A Nantucket Affair (Nantucket Beach Plum Cove #4)(24)

“Yes, let me know what you think.” Beth laid all the tile samples on the counter and the wood samples on the floor. Once they saw the pieces on the floor, two looked really good.

“These two cost about the same.” She liked both equally.

“Okay, let’s do this one, then.” Chase pointed to the lighter of the two options and she made a note on her phone and then put them back in the box.

Beth had grouped the tiles by color combinations, varying shades of blue and gray with ivory and cream. Chase immediately pointed to her favorite combination, an elegant gray with a hint of blue and a creamy white.

“I like that one, but what’s the cost of the different options?”

Beth told him, and he frowned when he realized the one he liked was the most expensive.

“Maybe we should go with this one instead.” He pointed to the least expensive option, which was also the most ordinary.

“That one is my least favorite. And remember what you said. An upscale look will sell better. We’ll be able to get a higher price. It should pay off more, even though it’s slightly more expensive now.”

“We can’t afford it. Go with the cheaper one.” He bent over to turn his saw back on and Beth glared at him.

“No. We need to discuss this. I don’t want the cheaper one, and you don’t either. You just don’t want to spend the money.”

“Beth, we don’t have the money to spend. Be reasonable.” The irritation in his voice was evident. But Beth wasn’t backing down.

“I know to the penny what we have to spend. We can do the ones we want, we just can’t have any more unplanned expenses.”

“And you can guarantee that we won’t?” he snapped.

She took a step back. Chase had never spoken to her like that before.

“Of course I can’t guarantee that. But at this point, what could still crop up as an expected expense? We’ve already done the big stuff with the plumbing, and you’ve checked everything else. Aside from the cosmetic stuff you’re doing now, there’s nothing else left, right?”

“Right.”

“So, tell me again why we can’t do the combination that we both want? That we know will look the best and get us the highest price?”

Chase sighed. “Fine, Beth. We’ll go with the ones you want. Are you happy now?”

“Am I happy? I’ve been better. I think I’m going to go visit my mother this afternoon and will spend the night there. So I’ll talk to you tomorrow and hopefully you’ll be in a better mood.”

“I’m in a fine mood,” Chase muttered.

“Right. Well, enjoy your fine mood and I’ll talk to you later.” Beth gathered up her box of samples and headed to her car, walking quickly before the tears came. Chase had never spoken to her like that, and she realized that they’d had their first fight. It had taken her by surprise and while she knew that he was just stressed about money, it still hurt because she had the same worries.





When Chase’s irritation faded, it was replaced by feelings of guilt. He knew he’d upset Beth. He’d never been angry with her before, and the look of hurt on her face pained him to see. To know he’d hurt her. But still, she could be so stubborn sometimes, and he’d known she wasn’t going to give up about those tiles. Her persistence was something he’d always admired about her, while at the same time it could also be frustrating.

But, she was also right. There really shouldn’t be any other unexpected expenses popping up at this point. And he had been the one who said upscale was the way to go. They just both had a lot of money tied up in this project, and he wanted to protect what they’d invested. But the design combination they both liked was the one that would sell better. There was no doubt about that.

Chase sighed. He knew he owed Beth an apology. His first inclination was to call immediately and ask her not to spend the night at her mother’s, to come home to him instead. But then he realized that it might be good for them to have a short break, for both of them to calm down.

So, he texted her. “Sorry I was a grump. Tell your mom I said hi, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

A few seconds later, her reply flashed back, ‘ok.’

He knew she was still upset. He’d apologize thoroughly tomorrow and see if she wanted to go out to dinner. He didn’t think Beth would stay upset for long—although this was their first argument, so he didn’t know that for sure.





Chapter 15





Kristen was looking forward to going to Angela and Philippe’s house for dinner. Kate and Jack were going, too, and all the guys got along well. Angela had said not to bother making anything, but Kristen didn’t want to show up empty-handed so she baked some chocolate chip cookies and had a bottle of Pinot Noir to bring over.

The plan was for Tyler to drive since he didn’t drink, and Kristen was going to walk over to his cottage at a quarter of six. She was all dressed and ready to head out the door when her cell rang, and it was Tyler.

“I’m just heading over now. I’ll be there in a sec.”

There was an uncomfortably long silence before Tyler finally said, “I don’t think I can make it tonight.”

“What? Why not? Are you sick?” He’d sounded fine when she checked in with him earlier in the day.