AllFreeNovel
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“I guess. I thought six months would be enough. Shows what I know, right?” He smiled crookedly, too charming for his own good. No wonder the women of Granville were salivating over him. “Good thing you’re the teacher.”
“Well, you’re the tour guide,” I countered.
“Ah, that’s right.” He waved his hand at the dated but serviceable kitchen we’d stepped into—though it was missing a stove and a section of countertop—with a large pantry off to one side, basic but clean wood floors, and a shiny chrome refrigerator that looked out of place in its modern sleekness. “Behold, the jewel of Old Ball-Sack!”
I laughed as Hunter adopted the persona of a museum tour guide as he led me through the kitchen to the great room. A staircase spiraled down from the right, the woodwork incredible and gleaming, as if it had recently been cleaned. Off to the side, an oval-shaped alcove—part of the turret formation of the house, I realized—made a cute sitting area backed by tall windows, though it appeared Hunter was using it as a storage area for now, with boxes and tools stacked next to the wall.
A quick trek through the upstairs revealed five bedrooms—one of which included a TV and Xbox, where Toby was playing—and three bathrooms, as well as the little alcove from the tower that would make a lovely reading space with a cushy chair and lamp.
The wallpaper was peeling, and most of the living spaces were covered in truly hideous carpet, but I barely noticed, too busy overlaying the image of the gorgeous home this place would have been in its heyday.
“If these walls could talk, huh?” I said as we returned to the ground floor.
“That’s how I felt when I decided to buy the place,” Hunter said, sounding pleased. “I could feel all the years of life here. The years of love and fa-mily.”
His voice cracked on the last word, and my heart ached for the obvious pain he still felt.
“Thanks for the tour. I should get started with Toby,” I said, sensing that he could use a minute. “Where can we set up?”
“The table in the kitchen is good. I’ll go fetch him.”
I returned to the kitchen and unpacked my laptop onto a large table while mentally kicking myself for the way I’d lusted over Hunter before I’d met him, not to mention ogling him on the porch. Hunter was hot as hades, but he was also a single father still struggling to find his footing after his life fell apart.
No wonder he was looking for an escape from all the matchmaking mamas and eager divorcees in town.
When Toby joined me, he didn’t look much happier than his father. Hunter excused himself to return to his work on the porch, and Toby slouched in his chair with a pout.
“What’s wrong? You change your mind about this tutoring thing?”
Toby shrugged. “No.”
But as we pulled up his virtual classroom and began to talk through the classwork he hadn’t finished, it was clear that something was bothering him. After the third time he zoned out on me, I gave in to my curiosity.
“Okay, out with it,” I said. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just in a bad mood.”
“Why?”
He shrugged.
“Did something happen at school?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
He gave me a suspicious look. “Okay?”
“You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong. I’d like to help, but only you can decide if you want to share.”
He chewed on that a minute, then said in a rush, “This woman asked my dad out for a drink, and he said no thanks, but what if next time he says yes and forgets my mom? What then?”
His eyes filled with tears and he dashed them away, looking angry with himself.
“Hey…” I squeezed his shoulder. “Your dad loved your mom. You know that, right?”
Toby nodded, looking miserable. “Not enough to stay married though.”
