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“He’s bringing all the kids?”
“Yeah. So, we probably can’t depend on him for too much help.”
“He’ll have his hands full.” She held up the wine. “Should we open this?”
“Um…I’ll watch you drink some and take a beer if you have one.”
“I do.” They headed for the kitchen and she set the things he brought on the counter. “This was really sweet of you.”
“I can be sweet.”
“And thoughtful?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes.”
She looked around the kitchen. “I can’t believe it’s mine, without depending on Dad. This means so much to me.”
“Just don’t screw it up.” She turned and looked at him, and he smiled. “Just kidding. You’re going to do great.”
“Are you taking back your initial advice to burn the place to the ground and start over?”
“Yes.” He sat at the table as she handed him a beer. “This place definitely has a certain charm. Something you couldn’t duplicate with a new structure.”
Joey opened the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass, then joined him at the table. “Do you know a good carpenter?”
He cocked his head at her. “You know I’m building a house, right?”
She laughed. “Right.”
“What do you need a carpenter for?”
“A couple of things. The mantle over the fireplace in the living room is a bit cockeyed. And there are a couple of issues upstairs.”
“Sawyer and I should be able to take care of those things for you. He’s pretty good at the cosmetic stuff. I’m more of the framing, roofing, swinging a hammer guy.”
“That’d be great whenever you guys can fit it into your schedule.”
“Next week. He’s leaving again in about ten days. We’ll get it done before then.”
“Thank you.”
“What are you going to call this place?”
“What am I going to call it?”
“Yeah. Don’t bed-and-breakfasts all have a cute name?”
“I suppose they do. I’ll have to think about that.”
“I can’t believe you haven’t already. I thought you’d have a list of names. You used to love making lists of things.”
She smiled. “I guess I’ve had too much other stuff on my mind. I’ll give it some serious thought.”
“I’m pretty sure as soon as you come up with a name and put a sign out front with ‘coming soon’ on it. You’ll start getting reservations.”
“That would be wonderful. But I don’t want to set my expectations too high.”
“Joey, you have to. Believe in yourself. You can do this.”
