14. Becca
FOURTEEN
BECCA
My hands are greasy when Tyler and Ellie show up. I didn’t expect them for another half hour, and I only just got the blade taken off my busted-ass mower.
“You’re early,” I call out.
“Sorry,” Tyler says. “My early bird was already gettin’ worms and couldn’t wait to get out here.”
I whistle and T-Bone comes running. Tyler braces like she’s going to hurt him or Ellie, but T-Bone just shoves her muzzle between Tyler’s legs, forcing an entry to circle around him. Ty coughs, making Ellie laugh. I go to hide my amusement and remember my hands are dirty.
“Welcome committee’s here,” I say instead.
“So friendly,” Tyler says, cracking the finest hair of a smile. Ellie wraps her arms around T-Bone’s neck for one of her overzealous hugs. “Ellie, honey, I don’t think she likes that.”
As if to prove she loves it, T-Bone hooks her head over Ellie’s shoulder.
“Hmm, yeah, definitely looks like she hates it,” I say.
Tyler plants me with a look. “I’m trying to teach animal safety, Miss Reba.”
The morning is cool and damp, but warmth flows through me. He’s got to stop using that stupid name. “My hair’s not red anymore.”
Tyler’s eyes peek from under the bill of his ballcap, and it makes my stomach drop. “Blonde suits you just fine too.”
Everything stops for me because I’m sorry, what’s going on here? Did Tyler just compliment me? Why does he keep calling me that? Is he trying to flirt? How dare my potential future husband try to flirt with me.
“I brought your part. What happened to it, though?” Tyler puts a box on the ground next to me and bends to look at what I’m working on.
“Blade stopped spinning. Hard to mow if the mower don’t move. My pasture’s so dang high that I’m almost to the point of accepting that I’m a butterfly sanctuary.”
T-Bone’s on her back now, paws in the air and tongue lolling out while Ellie pets her belly.
“Ellie here loves butterflies,” Tyler says. “Almost as much as other people’s doggies.”
About to be her doggie soon if we go through with all this.
“Let me get cleaned up and we can head up to the house and get something to eat. Ellie, do you like banana bread as much as your daddy does?” I stand and dust my hands on my pants, walking toward the house.
“What’s banana bread?” she asks, and I drop my jaw at Tyler.
“You been sneaking banana bread without your girl?”
“We watch sugar,” he says, affronted.
“Everybody needs a treat now and then.” I shoot him a smile over my shoulder until T-Bone’s at my side, nuzzling my hand. “Oh, I said the T word, didn’t I? I’ll get you one, you turkey buzzard.”
Tyler jogs to his truck, slightly off our path, returning with a small box in his hand. He extends it my way. “Brought some, froze the rest.”
“A pink box and everything,” I say. I bend so Ellie can help me open the box, revealing some blueberry muffins. “Homemade? Did you help your daddy make these?”
She nods fervently, pointing to the one that looks like a mouse got it. “I tasted that one,” she admits.
“Well, you have to sample your goods. Otherwise, you don’t know if it’s worth eating.”
“Ellie,” Tyler scolds.
“It’s alright. Nothing wrong with quality control.” Ellie’s hand slips into mine as we walk toward the farm house. “You know what I love to taste test? My apple pie after it’s got all the sugar on the apples.”
We’re just finishing up our banana bread and blueberry muffins when Tyler gives me a sidelong glance. “You want to give me a tour of the place? Show me what you’re needing done?”
I rise from the table. “Sure thing. Let’s head out to the guest house.”
Ellie almost trips over herself running for the door, eager to get back to T-Bone.
Tyler stops me in the doorway, fingertips brushing my lower back. For people who have been in full-on orgies, it’s interesting that tiny touches like these are becoming equally if not more thrilling. “Hey, do you think they can play alone for a while? Like, your dog won’t hurt Ellie?”
I’d be insulted that he’s so suspicious of T-Bone, but I get it. He’s looking out for Ellie’s safety. I’m more curious why he wants us to be alone. I’d be excited at the prospect if he didn’t seem so worked up, and not in the fun way.
“I kinda want to talk in private. Until we’re sure about things. I don’t want Ellie to get confused.”
Ah. Good enough reason to be nervous.
“Yeah, of course.” I bend to grab T-Bone’s favorite rope from a basket by the door. “She’s already in hog heaven, and this thing will keep them busy for a while. We’ll all walk up to the cottage. I’ll give you the tour and we can watch them from the porch while we talk.”
Tyler seems comforted by that, his body relaxing. “Thanks.”
As the cottage comes into view, Ellie squeals. “Miss Becca, you have two houses?”
“Well, not really. That one’s not for me. It’s for guests.”
“Like me? Could I stay at your guest house?” Her eyes are bright, and gosh, I could never say no to her if I tried.
“Maybe once we get it all fixed up,” I say.
Tyler looks like he could vomit. I’m sure this is all a lot to process. Frankly, I don’t know how I’m so calm. A man who was closed off to me for years is suddenly . . . about to be my husband? Maybe?
“Okay,” I say, sliding the key into the lock. “Drumroll, please.”
I lean into the door as it swings into the house, which is currently stripped to the studs.
The smell of fresh cut wood is in the air from where I started the floor repair, but ran out of money and time to finish.
Most of the brand new floor is down, though.
Tyler doesn’t say anything, stepping over the threshold.
“Ellie, let me carry you.”
Tyler hauls his daughter into his arms, but doesn’t pay her much mind after he kisses the side of her head. He walks from room to room, running his free hand over the framework.
“Kitchen?” he asks when he wanders into the area with the most plumbing hookups. “And living room?”
“No, this is a bedroom. Living room’s over there with the big window.”
“Oh.” He walks into the space and looks out the window, its view showing the woods behind the house. Autumn’s colors are starting to fill in and Tyler shakes his head. “Yeah. Wow. I see why you’d want to renovate this. How much, you think?”
“If I paid someone to do the work? A hundred grand, easy.”
“And if we can do it?” His toe points my way as he looks over at me.
We. It seems almost inconceivable to think Tyler and I could be a “we” after all the hard feelings between us.
“More like thirty grand.”
Tyler whistles and shakes his head. “We’d be stupid not to.”
“It’ll take a while, though. Without a full crew, we’ll be slow. Every day that goes by without a renter is a day it’s not making money.”
“I’m a night owl,” Tyler says.
“Me too.”
“We can’t both be out here. Somebody’d have to be at the house with Ellie.”
“What house?” Ellie asks.
“I’ll tell you in a minute, shug. Let me work on this with Miss Becca.”
“We could do the kitchen first, eat dinner out here, and work until her bedtime,” I suggest.
Tyler nods slowly, eyes scanning the area. “You’re right. We gotta get this thing off the ground. Only $30k, huh? How long until we make it back?”
He’s already thinking to making the investment pay off, which is a good sign and makes it all more real. He’s actually considering this, and if I have any reservations, I best just shut them down now. I’ve been here hoping for help, and help is coming along in the most unexpected package possible.
“With this investment and some key investments to the festivals, I could bring in more quick cash.” I pause, embarrassed to admit the next part.
Several things in my house need repairs, particularly the hole in my bedroom ceiling.
The time the house went unoccupied really took a toll and while it’s livable, it’s not something I’d willingly show guests.
“And there are a few things at the house that need fixing sooner or later. But getting this thing profitable will help bring in the cash for house repairs.”
“Okay, round up to $50k then. Leave room for problems.”
“Alright,” I say. “But again, the cottage is the priority. How much do you need?”
He chews on the corner of his lips. “I need the first year’s salary for a new mechanic. Just in case it takes a while to get off the ground.”
“Sure,” I say. “So fifty and fifty.”
He grimaces. “And the back bills for parts dealers.”
I nod. “Okay. So, how much?”
“With your fifty and my fifty, it’s another fifty on top of that.”
That’s not a small number, but I’m getting no loan if I don’t make this deal work. Can I survive without the loan? Yes. But it makes the road to success longer and more difficult.
Tyler scratches the back of his head and stretches his neck, blowing a breath out of his lips. “I didn’t know I was going to need that much more than you. This is a big ask.”
I lift a shoulder. “We can work it out. You’re saving me on labor.”
He looks around one more time before he steps out onto the porch and goes down the stairs. He puts Ellie down in the grass, where my dog waits for her attention. “Go play with T-Bone.”
“Daddy, are you coming?” she asks as she skips away.
“I’ll watch you from here, shug.”
“Miss Becca?”
“I’ll watch too, hun.” We sit on the porch steps, me on the top one hugging my knees, and Tyler half facing me on the step below. He props up his knee and dangles his arm across it. I notice the strength in his hand as it hangs there.
I remember that hand rubbing my lower back that one night where something hung between us, the night he first got with CJ. I remember that hand later that night sprawled on my best friend’s hip, fingers digging in. These same dark eyes were on me. I suddenly have a tickle in my throat.
“So? What do you think?”
He presses his lips together and shakes his head. “I can’t believe I’m considering committing fraud.”
I snort. “There are certainly worse crimes to commit, Tyler.”
“Faking a marriage so we can get a bank loan isn’t bad?”
I shrug. “The marriage is going to be real, babe.”
“Right, but.” He points between us and looks exasperated. “This? Who’s going to believe it?”