Chapter 11

"What am I going to do about Tim?"

Kathy stomped back and forth across the back yard, working out her frustrations by aggressively cleaning out the accumulated brush and trimming back the trees around the pool and patio.

"I can't be in love with him," she reasoned to herself. "I just can't! One date ... I mean, it was just one date!"

She picked up a pair of hedge clippers and started to attack the bushes which bordered the pool deck.

"Life just isn't fair! Why did he have show up now?? Why couldn't I have met him in England? What am I going to do?"

Kathy stopped for a moment.

"Why?" she said softly, wiping away her tears, "why'd it have to be so perfect?"

"Are you okay?"

Kathy jumped and twirled around, clippers armed and ready.

"Woah!" Tim stepped back, narrowly avoiding evisceration, holding up his hands. "I'll go quietly! I swear!"

"Oh Tim!" Kathy said, breaking out into fresh tears.

"What's the matter?" Tim held her in a warm embrace. "Why are you crying?"

"'Cause..." Kathy said, her words coming out between sobs, "I ... had ... such a good time last night."

"Well ... but that's a good thing, right?" Tim asked, confused in the way that men have been confused for generations.

"NO! It's not!" Kathy said, sharply before breaking out into fresh tears. "I'm ... I can't ... I mean ... It's just all wrong!!"

"Hush, there, hush," Tim said, stroking her arm. "I know you're worried about going back to the U.K. and all..."

"Yes..."

" ... but all I can say is that I really, really like you."

"Really??" Kathy looked up into Tim's eyes.

"Yes, really. And I think that if two people really, really like each other ... well, I just don't think there is any problem too big to solve."

"Oh, Tim!" Kathy broke out into fresh sobs.

"Oh, my darling Kathy ... please, don't..."

Tim planted small kisses on Kathy's head as she cried.

But through her tears, all Kathy could think was 'He likes me! He really, really likes me!'

And then her head just automatically turned towards Tim and sought out his lips...

... and they were kissing again, and it was heaven. Kathy's sobbing subsided as she lost herself in the kiss, feeling Tim's arms around her, lifting her arms to hold him tighter, letting the warmth of the kiss create a little safe bubble around them.

"Tim..." she started, backing away suddenly, "I ... I have to tell you something..."

"Of course," Tim said looking at her with affection.

"It's just that ... I mean ... I'm ... or rather, I'm not..."

"KATHY!!!!!"

Kathy and Tim jerked apart as Julie raced towards them.

"Mom said I could help you with the backyard. Can I help? Can I? Can I? Can I?"

"Of course you can, Julie!"

Jolted back to reality, Kathy thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't gone through with her confession. What was I doing? Kathy thought to herself.

"Okay, everyone," she continued, out loud. "We need to get this yard back into shape. The pool men are going to be here on Monday to start work. So, let's sweep the deck, cut back those bushes, and clear out that brush over there..."

The next few weeks went by in a blur. The renovations continued at a break-neck pace, with the inevitable problems encountered along the way. First, there was the sagging beam.

"Yeah, after years of punching holes in it to run water and electrical, this one's not gonna last much longer," Marc announced.

So they had to take a week to expose the old beam, jack everything up, and install a new one.

Then there was the issue of the missing trim.

"The problem is," said David, the architect, "we just don't have pictures of the inside. Tons of pictures of the outside, but really we don't know how the original architects would have finished the inside trim."

So, Tina spent hours trying to locate pictures of the interiors of period houses so they might have an idea of what to do.

"If only there was some ... you know, 'Home and Garden' spread or something, you know?" Tina said.

"Wait! What did you just say?" Kathy looked up from where she was playing 'Chutes and Ladders' with Julie.

"You know, a 'Home and Garden' spread?"

A huge smile crossed Kathy's face. "Come with me!"