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Bodie
Bodie Briggs had just one more stop, and then, he’d finally be able to call it a day. Being the small town’s only handyman had its ups and downs. Right now, he was experiencing an influx of clients needing everything done now before the fall turned into winter. He couldn’t blame them for wanting their walls and roofs fixed before the snow started falling, but he wished that just a few of them had planned ahead and called him during the warmer summer months to help spread out the workload.
He parked in the driveway of the old house that he had loved since he was just a teen. He’d ride by on his bike every day, on his way home from school, and stop just to stare at it for a few minutes. It had been empty since then—well, mostly. Once and a while a young family with a little girl would spend a week or two. He’d asked his mom if she knew the woman and her family, and she told him that they were the family of the people who had died in that house. Of course, that led to him asking a million other questions about the dead couple who had died in their house—the first being, was it haunted?
It had to be. He still drove by that place just about every day, and he still loved it. Once in a while, he’d get out of his car and go up to the porch, sure that he could hear the whispers of the past on the cool wind as he peaked into the front windows.
Bo got out of his truck and gently knocked on the door, hoping not to get any of the ghosts answering it. Instead, a cute brunette pulled the creaky wooden door open and smiled out at him.
“Um, hi,” he said. “I’m Bodie Briggs, but everyone calls me Bo.”
“Hi Bo,” she said, holding out her hand to him. “I’m Sydney Joy and I apparently own this place.”
“Wow,” he breathed, “this is one of my favorite houses in town. How did you get the family who owned it to sell? When I asked about it, I was told that it had been owned by the same family for generations and that they weren’t willing to sell the place.”
“Actually, I inherited the house from my mother, who inherited it from her parents. I’m pretty sure that they got this place from their parents and so on and so forth.”
“Ah,” he said. “So, the rumors were true then. Your family has owned this place for generations.” Bo wondered if all of the rumors about the old house were true. People around town liked to talk about the couple who died in the house about forty years ago. They were said to still be haunting the place—not that he believed that kind of thing.
“Yes, although I haven’t done quite as much research as you seem to have on this house. I’ve been here a few times when I was a kid, but then, my mom got sick and died, and we stopped coming. I didn’t even remember this place until my father gave it to me as a wedding gift a week ago.”
“Oh—congratulations,” Bo said. “That’s quite a gift. Is your husband here with you then?” he asked.
“Sadly, no,” she said. “You see, I don’t have a husband. It was almost official. We got the marriage certificate and had the big church wedding, but when I got to the end of the aisle, my husband-to-be took one look at me and basically said, ‘No thank you.’”
“Well, I can’t imagine anyone looking at you and saying that,” Bo admitted. “But I’m sorry that you went through all of that. Your almost husband sounds like a real ass and I’m betting your better off without him.”
“Thanks for saying that,” she said. “Where are my manners? Would you like to come in? I mean, you can’t give me a quote on work if you don’t come in to take a look at the kitchen, right?”
“Right,” he agreed. He followed her into the house, and he took a second to look around. This was the first time that he’d been inside of the place, and he had to admit, it was even more charming on the inside.
“This is beautiful,” he said.
“Thanks.” He quickly caught up with Sydney as she made her way into the kitchen. “My mother was the last person to work on this place, and that was almost ten years ago, I’m guessing. It needs a lot of work, including a new roof.”
“I don’t do roofs, but I can call a guy for you,” he offered.
“Already done,” she said. “But if he falls through, I’ll let you know. For now, I’d love a quote for having my kitchen spruced up. I love the cabinets, but they could use a fresh coat of paint. The overall charm is what I’d like to keep, I guess you could say.” He got it too. The charm of the old house was what drew him to it.
“I know that all of those home shows would say that I need to gut this place, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I mean, my ancestors built this place.” She looked around the room and back at him, so hopeful that she’d convinced him about her vision.
“I agree,” he said. “This place is beautiful. A bit of paint and a few changes, and you’ll be up and running in no time,” he promised.
“Really, you think so?” she asked.
“I do,” he said. “I’ll work up a quote and call you with it tomorrow,” he promised.
“That’s quick,” she said. “I imagined you’d be swamped this time of year. I’m sure that everyone wants to get their homes done before the winter hits.”
“Yeah, but like I said, I love this place. I always have and I’d be crazy not to jump at the chance to help bring it back to its formal glory. Thanks for the opportunity, Sydney.”
“Of course,” she said. “Thanks for wanting to help me do that, Bo.” She held out her hand to him again and he shook it. “I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow.”
“It was nice to meet you, Sydney,” he said. He started for the front of the house and turned to smile back at her. “Talk soon.” He felt like he might be laying on the charm a bit thick, but why shouldn’t he? She was hot, single, and someone he found interesting, and that hadn’t happened for a damn long time.
Haunted Honeymoon for One Universal Link-> https://books2read.com/u/b5jOkO
How about a sneak peek at Legend? He’s coming in 2023 and will be K.L. Ramsey’s tenth RBMC book!
