Chapter 7
Sunlight,heavy with the promise of a warm summer day, streamed through the screen door as Jo pushed it open. She’d chosen her favorite pale green sundress with sandals—not because her grandma had insisted that she deliver lemonade to Jack after grabbing a bite, but because it would keep her cool.
“Meddler,” Jo muttered as she strode past the all-weather wicker rocking chairs and down the steps.
Accepting Serenity’s invitation to accompany her to her wedding appointments had given her a good distraction from the conversation she’d had with her grandma the other night, and a convenient escape from Jack since he was usually gone by the time she returned home.
Her plan was to avoid him until the memory of that kiss or the tingling in her lips faded. Unfortunately, neither seemed close to happening.
She reached the edge of the back of the house and peeked around the corner. Her gaze landed on Jack, hoisting a piece of lumber onto his shoulder and moving it to the deck he was rebuilding.
Sweat had already plastered his shirt to his body, showing off his muscles. All those muscles. Her mouth went dry as a vision of him dipping her and planting a kiss on her lips flashed through her mind. Her heart flip-flopped at the thought.
He strode to the deck, set the wood down, and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. It almost felt like she was watching a home renovation reality show. Everything slowed, like the universe was Vanna White waving to the board of letters with the intent of highlighting just how fantastic Jack looked. Sweaty or not, he was a hunk.
Just then, he turned and caught her staring. She startled and yanked her gaze away, waited for a beat, and peeked again. One corner of his lips was quirked up. Oh, yeah, he’d definitely caught her ogling him. And by the looks of it, he was thoroughly enjoying making her wriggle.
Well, she was a warm-blooded woman, and what woman wouldn’t appreciate a handsome man doing the manly things he was doing? That’s right. It was just… appreciating God’s creations. Sort of like watching the sunrise or the sunset. Although, those didn’t have the Wedding March as a soundtrack.
Shaking her head, she worked to clear her thoughts. Or, at the very least, ignore them so she could deliver his drink. She thrust her shoulders back and strode over to him, offering the lemonade her grandma had fixed that morning.
“Grandma thought you’d be thirsty, so she sent me out here.”
He took the drink, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Your grandma, huh?”
“Uh…” She rolled her eyes. “You…”
Taking a step closer, he held her gaze. All of a sudden, her blood went from warm to teakettle screaming hot. “You… what?”
Her throat was tight. Swallowing was almost impossible. The way he was looking at her, almost like…like desire flashing in them. Impossible. She stepped back. “You know you’re attractive. Don’t act like you don’t.”
His lips quirked higher, making his cheeks rise. Instead of responding, he took a long gulp of lemonade, finishing it with an “Ah.”
“That hit the spot. Thanks.” He turned and nodded to the deck. “It was in worse shape than I thought. It’s taking a little longer than expected.”
Whew. Thank goodness he hadn’t kept up the flirting. A couple more smoldering looks, and she wasn’t sure her knees could remain solid. “That’s okay. Stuff like this always takes longer than expected.” She shielded her eyes as her gaze skated along the exterior of the home. It’d taken a beating in the years since she’d left. Rotten wood along the edge of the house, peeling paint, and general disrepair made it look sad.
Jo sighed heavily. “I should have come back before now. Should have known it was so rundown. It needs a ton of work.” The owner’s suite was okay. It still needed work, but not like the rest of the house.
“Yeah, I know. Charlie can’t afford it, though.”
“No, she can’t.” And she would never sell the place. “It seems a shame to let it fall apart.”
Jack nodded. “I know. I offered to buy it.”
Her eyes widened. “Did she hurt you?”
He laughed. “No, but she made it clear that she was never selling and that if I asked again, she couldn’t guarantee my safety.”
Her shoulders bounced as she pictured her grandma chasing after Jack with a switch. “Yeah, we had a few people sniff around when I was a kid. It didn’t end well for them either.” That usually led to their bed-and-breakfast talks.
“When I got the job, I spent some time at the library looking up information on it. I guess you know it was a hotel in the late 1900s.”
Nodding, she smiled. “Grandma would tell me stories. We’ve got boxes of history in the attic. I think if someone wanted to, they could turn it into a historical site.”
“That’s a possibility, but…” He drew out the last word.
“What?”
“I was thinking bed and breakfast.” He drained the rest of the lemonade and set the glass on the ground next to his feet.
She worked to keep the jolt of giddiness off her face. Not that she wanted to do it, but that he’d thought of it. “Oh yeah?” She forced herself to play it cool.
Jack shrugged. “I know the house has a bucket load of history. My dad wanted me to do real estate. My mom just wanted me to do something other than what she called grunt work, and Ethan, well, he wants me to be happy.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and his voice grew soft. “What would make me happy is to build something. Something lasting that I can one day share with someone I love. I figured this place has pretty good bones, and it’d be a good foundation.”
Jo looked at him. “Is that why you took the job? To talk my grandma into selling it to you so you could turn it into a bed and breakfast?”
Jack grimaced. “Depends. Would it make you mad?”
She chuckled. “No. I’m not mad.”
“She said that the two of you had talked about it, too.”
“We did, but I was a kid. The amount of time, money, and effort it would take is massive. It is a big investment with an even bigger amount of risk.”
“Maybe, but sometimes great things come out of taking chances.”
“And so does getting your heart broken,” she said under her breath.
Jack looked at her. “What?”
She waved him off. “Oh, nothing. Taking chances is great and all, but I don’t think it’s wise for this place.”
“Jo?”
She knew that voice. Turning, she hoped she was wrong. No such luck. “Craig?”
He slowly approached and stopped a few feet away.
“What are—” They started at the same time.
“Writing an article,” she said.
“Business.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What business could you have here, and why would you be at my grandma’s house?”
“I’m a property lawyer, Jo. I’ve got a client interested in buying your grandma’s house.”
“It’s not for sale.”
“This house is massive. Your grandma is only getting older, and this house is getting harder and harder for her to maintain, even if she’s only utilizing the owner’s suite. The smart thing to do is, at least, entertain an offer.”
Jo cocked her jaw. “We’re not entertaining offers. This house has been in my family for six generations. I’ll repeat, we’re not selling.”
Craig gave her his be-reasonable look, the kind where he leveled his eyes, and his lips pursed together. “I understand wanting to keep your family’s history. I do, but look at this house. Really look at it.”
Turning, she scanned the house. The owner’s suite wasn’t horrible, especially now that Jack was installing a new back deck. The rest of the house, the part that was closed off, was an eyesore at best and a lawsuit waiting to happen. One stupid kid messing around…
Tears stung the back of her eyes. She might not like Craig, but he wasn’t wrong. This house… She whirled to face him. “We’re not selling.”
“Come on, Jo.” He huffed. “This is a fantastic offer. Way more than she’d get from anyone else.”
She set her hands on her hips. “This house is not for sale. Jack and I are fixing it up.”
Craig’s eyebrows shot up. “There’s no way Charlie has the funds to fix this entire house. Even if she can fix it up, how will she maintain it? She’s one person, and this house has twelve rooms.”
“I have savings, and I’m helping her.”
“Me too,” Jack chimed in. “Well, labor at least.”
Her ex’s gaze left Jo and settled on Jack. “Jack Turner. I’m a little surprised to see you. Although, with your football career ending before it started, I shouldn’t be.”
Jo held her arm out, holding Jack back. “Craig, you need to go. This house isn’t for sale. Not now, not ever. You can tell your client to look for other properties.”
“I’ll go, but I’m not leaving town until I talk to Charlie. I have an offer that she’ll find very hard to refuse.” He turned and then stopped. “I knew the place was in bad shape, but I had no idea it was this bad. Do you think it’s even safe for your grandmother to even live here?”
The insinuation wasn’t lost on Jo. She pinched her lips together. “Get off my property. Now.” Once Craig was out of sight, she turned to Jack. “We need to talk to my grandma. Now.”
Craig had something up his sleeve. Jo knew it, and he’d play dirty to get what he wanted.