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“You want to move out of the main house?” This surprised Dylan, because there she had support.
“Not now, but one day. Luke and Jack will find partners, and maybe Mom and Mr. Goldhirsh will want to move in with each other. Or by some miracle I may find someone, and we can’t all live together.”
The anger struck quick, almost taking his breath away. Piper with someone else... hell no.
“Can I come and look with you?”
“Why would you want to?”
Dylan shrugged, uncomfortable with sharing any more personal stuff about himself.
“Spill,” Piper said, looking at him. “I can see you’re hiding something.”
And wasn’t that a scary thought, that she could read what he was thinking.
“I do a bit of building... kind of. It’s my thing, or hobby is probably a more accurate word. So I could look it over for you if you like? I’ve read up about the rules and regulations for remodeling houses too. Each county is different of course, but I may be able to offer some advice.”
Piper stopped, her eyes now focused intently on him.
“Did you remodel a house for yourself?”
He looked uncomfortable suddenly. “No, that kind of thing just interests me.”
“You wanted to be a builder, didn’t you?”
“Sure, who didn’t?”
“Most people I know.”
“It’s always been an interest of mine. No big deal, Piper.”
“So why didn’t you become a builder?”
“I just found another path to travel.”
“That’s very new age of you, but also a large pile of BS. It wasn’t good enough for a Howard, was it? Just like Charlie wanting to paint, and Ava becoming a hairdresser.”
Uncomfortable with her words, he made a man noise.
“Gotcha, that’s a don’t-go-there subject, right?”
He wondered if his face looked as pained as it felt.
“As to your offer, I’d love for you to look it over,” Piper said, taking pity on him. “The boys have, but they’re not too impressed with me wanting to buy the property, so weren’t gushing with enthusiasm.”
“I bet. They like you all close together is my guess, but then this is hardly a great distance either,” Dylan said.
“Exactly.”
He walked beside her as she pushed the stroller, and they passed Maggie Winters’s house, and then three driveways along, she turned.
He’d never thought of Piper as a comfortable person, but as he walked with her, that’s what he felt. Comfortable to be in her company again.
“I’ll push it.” He took the stroller, as the drive was full of potholes and the going hard. Trees lined both sides and needed cutting back, but as they reached the end he saw the house set back against mountains.
“It needs work, and it’ll take me time to get that done... especially now with Grace. But I’m not in a hurry.”
The house was run-down, and the weatherboards in need of a stain. Pitched roof, not big, but that could change with an extension, Dylan thought. His initial impression would be to go up.
