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“Jo likes to get lost weaving pretty fairy tales,” Florina was saying, but he struggled to follow her words. He blinked and found a knowing smile on Florina’s thin lips. “But after surviving a good old-fashioned fight with the pestilents last night, I’m guessing you could use some more sleep. Getting your powers is always draining…for both of us.”
“But Florina—”
“Call me Flo. Shush now, my little Earth Weaver. Sleep. We’ve got time for talking later.”
Maybe she used magic. It almost sounded possible after what he’d already seen and felt. Whatever the cause, Clay’s eyelids fluttered shut and he released a long, slow sigh. And then he was out.Chapter 3Mistake.
Mistake. Mistake. Mistake!
His gut had screamed that taking this job for those three batty old ladies was a giant mistake.
Dane scrubbed a hand over his face and tried to clear the cobwebs from his brain. After the early arrival of Jo and the mystery man yesterday, Dane had struggled to get him out of his mind, which was now disturbing his ability to sleep.
And it had nothing to do with the fact that he had beautiful dark eyes and lips that could entice a celibate man. God knew that was Dane.
But the guy hadn’t looked good. Why the hell couldn’t they have taken him to the hospital?
Didn’t matter. None of his business. He didn’t want to make it his business.
He was here for a job. A good-paying job considering he was still trying to get his fucking handyman business off the ground. When Flo had offered to let him stay on the property rent-free, he’d jumped at it. He was able to save on expenses and get rid of his morning commute, which would have been a bitch. This freaking plantation house was out in the middle of nowhere.
But the bonus was that no one was living at the house when he started work. There were no clients underfoot. No one to bitch about how he did things or if he took more time than this other handyman.
And there was a shit-ton of work that needed to be done. Plumbing and wiring to be replaced. A new roof. New windows everywhere. New tile and cabinets needed to be put in. Ceiling fans and light fixtures.
Apparently, the old place hadn’t been lived in for roughly thirty years, so a lot of neglect was making itself known.
Despite being forgotten for so long, the old house had a lot of charm and character. She was going to shine like a bright southern gem when she was all cleaned up again. And she was going to shine. The old ladies had handed him a bank card when he was hired and said to spare no expense.
Dane started in the master bathroom, putting in a whirlpool tub big enough for three full-grown men with elegant gold fixtures. The sinks and tile were Italian marble. The shower had been expanded with extra shower heads added if those same three men decided to move from the tub to the shower. There was a towel warmer and another warmer for the tiles underfoot. Just in case Southern Georgia suffered a freakishly cold day during the winter.
When he was done, he showed the invoice and room to Jo. The old woman didn’t even look at the amount. She sucked on her lower lip while looking around the room. “Yep,” she announced, releasing her lip with a wet pop. “This’ll do. Make the rest of the house like this.” She waved her hand a bit distractedly around the room and left.
Lifting his travel mug to his lips, Dane took a sip of his coffee, trying to get all his brain cells firing again. His thoughts needed to be on work. Not on the man or Flo or her crazy sisters. The job.
The master bedroom was completed a few days ago with new electrical wiring and a new ceiling fan. The whole thing could use a new coat of paint and curtains, but the aesthetics were far down on his list for now.
The HVAC company he’d hired also put in the new and more powerful central air system a day ago. The enormous house was now a comfortable seventy degrees at all times, though the electric bill was going to be hell during the summer unless he got to the new windows sooner.
The kitchen was next on his list while the roofing company was supposed to be delivering supplies later that day, allowing them to start on the total replacement.
Somehow Jo had squeaked out one last meal from the stove yesterday before Dane came in to declare the official time of death that afternoon. She was lucky to have gotten that meal. The poor thing looked like it had limped out of the stone age and curled up in this kitchen, looking for a place to die.
