Atop the piano there were neatly arranged piles of manuscript paper on which Griffin had begun transcribing his own compositions, but in her creative bursts she scattered her drawings and estimates all over the place. How could he write such beautiful music and at the same time be so damn organized?
She’d come to complete the landscaping, not to dissect Griffin’s habits, but if something horrible had happened to him between the time she’d left him last night and this morning, the evidence had been erased with a frightening precision. She didn’t dare report him missing when he might have gone to San Francisco for the day, or even down to Los Angeles.
That was the problem—he could be anywhere, but if he didn’t appear, nor contact her by sundown, she was definitely going to alert the police. At worst, it would be a false alarm. Everyone would have a good laugh at her expense, but that was better than waiting for a pieced-together ransom note to arrive.
Construction of the redwood arbor was nearing completion that afternoon before Griffin arrived home. Darcy was relieved beyond measure, but she sucked in a deep breath and feigned a keen interest in the carpenter’s work rather than rush to greet him.
He walked up beside her and let out a long, low whistle. “This looks even better than I’d imagined. It’s a shame the original owners didn’t have a superb landscape architect, because this house was just aching for an arbor and wisteria vine.”
The carpenter paused to wipe his forehead on his sleeve. “You the new owner?”
Griffin introduced himself with his usual cordial ease, complimented the man on his work, then turned to Darcy. “Do you have a minute?” he asked, but he took her arm and steered her into the kitchen without waiting for her response. He shut the door behind them with one hand and drew her close with the other.
“I’ve found a building for yo
u,” he announced a second before kissing her soundly.
Startled, Darcy grabbed hold of him for support. His muscular arms felt like steel cable beneath her fingers. “Is that where you’ve been?”
“Do you actually expect me to account for my time?” He laughed with the same ready amusement as when she’d offered to provide him with backup.
Exasperated with his amused rebuff, Darcy stepped out of his embrace and leaned back against the counter. “No, of course not. Your time is your own, as is mine.”
Even with Christy Joy’s urgent reminder, she’d been worried sick that he’d been kidnapped, or worse, and hadn’t once thought about their building. That oversight revealed a great deal about her priorities. After all the work they’d put into Defy the World Tomatoes, it was deeply unsettling.
“Just where is this building you’ve found?” she inquired abruptly.
“It’s on Harbor Street near the off-ramp from Route 1. Tourists will be able to see it from the freeway. It was a market and has a huge parking lot which would be ideal for the nursery.”
Darcy had only a vague impression of the site, but she wasn’t impressed. “I know the place you mean, and the building, which is merely a warehouse, has been vacant more than a year. It’s completely lacking in the intimate charm that’s so much a part of our shop.”
“Clever decorating will solve that problem. At least agree to see it before you make up your mind.”
“It’s on the edge of town,” she pointed out. “We’d lose the foot traffic that accounts for better than half our business.”
“Most tourists come up from Los Angeles on Route 1, don’t they? They drive right by the site when they turn off for Monarch Bay.”
“Right on by is more likely. I don’t need to tour the building when the location is so poor. But it sounds as though it would be an ideal place for a recording studio.”
Griffin’s gaze narrowed. “Give it up, Darcy.”
She clamped her jaws shut. His perverse insistence upon keeping a place that was like home to her and merely a space to renovate to him made no logical sense. Unless, of course, as she’d expected from the hour they’d met, he simply had to have his own way.
Griffin studied her deepening frown. “Don’t go all dark on me. I have an excellent reason for reclaiming my building, even if I’m not willing to share it just yet.”
“Harboring secrets again, Mr. Moore?” she challenged.
“Not a secret really, just a dream that I intend to bring into reality. Now I can see you’re busy today, but when your work is finished here, I’ll take you by the building on Harbor Street.”
“From what I remember, it’s big,” Darcy argued, “and undoubtedly too expensive for us to lease. Or was cost a detail you failed to investigate?”
“I’ve not called the leasing agents for specifics, but if, as you say, the building has been vacant awhile, they should be willing to listen to all reasonable offers.”
“Hasn’t it occurred to you that the reason no one wants to lease the place is because people just zip by it on their way in or out of town?”
“No, I just think independent markets have a difficult time competing against the chains, but you have no state-wide competition. Will you at least tell Christy Joy about the place and get her opinion?”
Darcy shrugged. “Sure, I’ll tell her, but you mustn’t be surprised if her opinion is even worse than mine. She lives in the apartment above the shop. It’s perfect for her and Twink, but I doubt that she’d want to call the back of a warehouse home.”