6. Miles #2
Jenna swallows and averts her eyes. She must feel it too. Hope bubbles in my chest. There’s a connection here.
“So, what do you think you’re going to get?” she asks, forcing me out of my thoughts.
“Probably pancakes with chocolate chips in them and on top.” I grin. “I’m a child.”
Jenna lets out a genuine laugh, her shoulders relaxing a little. “That actually sounds great.”
The server returns to take our order, and Jenna blurts out my order before I even get a chance, eyeing me mischievously as she repeats it to the server.
“And for you?” the server asks.
“I’ll have what she’s having,” I say, meeting Jenna’s gaze, forcing my eyes to remain there and not down at those lips again.
The server finishes jotting down our order and disappears. Jenna picks up her mug and takes a sip, never taking her eyes off me. She seems good today, like maybe she’s coming to terms with the house stuff.
“So, you bought paint.” I arch an eyebrow at her.
“I did. But I won’t use it yet, I promise!” Jenna giggles. “I let myself get excited for a moment about the idea of fixing the place up.”
I can’t hide the grin threatening to give me away. “It’s okay, you’re allowed to be excited. It would be weirder if you weren’t.” I take a sip of my own coffee.
Jenna’s brow furrows. “I just have a lot of mixed emotions surrounding this house,” she admits with a shrug. “And if I start to feel excitement creep in, it’s quickly followed by crashing guilt or sadness.” She winces and for the first time I get a glimpse of the weight she’s carrying.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask, fighting the urge to reach for her hand.
Jenna sighs. “Not really.” A look of guilt crosses her features. She gnaws on her lower lip. “It’s not you… It’s just every time I try to talk about it, I feel like I’m going to break open. I’d rather have a nice brunch.”
I offer her an understanding smile. “I get it. Well, if you ever want to, I’m here.”
Jenna tilts her head, smiling back at me. “Thank you, Miles. I appreciate that.”
I clear my throat as the server sets our identical plates down. “So, what else did you do this morning?”
“Oh, I talked to the girl who works in the hardware store. Her name is Joy and she had blue hair.” Jenna busies herself cutting up her pancakes and dousing them in syrup.
I chuckle, “Oh, I know Joy. That’s my buddy’s little sister.”
“She seems nice. And I saw they’re hiring in case this house drains my bank account.” She says it like she’s joking but I wonder if that’s something she’s really worried about. I tuck it away in the back of my mind.
“You’ll be fine,” I say, my voice soft. This time I do touch her hand.
The warmth of it sizzles my palm. It’s meant to be friendly, reassuring, but when her gaze meets mine, she licks her lips.
My chest tightens and I pull my hand back.
If I’m not careful, this business relationship is going to turn to pleasure real quick.
We finish up brunch and I pay the bill while Jenna is in the restroom. She pretends to be mad at me when she comes back but I think I see appreciation behind her eyes.
We walk outside and stand on the sidewalk. The cool breeze is back so as much I want to linger here with her, I keep it short.
“I’ll give you a call later and let you know about the inspection tomorrow,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep from touching her.
“Thanks, Miles.” And before I know what’s happening, Jenna rises on her tiptoes and presses a soft kiss to my cheek.
It’s quick, warm—and completely disarming.
Before I can even respond, she’s grinning and waving goodbye.
“I’ll see you later,” she calls over her shoulder.
And then she’s gone and later can’t come soon enough.
I meet Jenna at her place the following afternoon around two.
I watch her from the entryway. She is a bundle of nervous energy, and I have to actively force myself not to check her out as she buzzes around the house, telling me the things she has done since I was last here.
There’s a warm front coming through the region this first week of October, and Jenna is wearing cut-off jean shorts and a mock-neck pullover that hugs her tiny waist. I’m so distracted by the curve of her waist and her toned legs as she flutters around the kitchen that I don’t even hear Danny and the home inspector come in the door.
“Yo, Miles.” Danny claps me on the back. “You good, dude? I was talking to you, and you didn’t even blink.” He laughs.
I shake my head to snap out of it. “Just a little drowsy, I guess.” I hold out my hand for Danny’s buddy, a stout guy about ten years older than us with a gray beard. “I’m Miles,” I say as he gives me a firm shake.
“Tommy Russo,” he says, his voice gruff but polite. “Danny and I go way back.”
I chuckle. “Danny and I go way back, too. Thanks for doing this for us,” I say.
Danny eyes me suspiciously, “Us, eh?”
Luckily, Jenna doesn’t seem to hear him from the kitchen. “I just mean I’m the property manager, and I’ll be the one selling it. So yeah, us.” I shoot Danny a warning look.
Danny ignores it and laughs, elbowing me knowingly. “Right. I’m sure it’s got nothing to do with the homeowner being a pretty, out-of-town girl.” He winks, and even Tommy chuckles.
Jenna interrupts my roasting when she sashays down the small hallway. “Hi! I’m Jenna.” She smiles at Tommy, holding out her hand.
He takes it and shakes it delicately, shooting a knowing glance in my direction. “Tommy.”
So, these two have checked her out.
“And it’s nice to see you again, Danny.” Jenna smiles. “I appreciate you helping us out.”
Danny coughs and gives me an aggressive shoulder squeeze. “No problem at all.”
“Well, there’s not much you need to do, Jenna,” Tommy says, walking back toward the front door. “Danny and I are going to take a look at all of the important areas, and we’ll come find you when we’re done.”
“Okay, that’s great.” Jenna rocks forward on her toes. “I’ll be here.”
“I’m going to tag along if you don’t mind,” I say. “I’d like to assess for listing purposes.”
“Whatever you want,” Tommy says.
An hour later, I don’t have great news for Jenna.
Tommy found termites feasting on the foundation off the side of the living room.
It looks to be the only area where the foundation is ruined, but we can’t be too sure until he digs in a little more.
The house will have to be fumigated, and she can’t sell it in this condition—at least not for what she wants.
In addition to the brown spots on the kitchen ceiling, the roof shingles are missing in a few places, so the roof will eventually need to be replaced.
The old pipes are corroded. While they aren’t causing an obvious problem, they may be contaminating her drinking water.
She’ll need new siding and to fix the concrete in the driveway and sidewalk.
The HVAC system is twenty-five years old and probably close to being on its last leg, though, by some miracle, Tommy was able to get it running.
Some of this stuff, Jenna can leave up to buyers, but many will want it in the contract that it will be taken care of as a condition of the sale. Jenna has a lot to think about.
We’re standing on the front lawn, waiting for Tommy to finish writing things down and I’m trying to figure out how to break the news to Jenna.
“Well, here’s my report,” Tommy says with an apologetic sigh, tearing a carbon copy from his clipboard.
Old school. I like it. “Do you want to lay it all out there for her, or shall I?”
“I’ll do it,” I say, giving him a tight smile.
“Yeah, you probably need to lay it all out there for her,” Danny says, then he cackles. “I could think of a couple of ways to lay it out there .”
I narrow my eyes, shaking my head at him. “What does that even mean?”
Danny shrugs. “Just that she’s hot, you know.”
I shake my head at him. “Are you fifteen?”
Tommy laughs and shakes my hand. “Miles, good talking to you. If you need anything at all, recommendations for other contractors, maybe?” He looks sideways at Danny and then cracks a smile. “Give me a buzz. Danny, always a good time.” Tommy claps Danny on the back and heads back to his truck.
When he is gone, I let out a puff of air. “Man. She’s going to cry,” I mutter.
“Yeah, she is,” Danny agrees, shaking his head. He’s enjoying this too much. “She’ll have you to comfort her though.”
“Can you stop?” I shoot him a warning glare. Then I groan loudly. “I hate when women cry.”
“Me too.” Danny shakes his head. “Which is why I’m going to leave you to it.” He gives me a quick fist bump and turns to go.
“Thanks,” I call after him with a wave.
He looks over his shoulder. “Later.”
I find Jenna in the living room, fidgeting with the remote for the ancient television. “I don’t think that thing is going to work—even if you can get it to turn on.” I chuckle, sitting down next to her.
Jenna pulls her knees up under her and turns to face me, wincing. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” She pushes those lips into a thoughtful pout, and I struggle to focus.
I fidget with the paper copy of Tommy’s findings. “It’s not great,” I start slowly, delicately. “But you have options.”
Jenna shifts nervously. “Okay…options are good.” She chews on her lip. “Lay it on me.”
I try very hard not to think about other ways I could be laying it on her.
Thanks a lot, Danny for putting that visual in my head.
I’m so distracted by her proximity that I have to shift my body further away to stay focused.
“Okay, so, the biggest issue right now that cannot wait…you have termites. A lot of termites. And they’ve destroyed the foundation in the back corner of the house. ”
Jenna hops off the couch abruptly. “Eww! That is so, so gross.” She scrunches up her nose and begins pacing the living room.
“They won’t come inside. At least, I don’t think they will.
But they will destroy the joists in your floors and the framing in your walls if we don’t get rid of them.
And you need the foundation fixed in order to sell.
If you sell as is, you won’t get what you want for the house at all. ” I pause, watching her carefully.
Jenna stops pacing and stands in front of me. “How do we fix it?”
“Well, you’re going to start by getting it fumigated. You can’t stay here while they do that. Danny said he’ll give you the friends and family rate to fix the foundation issues and dig a little deeper to make sure everything is secure.” I wince, knowing this isn’t what she wanted to hear.
Jenna presses her fingers to her temples and for a moment, I expect an outburst—but she doesn’t lose her cool. Instead, her shoulders rise with a shuddering breath, and when she speaks, her voice is tight and controlled.
“I just don’t know how I’m supposed to do all this.
” She sinks into the couch beside me, not dramatically but like someone who is at the end of their rope.
She covers her face with her hands for a moment, then looks at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“This house is starting to feel like more trouble than it’s worth. ” A single tear rolls down her cheek.
I sit there awkwardly, unsure what to say and fighting the urge to catch the tear with my thumb.
I am terrible at this. Every time Erin cried, I reacted the same way.
This time, though, I can’t help myself; I reach for her knee and curve my palm over it, giving it a little squeeze.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I whisper. “I will help you.”
“How are you going to do that? I can’t take money from you. And geez, now I have to find somewhere to stay again.” Jenna looks sideways at me, sniffling, but doesn’t pull away from my touch.
I have the embarrassing sense that my palm is sweating on her bare knee, but I don’t pull away either. I am addicted to the tingling sensation her touch leaves on my skin. “You can stay with me,” I say, cautiously.
Jenna sits all the way up and squints at me, shaking her head. “No, no. I can’t do that.”
I pull my hand away and meet her eyes. “Why not? It’ll only be for forty-eight hours max, and I have an air mattress. You can take my bed. I’m sure you can stay here while Danny’s crew works. It’s just the fumigating that you need to leave for.”
Jenna hesitates, chewing on that plump bottom lip again. I swear to God, I am going to bite it so hard if I ever get the nerve to finally kiss her.
“Okay,” she says after a beat. “Yeah. Hotels are expensive, and I really don’t want to impose on Ellie again,” she admits. “We’re friends, right?”
I grin and pat her thigh as I stand. “Yeah. Friends. I have to make a call.”
I leave her there before she can say anything else, wondering how in the hell I’m ever going to stay just friends with this woman. I even like her when she cries.