort of thing. Then I can give you a sort of preliminary guesstimate of price range and how long it might take, but we’ll need to actually walk through the space before I can give you solid numbers.”

Calvin shrugged helplessly, looking dramatically bewildered. “My apartment came pre-furnished! I’ve never thought about this in my life!”

Ellie found herself laughing, almost against her will. “Sorry, I suppose it must be overwhelming.” He grinned boyishly at her in response, and her heart warmed into curiosity. “Apartment where?”

“New York.”

“Like New York, New York?” 

“Oh yes. High-rises. Steel and glass. Modern, sleek, beautiful—none of this old dusty stuff.” He gestured around, pointing either at the décor of Susie’s or the town in general. “Uh, not that this doesn’t have its charm.”

Well, that certainly put an end to his attractiveness. Ellie absolutely hated it when city folk were close-minded about the appeals of a small town—and Carterville was a nice place to be. She didn’t want to work with a man who couldn’t see that. Too bad the store desperately needed the business.

Say something, Calvin, darn it,
he told himself firmly. “Quaint little place like this would be a novelty in Manhattan,” he said aloud. Surely this was the way to charm Ellie Parker. She’d looked adorably surprised when he’d said he was from New York. A sweet girl from a small town like this would be dazzled by the big city he was used to.

Across the table, Ellie gritted her teeth to keep her eyes from rolling. “I’m sure,” she said politely. Who did this Calvin Barnard think he was? Sure, Carterville was different from a big city, but some people actually preferred things that way. She’d never had any interest in busy streets, hours of infuriating traffic, and giant, imposing skyscrapers.

Without much of a response, Calvin kept talking anxiously. “When do things close around here? 8 p.m. or so? Strange to see it so dark last night. The city just glows at night out my window.”

Ellie took a slow, steadying breath. This man was pushing all her buttons in the exact wrong way. One more braggy comment about the big city and the novelty of an unfamiliar handsome face was going to wear off.

Maybe he could feel the force of her irritation, because she watched him nervously start twirling a fork again. Ellie tried to be polite and reply to his comment. “Yes, 8 if you’re lucky. A lot of places close around 5. It was definitely an adjustment when I moved home after college. Corvallis—where I went to school—isn’t a big city by any means, but it certainly is bigger and better lit than Carterville.”

Calvin was too startled to be tactful. “
You
went to college?” As soon as the words crossed his lips, he knew his mistake, but it was too late to rephrase.

Ellie’s eyes narrowed and the nostrils of her button nose flared. “Yes? Is that a surprise to you?”

He reached frantically for a way to fix his blunder. “Um, sorry, I didn’t mean—it’s just—backwoods towns are usually less educated, and I figured this place didn’t seem too big on modern life…”