Designing Our Love E-Book

Jace Emerson

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Larry just bought a new house that needed some redecorating. When he finds a woman that shares his ideas, they wind up sharing a lot more.  

Das E-Book Designing Our Love wird angeboten von BookRix und wurde mit folgenden Begriffen kategorisiert:

Leseprobe

Jace Emerson

Designing Our Love

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Cover

Designing Our Love

By

Jace Emerson

Table of Contents

Copyright

All rights are reserved. All characters are fictitious in this story and no reference is intended to any person living or otherwise.

Copyright 2023 @ Jace Emerson

Prologue

Stephanie Martin was trying to get through that afternoon's work, when the telephone interrupted her. She considered not answering it, but remembered she was the only one there that afternoon. She did own her share of Schaufer, Wallis and Martin Designs, but she was still the rookie, so she was stick in the office on an afternoon before a long weekend.

Fifteen minutes later, she hung up the phone with a smile on her face. It was a potential client that had called and had heard that her firm was a highly recommended interior design company. She had setup an appointment to meet with the potential client at the site for Tuesday morning. He had just purchased a home in the country that needed a lot of work. He already had people working on the exterior, but he was having problems finding an interior designer that shared his ideas.

Their interior design firm had an advantage over many in the Florida area. Mark Schaufer, the found and most senior partner, was an experienced interior designer and architect who handled most of their commercial clients. Andrea Wallis was a very talented interior designer in her 40's and came highly recommended. Most of her clients were older couples who's children just moved out, or just retired. They had offered Stephanie a position with their firm almost two years ago. She brought much younger clients in with her fresh and creative ideas. She had even signed a few celebrities in her 2 years there. Just last month, Mark and Andrea had offered her an opportunity to buy 25% of the company. She of course took the opportunity, so their name had just recently changed to Schaufer, Wallis and Martin Designs. Stephanie had come a long- way for a 29-year-old.

Chapter 1

Stephanie had a few problems finding the house on Tuesday morning, but still managed to be 10 minutes early. She slowly walked up the unfinished walkway and loved what she saw, even if it was unfinished. As an interior designer, she was able to envision how things would look after their completion. She knocked on the door, and an older woman in her 50's greeted her and invited her in. She was probably being rude, but she couldn't help looking around. She already had so many ideas floating around in her head.

The older woman spoke, "Miss Martin I am assuming."

"Yes excuse me for being so rude. I am very intrigued by your house. My name is Stephanie Martin from Schaufer, Wallis and Martin Designs." Stephanie said as she extended her hand.

"Oh, this is not my place Miss Martin. If you'll follow me, I'll introduce you to my son Larry, who is the owner." The woman said.

Without saying a word, Stephanie followed the older woman. She continued to look all around her. She hoped she got this account, because she could have so much fun with this place.

They entered a room, and the woman spoke, "Larry, I believe you were expecting Miss Martin."

Larry looked up from his keyboard, and said, "Thanks mom." After the woman left the room, Larry walked over to Stephanie and said, "Nice to meet you Miss Martin. My name is Larry Richardson."

Stephanie looked up in awe. She was not a huge fan, but she did recognize him as one of the BsB Boys, a popular music band. She finally collected her thoughts, and extended her hand and said, "Nice to meet you too Larry. Please call me Stephanie."

"Ok, Stephanie it is. Why do we have a seat." Larry said pointing to the corner of the room that housed a round table and chairs. Stephanie removed her notebook from her briefcase and was anxious to start making notes. "So what do you think of the place?" Larry asked.

Stephanie looked up at him and said, "This place is great. I already have so many ideas." She had already forgotten about who he was, and was anxious to see the rest of the house.

"That's good Stephanie. You really must love what you do. The excitement is written all over your face." Larry commented.

"I suppose I am fortunate to have found something that I love doing." Stephanie said in response.

"I consider myself fortunate as well." Larry said, not revealing anything about himself.

"Well why don't you start by showing me around, and let me know what kind of ideas you have." Stephanie said.

"Well why don't we start with this room here." Larry said as he stood up. "I don't want to change too much in here. I would like to replace the desk and make the room brighter, since I plan on spending a lot of time writing in here." Larry said.

"How much flexibility do I have?" Stephanie asked.

"What do you have in mind?" Larry questioned.

"Well, I would like to make both those windows there larger, to make the room brighter as you had requested." Stephanie said.

"Feel free to do those kinds of things." Larry said.

Three hours later, Larry and Stephanie met back in the office again. They had gone through the entire house thoroughly and Larry loved most of her ideas. She had taken all the appropriate measurements and pictures of each room. They went over a few ideas and Larry agreed to meet her at her office that Friday to go over the sketches.

Stephanie gathered up her things and Larry walked her to the door. "Thanks for coming out Stephanie." Larry said.

"No problem, Larry. I look forward to starting the sketches and meeting with you on Friday afternoon." Stephanie said as she exited the house.

Stephanie enjoyed her drive back to the city, and caught herself thinking about Larry more than once. She thought he was very good-looking and very levelheaded for such a successful person.

Chapter 2

Stephanie had to work a few evenings to get the work done, but she successfully had the sketches completed by mid-Friday morning. She had three hours before her meeting with Larry, and used the time to try and get caught up on all her other work that was piling up.

She must have lost track of time, because before she knew it, the receptionist buzzed and told her that Mr. Richardson had just arrived. She told her to let him in. When she heard the door open, she stood up and found herself breathless for a few seconds as she looked at Larry. He was dressed in Khaki's and a Jean shirt, with a few buttons open, to reveal a tight white T-shirt underneath. She forced herself to focus and offered Larry a seat.

For the nest hour, they went over the sketches, and Stephanie noted any changes that Larry wanted made. It seemed like Larry was very pleased with her work. "So when can we start?" Larry asked.

"Well give me the weekend to make these changes and I would like to set up a meeting for early next week to get your approval." Stephanie said.

"I will be in town on Monday. How about we meet over lunch." Larry suggested.

Stephanie checked her schedule, and agreed to meet Larry at a deli just up the street at 12:30pm on Monday. Just before Larry left he said, "I love your work Stephanie. You guys definitely have the job, just to let you know. I just ask one thing of you. I need you to sign a privacy clause on Monday."

"It's a pleasure to have you as a client Larry. And we have no problems with signing a privacy clause. In fact all three of us will sign it." Stephanie explained.

"I just need to protect myself Stephanie." Larry felt he had to explain.

"No need to explain Larry. I assure you any information you share with us, is kept confidential." Stephanie assured Larry.

Larry turned to leave her office, and stopped once again. "I don't think I ever told you what I do, did I?" Larry asked.

Stephanie tried to hide a laugh, and said, "No need to tell me. I recognized you as one of the BsB Boys when we met earlier in the week."

"Oh you did. Are you a fan?" Larry asked surprised.

"Not a huge fan. But I have heard some of your songs and seen some videos. I do think you guys are very good." Stephanie said.

"Thanks for not making a big deal out of it." Larry said.

"No problem. I was more excited about the prospect of what I could do to your house." Stephanie said honestly.

"I respect a woman that loves her work." Larry said as he turned to leave the office. "See you on Monday," he said as he closed her office door.

Chapter 3

Stephanie gathered up the things she would need for her lunch meeting with Larry. She had a meeting with Mark and Andrea that afternoon to go over the project and get them to sign the Privacy clause that she would be getting from Larry that day.

Ten minutes later she was at the little deli restaurant, looking over the menu. She was startled when she heard Larry's deep voice say, "Good Afternoon, Stephanie. Sorry I am a little late."

"Don't worry about it, Larry." Stephanie said.

"Well, I don't understand about you, but I am famished. What do you say we eat first." Larry suggested.

"Yes, why don't we." Stephanie agreed.

They looked over the menu and Stephanie caught herself stealing glances at Larry over the top of her menu. She felt like a schoolgirl all over again.

Larry ordered a Roast Beef sandwich and a garden salad while Stephanie ordered a Club Sandwich. "So, tell me about yourself Stephanie." Larry said once the waitress had left.

"What can I say. I am sure my life story isn't really as exciting as yours. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA five years ago. I worked as an intern at a large firm in New York City for six months and then got offered a job with them. I worked there for another two-and-a-half years. Then Mark and Andrea, my partners, came looking for me two years ago. And here I am a partner of their fir 2 years later." Stephanie said.

"Very impressive. You are obviously very good at what you do." Larry said.

"I certainly do love what I do." Stephanie said. "So tell me a little about yourself Larry." Stephanie said.

"Well, you already know what I do. I have been a member of the group for six years now. I am originally from Lexington Kentucky, and moved to Orlando some years ago. I got my start at Walt Disney World, and that is where I heard about the group. I never imagined we would have so much success, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love writing music and I especially love performing." Larry said.

"So what they say about you guys not being an overnight success is true." Stephanie commented.

"It certainly has been a lot of hard work to achieve what we have." Larry explained.

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their lunch. They continued to talk about different things that were of interest to both of them. They found out they had quite a bit in common. They both had two brothers, enjoyed horseback riding, and they both had a passion for reading.

After they finished their lunches, they got down to business. Larry was pleased with her work and was anxious to start. Stephanie explained to Larry that there was a lot to coordinate at this point, but she hoped to be able to start the work by the middle of the following week.

Stephanie looked after the bill, and they both exited the restaurant together. "So is this the last time I get to see you?" Larry asked.

"No, you're not getting rid of me out of your hair that easily Larry. We are short one person, so therefore I am going to be supervising the whole job. I even enjoy getting involved in some of the work." Stephanie said.

"So I will be seeing a lot of you at the house then." Larry said.

"You sure will. I am sure you will be sick of me by the end of the whole project." Stephanie joked.

Stephanie did not hear Larry mumble, "Hardly." They shook hands and Stephanie promised to keep Larry updated on the progress and she hoped to have a start date for him next week.

Chapter 4

Stephanie was looking forward to this project and found herself spending a lot of time thinking of Larry. She definitely was attracted to him. But she had to remind herself that he was her client, and it was unprofessional for her to get involved with her clients.

Because of some scheduling conflicts, they start date for the project was pushed back a few days. Since Stephanie had been told to pay a little extra attention to Larry, she went out to the house on the Friday to help Larry prepare the house. She found herself having problems concentrating while working so closely to Larry. He was wearing black Jean shorts and a tight white wifebeater. That was when she noticed his well-built upper body. The few times they accidentally touched each other had made Stephanie feel like her skin was on fire. She wondered if Larry felt the tension between them as well.

They both took a break for lunch, and Larry surprised Stephanie with sandwiches and potato salad. He brought it all outside and they ate on his partially completed deck. After eating, Larry showed Stephanie around the beautifully landscaped backyard. It was one of the few things that Larry did not want to change. Off in the distance, Stephanie noticed a barn. She assumed it was part of someone else's property, but asked about it any ways. "That is a beautiful looking barn over there." Stephanie commented.

"Would you like to go see it?" Larry asked.

'Oh I would love to, but I don't think trespassing is a very good idea." Stephanie said.

"I promise you I won't charge you with trespassing." Larry joked.

"Wow you certainly do own a lot of property. In that case, I would love to take a look." Stephanie said as Larry took her hand and helped her up off the ground.

It took five minutes to walk out there and Stephanie was thrilled to see the barn was for housing horses. "Do you plan on buying some horses?" Stephanie asked.

"I already have four of them. I am keeping them at a friend’s ranch for the time being." Larry said.

"Do you plan on moving them here during the duration of the job?" Stephanie asked with a smile.

"No. I am paid up for two months and plan on bringing them here at that time." Larry said. He paused for a brief second, and then said, "But you are welcome to come riding with me sometime."

"Oh I would love that." Stephanie said, feeling like a ten-year old.

"I am not too busy this weekend. Why don’t we go riding tomorrow?" Larry suggested.

"Are you serious?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes I am. I haven't ridden in a few weeks and would enjoy some company." Larry said.