Page 85 of Finding Forever

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I have things to do.” Beth lifted the clipboard as proof.

Dave looked around the room. “What things?”

“I’m checking everything.”

“You’ve been checking everything for months,” he told her. “Have you eaten breakfast?”

Beth hesitated just long enough to make him suspicious. “I had toast,” she told him.

“When was that?”

Beth frowned. “It isn’t important.”

“So, yesterday?”

A blush skimmed her cheeks. “This morning. And before you ask, I had coffee, too.”

Dave smiled. “I’m pleased to hear it.” He wandered toward the gallery, taking in the finished space. Every time he came into the building now, he remembered what it had looked like when they’d started.

The damaged plaster. The tired flooring. Rooms that hadn’t been properly used in years. And Beth, standing in the middle of it all, seeing possibilities where he’d mostly seen a great deal of work.

“Come over here, Beth,” he said softly.

Beth immediately frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

Dave held out his hand. “For once, nothing is wrong.”

She walked toward him and slipped her hand into his.

“Look at the room,” Dave said.

Beth frowned. “I have been looking since I arrived.”

Dave pulled her close. “Stop thinking about your list for a minute and really look.”

For once, Beth became still. Morning light streamed through the windows, catching the glass in Owen’s display cases. The furniture was in place. The gallery wall was ready. And through the office doors, the fireplace Hank had restored looked as though it had always belonged there.

Dave felt Beth slowly relax beside him.

“Remember the first time we walked through here?” he asked.

A smile touched her face. “I remember wondering what I’d gotten myself into.”

“You hid it well.”

“I was terrified,” Beth whispered.

Dave glanced at her. “I know.”

Beth nudged him with her elbow. “You’re supposed to tell me you couldn’t tell.”

“I could definitely tell.”