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“My dad did say I havecarte blancheto take care of repairs. Pay whatever it takes to fix what needs fixing,” I say, but my voice is heavy with despair. “He says ‘hi’ by the way,” I add begrudgingly.
“Aw, man, I miss talking to Elliot. How’s he doing?”
“Good. Still working.”
“He’ll never stop,” Benjamin says with a smile. “I gotta say, in the few months your dad was in my life, that’s the best thing he taught me. The value of hard work and perseverance.”
I ignore Benjamin’s musings, too troubled by Gary’s assessment of Rose Manor to give it much mind.
“I mean, the $200k was only a rough estimate,” I say hopefully. “Gary said he’d get the final report done in a couple days.”
“Sure, then it will suddenly have doubled to $400k. You know how these contractors are,” Benjamin says angrily. “I mean I know the house isn’t in great shape, but he was talking about it like it’s some kind of dump!”
I’m surprised at how upset he is. He’s taking Gary’s assessment of Rose Manor so personally. But at the same time, I have to agree with him.
“He even talked about the possibility of just tearing the whole place down,” I say sadly.
“That’s not an option,” Benjamin replies quickly. “No way.”
“Well, let’s see what the real estate agent says,” I say despondently.
“Real estate agent?”
“I asked her to stop by for a rough estimate. I want to have some idea of how much this place can sell for before dad starts dumping money into renovations.” Plus, I want to know what kind of commission I can expect, I think to myself.
“Smart. When’s she coming?
“Any minute now, I think.”
I slip my phone out of my shorts pocket to check the time. As I glance at the phone screen, I notice that I’ve also gotten an email from my publisher.
“Shit,” I murmur to myself as I clamber to my feet, squinting at the phone unhappily.
“All good?” Benjamin asks.
“Just an email from my publisher about my final draft edits.”
“Final draft?”
“I’ve got a book of poetry coming out,” I say.
“Hey, Lace! Wow, that’s awesome, congratulations!” Benjamin exclaims, genuine excitement washing over his face. Before I can stop him, he’s enveloped me in a giant bear hug, lifting me straight off my feet as he squeezes me tight.
I catch my breath as he lifts me up and instinctively wrap my arms around his neck as he whirls me in a circle. I can feel the firmness of his muscles as he squeezes me.
I realize with a jolt that there’s only thin scraps of fabric between us—I didn’t wear a bra under my baggy top today. As I nuzzle my face into his neck, I catch a whiff of his scent. When we were teens, he smelled like Axe body spray. Now? It’s some unidentifiable cologne, just a hint, that smells deeply musky and way more manly. It hits me, Benjamin is no longer the teen I lusted after. He’s a grown man, secure, self-assured, and strong.
My stomach flip-flops at the thought, and I feel my cheeks flush.
“Why didn’t you tell me?!” He asks accusingly as he puts me back down.
“I was too pissed at you yesterday,” I say with a smile, feeling warm and breathless after his strong hug—and the revelation it brought. Yesterday, Benjamin was still my attractive, but mostly, annoying ex-stepbrother. Now, I’m not sure what to make of him. Is he my ex-sibling? Is he that rock star I read about in magazines? Is he that annoying squatter setting up camp in my dad’s house?
Or is he the sweet, sexy man who just scooped me up in a whirlwind hug? I hope he doesn’t notice the redness in my face.
“Come on, that’s huge news! A book release? You should be shouting that from the rooftops to anyone and everyone. You should’ve told Gary just now!”
“Stop it,” I say with a laugh. “He clearly already thought I was some kind of crazy cat lady, holed up here solo.”
