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Max and Zoe were quiet for a moment as if they were taking in the space and the picture I’d painted of my family.
“Have you thought about adding little plaques or pictures of your grandparents around the barn? It would be a good reminder to the wedding couples of another successful relationship, of the love they’ll want to emulate. Hearing you talk about them, their obvious love for each other, feels good.
“I love the idea of including my grandparents in the business.” My grandparents would love what I was doing. It added to the excitement that was already running through my veins.
If I thought about the amount of work that needed to be done in the next few months to be ready for a spring wedding, I’d have a panic attack. So, I tried to focus on the good things—the work already being completed, happy couples taking pictures on the steps to the house and by the pond, my grandmother looking down on me.
She wanted me to follow my dreams, and I was fulfilling her wishes.
I thanked them for taking the time to view the farm. We made plans to schedule a meeting with Gia. I hoped she’d agree to hosting the wedding here. My contract with Gia and Happily Ever Afters precluded me from planning a wedding outside our agreement. Gia was the one obstacle to me holding Max and Zoe’s wedding here. If she thought there was any reason things wouldn’t be ready, she wouldn’t agree to it. The possibility of her saying no had me sweating at all there was to do to get the place ready.
I waved as they drove back down the long lane. Max and Zoe had given me a lot to think about. They’d opened my mind to things I hadn’t even considered.
I immediately headed to the barn with a notepad to write down everything that needed to be done.
I wanted to keep the farm. With the high tax bill, keeping and maintaining the property was expensive. This was my best option to make it profitable. I tried not to think about what it would be like to host weddings at my house. I’d think about my nonexistent personal life after the business took off.
When I finished the list for the barn and the property itself, I stopped at the summerhouse. I used to ride my bike on the sidewalk out front, but I almost never spent time inside. It was hot and full of spider webs in the summer, cold and lacking heat in the winter. The fact was, I couldn’t do anything with the summerhouse. Not anytime soon. It needed too much work that a contractor would need to complete.
But I wondered if it could be used as a space for brides and grooms to get ready for the wedding, or even a small guest house. Zoe had gotten my mind turning over with all the possibilities.
I was overwhelmed with the idea of getting rid of my grandparents’ things. Anything I didn’t want would need to be donated, and keepsakes would need to be taken to the main house.
It was something I could work on after the shop was closed each day. If I focused on renovating the property, I wouldn’t be thinking about Jake or what was going on with Berta.
I needed something to distract me because my mind had been preoccupied with him since I saw him last. It had been date-like and far too intimate. Then he’d ruined all my fantasies by telling Ryan he didn’t like me.
One thing was certain from our conversation: he didn’t want to want me. That was an important distinction, something I’d ignored with other guys, thinking I could change their mind or fix them in some way. When a guy spoke, I should listen to them. Heed their words. That would be the smart thing to do.
I liked to think that opposites attract, but that was a romantic notion that only happened in movies and books. Reality was different.
I wanted something lasting, like what my grandparents had. It was obvious Jake didn’t want the same things.
I grabbed a couple of garbage bags and pulled out a few boxes to get started, knowing I’d feel better once I’d made some progress. I sorted through the first few boxes, quickly realizing it was a bigger project than I thought. Each box held memories of my grandparents, ones I’d avoided since she died.
I hadn’t wanted to deal with her death. I’d dived right into making her house my home, opening the business, and making friends in a new town. I’d avoided the boxes my grandmother had placed here after Grandpa died.
I hadn’t wanted to dredge up old memories. There were too painful. Tears pricked my eyes as I pulled out photographs of Grandma and Grandpa when they were young, and then later, with my mother. It was too much. I swiped away the tears mixed with the dust.
Needing a break from the trip down memory lane, I slowly lifted the corner of the tarp, revealing metallic gold paint.
I had no idea what make or model the vehicle was, just that it was sporty, and my grandfather had loved it. I knew nothing about vehicles other than what I’d gleaned from Jake, and that wasn’t much. Pulling the cover all the way back to the trunk, the car looked to be in good condition except for some sagging in the interior. Would it even run at this point? My grandmother hadn’t touched it since he died three years ago.
Jake would know the answers. But I’d need to call and ask him. He’d want to visit the farm to check it out.
Could I handle being in his presence again? I’d told him I was attracted to him, and we’d agreed we weren’t compatible. At the time, it had seemed like the logical thing to do. I wanted to cover the pain he’d unleashed with his careless words, and he wanted an out.
The reality was something different. I liked him. The problem was, I needed him and his expertise. He was the only one I knew who could help me. He’d know what to do. I’d deal with the fallout just like I always did.
Eleven
JAKE
Itoweled the sweat off my face. I was exhausted from trying to keep up with regular clients and staying on schedule with Berta. It was effective in taking my mind off Lily, but something had to give.
Anytime I wasn’t under the hood or undercarriage of a vehicle, my mind was on Lily’s scent in my garage. How I enjoyed having her in my space. She’d made the cold and unforgiving concrete more alive somehow.
But then I was hyperaware, anytime I was in Lily’s presence, of my attraction to her and the light she brought to my day.
