Chapter Fourteen
Autumn stared down at the email she’d printed off from Mason. There was nothing about his bid that seemed exorbitant. In fact, she was pretty certain he’d given her a break whenever he could, but the problem was that this house had so many little issues on top of the big ones that she didn’t even know where to start. In order to get her to the point where she could open the doors and begin charging guests, she had to get at least eighty percent of the items checked off the list in front of her.
Mason already had his men working on the front porch yesterday, and today, they might possibly finish, even though it was the Fourth of July. She peered out the window and saw several shirtless men sawing, pounding, and nailing down the freshly sawn lumber when a knock at the kitchen door brought her to life. It was funny.
A few months ago, she might have gotten excited over seeing such a show out her front door, but since she’d met Joel, no one seemed to compare, and she hadn’t even slept with him. He’d kissed her a few days ago and she was still floating on cloud nine.
Autumn wandered over to the door to see one of the men leaning on the frame. He’d put on his shirt and his tool bet hung low, but his smile was charming. It made her wonder if Mason got his workers from a modeling agency.
“We’ve called the Department of Wildlife, so we’ll be cutting back on the work for the rest of the afternoon until they get here. We might go grab lunch.”
Judging by the look on his face, whatever prompted him to make the call wasn’t something she necessarily wanted the details on. Her mind flashed to Ronald, and she hid a smile.
“Is it bad?” she asked.
“It’s nothing I want to deal with.” He straightened up and shook his head. “There’s a family of angry raccoons right beneath the steps. They’ve made a nest under the porch, and I honestly think they’ve been there for a really, really long time.”
“Are there babies?” The image of raccoons crawling around Ronald’s legs gave her a sudden fit of giggles.
“Four babies and a mama,” he confirmed, but she couldn’t stop giggling as she thought about Ronald shrieking like a girl and hopping around with his head and shoulders poking out from the porch. It shouldn’t make her laugh.
But it did.
After all, Ronald had to hobble around with a broken ankle for a brief time thanks to the trip he made up here, but there was something about the whole situation that wouldn’t let her stop.
When the guy saw he wasn’t going to make any more headway with the maniacal woman at the door, he gave a quick wave and headed back to the guys. Her laughter carried her to the dining room, and she plopped down in a chair, envisioning raccoons curling around Ronald’s ankles.
She couldn’t resist and sent a quick message to Joel.
Looks like Ronald was right. There was something crawling around his legs. A family of raccoons!
Autumn finally calmed her giggles down and took a deep breath when another knock on the side door echoed through the air. Maybe it was a wildlife agent. She hoisted herself off the chair and attempted to compose herself on the way to the door.
She didn’t bother checking to see who it was before flinging open the door to see her two best friends standing on the stoop.
“Surprise!” They both yelled in unison.
Autumn let out an excited yelp as they all gave each other giant bear hugs.
“I hope we didn’t ruin your Fourth of July plans,” Tami said, still holding onto Autumn and Dina.
Tami was a petite woman, only coming up to Autumn’s shoulders, and her short blonde hair framed her delicate features and bright blue eyes while Dina was the complete opposite. She was taller than both of them and had dark hair, brown eyes, and a muscular body.
“I can’t believe you pulled this off.” Autumn took a step back, beaming.
“You can’t expect that by sending us all those photos, we weren’t going to make our way up here.” Dina smiled and Tami nodded in agreement, leaning in.
“We’re actually kind of worried about you.” Tami twisted her mouth into a sweet pout and put both hands on her hips. “This is a big project.”
“I’m not actually sure this counts as a project.” Dina glanced inside the kitchen. “This is a monumental undertaking.”
“Not for the faint of heart,” Autumn agreed, welcoming them inside.
“Wow.” Dina’s eyes lingered on the countertops before spinning around to look at Autumn. “This is going to be fabulous. Nothing a little paint can’t fix in here.”
“Are we in the same kitchen?” Tami asked, and Autumn laughed.
“It’s retro,” Dina said.
Dina always had a way of putting a positive spin on things, and Autumn needed to hear that right now. She needed all the positive reinforcement she could get.
“I’m hoping I can put in new cabinets and countertops in here,” Autumn informed them.
“Tell me this.” Tami craned her neck and glanced out the dining room window. “Are those men the reason you’re staying?” The twinkle in Tami’s eyes made Autumn laugh.
“They just showed up yesterday.” Autumn followed her gaze to the workers. “But they have to be the most attractive carpenters on the West Coast.”
“Totally agree.” Tami nodded.
“But my neighbor is way hotter.” Autumn giggled, and Dina’s gaze flew to hers.
“Is there a reason you haven’t mentioned him?” Dina’s dark brow rose. “Is he married?”
“No. He seems to be very single.” Autumn’s cheeks flushed and Dina’s smile only grew.
“You’re blushing.” Dina laughed and Tami nodded.
“She is. Can we meet him?”
“It’s not like that.” Autumn shook her head. “I haven’t been here long enough to—”
“Long enough,” Dina chimed in, and Autumn rolled her eyes.
“Have you two . . .” Tami didn’t finish her sentence but wiggled her brows instead.
“No.” Autumn could feel her cheeks turning crimson. “But we’ve kissed.”
The girls stood silently in front of Autumn for a few seconds until Tami couldn’t resist.
“How many times?”
“A lot of almosts.” Autumn cleared her throat. “But three times.”
“And?” Dina pressed.
“Amazing.” Autumn’s knees got weak just thinking about Joel North.
“So, what’s he look like?” Dina asked.
“Dark hair, blue eyes, tan . . .” Autumn sucked in a deep breath as her mind went over every detail of the man she was definitely falling for. “A really muscular build, broad shoulders. You know, the usual perfect male who is impossible to find and even harder to convince—”
Dina’s eyes widened as she looked over Autumn’s shoulder. She watched Tami stand taller, and Autumn knew she had absolutely no plan to continue describing the man who was apparently standing right behind her.
“And I even install cabinets.” Joel’s voice made all of Autumn tingle with delight. Even his voice was sexy.
“And I think Autumn definitely needs cabinets installed.” Dina glanced at Joel and then over at Tami. “You know, we’ve been traveling all morning. We need to get upstairs and get freshened up.”
Autumn narrowed her eyes at her friend and grabbed her hand. Autumn wasn’t going to point out that they had absolutely no idea where to go or which rooms had beds. “Dina and Tami, this is Joel North. He’s my overly helpful neighbor who lives across the street.”
“You’re the one who helped Autumn out of her bind with Ronald.” Dina smiled and didn’t budge even though she’d planned on going upstairs only seconds before.
“Oh, so she’s been talking about me?” Joel teased, his brow arching.
“Not enough to worry about.” Autumn grinned, glancing at her friends’ bags. “You know, I should help you upstairs. There are a couple of steps on the staircase that—”
“We’ll be careful,” Tami assured her, picking up her bag from the floor and handing over Dina’s.
“Yup. We’ve made it this far in life.” Dina winked.
“I’m a little paranoid after Ronald’s incident.” Autumn’s gaze flicked to Joel’s, and she noticed he was trying to keep a smile off his lips.
“Are you really surprised Ronald fell through your porch though?” Tami laughed.
“I’m not.” Joel shook his head, which only made Tami laugh harder.
“Wasn’t he awful?” Dina piped in. “I don’t know how she ever got matched to him.”
“She didn’t answer her questionnaire honestly.” Joel’s eyes filled with mischief. “Or at least that’s what she told me.”
“Seriously?” Dina shook her head. “That explains so much.”
“Oh, so much,” Tami added, starting to walk out of the kitchen.
It wasn’t as if Tami actually knew where she was headed, but she’d eventually find her way. Dina followed behind, and Autumn’s chest tightened slightly. She’d definitely missed them since she’d left California, but she shook herself out of it. Silver Ridge offered possibilities that California never could.
Turning her attention to Joel, Autumn leaned in and whispered, “I don’t think I’ll be able to join the festivities later.”
“Bring them too.” Joel smiled, his eyes searching hers. “Or you can take them to Tucker Park. The town holds its annual firework show over the lake there.”
“Really?” Relief spread through Autumn. She’d been looking forward to the North family picnic for days, but with her friends in town, she didn’t feel comfortable barging in on Joel’s family, whom she hadn’t met in their entirety. “That sounds like the perfect plan.”
Autumn glanced in the direction of her friends. “They surprised me from California.”
“They’re good friends.” Joel’s gaze stayed on Autumn’s.
“They like to keep me on the straight and narrow.” She nodded.
“That can’t be too tough a job.” Joel leaned against the counter and glanced outside at the men who were eating their lunches.
Autumn followed his gaze and let out a giggle.
“Temptation all over the place,” she mused, and his eyes darted to hers.
“Is that tempting?” Joel’s brow arched slightly toward the workers.
“You mean all the attractive and shirtless men outside my dining room window?”
“Yeah.”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Is there anything that is tempting?” he asked, moving closer.
“I think you might know the answer to that.” She looked into his eyes and drew a breath. “But it’s like we’re both putting up a reason we don’t or won’t.”
“Don’t or won’t what?” He cocked his head slightly, waiting to hear what she had to say.
“So are you going to show us this new town of yours or what?” Dina’s voice came down the hall before she did, and Autumn took a couple of quick steps back from Joel, but her eyes stayed on his.
“I sure am,” Autumn called out, not wanting to move. She felt the same pull she’d experienced the first time she’d met him, the thrilling sensation that something big was lurking right around the corner if she’d let it happen.
Or if he’d let it happen.
Dina and Tami came tromping into the kitchen. They’d both changed into shorts and loose shirts.
“I thought it was going to be raining.” Tami sighed. “Isn’t that what it’s supposed to do all the time in Washington?”
“I think it’s a ruse.” Autumn chuckled, still feeling Joel’s gaze on her.
“I know we totally crashed your holiday, so whatever you’d planned on doing, I know we’d be game,” Dina said, glancing around the kitchen. “Do you have a glass? I’m so thirsty.”
“Not only do I have glasses, but I made my mom’s lemonade,” Autumn said, walking to the fridge.
“It’s the best lemonade I’ve ever tasted.” Joel smiled, and Autumn’s heart filled with happiness. “So, we’ll catch up about your raccoon family in a few days.” Turning his attention to Autumn’s friends, he continued, “I’ve got a few things to do before heading back out to the lake house. It was nice to meet you both.”
Autumn’s heart tugged at the thought of Joel leaving. She’d imagined going to his family’s lake house for the holiday, and even though she was extremely grateful her friends had surprised her, she was flabbergasted that she was actually starting to miss Joel, or at least the thought of him not being across the street. The last few days, he’d been spending time up at his family’s lake house in preparation for a reunion and a surprise of some sort that he wouldn’t talk about which had to do with one of his brothers.
“See ya around,” Dina said, waving as Joel walked outside.
The moment Joel left, Autumn swore the house felt emptier. Or maybe she felt emptier. Since her parents died, she’d often kept herself busy with people, places to see, and things to do, but she still felt a huge void, and for some reason, having Joel around kind of filled it up a little.
“Oh, my gosh,” Dina gushed as Tami took a sip of the lemonade. “He is absolutely gorgeous.”
“He has a heart to match.” Autumn let out a wistful sigh, and Tami immediately picked up on it.
“I feel like what’s going on here is a little more than a little neighborly hanky-panky.”
Autumn’s eyes turned wide. “There is no such thing as neighborly hanky-panky, at least not in Silver Ridge.”
“Oh, yes, there is.” Tami laughed.
“Just because you did it, doesn’t mean there’s a term for it.” Autumn chuckled and glanced at Dina, who looked equally as guilty as Tami. “You’ve done it too?”
“Oh, come on. Who hasn’t had a hot neighbor move in, and then the next thing you know . . .” Dina shrugged with a devilish grin.
“So I’m the only one in the room who hasn’t slept with a neighbor?” Autumn tilted her head.
“Boy, you’re really missing out.” Dina chuckled and shook her head.
“You’re so full of it.” Autumn knew her friends weren’t into one-night stands or random hookups, but she’d let them have their fantasies.
“Joel told me about the town’s celebrations tonight. We can go tour the town and watch the fireworks from a park named after my family.”
“Your family has a park named after them?” Dina’s brow arched.
“I guess so. I haven’t been to it yet, but Joel did show me some of the old mansions the early Tuckers used to own.”
“I think this one would qualify too.” Dina waved her hand around the room.
“Just needs a little polishing up,” Tami added.
“Nothing a little white paint and Lemon Pledge won’t fix up.”
“Whatever you say.” Tami chuckled.
“Speaking of.” Autumn straightened up and glanced out the window. Joel had already made his way back home. “There’s this cool secret passageway, and it leads to a basement filled with all kinds of antiques and old papers from the town.”
“I’d love to see it,” Dina said, perking up. She loved anything to do with antiques.
“Let’s hit there before we go to town then.” Autumn rinsed out Dina’s glass and put it in the sink before leading them to the closet.
By the time they got down to the basement, Tami was sneezing nonstop.
“Dust,” Tami groaned, wiping her nose with the bottom of her shirt. “I’ll have to change again.”
“You couldn’t sneak up on a—”
“Hey, now.” Tami cut Dina off and poked her in the ribs. “I was never meant to be a CIA agent.”
Dina noticed some of the thick coverings draped over the larger pieces of furniture and beelined over. She picked up one of the corners and bent her head underneath to see burled maple side tables.
“Whoa. These are gorgeous.” She shook her head. “No. They’re beyond gorgeous.”
Autumn rushed over to see what Dina was looking at.
“These are worth a fortune,” Dina continued. “A real fortune, but I wouldn’t sell them.”
But she doesn’t have a roof to pay for, Autumn thought.
“They’re pretty incredible,” Autumn agreed.
“So what was this basement used for besides storage?” Tami asked between sneezes.
“I’m not really sure. I haven’t completely investigated it yet. I don’t really like being down here by myself.” Autumn wandered over to another draped furniture piece and lifted up the canvas to see an ornate desk. She could immediately picture it in the room she wanted to turn into an office.
Autumn tugged on the middle drawer and found a stack of papers. The top sheet caught her eye, and she glanced behind her to see Dina and Tami looking through some boxes.
Autumn lifted the draped fabric all the way off and placed the stack of papers on the desk. Bringing the first sheet closer, her heart started pounding as her eyes skated over most of the verbiage until they landed directly on the center of the page where she saw a list of properties with liens against them from the North brothers.
Autumn recognized the addresses of the two homes Joel had driven her by that he now owned. Her hands started shaking as she went to the next page and the next page.
Joel owned these homes because her uncle couldn’t afford to pay for loans he’d taken out with the North brothers. She shook her head and drew a deep breath as she studied the papers in front of her.
It wasn’t until she got to the last page that she realized that even the B&B had been in their sights, but for some reason, they’d decided against repossessing it.
But why?
And why hadn’t Joel told her?
Autumn studied the documents, and an unsettled feeling surfaced in the bottom of her stomach. The North brothers had turned this home back over to Uncle Fred even though he still owed a significant amount, and by all accounts, couldn’t pay.
“Hey, you okay?” Dina asked from across the basement.
“Yeah. Just a little confused.”
And sick.
Autumn searched for the dates. This had all happened about five years ago. Her parents were still alive. Why hadn’t he reached out to her father? What had gone wrong between them?
She set the papers back on the desk and held in the sigh she wanted to let out. Uncle Fred had leveraged properties with the North brothers, and he’d lost them all except for this place.
Joel had seemed so nice, not like he’d be a man to prey on someone else, but these transactions certainly had to make the Norths a lot of money. There were at least eight addresses listed.
No wonder he had always treaded around lightly when it came to history between the Tuckers and the Norths. The Tuckers never had a chance, and for all she knew, he was just trying to butter her up to get to the B&B.
Autumn stuffed the papers back inside the desk and covered it back up with the canvas. All the feelings she’d had for Joel instantly meant something different. All of the kindness he’d shown suddenly felt suspicious, and she certainly didn’t know what to think about things.
The one thing Autumn noticed was that she never saw the lien release against this B&B in the paperwork. It hadn’t been transferred to the Norths, but from what she saw, without that release, the lien still very much remained.