Free ScandalandSin by Lynn LaFleur Page B

have to
spend so much money to fix up this… monstrosity.”
    “I know that. I have the money. You know that.”
    “Yes, and luckily I convinced you to invest
half of your inheritance for the future.”
    Alaina caught herself before she rolled her
eyes. Emma was right. Kelcey needed to let go and have fun much more often than
she did. “This is important to me, Kelc. This is what I want to do with my
life. You can understand that, right?”
    Kelcey reached over and squeezed Alaina’s
hand. “Yes, I understand that. I support you one hundred percent, even if
sometimes it sounds like I don’t.”
    “Okay, now that we’re all friends again,”
Emma said, “show us your house, Lainy.”
    Alaina led the way through the back door
and into the kitchen. “Here’s the room you’ll want to see, Emma.”
    Emma stood in the middle of the room, eyes
wide and mouth open. She slowly turned in a circle, gazing at everything from
ceiling to floor. “Oh wow. Look at the woodwork in those cabinets. Well, what’s
left of the cabinets.” She faced Alaina. “Are you going to duplicate the way
the house looked when it was built?”
    “As much as possible. I’ve done a lot of
research about Victorian houses in this area. I want to keep the flavor of the
house, yet have all the modern conveniences for my guests.”
    “And your cook,” Emma said with a grin.
    Alaina slipped her hands in the back
pockets of her jeans. “Emma, I don’t think you—”
    “Don’t even go there if you’re going to
tell me I can’t quit my job and work for you.”
    “You saw the town as we drove through it.
There’s nothing here that you’re used to…no shopping, no movies, no theater,
no—”
    “I don’t care. I told you I can always make
a party. And Dallas isn’t that far away. When we feel the urge to hit a club,
it’s only an hour’s drive.”
    “I can’t pay you what you earn now, at
least not at first.”
    “I’m not worried about that. I have a nice
nest egg.”
    “That nest egg won’t last long if you don’t
contribute to it.”
    “If I didn’t earn a dime, I could still
live for a year. Will you stop worrying so much? You’ll give yourself wrinkles.
You’re too young for Botox.” Emma walked over to the cabinets and ran her hand
over the dirty countertop. “I want either quartz or granite countertops. And
ceramic tile behind the stove.”
    Apparently Emma had already made this her
kitchen and the remodeling hadn’t even started. “What else is on your wish
list?” Alaina asked.
    “I’ll let you know,” Emma said with a grin.
    Alaina laughed. “While you’re thinking
about how else you can spend my money, I’ll show you the rest of the house.
Then I have an appointment at Coleman Construction to look at the draft of the
blueprints.”
    “When do we eat?” Emma asked. “I’m
starving.”
    “Alaina and I ate before we left Dallas,”
Kelcey said.
    “Goody for you. I needed sleep more than
food this morning.”
    “We’ll have an early lunch, after I talk to
Rye. How’s that?”
    “Works for me.” Emma grinned again. “As
long as you’re buying.”
    * * * * *
    “I think you need to widen that staircase to
the attic, Rye,” his father said.
    “I agree. Griff will add more light
fixtures too.” He pointed to the area on his father’s drawing that indicated
Alaina’s suite in the turret. “Alaina will love this.”
    “I hope so. Of course, this is simply a
draft. She can make any changes she wants.”
    “You drew everything exactly how she
described it. She can’t help but love it.”
    “It’s going to be a big job.”
    “Yeah. It’ll keep us busy for several
months.”
    Kenneth leaned back in his chair. “You
still have reservations about accepting a job from Alesia’s sister?”
    Rye considered his father’s question for
several seconds before answering. “No. Dax and Griff were right. I can’t let
what happened with Alesia cloud my judgment. It’s a big job, like you said,