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“All I know is that they’re from California. Elle was on some reality show at one point. She came here to get away from it.”
“Elle was on a reality show?” I tried to reconcile what I knew of the dark-haired woman married to the conservative and quiet veterinarian, Gray. Elle didn’t seem flashy. She was hardworking and kind.
“It’s hard to believe, but apparently, they recruited her when she was still in high school.”
“That’s weird.” I’d never approve of Maggie being in the same situation. Why would Elle and Alice’s parents be okay with that?
“Something like that could really mess you up,” Mac said.
“You renovated her barbershop, didn’t you?” I was interested to know more. Had I dug enough into Alice’s background? Was there something there I should be concerned about?
“I met Elle when she bought the building. We worked on the shop itself while she was still living in California. We corresponded through emails and phone calls after the initial walk-through. I think Dad met with her for the final one.”
“What was your impression of her?” I asked.
“Same as now. She’s down-to-earth, hardworking, and kind.”
“And her sister?”
“Honestly? I don’t know anything about her sister, other than she was staying with her.”
“Apparently, she nannied for Elle and Gray.” It was a nice thing for her to do. I wondered if she had other plans for her life. When I mentioned teaching to her last night, she seemed to shut down, and then she changed the subject.
I could respect someone not going to college. I’d thought about skipping it so I could get started in the family business, but my father insisted we all go. That we be open to other possibilities outside of construction, even though we all worked for him now.
I was curious about what it was like growing up with a sister on TV. Were cameras around all the time? No matter how curious I was, I vowed I wouldn’t look it up online. Not only did I hate shows like that, but it would be an invasion of Alice’s privacy. If she wanted to talk about it, I’d listen.
“I don’t think Alice was on the show. I don’t remember anyone younger on there.”
“That’s good.” I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to grow up with cameras on all the time. Was that why she was reclusive, not going out much?
I’d thought she might have a boyfriend, but so far, she hadn’t texted or called anyone when I was around. I hadn’t even seen her phone last night. She didn’t carry it with her like most people did. And she’d gone to bed early. “She said she doesn’t go out much. I don’t know if she’s dating anyone.”
“How’s that going to work if she’s living with you?”
Fuck. I hadn’t thought about her bringing guys or friends over. “I told her not to stay out late. But I hadn’t thought I needed to tell her that boyfriends aren’t welcome.”
I’d need to address it tonight. Something about her seeing someone ate at me, and I didn’t know why. She was a beautiful girl, and by all accounts, not super social. It made sense she’d be seeing someone, so why did I care?
If she was, that made her more off-limits than she already was. I should be grateful for that. I could put her in a box, smack an off-limits label on it, and leave it alone.
Needing to focus on something besides Alice, I said, “We need to turn this monstrosity into a B&B.”
Malcolm unrolled the plans that were tucked under his arm.
The Victorian house had been broken up into apartments. We needed to reconfigure the layout and update the plumbing, wiring, windows, and floors. Everything really. It was a big project, but I loved working on old homes, picking out the things worth saving and preserving the original beauty of the house, restoring it to life.
We worked through the plans, dividing up responsibilities. We’d work on this project together, and it would consume the next few months. I was eager to lead a project of my own, but anytime I’d brought it up, Dad shut me down.
When the crew showed up, we prepared for demolition. I welcomed the release I usually felt when destroying things, but I couldn’t get the idea of Alice dating someone out of my head. By the time I was headed home, my head throbbed, and my muscles ached. I’d pushed myself hard to get her out of my mind, but it hadn’t worked.
She hadn’t sent any updates throughout the day, so I wasn’t sure how it went. Had she taken Maggie to see her niece off to school? Had they gone to a playground or stayed home? I hadn’t asked her to send updates, but I was irritated she didn’t do it on her own.
When I got home, Alice’s car was in the driveway, the spare car seat in the backseat. Inside, I heard a squeal, then Maggie was running through the house, yelling, “Daddy, Daddy!” She hit my legs with a thump, and I lifted her easily into my arms.
“I missed you.”
Her nose wrinkled. “You smell.”
