A curved staircase swept up from the foyer to a second floor, but she turned right and led him through a large living room, which he expected to be ornate and too fancy for practical use. But even though she’d added touches of Victorian fussiness, her sofa and recliners were big, cushiony, and upholstered in gray leather, picking up the color that streaked the floor. To his left, he saw a large, formal dining area, open to the living room, but they passed through another archway to reach a blazing-white kitchen with equally white appliances. More into earth tones, Blackie didn’t immediately like it, but then the dark green accents caught his eye, and he decided he did, after all. It was a bright, welcoming kitchen with a large work island and a spacious bay that was home to a round table, also white, but adorned with a centerpiece that sported green foliage.

“Your home is lovely,” he told her.

“Oh, thanks. I like it. Way too large for me, but I fell in love with the yards. I’m into gardening.” Stepping over to the fridge, she opened the door and said, “I decided to be brave and serve dinner outside. It’ll get a little nippy as the sun goes down.” She grinned at him over her naked shoulder. He decided he could grow to like tops with some of their parts missing. They allowed a man to admire things about a woman that he wouldn’t normally see, and Julie did have beautiful skin, creamy white and smooth. “I’m glad you wore a light jacket. I was prepared to drape an afghan over you if necessary. I hope you enjoy eating al fresco.”

“I do.” Blackie had added a balcony onto his upstairs apartment so he could barbecue and dine outdoors. He enjoyed the treehouse feeling it gave him, and food always tasted better to him when fresh air accompanied it. “As for the light jacket, I’ve lived here long enough to anticipate the chill that comes with sundown. It can get nippy even in July and August.”

She drew a tray from a refrigerator shelf, turned, and bumped the door closed with her hip. “Don’t you love that, though? Over on the west side of the Cascades, the summer nights can be so hot that you need air-conditioning in order to sleep. Here, Mother Nature cools things down. I replaced all my downstairs windows last year. Well, the ones that open, anyway. I wanted the kind that lock into position, no matter how wide they’re opened. That way, I can raise them only slightly to enjoy the fresh air and not worry about a burglar gaining access to the house while I’m asleep.”

Blackie almost warned her that most burglars knew how to disengage simple locking mechanisms like that, but since this was Mystic Creek, where a lot of people didn’t even bother to lock their doors, he kept that information to himself. “I’m the same way. I open all my windows at night to enjoy the cool air. I have regular windows, though. I’m upstairs and don’t need to worry unless a cat burglar comes to town.”