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She pulled the handle and got out of the truck without turning around or acknowledging the slip. I hoped the familiar phrase sparked something inside of her. But at the same time, it was a mistake I shouldn’t replicate. Rekindling our past wouldn’t lead to anything good.
On the porch, I covered the knob with my hand and asked, “Are you ready for this?”
Her face pinched. “They don’t think we’re dating or know that we did in the past.”
“I never told anyone. You’re a family friend I’m helping. No one will think anything of it.”
She let out a breath. “Okay. Good.”
Encouraged, I turned the knob and pushed the door open. We were immediately met with laughter and loud talking.
“Uncle Heath,” Ember cried as soon as she spotted me and ran over to me so I’d lift her in the air. “What are you doing, squirt?”
“I’m not a squirt. I’m a big girl,” she said, wiggling down and running away from me.
“You’ll always be a squirt to me,” I called after her, and she just shook her head.
“You’re sweet with her,” Marley murmured from my side.
“You call that sweet? I call that my annoying older brother act. I just tweaked it for my niece.”
Marley smiled and shook her head. “She obviously loves you.”
I placed a palm on my chest. “What’s not to love?”
Marley curled a hand around my elbow and leaned in close. “Not one thing. You haven’t changed at all.” Her voice was full of love and affection, and I let it wash over me.
I liked being here with her like this. When we were seeing each other, we never hung out in front of my family. I pretended she was just another kid I played with from time to time, when in reality, we made out, and my hands roamed anytime we were alone. There was always a spark we couldn’t deny, and it had nothing to do with teenage hormones. I’d felt it anytime she was close to me.
“What do we have here?” Mom asked as she came out of the kitchen.
“Marley’s home to take care of some legal stuff with the estate, and the inn isn’t ready, so she’s staying with me. I thought she could use a home-cooked meal.”
Marley pulled away from me and hugged Mom. “Thank you for having me over.”
“You’re welcome, dear. I’m thrilled you’re home. Heath has loved working on that inn.”
“He has?” Marley asked, giving me a dubious look as Knox appeared at Mom’s side.
“Marley asked if we could add a garden or even a fountain to the grounds of the inn.”
“I think that could be amazing,” Knox said, respect in his gaze.
“I thought so, too,” I said to him. “She just wants an estimate, and maybe a diagram of what’s possible.”
“I’d love to do something like that. We could use it for advertising and other projects,” Knox said, thinking out loud.
“I don’t know if I want to do it. I’ll need to talk to my realtor. He might think it’s too much. He wants us to do some sprucing up and then throw it on the market. The next owner might tear everything down.”
Lori winced. “I hope not. That inn has been there since before I married their father. I’d hate to see it gone. But I understand that you need to sell it and move on.”
Marley shifted on her feet. “I haven’t made any decisions yet.”
“No more talk of renovations and selling properties. Tonight, you can relax and have a good meal.”
“Thank you so much,” Marley said as Mom put an arm around her and drew her into the kitchen, where everyone else was socializing.
“Is she really going to sell?” Knox asked me in a low voice.
