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We stepped into the biggest room. “This one is done.”
“This is nice. It looks like it was always here.” She opened the closet doors and peered inside.
“That’s the idea.” I didn’t like to do any renovations or additions that stood out as different or new. I wanted it to fit right in as if it had always been there.
She turned to face me. “No one else is here. Are you building the closets yourself?”
“My crew is working on Sebastian’s cabin. I want to get it done before winter so they can move in.”
“I bet you’ll be happy when all your brothers live on the farm.”
“It will be nice, as much as they irritate the shit out of me. It’s really for Mom. She won’t rest until all her boys are here. She wants to see Ember more.”
Marley smiled softly. “That will be perfect for your family. Everyone home for the holidays this year.”
I wondered if she was thinking about how she’d be alone in California. “You should come here for Christmas, stay in my cabin—or my mom’s—see the light display, and do some of the local holiday traditions. We’re not far from DC. There are so many neat events at the National Harbor.”
Her brow furrowed. “I never went when I lived here, so why would I go now?”
I moved closer to brush a strand of hair off her face. “Because you are not your past. You can do anything you want.”
Her eyes widened slightly when I didn’t step back. “I can do whatever I want in California. But I never felt that way when I lived here.”
“I bet you could if you gave it a chance.” I don’t know why I cared so much. Maybe if she liked this place, she’d reconsider selling. Right now, she saw it as an unfortunate reminder of her childhood and not the magical place it was. She let her parents sour it for her. I hated that.
I wanted her to fall in love with this property like I had over the years. I‘d never considered living anywhere else. But when my father died, it only solidified my decision to stick close to my family.
She dipped her head. “Thank you for taking care of things while I was gone.”
“Sorry we couldn’t get to it sooner.”
Marley shook her head as she stepped around me to leave the room. “It will sell when it’s ready. I don’t care what my realtor says.”
“I had some ideas to add built-ins. I messaged you, but—”
“I didn’t respond.”
“That’s right. Would you want to see the areas now?”
“Sure,” she said as I led her down the hall to the stairs. I showed her the areas in the dining room and living room where I thought it would add to the space.
“I trust you,” she said when I was done showing her the size and the design on my notepad where I’d sketched the rudimentary idea. “Do whatever you feel needs to be done.”
“I don’t feel comfortable making decisions without your okay.”
“You love this place. I’m sure anything you come up with will be fine.”
I wanted it to be more than fine. I wanted to make her fall in love with this place again, to remember any reason why she enjoyed living here. But it wasn’t my place to do that. And I shouldn’t have been thinking about that anyway. It was better for both of us if she stayed in California—even though my chest ached the entire time she was gone.
I was worried about her and how she was doing. Wondering if she was running from more than just her grandmother’s death.
Standing in the dining room in that expensive-looking outfit, I knew her life in California was nothing like mine. She probably bought expensive things and dined at five-star restaurants. Any of the men there would be able to offer her more than I ever could.
I was just a man who lived on a farm and took care of his family. I must seem boring to her.
“I can still see this place decorated for the holidays. It was always my favorite time of the year. With the trees on every floor and in every room, I couldn’t get away from the smell of evergreen. There was fresh garland on the windowsills and mantles, a wreath on the door, and the lights on the columns on the porch. It made me hope that things could be different. But when the trees and decorations came down, nothing had changed. I was still the girl who lived in the trailer with parents who forgot to feed her.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up her hand to stop me. “I’m not asking for anyone to pity me. That’s just what I thought. I’m obviously different now. I can travel wherever I want and buy whatever I desire, but—” She smoothed a hand over her white jeans, the gold plate of the double Gs on her belt visible.
