9. Jesus, Fuck. She’s Pretty
Jesus, Fuck. She’s Pretty
Doug
‘Mother fucker,’ I curse as the hammer comes down on my thumb... again. My head is not in the game today.
‘ Daddy .’
Shit .
‘Sorry, honey.’
I put down my tools and take deep breaths. There are two things I fucking hate more than anything in the world: being angry when I’m with my daughter and working when I’m supposed to be with my daughter, and today, both of those things are happening.
‘Are you okay?’
Her little hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn to look up into brown eyes, a little darker than mine. My stomach falls through the earth at the concerned look on her face.
‘Yes, sweet girl. I’m fine. Go on and play with your toys. I won’t be long here.’
I watch her reluctantly turn away and go to sit on the porch swing, and I carry on fixing the broken steps.
‘ Hey, sunshine .’
The unmistakable tone of my sister in one of her annoying moods has me rolling my eyes before I turn to face her.
‘Auntie Zo.’ Bowie runs to get to her auntie, and I hold up my hand to stop her.
‘Honey, the steps.’ She freezes and grimaces.
‘Hey, BoBo.’ Zoe steps over the broken steps and wraps my girl up in her arms. ‘I didn’t know you were coming over today.’
‘Mama had to go into the city.’
My sister side-eyes me over the top of Bo’s head, and I get back to work. I don’t have time to waste thinking about my ex and her desperation to get away from our kid at every opportunity.
‘I see. You could have done this another day,’ Zoe says to me. ‘You know I’d understand.’
I promised Zoe I’d fix the steps on Saturday. Today is Saturday, and since she’s paying me, despite me telling her I don’t want it, it’s work, and I don’t cancel work.
‘Bo loves being here, so I didn’t see the problem. Where’ve you been all morning?’
‘Did you eat lunch yet?’ Zoe ignores my question, and Bowie shakes her head. ‘Well, come on inside then, both of you.’
I know that tone. It wasn’t a request. My sister is about to mama bear me and make me stop working to eat.
Zo made us all turkey ham sandwiches with all kinds of salad and stuff Bo loves, and I have to admit, they look great. My stomach lets me know lunch was a great idea as we sit at the table.
‘Your hair is cute today, sweet girl.’ Zoe says, smiling as she reaches over to gently tug on one of Bowie’s braids.
‘Thank you. Daddy did it.’
‘He did?’ Zoe gives me a proud smile, and I roll my eyes. I’m a girl dad, and I have two sisters. Of course I can braid hair.
‘Mhmm.’ Bo mumbles around a mouth full of sandwich. ‘Mama didn’t have time.’
‘Don’t talk with your mouth full, honey,’ I say softly before taking a big bite.
‘Well, it’s a good thing your dad has all the time in the world for you, then.’
I shoot my sister a warning glance. She’s skating toward thin ice, and she knows it. She dislikes my ex as much as me, but her niece doesn’t need to know that.
It’s not just that she’s my ex, and that shit is always awkward. She’s—and I don’t say this lightly—a scheming, oxygen-stealing bitch.
We dated in high school. I thought she was my forever. I loved her, and she said she loved me too, then she cheated on me. She said it was a mistake and begged my forgiveness, and like the idiot I am, I believed her, then she did it again and again. We broke up, and I went off to college and never planned to come back except for holidays. I graduated, got a place, set up my business, and started living a great life.
Then one Christmas, I was home, I drank too much and woke up next to Jessie. I hightailed it out of there and didn’t look back until my sisters showed up at my door and told me I needed to get back to town. Jessie was pregnant and telling all of Forest Falls it was mine, and I didn’t care enough to stick around.
One paternity test later, and my life in the city was over. I moved home to be there for my kid every day, and as soon as I can get on my feet properly, with my own place and a more stable income, she’s coming to live with me full-time. I will fight Jessie with everything I have. Hell, she’s practically always with me anyway. Every time Jessie has a date or an itch to get laid, get wasted, go shopping, has a headache, or gets her period, she calls me up, telling me to take Bo. She should just let me take her full-time now. Then my poor baby wouldn’t feel like a bouncing ball.
She’s a smart kid, and she’s starting to see that her mom values her free time more than her, but I won’t hear a bad word said about Jessie in front of Bo, and I sure as hell won’t be saying them myself.
‘Speaking of all the time in the world,’ Zoe says in that tone again, the annoying, about-to-cause-trouble one I’ve known my whole life. ‘I heard from a little Scottish birdy that the Reynolds’ house is about to be renovated. Amazing , I thought, my brother, who just happens to love that house, is also an expert when it comes to fixing up old houses.’
‘Not doing it.’
‘Imagine my surprise when my new friend—who thinks you fill out your jeans real nice, by the way,’ I glare at my sister, my daughter is right there. Also, hmmm , interesting . ‘—Tells me that your grumpy behind said you can’t help.’
She glares at me now.
‘I can’t do it, Zo.’ I stand from the table, put my plate on the countertop, and head outside.
I hear, ‘Eat your lunch, sweetheart,’ from my sister before she follows me. ‘You’ve been dying to fix up that house for years, Doug. You have the opportunity to do that now.’
‘For a fuckin’ tourist, Zo. A transplant who will probably rip out all the history and replace it with everything modern and contemporary. She’ll tear out the heart of the place and flip it for a profit before she moves on to somewhere new.’
‘That’s not what she’s doing.’
‘Oh, your new bestie told you that, huh?’
‘Yes, she did, actually. She wants to make the house a home, Doug. She wants to live here and build a life for herself.’
‘She just stuck a pin in a map of the States and landed on Forest Falls?’
‘No, idiot. She has her reasons for being here.’
‘Which are?’
‘Not your business if you don’t have the courtesy to be nice to her. She’s cool, Doug. She’s sweet and quirky. I like her.’
‘I don’t.’
‘You don’t even know her. Anyway, I told her you’d meet her up at the farmhouse at two, so you better get your ass movin’.’
‘Zoe, I have Bo.’
‘Well, I didn’t know that, but she will be fine here with me for an hour or two.’ I shake my head, and she turns to walk away. ‘Do yourself a favor, baby brother, wash your pits and change your shirt. You stink.’
I growl at the sky, frustration tightening my whole body. My sisters are so fuckin’ annoying. They’ve been pushing me into shit my whole life, that whole twin thing letting them both know their mischievous plans without words while I stood there waiting for them to ruin my day.
I don’t want to be nice to Cara . I don’t even want to think her name, but fuck do I want to restore that house. The war raging inside me has me throwing my tools back into my bag in no kind of order and with way more gusto than usual before stomping up to Zoe’s bathroom with a clean shirt from my truck and the sound of her smug ass laughing in the kitchen.
The old Reynolds farmhouse looks down over the whole town from its position on the hill. The drive up here doesn’t take long from Zoe’s place, as it’s just one pretty straight road. I love it up here.
I get out of my truck. There are no other cars on the drive and no sign of my sister’s new little friend.
‘What am I doing?’ I groan as I glance up at the house and then kick at the stones on the ground.
I don’t want to do this, and I want to do this more than anything. I love this house, and the idea of renovating it for someone else kills me inside, but the thought of someone else getting to do the work hurts even more. And it’s a big job; if Cara can afford to buy and completely fix up this house, her pockets are deep enough that I could possibly come out of this able to get my own place and get my kid. I’d be a fucking idiot to turn down this amount of work on the house of my dreams.
‘Hello.’
The sweet voice startles me, and I turn to see Forest Falls’ newest resident walking along the driveway toward me. Oh, Jesus, fuck, she’s pretty. That pisses me off.
She has on a cute little sundress my fingers itch to slide underneath, and that hair of hers is pulled back into a ponytail that they’re itching to pull.
Get it together, man. Your jeans aren’t tight enough that you won’t embarrass yourself if you keep thinking that way.
I look at the bottle of water in her hand, and as she gets closer, I notice the light sheen of sweat on her pale skin. Man , she’s looking to kill me.
‘Did you walk up here?’ I realize and feel my brow furrow.
‘Well, I didn’t fly.’ She chuckles, but I just feel irritated. There’s no sidewalk, no footpath. It’s a steep road that drivers round here take too fast to see her walking alone in time to stop.
‘It’s a long walk,’ I snap. ‘Steep too.’
‘What this?’ She waves her arm back in the direction of the road. ‘I’m from Scotland. This is nothing but a wee speedbump.’
She grins widely, and I shake my head. It’s not my problem.
‘So, what are you looking to do here?’ I change the subject and stomp toward the house.
‘Well, I haven’t even been inside yet,’ she says, coming up behind me, and my hackles raise. ‘I was kind of hoping you’d be able to tell me what needs doing to make it livable and safe. The cosmetic stuff can come later.’
Okay, so she’s not coming in swinging, at least. I step up onto the porch, testing the stability of the wood before inviting her up. I’ve been inside the house before. It sat empty and unused for so long that some kids decided to make it a fun place to hang out. When I heard about it, I came up to secure the place and prevent any further damage, and honestly, it just made me love the house even more. It’s damaged, broken, and in need of so much love to mend the cracks and bring it back to glory.
‘This old house was the first one built here. Did you know that?’ I ask as we walk around the wraparound porch to the back, me checking it all out, her periodically running her fingers over the wood or glass. I’m impressed that she’s not freaking out about the dirt and spider’s webs all over the place.
‘I didn’t. I don’t know a lot about the house or the town if I’m honest.’
Her voice is softer now, a little somber maybe, but her words just annoy me more. Why buy a house you’ve never seen in a place you know nothing about?
‘Why are you here?’ I snap, turning to face her, and she steps back, a little alarmed. ‘I’m serious. Why are you here, ready to tear out the heart of the oldest house in a place you’ve never even heard of? We care about our history here. It means something to us. You people come in here with your marble countertops and fake grass, trying to make a quick buck while the rest of us struggle to make ends meet and keep this place as special as we know it to be. If you think you can pay me to turn this beautiful old building into some contemporary monstrosity, you made a huge mistake.’
Her lips part, and tears gather in her eyes, which are even wider than they already were, and I hang my head, regretting my outburst. One of these days, I might learn to keep my mouth shut.
‘I’m sorry, I just…’
‘You don’t even know me.’
Her voice is stronger than I expected, and I raise my gaze to find hers, furious and trained on me.
‘I don’t know what the hell I’ve done for you to get a bee in your bonnet over my being here but do not presume to understand my motivation or my plans. I asked for your help to find a contractor, and you said no. Then your sister asked me to give you another chance, but you’re being just as rude now as the first time, so I think you’re right. I did make a mistake.’
Well, shit.
She turns to step down from the porch, and before I can stop myself, I reach out and grab her arm. Her thunderous gaze snaps to my fingers wrapped around her warm, soft skin and then up to meet my eyes, and I release her, stepping back.
‘Sorry. I didn’t.’ I take a deep breath and blow it out. ‘Cara, I apologize for my rudeness. Truth is, I love this house, and I don’t want to see it torn apart for profit.’
‘You didn’t even let us get inside before you made the assumption that I’m looking to flip it.’
‘You’re right. I apologize.’
‘Until we get in there, and you tell me what can be saved, repaired, or replaced, I don’t know my longer-term plans for the house. I would like to be able to move in there as soon as possible, even if it’s still a work in progress.’
‘But why here?’ I need to know. It’s burning me up inside, not understanding why a woman like her would choose here.
‘Not your bloody business, Doug. You don’t own the town, and you don’t have the final say on who gets to live here. This is my house, and I want to fix it up. Are you going to take the job or not? Because I have a very nice amount of money sitting in my bank account, ready to pay for the work. If you don’t want it, I’m sure I can find someone else who does.’
She glares at me, demanding an answer, and it would be bullshit to say the fierceness in her expression doesn’t make my dick twitch. How can I be so irritated and so attracted to someone at once?
‘I have jet lag, Doug, so I do not have the patience for this. Do you want the job or not?’
I remember my motivation. My love for this house is a huge part of it, but Bowie is the real reason I need to do this. I have to suck it up and prioritize. This house isn’t mine, never was, never will be. My girl though will be all mine, and I need to do everything I can to make it happen.
‘I want it.’
‘Good. Now can we get inside and actually figure all this out, because I don’t want to waste any more of my day arguing with you when I don’t even understand why we’re arguing?’
She holds out the key to me and nodding, I take it and let us both inside.