I prowl over to them, smirking when my mom beams at me.
“Come here, honey,” she says, pulling me to her for a hug. “You need a beard trim. Get Jessi to do it. Why didn’t you when you were there last night?” She pulls away to tug at my beard and shakes her head. “I’m serious.”
Dad claps me on the back and grins. “You didn’t tell us Goldie’s granddaughter was here.”
And I specifically didn’t tell my older sister either, so how they found out is beyond me. Stupid small towns.
“I messaged them through their website,” Nora admits, confusion marring her features. “When you suggested them, I didn’t realize it was your family.”
I shrug. “Doesn’t change that they’re the best at what they do.”
Nora rolls her eyes at me.
Mom turns her back toward her and not-so-discreetly says, “She’s adorable.” When she starts the eyebrow wriggling, I grunt and shake my head.
“No,” I say, firm and with no room for argument.
She pats my chest and flashes me a sly grin. “We’ll see.”
We. Will. Not. See.
Chapter 9
Nora
Elias’s parents are just too cute. It’s almost hard to imagine two of the most cheerful, funny people I’ve ever met gave life to the grumpy lumberjack.
Maybe he has his reasons.
I shove that thought away, because I know it’s true and I don’t want to address it right now, as I follow Rudy into Grandma’s cottage. Elias’s father is tall, broad, and handsome for his age. His beard is trimmed short and both it and his hair are sprinkled with gray. Rudy has weathered lines around his eyes, mouth, and on his forehead from what appears to be decades worth of grinning.
Again, how did he father that crabapple next door?
“This place has great bones,” Rudy says as he carefully skims his gaze over every available beam and floorboard in Grandma’s living room. “Was well cared for over the years. Just took a little turn for the worse in the last few. Nothing that can’t be fixed.”
I nod, arms crossed over my chest, willing myself not to cry. This whole time, Grandma was living next door with Elias. Why didn’t she say anything? Mom would have moved her in with herin a New York second.Pun intended. And, yet, Grandma said nothing. Always put on a cheerful face when on call or while visiting.
“Now, I know Maggie will have her bit to say about selling this place,” Rudy continues as he makes his way to the kitchen, “but we need to get it spruced up before we start putting makeup on her. Know what I mean?”
“You thinking we need to remodel the kitchen?” I ask as I take in the kitchen that held so many summer memories for me.
Rudy scoffs. “And lose the coastal cottage charm thing she had going on here? Nah. Rather than a whole face lift, we’re going to nip and tuck here and there. Repaint, replace some hardware, maybe get some new windows in. Nothing too crazy. The vibes of this place are what’s going to sell it in a snap.”
I try to imagine someone else living here and my stomach twists. It’s not a great image.
“So,” I say with a staggering breath. “When can you start?”
He chuckles, deep, warm, and vibrating. It makes me wonder if his son has the same beautiful laugh. We wouldn’t know because Elias doesn’t do that sort of thing, but it’s fun to ponder what it would sound like.
“I’m a bit stacked this week,” Rudy says as we retreat to the back of the house. “But that’s okay. You have your work cut out for you before I can do my part.” He looks over his shoulder at me as he stops in front of Grandma’s bedroom. “You’re going to need to go through her things and get this place cleaned up.”
The last thing I want to do is go through all of Grandma’s belongings. It feels intrusive. Maybe she wouldn’t like for me to pick through her things and uncover her carefully hidden secrets.
Rudy goes into her room, but I remain rooted in the hallway, fretting about going through her belongings. He returns a moment later, pity in his brown eyes.
“Yeah,” I say quickly, unable to hold his gaze. “Sure. I’ll get to it. I wonder if I can hire someone to do it.”
I don’t wait for his disapproving expression that’ll look too much like Elias’s, and scurry back toward the front door. It’s like an oven in her house and I’m already drenched in sweat from being here only a few minutes. Before I can make my escape, a massive form fills the doorway, and I nearly plow into it. I manage to stumble off to the side instead.
