Chapter 14
14
Jewel
The second floor of the farmhouse was a furnace by five o’clock, but after a quick shower, Jewel felt ready to meet up with Aaron. Maybe she’d ask him for a recommendation for a contractor who could install a heat pump with AC into this old house. Otherwise, she could hardly expect B&B guests to stay in these second-floor rooms.
At the sound of a vehicle coming down the driveway, she looked out to see a big black pickup driving in, with a trail of dust behind it. She shoved her feet into her sandals and hurried down to see if it was Aaron. But her dad was already peering out the window, frowning with disapproval.
“Who’s that?” he growled.
“I think that’s the manufactured home man.”
“Why’s he here?” he asked.
“Remember, Mom and I told you about it this morning?”
“Huh?” His face was blank. “What?”
“Mom?” Jewel called toward the kitchen. “Can you come in here?”
Mom came out with a dish towel in hand. “What is it?”
“Can you remind Dad about what’s going on? Aaron is here, and I need to go walk the building site with him.”
“Building?” Dad looked even more confused.
Mom nodded to Jewel. “I got this.”
“Thanks.” Jewel hurried out the front door, waving to Aaron as he parked his diesel pickup in front of the house. As she went over to speak to him, he pulled out a clipboard, a large measuring tape, and a bundle of wooden stakes.
“Need a hand?” she offered.
“Yeah.” He handed her the stakes and a bulky hammer. “You can be my assistant.”
“You got it.” She squinted in the sunlight, pointing to the section of land she felt was the best spot for placing the new house. “I think it should be over there.”
“I checked county records to see where your waterline and septic and electric are supposed to be.” He held up some papers. “Unfortunately the house was built so long ago, we can’t be sure these are right. But I got the locators coming in tomorrow.”
“Locators?”
“They mark underground waterlines and things before anyone starts digging.”
“When will that be?”
“Could be as soon as Friday. Or else early next week. Depending on another job I got going.”
“Wow, that’s fast.”
“You just happened to show up at the right time.” He winked. “And talked to the right guy.”
“Well, I’m very grateful.”
After some walking and poking around, they confirmed where the septic tank and lines were most likely located. “So placing the new house over here will probably work out great. And we’ll pop the new septic tank over there, with the drain field going that way.” He pointed it out.
“A new septic tank?”
“Yeah. You can’t run both houses on the old one.”
“Right. So another expense?”
He nodded, making a note on his clipboard. “Unless you want to use an outhouse.”
“No thanks.” She frowned, wondering what her bank account would look like when this was all said and done.
Before long, they were measuring and pounding in stakes and then, as she compared the site to the blueprint Aaron had brought, she changed her mind. “I want their main view to look out toward the hills,” she told him.
“That makes sense.”
And so they rearranged the corners and, once again, she walked around looking out the imaginary windows, until she was finally satisfied. “This looks perfect.”
“Your parents will have a nice view,” he agreed.
She looked back at the farmhouse behind them. “And the new house shouldn’t disrupt the view from the old house too much either.” Her thoughts went to the garish exterior paint. “Well, after we get it painted, anyway. Right now that horrible yellow color can probably be seen from miles away.”
Aaron laughed. “Well, thanks to that ugly paint job, you got a great deal.”
“For which I’m grateful.”
Aaron pounded the last stake in the ground and stood. “Well, I’m starving. You ready to go try out this new restaurant?”
All day she’d been trying to think of a way to politely refuse his offer of dinner, but he looked so hopeful ... and he’d been so helpful ... she just couldn’t reject him. “Sounds good.” She looked over to his pickup. “But I can drive myself and meet you there. Save you a trip back here.”
“No way. You’re going with me.” He tucked his hammer beneath his arm and took her hand. “Let’s go. My chariot awaits.”
As they walked back to his truck, she could feel someone watching. Probably Dad. Chances were he’d think she was being kidnapped. She glanced toward the house and noticed her parents standing there, so she gave a weak finger wave. She’d warned Mom that she might be trapped into dinner with Aaron. Leave it to Mom to explain things to Dad. Or not. Sometimes it seemed the more they tried to explain something, the foggier he got.
As they drove to town, Jewel asked Aaron about heat pumps. “The second floor of the farmhouse is an oven right now,” she explained. “Cooper and I are using fans and opening windows at night to cool off, but it’s pretty stifling.”
“I bet. But it might be tricky getting a traditional heat pump with vents into that old house. There are some ductless options though. I’ll hook you up with my HVAC guy.”
Once again, Jewel considered her bank account, imagining it steadily shrinking. Was this crazy? How many times had she been accused of being too impulsive? Was it happening again? Would she regret all this later? And yet it seemed like a good investment.
“You seem deep in thought,” Aaron said as he pulled into a parking space downtown.
“I’m sorry.” She realized how quiet she’d been.
He turned off the engine. “Everything okay?”
“Yes. I was just thinking about all the expenses of placing that house and improving the farmhouse. I mean, I can imagine a really cool bed and breakfast, but will it ever repay all I’ve invested?”
Aaron shrugged. “Well, your property value will increase.”
“I guess.”
“And you and your family will be more comfortable.”
“That’s true. And I suppose I could get more involved in my art.”
“Art?” He looked surprised. “Are you an artist?”
She shrugged. “Well, I used to be. Not so sure I still am. But I hope to take it up again.”
“What kind of art?”
“Painting. Mostly landscapes. But I’m a little rusty.”
His brow creased. “I guess that’s okay if you enjoy it. Good hobby. But it doesn’t seem like a big moneymaker to me. Not in these parts, anyway.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to his wet blanket, but she forced a smile as they got out of the pickup. To be fair, he wasn’t wrong. Art was not a good “moneymaker.” Not that she’d been in it to get rich. Even running a gallery came with its challenges.
They were just going into the restaurant when she noticed someone waving from the open window of an old blue pickup. Surprised to see Anna Orosco in the passenger seat, she waved back and then spotted Miguel behind the wheel. She suddenly felt awkward and embarrassed. Of course, Miguel would recognize his brother-in-law, but would he wonder why she was out with him? She glanced at Aaron but, distracted by opening the door to the restaurant, he was oblivious.
“Hope you like Italian,” Aaron said as they went inside.
“Sure. Love it.” She glanced around the fairly crowded restaurant. “Looks like a popular place.”
“I’ve heard it’s good. You know, we haven’t had a decent Italian restaurant in this town for ages.”
“Yeah, I remember Antonio’s from when we were kids. Too bad it closed during the pandemic.” They followed the hostess to a table by the window and sat down.
“Pizza is about as Italian as I usually get.” He grinned at the hostess. “But I feel adventurous tonight.”
She smiled back and handed them menus. “We’ve got some good specials.”
After she left, Jewel perused the options. “Well, it’s nice that Sweet Springs has a little more variety now. Although I’ve noticed there’s no sushi restaurant here yet.”
He frowned. “You really like all that raw fish stuff?”
“It’s not all raw fish. And yes, I do like it. My daughter adores sushi.”
He just laughed. “Not me. I’m mostly a steak and potatoes guy.”
“And Italian?”
“Simple stuff. Like spaghetti and meatballs.” He closed his menu. “Or lasagna. Beyond that, I’ll pass.”
“Seafood linguini.” She pointed to the item on the menu. “Sounds good to me.”
“To each their own.” He wrinkled his nose. “Sounds like you like seafood.”
“I do.”
He laid down his menu. “What other kinds of things do you like?”
She assumed he meant food, but something about the twinkle in his eyes suggested more. She was about to say how she loved Mexican cuisine and how wonderful Marta Orosco’s tamales had been the other night but realized that could open a whole other can of worms. “I like all kinds of ethnic foods,” she told him. “San Jose had a great assortment of restaurants. I guess I’ll miss that.”
“Well, you can always go into the city. Portland’s not that far. And there’s a lot to choose from, if you like that sort of thing. I’ll admit I missed some of the perks of living in the big city when I first moved back here. But I’m surprised at how quickly I adjusted. Guess I’m just a small-town boy at heart.”
“Then you’re in the right place.” She sighed. “It’ll be an adjustment living in a small town again.” She looked out the window where traffic along Main Street was moving along at a leisurely pace. “Although I’ll admit Sweet Springs seems to have grown a little. And it’s probably a good place to raise kids.” She looked curiously at him, wondering once again what his relationship with his boys was like. “Will your sons come out to visit you?” she asked. “I mean, since it’s summer?”
“Nah. My ex has them in sports camps for most of the summer.”
When the server made it to their table, Jewel studied Aaron as he confidently ordered a bottle of merlot without even asking her preference. What kind of man was he, truly? And what was she doing here with him? Clearly this was a date. And perhaps even more troubling, she wasn’t sure why she was so concerned about what Miguel Orosco must be thinking of her right now. Really, what difference did it make?
The wine showed up shortly after they ordered. She was not a merlot fan, especially with seafood, but she kept her opinion quiet and told herself she just had to get through this meal as graciously as possible, then make sure Aaron understood their relationship was strictly business from here on out.
“Don’t you like your wine?” he asked midway through the meal.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m not really a red wine girl. Especially with this.” She pointed to her pasta with its crab, shrimp, clams, and mussels. “But I must say this is absolutely delicious.”
“Glad you like it.” He refilled his own wineglass. “My lasagna is good too.”
“My mom makes really good lasagna,” she said absently. “I should get her to teach me how.”
“You don’t cook much?”
She shrugged. “I’m a bit out of practice, but I plan to hone my skills.”
“My first wife was a good cook.” He swirled his glass and studied the wine. “But it showed on her hips.” He laughed. “Cooking was about all she had going for her.”
Jewel felt unexpectedly defensive of this woman, or maybe she felt for any woman who was divorced and had children with a checked-out father. “Isn’t she a good mom?”
“Devoted. She just wasn’t a good wife.”
“Oh?” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “You were a good husband, I suppose.”
He smirked. “Okay, you’re probably right. I wasn’t much of a husband either.”
“How about your second marriage?” She knew she was prodding too much, but she couldn’t help herself. Besides, did she really care if he decided she wasn’t good date material? Wasn’t that her goal?
“My second marriage?” he echoed. “Well, Rita was a pretty good wife. To start with...” He took a sip of wine.
“Then what happened?”
He set down his glass. “I guess we just drifted apart.”
She nodded. “Well, some men aren’t really suited for marriage, Aaron. They do better just being bachelors. Maybe you fall into that category.”
He chuckled. “You could be right, Jewel.”
Relief washed over her.
“Or ... you could be wrong.” His brows arched. “Maybe I just haven’t connected with the right girl yet. Or I let her get away.”
Suddenly she felt extremely uncomfortable and, wanting to shift the conversation direction, she began to tell him about her dad’s illness, graphically describing some of the antics she’d wit nessed since moving back home. She could tell by his reaction and comments that Aaron was not familiar with any form of dementia. Lucky him. Finally, he just shook his head and asked her why they didn’t have him “put away.”
She nearly choked on her water, then set the glass down with a thud. “Put away?” she questioned.
“Yeah. Sounds like he’s a real nutcase. Why not just lock him up? For his own good, as well as for his family’s sake. That’s what I’d do.”
Her skin crawled at his cruelty. She clenched her jaw as she tried to hold back the harsh thoughts running through her mind. “Well, that’s not what we want to do.” She wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I probably gave you the wrong impression because Dad is actually really sweet too. He’s always been a kind and caring man. And a good farmer. And he loves taking care of his beehives and harvesting honey. It’s just that he gets confused sometimes. I’ve probably painted the wrong picture.”
“And you call yourself an artist.” Aaron snickered.
She didn’t think that was funny but kept her thoughts to herself as she laid down her fork and pushed her plate away. She was done here. And hopefully done with him too. Well, after her parents’ house was in place. She wasn’t stupid. Based on who Aaron was revealing himself to be, she suspected she’d need to keep playing Miss Congeniality until everything was all wrapped up. She just hoped it would be worth the sacrifice!