Grant Shelton stared at the address of the work order on his phone. Then he looked over at the dilapidated house, with its overgrown, dead lawn mostly covered in snow. At least the walkway had been shoveled clear of the recent snowfall. His gaze cut to the house number stenciled on its mailbox. Yep. It was the right place. He groaned.
Switching to his phone’s contacts, he called Julie. When his sister answered, he said, “Who called you from 462 Elmwood?”
“Uh, hang on.” It sounded like she was typing something on her keyboard. “Let’s see ... Maurie Ledbetter.”
Grant clenched his jaw. It took him a moment to re-focus his thoughts. “Hey, this might sound really weird, but do you think Dave could do this bid?”
Julie laughed. “Grant, you’re funny. Yesterday over dinner you told my husband that you needed more hours. Ask and ye shall receive, hon.”
Grant rubbed a hand down his face. He did need the extra income. His stupid legal battle with Joy was driving him crazy and draining his meager savings. “Yeah, you’re right, Julie.”
If ever a name was an oxymoron, it was his ex-wife’s. And now Joy had revised their custody agreement so she could keep their four-year-old son, Trent, with her full-time, limiting Grant’s visits to little more than holidays and summers ... Because she’d moved a hundred miles south with her new boyfriend, Stone. Yep. That was his name. Stone.
“Grant, you okay?” Julie’s voice sounded with genuine concern.
“Sorry about that,” Grant said. “I’m not thinking straight.”
“You’re going through a tough time.” His sister’s tone was tender, which only made him feel worse for balking at this job. “Keep your chin up, and remember to enjoy the work. You’re an amazing carpenter, and not many people get to follow their passion.”
His sister was right. “I know,” he said. “It’s been one of those weeks, I guess.”
After Julie married Dave Briggs, Grant had thought a partnership was the perfect solution to his problems. For years he’d been trying to make it solo as a carpenter, but he hadn’t been able to compete for bigger contracts against the elite construction companies in the area. Together he and Dave had carved out their own niche as hometown handymen, often cleaning up the bigger construction companies’ mistakes. In between chasing her two kids around, Julie took care of their accounting and scheduling.
“Come over for dinner tonight,” Julie continued. “You can’t work a full day on a cup of coffee.”
Julie knew him well. But today, Grant hadn’t even had coffee that morning, and at the mention of food he realized how hungry he was. Usually he at least grabbed a sandwich from the Main Street Café on his way through town, but there’d been no time today. After hanging up with Julie, he climbed out of his work truck and headed up the icy drive. There was no point putting off this meeting any longer. With each step, all kinds of thoughts and emotions churned within him. He didn’t know if he had enough fortitude to face his past with Maurie Ledbetter.
There was no chance that she wasn’t the Maurie he’d known when they were teenagers. It had been ten years, yes, but Grant had never gotten over the guilt—the guilt he’d felt after calling the police that night, which had turned out to be Maurie’s last night in Pine Valley with her mom.
When Grant had found out that Maurie had been taken into protective custody and put into foster care, he’d felt gutted. He had only wanted to protect her from her mother’s deadbeat boyfriend. Everyone had known that Joe was bad news—Joe being Grant’s mom’s cousin, so Grant was privy to the details. And when Grant had seen Joe coming out of Maurie’s home one evening, Grant’s blood had frozen in his veins.
At the time, he’d assessed what he knew about Maurie—she was a couple of years younger than him, was homeschooled, and sat on her porch to watch the kids walk home after school. He lived down the street from her and had passed by her house often. Mrs. Ledbetter was a single mom who lived in her deceased parents’ home. Grant had heard the talk around town about Mrs. Ledbetter’s string of boyfriends, but Joe had been the worst yet of those bad-news guys.
Grant shook the memories from his mind as he climbed the front steps to the Ledbetter house. Once he rang that doorbell, there’d be no going back. He’d have to face the woman whose life he’d changed forever.
The door swung open while Grant was still gathering his courage.
“Oh, sorry,” a female voice said, opening the screen door as well. “I thought I saw the truck out front and wondered...” Her voice trailed off as she stared at him.
Grant couldn’t stop staring back. The Maurie he remembered had been a thin, pale girl with a mop of black curls and round glasses hiding bright-green eyes.
This Maurie was the same person ... but grown up and transformed. It was the only way to describe her. Her dark hair was still curly, but now it lay in soft waves skimming her shoulders. Her glasses were gone, and her eyes were just as green as ever. She was fair, yes, but not pale. In fact, her skin was more of a honey tone, as if she spent time outside. And she had a smattering of light freckles across her nose.
“Grant Shelton?” she said in a disbelieving half whisper.
He nodded. “Hi, Maurie.” He held out his hand to dispel the awkwardness. How much did she remember of that night? Did she hate him for it?
She shook his hand, surprising him with a firm grip.
“It’s been a long time,” she continued, then released his hand.
It was all that Grant could do to nod again as he swallowed against his dry throat.
“Come in,” she said. “I didn’t mean to leave you standing on the porch in the cold.”
She was normal. Totally normal. Friendly and ... beautiful, if Grant was to be honest with himself. She was taller than he remembered, only about six inches shorter than him, and as he followed her inside, he had to drag his gaze away from her curves. She’d definitely grown up from that skinny girl he remembered.
They passed through a dim living room with wood paneling, a sagging couch, and boxes stacked everywhere. Grant followed Maurie into the kitchen. He had to force himself not to gawk. The kitchen was a disaster. Nothing had been updated in decades, and it looked as if Maurie had moved from one of those luxury resort cabins and crammed everything into this small house.
“Here.” Maurie handed over a piece of paper. “My list of to-dos. Just so we’re on the same page and so I don’t repeat myself.”
He wondered if she wore contacts, or if her eyes had always been this intense green. There was some brown in them too. So ... hazel? He looked down at the paper she’d handed him. He tried to read the list, but his thoughts wouldn’t compute. There were lists of words, all of them he should be able to read, but not one word made sense.
He glanced up at her, only to see she was studying him as well. Even though Pine Valley was in the dead of winter, this small house sure held its heat well. Maybe it had a newer furnace. Grant waited for Maurie to say something about their past. About the last time she’d lived in Pine Valley. How her mother’s boyfriend had driven his car into the elm tree across the street. How her mother had thrown beer bottles at Joe from the front porch.
“I know there’s a lot of little things on the list that might seem nitpicky,” Maurie said, pulling Grant from his reverie. “But I’m opening a shop in town, so anything you can do here will free me up to focus more on my shop.”
Grant’s mind caught up with what she was saying. “What kind of shop?”
“Well...” she hedged. Then she smiled.
Grant tightened his grip on the paper he held. He felt that smile all the way to his feet.
“It’s a gift shop called Every Occasion,” Maurie said. “We specialize in gift baskets. I’ve been running it online for a couple of years now.” She waved a hand at all the boxes and clutter. “Orders arrive daily, and I can’t wait to move all of this to the shop. I close in thirteen and a half days.”
Grant blinked. “Thirteen and a half, huh?”
Her cheeks pinked, and Grant couldn’t decide what he liked more: her smile or her blush. Then he chastised himself for letting his mind wander to places it shouldn’t. His life already had plenty of relationship baggage. And if Maurie thought Grant was attracted to her, after everything that had happened between them, she’d probably give him a well-deserved punch.
But here he was.
“I’ll give you the grand tour,” Maurie said with a smirk. “We’re standing in the kitchen, of course. And once things get moved, you’ll have plenty more room to work. As you can see, there’s a lot of updating to do, and probably more than I realize.”
“That’s usually what happens with most jobs,” Grant said. “But we’ll keep the price as low as possible.”
Maurie studied him for a second. “I’d appreciate that.”
The air between them seemed to shift. “No problem.”
Maurie turned. “Let’s leave the kitchen for last. There’s a giant hole in the wall in the hallway that needs to be patched.”
Grant tried not to ogle Maurie as she led him through the house and pointed out the repairs. Everything she showed him were obvious surface repairs, and he could very well guess that once he started working, more and more things would be uncovered.
“Mind if I add a few things?” Grant said, taking a pen from his pocket and writing on the notepaper that Maurie had given him. He paused by the bathroom door in the hallway. “For instance, this doorframe is rotting and growing mold. And instead of replacing the door, the entire frame should be changed.”
“That bad, huh?”
Grant gestured to the small window on the other side of the bathroom. “Not much ventilation in here,” he said. “But it looks like it was hit with something heavy, like a piece of furniture. See this splintering?”
Maurie said nothing for a moment, and when Grant met her gaze, she was frowning.
“If it’s a matter of cost, I could start with the repairs that are most dire to make the place liveable,” he said. “Then in a few months, move on to the others.”
“That’s not it,” Maurie said. “I just remembered something, that’s all.” She flashed him a smile, but it wasn’t like the genuine one earlier. “Yes, write down any additional repairs that you think are necessary. I want this place in good condition.”
Grant wanted to question her more. Did she remember why this doorframe was cracked? Her life in this house must not have been too horrible, he decided, if she was willing to live here. It was a thought that made him feel even guiltier about his role in her becoming a foster kid.
“Do you want a total bid for everything on the list?” he asked as they moved into one of the bedrooms. He assumed it was where she was sleeping. It contained fewer boxes, and the bedding was rumpled but new. “Or do you prefer it itemized?”
“A total cost will be fine,” Maurie said. “It all needs to be done, and I’d rather have it finished sooner than later.” She pointed at the faded curtains on the window. “Do you install blinds too?”
“Sure,” Grant said. “What about the carpets? It’s not on your list, but they’re pretty threadbare.”
“You noticed that, did you?” Maurie’s lips curved with amusement.
Grant wished he hadn’t worn his sweatshirt. The bedroom was plenty warm, or maybe it was because it was the bedroom of this beautiful woman. Or because he didn’t want her to think he was trying to get more money out of her. “One of my friends is a carpet layer.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Shawn Anders. He was a couple of years older than me in school. Not sure if you knew him.”
“Doesn’t sound familiar.”
She moved past him, close enough that he caught the scent of peppermint. Grant followed, and they inspected the second bedroom.
“This will be my friend Taffy’s room for the time being,” Maurie said. “She works for me and will help set up the shop. She doesn’t want to move here permanently. But I’m planning on convincing her.”
Grant took in the bare mattress and more stacked boxes. “Were you friends before you hired her, or the other way around?” For some reason, he wanted Maurie to have good friends.
“We were friends first,” Maurie said. “When you meet her, you’ll understand why I hired her. She has twice as much energy as anyone I know. She’s also great with customers. Makes them feel like a million bucks even though they’re not getting a full refund.”
Grant leaned against the wall, watching Maurie talk. He couldn’t remember her saying much when he knew her years ago. She’d always seemed so shy. But this Maurie didn’t have a problem with conversation.
“What’s your return policy?” He wasn’t planning on buying a gift basket any time soon, or returning it for that matter, but he was drawn to watching Maurie talk about her business.
“Full refund in the first three days,” Maurie said. “Otherwise, the customer only gets a percentage back. Some of the items are perishable, you know.”
Grant nodded as if he understood, although he wasn’t sure what went into her gift baskets.
Maurie pointed to the ceiling. “It would be great to have a fan in here,” she said. “I remember this room as being hot and stuffy in the summers. Can you do electrical too?”
It was then that Grant realized this room must have been her childhood bedroom. “Yeah, I can install a fan.”
Maurie’s green eyes were back on him. “When did you learn all this stuff?”
A buzz warmed his skin at the appreciation in her eyes. “I always liked working with my hands. Worked construction summers in high school, and one thing led to another.”
Maurie nodded. “Well, would you like a drink while you run the numbers?” She walked out of the room, which made it feel completely bare.
Grant followed, and again he had to concentrate to keep his gaze off the sway of her hips as she walked down the hall toward the kitchen.
Maybe he should date at least once in a while. Being around Maurie made him realize how much he’d isolated himself from anyone and everything social. But the burdens he faced with his ex-wife and son, Trent, made Grant emotionally tired. He didn’t feel like he had much to give to another person.
Yet, watching Maurie, he realized that maybe it wasn’t all about him giving. It was also about receiving. Everything about Maurie was unaffected. She was kind, generous, smart, and obviously talented. Not to mention beautiful. Curiosity burned through him, a feeling he hadn’t had in years, and he wanted to know more about her.