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Aisling sighed happily and walked to the huge bar spanning the back of the room. The top looked to be made of one piece of wood and despite the dust looked to be polished to a shine.
As she ran her hands over it and walked around she smiled. “I bet this was made in our sawmill. It’s stunning. Do you mind if we look through here too, Troy?”
He told them to look anywhere they liked. The others headed up the stairs at the side of the saloon and through the doorways to the back.
But Lia wanted to see more of her space. She slammed the brakes on that thought. It wasn’t hers yet, but it was calling her.
Joe squeezed her hand. “Want to check the upstairs in your clinic?”
She laughed. “Mind reading again?”
“The excitement on your face is pretty easy to read.”
Troy agreed. “You’re probably not much of a poker player.”
She shook her head. “Never tried it. But my poker face in the OR was legendary.” And the fact that she could say that with only a pang instead of a punch to the heart was progress.
Upstairs, they found a large but horrific kitchen space. She opened the first door in the hallway and gasped. The bathroom was mostly as hideous as the one downstairs, but this one was bigger and along the window wall sat a huge clawfoot tub. “That’s amazing and it doesn’t appear to have any cracks. I bet Aisling knows just how to fix it up.”
She’d never taken the time to soak in a tub before, but she could picture this one brimming with bubbles. It was big enough for two and she wondered how Joe would feel about sharing a bath with her.
Troy was with them, so she didn’t ask, but when she turned to Joe, he was smiling and his eyes were dark with desire. That was a yes for the tub.
There were two completely equal bedrooms and then a large living space at the front. Two large windows were centered beside an empty fireplace. “I bet Hamish had his armchair on one side and Alastair had his on the other.”
Troy nodded. “According to Grams, you’re right, but they never used the room at the same time.”
What a way to live.
The sound of laughter preceded the arrival of the rest of the group. Lia grabbed onto Joe’s hand again as she awaited Graham and Aisling’s verdicts. “So, what do you think?”
They exchanged a long look that had her heart dropping before Aisling smiled. “We think it’s in great shape for its age.”
Relief nearly had her knees buckling, but Joe put his arm around her waist and tucked her into his side. “Really?”
Graham nodded. “The wiring was upgraded maybe twenty years back. The plumbing too.”
Aisling chipped in. “Although the bathrooms and kitchen need total upgrades. Except for that tub. That I think you should hang onto. We can get it fixed up. But the water runs clear and there aren’t any structural issues. It’ll take some time and a lot of sweat equity, but we can get it done for you.”
Happy tears flooded her eyes. “You said We. Does that mean you’re willing to let me hire you?”
Aisling shook her head. “You can’t hire us, but we’ll definitely work on it with you. You’re one of us now. That’s what we do.”
She was one of them. The happy tears rolled down her cheeks. Not only was she excited about the future for the first time in a very long time, she was sure she had a future.
Chapter 12
All Hands On Deck
Joe was amazed by the progress they’d made in only a few days. When Sam had created Midnight Security, he’d built in time for everyone to have consecutive off days. There was no point in running your own business if you ran yourself and your team into the ground. Some of those off days were scheduled individually, but most were for the entire group. They’d had a three day scheduled break from clients that coincided with Lia getting ownership of her new office.
Lia appeared overwhelmed that all the people living at Midnight Lake were donating their time to help her clean and restore the place. Several Phail residents had been out to help out as well. He didn’t even know some of them himself.
She’d hired Ginny and Manuel to keep the group fed to thank them all for their time and effects. The wonder in her face every time someone new showed up and offered to help had him realizing how few people she’d ever had rooting for her.
Considering how much she’d accomplished in her life, that made her even more impressive.
Not seeing her in the waiting room, Joe went looking. They hadn’t had any more incidents, but he didn’t like her out of his sight when they were in town.
