Chapter 9
Farrah
“All that’s left is for you to sign here.
” Sandra slides the thin file folder over to me and points at the line at the bottom.
Her grey-streaked bob wiggles around, and I’m momentarily distracted by how that would drive me crazy.
Then she’s setting a pen on the stack of papers, and I remember what I’m doing.
Holy shit, I can’t believe this is happening.
I’m buying my childhood home. I never thought I’d set foot inside that house again, and now it’s officially mine. Grammy and Grandpa bought it in their twenties after they’d gotten married. They basically built it from the ground up. I was devastated that Dad sold it after Grammy died.
The bonfire at Knox’s house a few weeks ago had memories rushing in from my childhood.
The land butts up against his property, which made me wonder who owned the house now.
I reached out to a realtor, not entirely sure if she’d be able to tell me anything.
I wasn’t surprised in the least that Knox owned the land, but it was hard to believe he was willing to sell it.
I was terrified he’d find out I was the person buying the house and he’d pull out of the sale.
Now that I’ve officially signed on the dotted line, he can’t take it away from me. No one can.
The house needs an insane amount of repairs. It would probably be cheaper to tear it down and build something new, but I just have too many memories baked into the ugly ass wallpapered walls to consider it. I’d rather it take me years to fix the original house than start over from scratch.
I know how to do most things on my own. Between my violent alcoholic father and he who must not be named, I learned how to fix everything that got in the path of their rages. Myself included.
There will be things outside of my skill set, of course, but because I bought the house without any conditions, Knox dropped the list price, and now I have plenty leftover to fix some of the bigger things I can’t do myself.
I hope. Renovations never go quite like you’re expecting.
I finish signing the paperwork, and Sandra stands from the table. “Congratulations! We wish you all the best in your new home.”
Taking the folder and house keys from her outstretched hands, I thank her before leaving the title office.
I have the whole afternoon off from work and plan to spend it in my new home.
It needs to be deep cleaned, and I’ll have to replace some of the boards over the windows where the glass has been broken.
My stomach knots at the mile-long list of things to get done. This was probably one of my worst ideas ever. Well, minus my decision to get married. That one will take top billing forever, but I hope this one doesn’t end up coming in second.
Twenty minutes later, I pull into the short driveway, and my grin grows.
No. I won’t ever regret buying this house. The white paint on the covered porch is more than a little chipped, and the railing is missing several spindles. The screen door is sagging, but the main door behind it looks solid.
I’m already envisioning painting the siding pink. Grammy would be tickled by that choice. She always wished she could afford to have it repainted.
Jumping out of my car, I race up the wooden porch steps to unlock the front door. Now that I’m allowed to be inside without anyone else around, I want to take my time to explore.
The tiny entryway would look adorable with some beadboard and cute little tiles on the floor.
To the left is the living room. It’s got garish wallpaper that will have to come down immediately.
There are several rooms throughout the house that will need to be fully renovated.
There are holes the size of Texas in multiple walls from when my dad would go through his rages.
But the first thing that needs to happen is to make the house livable, which means new windows, doors, and a roof. I’ve got two more months before the lease on my apartment ends. I can do this.
* * *
The sound of tires crunching the gravel of my driveway makes me pause. I quickly finish sweeping my dirt pile into the pan before stepping toward the front windows to see who’s here.
Gia’s car is parked out front. Gwen sits in the passenger seat, staring up at my house.
I wait for them to get out before I bounce onto the front porch.
Their expressions are skeptical, and I can’t really blame them for that.
I’d be thinking the same thing. It doesn’t deter me in the slightest. “I’m so excited you’re here! ”
“Farrah, honey…” Gwen shakes her head, resting her hands on her hips. Her curly brown hair has been pulled back into a messy bun while her hazel eyes survey the front of my house. She’s come in a T-shirt and shorts, ready to help me clean up despite not knowing what she was getting herself into.
“Okay, I know it’s a mess, and it’s practically unlivable, but come inside. It has so much potential, and I can fix most of it myself.”
“You can?” Gia asks as they follow me through the front door. She’s also come prepared to work, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and running shorts and a T-shirt on as well.
I lead them into the living room, taking a second to form an explanation that doesn’t dive into my traumas.
It’s not that I don’t want them to know.
Hell, Gwen is very familiar with how I was raised.
I just don’t like discussing how sad my life turned out.
I’ve had enough of people looking at me with pity in their eyes.
Though I doubt my friends would pity me.
In fact, I’m pretty sure Gia would threaten to hurt someone.
It might be time to tell them my whole story soon.
“I learned how to do a ton of repair stuff a while back. I got pretty good at it, which is why I bought this place. This is going to be my library. I can refinish the floors easily enough and build myself some bookshelves.”
Gia raises an eyebrow at me. “After the wallpaper comes down though, right?”
I laugh. “Definitely. I have some crazy design tastes, but that psychedelic pattern is too much even for me.”
I walk them through the rest of the house, sharing my vision for each room. By the time the tour is over, Gwen and Gia are grinning at me. How I got lucky enough to find friends willing to support me through my harebrained ideas, I’ll never know.
Once we’re done with the tour, we grab a few camping chairs from the trunk of my car and set them up in the backyard. The three of us decided cleaning up the mess inside would be pointless, given the work that needs to be done first.
The view of the mountains from my back porch is gorgeous. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to buy this place. I can imagine many mornings spent drinking coffee out here.
“You can really fix this place up by yourself?” Gia asks with awe in her voice.
I nod, uncomfortable with half lying to my friends. “I used to live in this really shitty apartment and had all kinds of things break that the super wouldn’t fix. I finally decided to learn how to fix it myself and found out I really liked doing it.”
“Fair enough. I’m sure Holt would be willing to help though, so don’t hesitate to ask.”
Gwen laughs. “Look at you, pimping out your man like any respectable wife would.”
Gia’s cheeks heat turn pink as she cringes. “Should I have asked him first?”
“Oh, honey, no.” Gwen reaches over to pat my arm. “I was teasing you. I meant that as a good thing. I thought it was cute that you were volunteering him because you already knew he wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
Gia exhales a relieved breath before telling us all about her latest drama.
She and Holt have been having a rough time with Holt’s in-laws.
I knew they weren’t too keen on Holt dating again, but they’ve been making a much bigger stink about it than I realized.
I hate that it’s making my strong-willed friend doubt her relationship, but Gwen and I reassure her that Holt doesn’t regret being with Gia.
“Anyway, let’s talk about something else. Like the sparks that were flying between Farrah and Knox at school pickup the other day.” Gia dramatically fans her face.
I cough out a laugh. “Those sparks are as dangerous as dynamite. God, that man pisses me off.”
“Is he still saying shitty things to you?” Gwen asks.
“No, but I get the most scathing looks. I have no idea what I could have done to cause such an angry reaction.”
Gia says, “I asked Holt about it that night. He said he doesn’t have any idea why Knox acts like that around you. Knox has said something about how happy you are all the time, but I can’t understand why that would make someone mad.”
“The man is exasperating.” I growl the words, getting pissy just thinking about how much he annoys me. Why does he have to be so damn attractive on top of it all?
Gwen and Gia look at each other, obviously skeptical of my feelings toward Knox. It would be annoying, but they’re also not wrong. They’re both aware of my attraction toward Knox, even though he’s a giant ass. Gia finally loses the battle with her laughter.
“You suck!” I grump, even though my mouth is quirking up in a smile.
“I’m sorry, Farrah. I don’t mean to laugh at you. You’re just so fucking adorable when you’re angry,” Gia apologizes.
“I am not. I can be ferocious.”
“I have no doubt about that. You’re probably as tough as a bobcat, but you still look like a kitten,” she says.
I start giggling. “You probably have me there. It’s the round face. It thwarts all of my attempts to look mean.”
Gia glances at her phone. “I gotta go pick up Lauren, Leah, and Finn from school. The guys went out to Holt’s parents’ house to help renovate their bedroom.”
“If you want to stay, Gwen, I’ll give you a ride back into town,” I offer.
“That would be perfect.”
Gia says a quick goodbye before heading back to her car.
Gwen turns to me, a serious expression on her face. “How are you really feeling about being back in your old house?”
I turn to take in the back of the house. “It feels like I’m finally home.”