done,” she said with a shrug.
Jack grinned. “Yeah, there is that.”
Grace flashed him one of her brilliant smiles and he said, “I wasn’t going to take you up on that, so go find somewhere else to live. People post ads at the supermarket all the time.”
“Great idea.”
“So how is it you came to inherit the house and not your father?” he ventured.
“I didn’t inherit it—I bought it from Aunt Missy years ago. You might remember we lived here rent-free in exchange for my dad taking care of the place.” She grimaced and Jack understood what Grace meant by it. The house could’ve been better looked after. Things had come to a head—there’d been accusations of money going missing and Grace’s parents had moved on. Grace had stayed to finish high school.
“I was the only person in the family who kept in touch with her. A couple of years after I graduated from med school she wrote and offered me a deal—I buy the house at a reduced rate and she could then afford to move into the Twilight Years. She wanted the house kept in the family. Aunt Missy knew full well that if she willed it to my father, he’d sell it and fritter the money away, so she came up with a plan. Since she was asset-rich but didn’t have a lot of savings after my parents fleeced her, and I’d started working and had enough for a down payment, I took out a mortgage and bought the place from Aunt Missy. It was a pretty sneaky way of keeping my father’s hands off both the house and the profit he’d make by selling it, but it’s what Missy wanted and I was happy to help her out. Aunt Missy moved into the Twilight Years and I rented out the house to help with the mortgage payments. When Missy died, my father flipped out because there was nothing for him in her will and he tried to get me to sign the house over to him. Forget it!”
Jack said, “You and Aunt Missy were sure cut from the same cloth. Smart as whips. And your relationship with your parents?”
“Not good. Not that it ever was. I worked hard to win that scholarship to a college so far away partly because I wanted to get away from them.”
* * *
IMMEDIATELY AFTER SHE’D said it, Grace wanted to take the words back. Jack would think she wanted to get away from him, too. But that was far from the truth.
She wished, for one fleeting moment, that when she’d discovered she was pregnant with Jack’s baby, they could have married, kept their child. But after weighing the pros and cons, she’d decided that if they followed that path, there was no way she’d be able to stay in college and keep up her grades. They’d have struggled financially for the rest of their lives. Grace had been there, done that with her parents and she had no intention of repeating their mistakes.
Her lip curled as she thought, Yet here you are, a dozen years later, with a rewarding career, a lot of money and no one to love. That’s some definition of success.
“I’m sorry your relationship never resolved itself, Grace. I couldn’t imagine not being part of a close family,” he said. “I love everyone in my family. And I love that all my brothers are married now and have wives and children. It’s the cycle of life.”
Grace smiled. “That is such a nice compliment to them. They’re very lucky to have someone like you in their lives.” If only I had someone who truly cared about me.
* * *
HER HEARTFELT WORDS filled Jack with warmth. He was about to ask her more about her family when Grace turned and headed toward the stairs.
“Now, what needs to be done up here?” she asked, heading to the second floor.
Jack caught her seconds before she put her foot though a broken board. “For a start, I replace some of these treads. I’ll show you which ones to avoid.”
“I’m impressed you can pick them out. They all look the same to me.”
Ignoring her compliment, he said, “I can put through an order for some oak tomorrow.”
Grace smiled. “You can really start that soon?”
“Provided you’re happy with my estimate, I can start on this first thing in the morning. At least make it safe to climb the stairs without breaking your neck.”
Grace frowned and said, “I guess I should talk about stress management. I don’t want you to work so hard you’ll end up feeling too stressed to finish the job.”
Deep in his heart, Jack knew he couldn’t walk out on Grace, couldn’t leave her and this magnificent house in the hands of another contractor. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “It’ll be an honor to work on a place like this.”
They took the last step onto the top landing. “Keep away from the railing. It’s loose,” he warned before they made their way toward the master bedroom.
* * *
GRACE STEPPED INTO her parents’ old bedroom but wasn’t prepared for the memories that assailed her. Aunt Missy had given up her beautiful bedroom with the view of the town for Grace’s parents to use. And they’d rewarded her by duping her out of her money. She turned away.
“You’ll want to talk to an interior designer,” he suggested.
“You don’t do that yourself?”
He shook his head. “No, I only perform miracles on the house itself. I know how I’d decorate, but I recommend consulting a professional.”
Grace nodded, impressed with Jack’s professionalism and attention to detail as she watched him make notes in a booklet.
“Now, the roof,” he said. “The insulation—what’s left of it—should be replaced. And although the slates seem to be in pretty good condition, I noticed stains on the ceiling, which means water’s getting in. I’ll have a roofing contractor take a look.”
He made another note in the booklet, tore out the page and handed it to her. “This is the number of an interior designer I’ve worked with before. Get her out here as soon as you can. Feel free to use my name if you have to.”
Grace took the proffered paper. “I’ll see if she can meet me here tomorrow morning.”
“That might be pushing it, but I’ll mark the loose steps as we go out, in case she comes when I’m not here.”
“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.” She followed him down the hallway and paused at the top of the stairs while Jack bent and marked each unsafe step with a piece of chalk.
“Careful,” he cautioned as he reached to take her hand. “It’s darker than when we came in. I’ll get the power connected tomorrow.”
He glanced at his watch. “How about if you go to the pharmacy while I finish measuring?”
“I’m on my way.”
* * *
GRACE RETURNED TO the house thirty minutes later. Jack was sitting on the front porch, once more scribbling in his notebook. The way he bent his head, the book resting on his forearm, brought back memories of him at school, struggling to read a passage in class.
She
