Moonlight in the Morning (Edilean 6)

Jecca was pleased that Tristan had said so many good things about her to his family, but she wasn’t so sure about acting as a contractor.

“Would you like to do it or not?” Addy asked before Jecca could answer. She seemed as though she urgently wanted to get off the phone.

“I guess I could,” Jecca said, “but I need a good builder. I can oversee things but I need—”

“I’ll have Bill Welsch call you. His grandfather built the playhouse back in the ’20s so Bill will help. Jecca?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know you at all, but please don’t let Tristan and my daughter talk you into adding a stable for a pony.”

“What about chickens?” Jecca asked, meaning it as a joke. When Addy was silent, she thought maybe she’d offended her. “I didn’t mean—”

“You and Nell and Tristan are going to do well together,” Addy said. “Sorry to run, but I have movers here and I need to make sure they only pack what they’re supposed to.”

“Sure,” Jecca said. “I guess I’ll meet you when you get back.”

“You can be sure of that,” Addy said, then left.

It was Tris’s voice on the line next. “Did my sister scare you?” he asked.

“A bit,” Jecca said honestly.

“Don’t worry about it. In person, she’s tougher than she sounds.”

Jecca laughed. “So you and Nell plan to use me to get a pony?”

“Not really. Nell believes in starting big with her mother and working her way down to what she really wants.”

“That sounds smart. So what does Nell really want?”

“To fix up the playhouse.”

“Why haven’t you hired someone to do it?”

Tristan groaned. “Not you too! I am betrayed. Uh oh. Addy is calling me, so talk to Nell.”

There were sounds of the phone being exchanged, then Nell’s young voice said, “Easter.”

“What does that mean?” Jecca asked.

“Uncle Tris said you’d ask me what colors I want the playhouse painted, and I want it like Easter eggs in a basket.”

Color images ran through Jecca’s head as she spoke. “Blues, peaches, pale pinks, yellows, trims of golden brown like the straw of the basket. And light green for the grass. We’ll have to add a bit of cinnamon for the eyes of those little yellow marshmallow birds. Does that sound ses eally w good?”

Nell drew in her breath. “Perfect.”

“I’ll color a couple of drawings for you and I’ll show them to you when you get back. We can go over them and you can decide which you like best. Okay?”

“Okay,” Nell said in a voice that was little more than a whisper.

“And Nell? This is just my opinion, but I think we should do the inside at the same time so everything works together. Lucy can help you and me make curtains and slipcovers for the furniture, and we’ll make a quilt for the bed. What do you think?”

“It’s . . . it’s . . . I love it!” she said, then there was the sound of the phone being dropped.

“Hello?” Jecca said.

“It’s me,” Tris said. “What did you do to Nell?” Jecca went over what she’d said, and Tris laughed. “Nell just saw heaven on earth. I’m not sure how the trait got into her, but she has an artistic nature. Addy is very practical, and Jake mostly likes cars.”