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He paused as he was gathering up the garbage and putting it back in the bag. “Did you go to school there?”
She knew her smile said she loved it. “I did. My siblings and I all went. They closed it down shortly after my youngest sister finished sixth grade. That’s all it was, two rooms and a gym, plus some offices, housing first through third and fourth through six. The church did kindergarten.” She laughed. She hadn’t thought of those years in a long time. “We have some great memories there.”
“You think it would make a good office/home?” He tilted his head toward her, and she hadn’t realized that night had started to fall until she had to squint to see his eyes. They were already dark but now even more so when in the shadows of his face.
“Maybe? I haven’t been there in forever, although we walked, so it’s that close. No matter how bad it got in the winter, there was never any excuse not to go to school, since everyone walked.”
“That would stink. No snow days.”
“I know, right?”
“They didn’t give you one, just because?”
“Sometimes we’d have a two-hour delay. And sometimes Miss Fry, she was the teacher for the younger kids, would let us spend the morning outside sledding down the hill. It was so much fun.”
“Sounds like an idyllic childhood.”
“It was. But here we go, talking about mine, and I still don’t have any idea about yours.”
He started moving again, shoving the garbage in the bag, then standing gracefully to his feet as he held out a hand for her.
She looked at it for just a moment before she took it. This was new too. They didn’t typically go around helping each other. Not physical tasks.
His hands were smooth, as befitted a businessman, as her fingers slid into his, and he pulled her easily to her feet. She knew his schedule, knew he spent an hour every morning at the gym, and she doubted that he ever missed. She felt his strength just then and wondered that she had never thought about it before.
But he didn’t typically wear short sleeves, and his biceps curled, and she had trouble peeling her eyes from them and looking back at his face, trying to remember what they were talking about.
“I’m asking now.” She tried to focus. “What was your childhood like?”
He grinned. “Show me my room first.”
She wanted to call him on that. That wasn’t a part of their deal. He was supposed to tell her whatever she wanted, but to be fair, he hadn’t refused. He’d just put her off. Maybe that was because he could hear the laughter which had gotten louder.
“Okay,” she said.
They finished gathering up the garbage and threw it away as they entered the kitchen.
“Normally the guests come in the front door, although they have the run of the house, except Mom’s room upstairs, and Jubilee and her kids’ rooms. There are signs on their doors.”
“All right.”
“You’re welcome to the back area as well. And Mom always makes breakfast for the guests which she starts serving at six o’clock. She has it buffet style, and it’s usually out until ten or so. Unless she knows that all the guests have eaten.”
“Good to know.”
She walked ahead of him, up the stairs, as the front door opened and laughter and talking drifted up as other guests entered the house.
“I’m sorry there are two sets of stairs you have to climb,” she said as they made a U-turn and walked down the hall to the turn where the second set of stairs started.
“I’ll take five minutes off my time at the gym,” he said easily, and she smiled to herself. Of course.
She opened the attic door and climbed the stairs. Her mom had most of the attic finished, although some of it was for storage.
“The light is right here.” She flipped it on as she spoke, and he murmured, “Okay,” behind her.
“When you get to the top, the bathroom is on your right, and the room that Mom always keeps ready is the next one on the right. You have a nice view of the lake from it, and the few times I stayed in it, when one of my siblings was at the cottage, I’ve really enjoyed the view from that high.”
“I’m sure it’s beautiful.”
