Out Of Focus: An Adams Grove Novel Part 22

"Jeremy? What are you doing here?" she asked as she got out of the car. "Is everything okay?"

"Housewarming. I brought presents." He lifted a big basket with a gingham kitchen towel draped across the top.

Kasey started to hug him, but a sweet aroma captured her attention. She released him and lifted the cloth draped over the basket. "What smells so-Lemon poppyseed?"

"Of course."

"My favorite. I can't believe you drove all the way out here to bring me m.u.f.fins. How did you find it? My GPS couldn't even find the address."

"It's not that big of a town," Jeremy said with a slight hesitation. "Internet. You can find anything online. You don't mind, do you?"

"Heck no, especially when you come with fresh baked goods."

Jeremy's face lit up. "How've you been?"

"Fine. Great, actually." She walked back to her car to get the groceries. Jeremy followed her, carrying the basket.

"Need some help?"

"Yeah. Thanks." She loaded his free arm with one bag, lifted the other, and headed to the house. Her expression grew serious. "Did Grem send you to do her dirty work?"

"No. She doesn't know I'm here. I came on my own."

"Oh." She blinked in surprise.

He followed close behind her. "She has been down since you left, though."

"I don't know why. I've only been gone a few days. It's not like we used to see each other every day."

He shrugged. "I guess it's just knowing that you're farther away. She's not getting any younger, just crankier."

"You got that right." She laughed. "She'll be fine. She has her friends."

"This time I think it's different. She had me take her to the doctor yesterday."

That got Kasey's attention. "Grem hates the doctor."

His brows flickered a little, and his dark eyes softened. "I thought you'd want to know."

Kasey knew she should check on Grem, but all their conversations ended up being about her moving into the carriage house, and that wasn't going to happen. It made her feel guilty as h.e.l.l.

"Is she okay?"

"Seems to be. They ran some blood work. I guess she'll hear those results next week. I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks."

Jeremy put the basket on the kitchen table. "Nice place. How do you like living out here?"

"I love it."

He raised a brow. "I can't picture you this far out in the country."

She unloaded the shopping bags. "It's not like I'm beating my laundry on a rock or dipping water out of a well."

"It's a lot farther away than you were before."

"True." She leaned against the counter. "I'm surprised Nick never mentioned this place to you and Grem. He never was good at keeping a secret," she said. "Seems like he would've told someone." She shrugged, not really expecting an answer.

"Didn't look like there were any fast food or delivery places nearby. You could starve out here."

"I'll just have to cook."

"Is that burnt popcorn I smell?" He sniffed. "Hope he installed a smoke alarm."

"Ha ha, so I'll know when dinner is done. Funny. And yes. That's what I had for dinner last night."

Kasey was happy to see Jeremy, but she didn't have much time before Scott came to pick her up. She hadn't expected the unannounced company. Even though Scott wasn't a date, she'd feel awkward if Jeremy was there when he arrived. She needed to get a move on. How was she going to get rid of Jeremy without being rude? She put the rest of the groceries away. She put the waders, a potted mum, and some ribbon on the table.

"What are you doing?" Jeremy asked, pulling up a chair.

"A project." She took a pair of scissors out of the kitchen drawer and cut one of the waders down to a manageable size that would hold the potted plant. She folded the top of the boot over, cut slits in a row around it, ran a ribbon through the slits and tied a perfect bow. She wiggled the pot down into the boot until the bright flowers nestled into place.

"Cute," Jeremy said.

"I'm not done. Wait here. Be right back." She rushed down the hall into the darkroom. She dug through bins full of pictures that weren't keepers but were too good to toss, and found what she was looking for. As she turned to stand, she slammed right into Jeremy. Her heart leaped into her throat.

"You scared me to death." She swatted him on the arm and took a deep breath, hoping to slow her racing heart. "I didn't hear you come up behind me." She was inexplicably irked.

"Sorry. I followed you."

Kasey pushed past him. "Don't scare me like that again."

"See. You are antsy about living out here, aren't you?"

Irritated by his mocking tone, Kasey said, "No. Not at all." Why was he challenging her?

She took the handful of photos back to the kitchen table.

"Well, I won't hold you up. I just wanted to let you know about your grandmother and see how you were settling in. Give you the housewarming gift."

She wiped her hands on her pants. Thank goodness. He was finally going to leave. She still needed to get ready. "I'll walk you out. Oh, and thanks for the m.u.f.fins. The dish towel matches the kitchen. That was sweet. "

He just stood there for a moment, which was a little awkward. She made her way toward the door, hoping he would follow. He did, and she walked him to the car. He got into the car and rolled down the window, tossing something her way. She caught it in mid-air, then opened her hand. A b.u.t.terscotch candy.

Of course.

She waved, feeling a little bad for being annoyed by his surprise visit.

Back in the kitchen, she cut the pictures and positioned them onto the boot, gluing and layering them into place. She hadn't decoupaged anything in a long time. Hopefully the lacquer would dry before Scott arrived. She opened the first drawer in the kitchen to toss the b.u.t.terscotch candy into it. There were already a few in there.

Old habits. Jake had probably emptied his little pockets in here on his visits. Before meals, it was their routine for Jake to empty his pockets of all his collections into the kitchen junk drawer. She missed that. Sometimes he'd have little army men or rocks, and oftentimes candy or Lucky Charms marshmallows that he'd tucked away.

She took a deep breath and turned her attention to the project before she got all misty-eyed. The planter turned out so cute, she thought about keeping it for herself. She gently placed it into a large paper sack and set it next to the door before she changed her mind.

She showered, blew her hair dry, and put on jeans and her favorite denim shirt. Her wide leather belt popped as she tugged it through the loops. She twisted to get a good look in the mirror, and pouffed the bottom of her shirt.

The idea of the cookout-of meeting a bunch of strangers-made her stomach queasy. It's just a casual get-together, and the chance to meet new neighbors. She shoved her hands into her back pockets and rocked side to side, trying to burn her excess energy.

A few minutes later, Scott pulled the Thunderbird into the driveway. Even though she expected to see it this time, the sight of the car still made her heart skip a beat.

Scott tooted the horn twice.

Kasey picked up her camera bag, grabbed the paper sack, slammed the door behind her, and went outside to meet him.

"Hey, girl," Scott said as he climbed out of the car.

"Hey, yourself." She walked to the pa.s.senger side.

He followed behind her and closed the door after she'd settled into the seat. With a click of the lap belt, she was ready to go. "All set."

Scott got into the car and nodded toward the paper sack, her purse and the camera bag all shoved onto the floor board. "Do you ever travel light?"

"I have to have my camera with me. Occupational hazard."

"I suppose." He pointed to the side of the house. "Who does the RV belong to?"

"Me."

He gave her a sidelong glance. "You drive that thing?"

"Yep. For work. I used to do a lot of work on the road before I married Nick. That thing is fully equipped-darkroom and all my backdrops, lighting and stuff. A self-contained photo studio. I haven't used it much over the last couple of years, but I'm afraid no one would be interested in buying it."

"Sounds cool." He nodded, looking impressed, then put the car in reverse and backed out of the long driveway.

Big puffy cotton-candy clouds filled the sky. The kind of clouds that somehow never get in the way of the sunshine, even though they're everywhere.

The silence was a bit awkward. Kasey asked, "How far away do you live?"

"About eight miles."

"You said your mom lives out this way?"

His mouth curved as if he was on the verge of laughter. "She lives at the other end of Nickel Creek, near the river."

"I haven't been to that end of the road yet."

He turned to her, his thick hair skimming his shirt collar in the back. "It's nice. There's a boat ramp down that way, too. Most people take Bradford Junction Road to get to it, though, so your road is pretty quiet." Scott looked relaxed, one of his arms propped on the console as he drove.

"Yeah. It is quiet. I think I've seen two cars in the last two days." She looked out the window as he turned off the main road. "Hey, this is a regular neighborhood."

He chuckled. "What did you expect? Cows?"

"Quit laughing. But yeah, maybe."

He drove past the row of houses, a mishmash of new and turn-of-the-century buildings. Scott's house was at the very end of the road, nestled amidst huge old trees. "The river runs behind the house," he said as he parked the car.

He offered to help her with her bags, but she insisted on carrying them herself. Kasey followed closely behind him to the side door. She could see the water from there.

"You are right on the water."

"Yep. I grew up on these rivers, boating and fishing with my dad." He pointed down the slope to a boathouse and dock. "I have a pontoon boat and a fishing boat. We'll have to go out sometime."

"That sounds like fun."

Inside, the house was tidy but lacked a feminine touch. It had an open floor plan. From where she stood, she could see the living room, dining room and kitchen. In the living room, a stone fireplace stretched across one entire wall. Its heavy wooden mantel appeared to be hand-carved. Oversized leather and suede furniture looked comfortable enough to nap in. She found herself mentally redecorating the place in something other than shades of brown.

The kitchen was huge and very upscale. It looked like something off the Food Network, with tons of cabinets and a fancy multi-burner gas range. It even had two ovens. An array of food cluttered the counter, an a.s.sortment of pots nearby. She felt totally inadequate already.

"I take it you're a pretty good cook?" Kasey couldn't hide her surprise or keep from feeling a little jealous. He even had things prepped and ready to go without a mess.

He blushed, grinning. A dimple became visible on his left cheek. "Yeah. I've been a bachelor a long time. I had to learn to cook or starve, and I figured out pretty fast that I couldn't live on take out with the limited options we have in this town."

"I'm impressed."

He pulled fresh ingredients out of the refrigerator. "Are you going to show me what you have in that huge paper sack?"

"I'd love to." She placed the paper bag on the center island, its black granite countertop cool to her touch. "It's a little present to thank you for springing me out of jail and inviting me over."

He c.o.c.ked his head. "Really? That wasn't necessary." He set aside what he had in his hands and rubbed them together like an excited eight-year-old. "But I love surprises."

He reached into the bag and pulled out the planter. Kasey waited for his reaction.

"Neat." He smiled, but then lowered his eyebrows. "How did you get so many pictures of my car?"

"It's not your car, but only you and I have to know that."

"It looks just like mine."

"They're pictures of my husband's Thunderbird."

Scott looked surprised. "Your husband's? He had a car just like mine?"

She nodded. "I know. Isn't that crazy? It's in the garage behind the house."

"I have to admit something about the day my car broke down. When I turned around and saw you getting out of that Thunderbird to rescue me, I thought that big rig had hit me-I'd died and Nick had come to take me to heaven."

"No wonder you were all out of sorts that day."