Chapter 6
Gavin
We spent the morning with Mrs. Ross, enjoying the delicious breakfast she made before she gave us a tour of the property and went over her daily routine.
When we finally wrapped up, Allie and I headed to the little coffee shop at the town square.
The place smelled like espresso and fresh baked goods.
It was warmer than the inn and filled with more people than I expected, but it was still a good place to talk without Mrs. Ross overhearing us discuss the fate of what was not only her place of employment but also her home.
Once the barista handed us our drinks, we found a small table next to the window and sat. Allie wasted no time pulling out a notebook I hadn’t even noticed she’d brought with us.
“Okay,” she said, opening it to the first page. “Let’s make a pros and cons list.”
I groaned into my coffee. The truth was, I’d spent the last six months while the estate was in probate weighing my various options.
I could sell the property and pocket whatever profit I could make, do a huge renovation and hope my investment would pay off, or make minimal repairs and see if I could make enough to cover the operating costs while using it as a sort of vacation home.
Despite having half a year to think about it, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do.
I had assumed seeing it in person would make my decision easier, but it hadn’t.
“I’ll go first.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you will.”
“Pro.” She began writing. “The location is excellent. Lakeside property surrounded by trees. People pay a lot of money for a relaxing vacation spot like that.”
“Con,” I countered. “The roof might collapse on the guests while they’re trying to relax.”
“Pro,” she shot back. “Mrs. Ross. People in the reviews loved her food. We could build an entire marketing campaign around her cooking.”
I thought about last night’s chicken pot pie and recognized that Allie definitely had a point. I’d give anything to have regular home-cooked meals like the one Mrs. Ross had made us.
“Con. Advertising requires money. Between that and the repairs, I’ll blow through Harold’s life insurance and deplete what’s left in my savings.”
“Pro. You have me to help.” She smirked.
“That could just as easily go into the con column,” I teased and she rolled her eyes playfully.
“Even if I wanted to keep it, I’d need to find out what it would actually take to fix it up.
If—and that’s a big if—it’s not impossible, and doesn’t have me filing bankruptcy, then maybe I’ll consider it. ”
Her eyes sparkled. “So, you’re saying there’s a chance?”
I shook my head and laughed. “Sure. A small one.”
A few tables over, a chair scraping across the floor caught my attention, and I turned in time to see a tall, well-built man in a flannel shirt and worn jeans stand.
With his dirty blond hair, short goatee, and perfect cheekbones, I suddenly understood the appeal of all those small-town, blue-collar guys in the made-for-TV-movies Allie and I watched every winter.
She followed my gaze and muttered under her breath, “Hello, lumberjack.”
“He’s with someone,” I stated, noticing the young woman next to him.
“Could be his sister,” she offered.
“Or his girlfriend. Either way, I doubt Brookhaven has a thriving gay scene.” I lifted my coffee and took a drink.
“You don’t need a whole scene to find the one,” she argued.
“If I couldn’t find a guy in New York City, what makes you think I’ll find one here?”
“Maybe because you haven’t really tried to find one since you broke up with Josh in college.” She took a sip of her latte. “Maybe that’s why you’re having a hard time writing. If you have a shitty outlook on love, how do you expect to write about it?”
That stung even though it was probably true. I’d been dating Josh for two years when he gave me the “it’s not you, it’s me” speech. Since then, I’d gone out but hadn’t found someone I wanted to see again. I sometimes wondered if maybe that fairytale relationship just wasn’t for me.
We finished our drinks, and then Allie suggested we walk across the square to the hardware store we’d passed earlier to see if they had any recommendations for someone who could do some of the repair work around the inn.
A man in a black polo shirt with the name ‘Murphy’ stitched on one side looked up from the bin of screws he was refilling when he heard us enter. “Good afternoon, folks. Anything I can help you with?”
I nodded. “I hope so. I’m looking for someone to do some repair work on a property I recently inherited. Do you have any recommendations?”
“You must be the young man taking over Cedar Falls Inn?”
Word really did travel fast in a small town. “That’s right.”
“You’ll want to contact Jack and his son Cole at Maddox’s Repair & Restore. They’re the best handymen around.” He walked over to the counter and grabbed a business card. “Tell Jack that Murphy sent you.”
I took the card from his outstretched hand. “Thank you so much.”
“We heading back to the inn?” Allie asked as we got into the car.
“Yeah. Unless you need to stop somewhere else.”
She shook her head. “Nope. I want to get back and start planning out some designs. I’ve got a few ideas, but I need to take measurements to see if they’ll work.”
On the drive back, we passed a huge sign that read:
EVERGREEN TREE FARM
OPEN THIS FRIDAY
“We need to get a tree,” Allie declared.
“No, we don’t.” I turned onto Cedar Street toward the inn. “We won’t even be here for Christmas.”
“You sound like a grinch,” she mumbled.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want one,” I argued.
Christmas had always been my mom’s favorite holiday.
Since it was going to be my first one since my parents had passed, I wanted to try to create a little Christmas spirit in whatever way I could by decorating our apartment.
“It just seems silly to get one here when we’ll be back in New York before then. ”
“Fine,” she huffed. “But we’re tree shopping as soon as we get back.”
“Deal.”
Back at the inn, Allie and Mrs. Ross started chatting about Allie’s vision while I dialed the number for Maddox’s Repair & Restore.
“Jack Maddox here,” a gravelly voice answered.
“Hi there. I’m Gavin Price, and I’m looking to get some work done at the Cedar Falls Inn. Murphy said I should give you a call.”
“Ah, so you’re the lucky guy saddled with that bed and breakfast?”
Everyone in town seemed to know it was a dump. “Sounds like you’re familiar with the place,” I replied.
“Only the outside. I know there’s some painting and porch work to do. I could swing by later this afternoon and take a look at everything else.”
“This afternoon.” I glanced at my dad’s watch on my wrist. “That’d be great.”
“We’ll be there in two hours.”
“See you then.” I hung up and went in search of Allie. It didn’t take long to find her and Mrs. Ross checking out one of the guest rooms upstairs.
“Jack Maddox said he could come by in a couple of hours,” I announced.
“He’s the best.” Mrs. Ross grinned.
“So, I’ve heard.”
“And his son’s the nicest man. Cute too.” She winked toward Allie.
Allie bounced a little. “I told you this was a good idea.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’ll see about that.”
Exactly two hours later, a van pulled into the parking lot, followed by a truck.
An older man with broad shoulders climbed out of the van, then the driver’s side door of the truck swung open, and out stepped the hottie from the coffee shop.
Great.
“Jack Maddox,” the first man said, gripping my palm. He tipped his chin toward his son. “And this is Cole.”
“Gavin.” Heat crept up my neck when Cole shook my hand.
Up close, he was even better. Although it was chilly outside, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms. He smelled of sawdust and fresh laundry. It seemed like an odd combination, but it absolutely worked for him.
“I’m Allie,” my friend introduced herself, smiling unabashedly at Cole.
“Nice to meet you,” he returned.
“So, what are your plans for the place?” Jack asked as we walked inside.
“Honestly, I have no idea. I’m just trying to find out what it would take to renovate everything.”
He nodded, and I followed them as they began their assessment.
I watched as Jack and Cole took notes, tapped on the walls, and talked about joists and wiring.
I had no idea what any of it meant, and all I could do was pretend I wasn’t distracted every time Cole crouched to look at something or glanced my way.
When they finished, Jack faced me. “There’s a lot that needs to be done here,” he said matter-of-factly. “And it’s more than Cole and I can do alone.”
My stomach dropped. According to Murphy, Jack was the best around. If he didn’t think he could help me, maybe the inn really was a lost cause.
“What if I want to sell the place? Could you do some of the cosmetic stuff before it goes on the market?” I asked.
Cole lifted a brow. “Is that what you want to do?”
I shrugged. “I’m not really sure. It’s a huge decision.”
He looked at his dad then turned back to me.
“Actually, how about you think things over during the long weekend, and I can check in with you Sunday evening? If you just want cosmetic stuff, we can handle that. If you decide you want to do a full renovation, I can take care of the wiring and other small fixes. Then I’ll help you find some companies for the plumbing, any roof issues, and whatever else comes up. ”
“That sounds good.”
They headed for the door, and Cole’s eyes caught mine for a second before he smiled. “I’ll text you.”
“Uh … okay,” I stumbled over my words, completely flustered then gave him my number.
Allie waited exactly two seconds after their vehicles pulled away before elbowing me and grinning. “I bet those renovations are sounding better now that you know he’d be here every day.”