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“Well, sure, but?—”
Mike didn’t let her continue arguing. “I need help saving my grandparents’ farm.”
She blinked rapidly. “But I thought you were going to sell it to the developer.”
“What? Why would you think that?” Mike’s eyes cut to the restaurant and understanding filled his eyes. “You overheard the lawyer tell me that was the best option.”
She couldn’t bring herself to confirm that she’d been spying on him. Her expression must have said everything he needed to know.
Mike shook his head. “I would never let my grandfather’s farm go to a developer. That would disgrace him and everything he worked for. I’m trying to fix it up.”
“Oh,” she whispered.
“It’s gonna be a lot of work, and I can’t pay you anything so I understand if you can’t help?—”
“I’d be happy to help you.”
Mike’s brows lifted. Relief pooled in his eyes. What should have made her feel better only added to the churning in her stomach.
She shoved her hands into her pockets and rocked back on her heels. “I guess you should let me know when you’re ready to get started. Do you have your phone?”
Mike must have anticipated her request as he immediately had his phone ready. He offered it to her. “Put in your number and I’ll let you know. It’s gonna be a couple weeks to get everything finalized, but I think we can get in there immediately to start cleaning everything out.” Mike paused, looking almost embarrassed. “I’ll let you see the place for yourself.”
Rose handed the phone back to him. “Okay. Just let me know.”
Mike accepted his phone and held it up in a small wave. “Thanks, Rose. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it.” Rose watched him head toward the entrance of the restaurant, feeling her melancholy fade ever so slightly. Perhaps she just needed something different to keep her mind off her own troubles. Helping Mike save his grandfather’s farm would do exactly that.
Now, if she could only come up with a good enough story to tell her family, because quitting just to help Mike wasn’t going to cut it. But getting fired sounded so much worse.
She sighed. There simply wasn’t any way around it. She’d just have to tell them the truth no matter how mortifying it was to admit she couldn’t hold a waitressing job.
CHAPTER SIX
Mike stood out in the yard of his childhood home. The house before him seemed in even worse shape than he remembered. Granted, he’d been avoiding the property since he’d gathered what he wanted to keep.
Now, it looked like it was actually sagging.
He frowned and tilted his head as if it were a painting on the wall of a museum.
The look of the place wasn’t the only reason he’d avoided it here. He’d never admit it to anyone, but being here was just too painful. The memories of the last time he’d stormed out of that front door left him feeling hollow inside.
He should have come home sooner. Maybe then he would have been able to mend a few bridges. Mike took in a deep breath and released it as he wandered around the northern side of the house. This side was even worse than the front.
One of the glass panes in his grandmother’s art studio had a large hole in it. By the looks of it, someone had thrown a rock at the house. On top of the broken window, there was graffiti painted all over the back of the house where the vandals were less likely to get caught. He had figured there could be signs of vandalism, but this just took the cake.
Something told him that if he went inside right now, he’d find out someone had broken in and gone through it. Mike probably wouldn’t be able to tell, though, due to his grandfather’s hoarding.
He shook his head in disgust as he continued to make the rounds. Thankfully, there weren’t any other broken windows. The barn off to the side looked to be in decent condition. And now that he was once again standing in front of the house, he could confirm that the house wasn’t actually leaning. That was a relief. He could do a lot with his hands, but he didn’t think he could fix the foundation. They would need a professional for that.
A vehicle pulled up and he turned to find Rose climbing out of her car, a look of utter surprise and disdain filling her eyes. He could almost hear her blaming him for not being around when everything went south. He steeled himself for that very comment as she made her way to his side.
Her shrewd focus swept across the whole house and just as he’d expected, he could feel that contempt coming right for him. Mike took a step away from her, drawing her attention. Their eyes locked for a moment before he gestured toward the building.
“I was here when we were preparing for the funeral. I don’t want you to be surprised when you go inside. It’s… not great. My grandpa…” Mike sighed and tore his gaze from her. “He started hoarding.”
She didn’t speak right away. Curiosity piqued, he glanced toward her to find her staring at the house again. She had her lips pressed thinly together and her arms were crossed tightly as if she were steeling herself for something.
