Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
Bailey
What I found out was that hanging with Brighton Strong wasn’t so bad. He was hilarious, kind, and laid-back. He wasn’t hard on the eyes, either. Even though I shouldn’t have been paying attention to that, because I was still married.
After we signed up for the 5k, he told me that Bayliss wanted him to take me to see the bed and breakfast that he and my mom purchased.
As soon as Brighton stopped the truck, I hopped out. “I’m already envisioning ways to make this place super cute on the outside.”
“What are you thinking?”
I was almost caught off guard. It had been a minute since I was asked to expound on an opinion of mine.
“Nothing that would compete with that view.” I gazed off at the majestic mountains.
I knew they were miles and miles away, but they looked close enough to walk to.
“Uhm, it’s cute . . . It just looks like a regular house.
Nothing about it says bed and breakfast. The elevation is kinda flat. ”
“I agree.”
My eyebrows went up in surprise. “You agree? Aren’t you, don’t you do, uh, something with houses or property or something?”
“Yeah, I’m a builder. I own a construction company. We do remodels, partial builds, complete builds, and custom builds. Keep talking. I’m with everything you’ve said so far.”
“What would you do for the elevation issue? I think it would look good with a gable right over the front door,” I suggested.
When he smiled at me, butterfly wings fluttered in my stomach. I mentally fussed at them. The last thing I needed to do was get caught up on the fineness of a man who lived in Jackson Falls. I was a married woman . . . even if my future ex-husband was a bumbling idiot.
“A gable over the door would definitely add some charm. I would put one on each side of the front door as well. And a wrap-around porch is a no-brainer.”
It was my turn to smile big. “Right? A bed and breakfast needs a large porch and rocking chairs. Places where people can walk right out the front door and take in this million dollar view.”
“Yep. I’d do a walkway from the little parking area. Big pavers. Then, I’d clean out this front lawn, put some Adirondack chairs and a bench or two in the grass. Maybe a small stone table. Then the front lawn becomes a place where guests can have snacks while they enjoy the view of the mountains.”
“Let’s see the inside.” I was encouraged by his vision and the way it connected with mine.
Bright opened the lockbox, took out the key, and opened the house. I did a full turn, three hundred and sixty degrees, taking in everything I could see from the foyer.
“It needs some modernization, but I’ll bet it has good bones,” he mumbled, leaving me standing by the front door as he went to explore.
I caught up with him. We walked through the place together. Since the home had always been used as a bed and breakfast, the layout was good. The décor choices were where the place sucked.
“Ugh. This wallpaper and carpeting. Those are the first things that have to go.”
“Wallpaper is trending again.” I figured he was teasing me by the dimpled grin he was sporting.
“Not this wallpaper,” I insisted. “I like my wallpaper in small doses. Like in powder bathrooms or on accent walls. I’m a paint girly.”
He nodded. “I’ll get somebody out to check the systems—my plumber, an HVAC guy, an electrician. Have somebody come out and inspect the roof and the foundation. Then I’ll know what I’m working with. I’mma hire you to work on the design aspect.”
Something that felt like happiness bubbled up in my spirit for the first time in a long time. “Okay.”
“Let’s roll through the home improvement store over in Red Leaf.”
Since I didn’t have anything on my agenda except staying in the house and being sad, running errands with Bright seemed like a cool idea. “Okay.”
By the time Bright and I made it back to Perkins’s house, she was cooking dinner. That was when I realized that Bright and I had spent the entire day together. Perkins invited him to stay.
“Thanks, sis.” He dropped a light kiss on Perkins’s cheek after the invite. “I’m hanging out with the bruhs. Playoffs tonight. We’re ’bout to see what those Portland Trailblazers do.”
“Next time.” She gave him a hug.
“Have fun.” I waved as he walked toward the front door.
One thing I’d learned about Jackson Falls was that people didn’t always lock their doors. So, neither of us followed him. When she heard his pick-up truck start, Perkins turned to me.
“Uh, so the two of you have been together since you left to get breakfast this morning?”
“Yeah. He took me to a breakfast spot, then we went by City Hall to sign up for the 5k run.”
“Oh yeah? For the Stream Violet Festival that’s coming up?”
“You know about that?”
She gave me a look that read, “please be serious.”
“Of course I know about that. You’re the one that’s new to Jackson Falls. Me and my daughters are official residents.”
“Okay,” I joked, giving her a fake attitude.
“Nah. It’s a really big deal for the town. All of the seasonal festivals are a big deal. They bring in tourists and tourists bring in money. Plus they promote community and culture and blah blah blah.” I giggled. “What happened after y’all left City Hall?”
“We went by Mama’s new bed and breakfast and checked it out. It’s really nice. Has five bedrooms and all of them except for one has a connected bathroom. It needs work, but it really could be a smaller, more charming, more budget friendly version of the lodge.”
“Nice. How was it spending so much time with Bright? He strikes me as the most playful Strong brother. Him and Bayliss play all day.”
“It was . . .” I hesitated as I thought about how it was. “It was cool. Bright is funny and he does play a lot. But he’s on his business when it comes to building and everything. When we talked about what the bed and breakfast would need, all of his ideas sounded good.”
Perkins removed the food from the oven. Because she had to cook for three kids, herself, and sometimes me, Perkins favored sheet-pan meals.
As she plated the steak bites, roasted potatoes, and string beans onto plates for the girls, I quickly filled two pitchers with iced water.
One, I set on the table just as it was. The other, I turned into grape lemonade Kool-Aid by adding the flavor packets and sugar.
After my oldest niece, Harlowe, blessed the food, we began to eat.
“Since you signed up for the 5k, I’m guessing that you’re getting back into running. I hated when you gave it up. You used to be so into track when you were in high school.”
“Yeah, Bright convinced me to do it. I did used to love it.”
“Why’d you stop running?”
“Xander hated it, so he wouldn’t run with me.
And it didn’t seem safe to run around our neighborhood by myself.
” I thought about how many things I’d given up because Xander didn’t see the value in them.
Since I didn’t want to sink into a funk, I pushed those memories behind me.
“Anyway, we’ll see how my return to running goes.
Later that night, as I prepared for bed, I got a text message from Bright. It was an unknown number, so I didn’t recognize it initially.
Unknown Number: Practice for the 5k starts at 0700 hours tomorrow.
Me: Who is this?
Unknown Number: Who would be texting you about the 5k you signed up for?
Me: How’d you get my number, sir?
Unknown Number: My brother is married to your mother. I can get any information I want about you Bailey Marie Kingsley.
Me: My middle name isn’t even Marie.
Unknown Number: Maybe not. But I can get it if I want it. Be ready when I show up or I’m leaving you. If you wanna embarrass yourself in front of the citizens of Jackson Falls and Chinook Woods on race day, that’s your business.
I laughed before replying.
Me: I’ll be ready, bully.