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Nodding, she smiled. “Grandma would tell me stories. We’ve got boxes of history in the attic. I think if someone wanted to, they could turn it into a historical site.”
“That’s a possibility, but…” He drew out the last word.
“What?”
“I was thinking bed and breakfast.” He drained the rest of the lemonade and set the glass on the ground next to his feet.
She worked to keep the jolt of giddiness off her face. Not that she wanted to do it, but that he’d thought of it. “Oh yeah?” She forced herself to play it cool.
Jack shrugged. “I know the house has a bucket load of history. My dad wanted me to do real estate. My mom just wanted me to do something other than what she called grunt work, and Ethan, well, he wants me to be happy.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and his voice grew soft. “What would make me happy is to build something. Something lasting that I can one day share with someone I love. I figured this place has pretty good bones, and it’d be a good foundation.”
Jo looked at him. “Is that why you took the job? To talk my grandma into selling it to you so you could turn it into a bed and breakfast?”
Jack grimaced. “Depends. Would it make you mad?”
She chuckled. “No. I’m not mad.”
“She said that the two of you had talked about it, too.”
“We did, but I was a kid. The amount of time, money, and effort it would take is massive. It is a big investment with an even bigger amount of risk.”
“Maybe, but sometimes great things come out of taking chances.”
“And so does getting your heart broken,” she said under her breath.
Jack looked at her. “What?”
She waved him off. “Oh, nothing. Taking chances is great and all, but I don’t think it’s wise for this place.”
“Jo?”
She knew that voice. Turning, she hoped she was wrong. No such luck. “Craig?”
He slowly approached and stopped a few feet away.
“What are—” They started at the same time.
“Writing an article,” she said.
“Business.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What business could you have here, and why would you be at my grandma’s house?”
“I’m a property lawyer, Jo. I’ve got a client interested in buying your grandma’s house.”
“It’s not for sale.”
“This house is massive. Your grandma is only getting older, and this house is getting harder and harder for her to maintain, even if she’s only utilizing the owner’s suite. The smart thing to do is, at least, entertain an offer.”
Jo cocked her jaw. “We’re not entertaining offers. This house has been in my family for six generations. I’ll repeat, we’re not selling.”
Craig gave her his be-reasonable look, the kind where he leveled his eyes, and his lips pursed together. “I understand wanting to keep your family’s history. I do, but look at this house. Really look at it.”
Turning, she scanned the house. The owner’s suite wasn’t horrible, especially now that Jack was installing a new back deck. The rest of the house, the part that was closed off, was an eyesore at best and a lawsuit waiting to happen. One stupid kid messing around…
Tears stung the back of her eyes. She might not like Craig, but he wasn’t wrong. This house… She whirled to face him. “We’re not selling.”
“Come on, Jo.” He huffed. “This is a fantastic offer. Way more than she’d get from anyone else.”
