While Grant hammered away in the kitchen, Maurie texted Taffy. Just a warning. An old friend of mine is doing repair work on the house. Grant Shelton. And I’m only going to tell you once. I’m not interested in him.
Her phone rang thirty seconds later.
“Grant Shelton?” Taffy practically shouted. “The neighbor guy who used to mow your lawn when your mom was gone?”
Maurie groaned. She’d told Taffy about her past in Pine Valley, and apparently that had included all about Grant too.
“Is he still drop-dead gorgeous?” Taffy pressed.
Maurie climbed off her bed to shut her bedroom door. “Is that how I described him?”
“Pretty much.” Taffy laughed. “So what’s his story? Is he married?”
“Divorced, with a kid. In the middle of a custody battle.” Maurie crossed the room and looked through the small window at the overgrown backyard. Even in the winter, the place was a jungle. “And yes, he’s still gorgeous, but before you say anything, he’s like a million miles away emotionally, and no ... I’m not interested. When I start dating again, it’s going to be someone with no baggage. I have enough of my own for two.”
Taffy scoffed. “Yeah, good luck with that, Maurie. You’re twenty-seven. What are you going to do, marry a twenty-year-old? Every guy your age will have baggage. And if they haven’t been married or in a serious relationship, then you probably don’t want anything to do with them.”
Maurie sighed. This was not the first lecture she had received from Taffy on this topic. “Okay, okay, when you put it like that—”
“When I put it like what?” Taffy lowered her voice. “Are you admitting that you’re still attracted to Mr. Hot Guy?”
“Don’t call him that.” Maurie turned away from the window as a drill sounded from the kitchen. She wondered what Grant was drilling. “I mean, Grant is a dad.”
“Oh my heck, girl, you’ve still got it for him,” Taffy said, delight in her voice. “I can’t wait to meet him. Which will be, incidentally, in about seven hours.”
Maurie sat on her bed and leaned against the pillows. “He won’t be here in seven hours,” she said.
“Then tomorrow,” Taffy said, amusement in her tone.
Maurie exhaled. “Well, I can’t wait to see you. I think this whole shop-owner thing will feel real once you’re here and we can start moving everything into the shop.”
“I know, I can’t wait,” Taffy said. “See you soon.”
Once Maurie hung up, she listened for a few minutes to the sound of whatever high-pitched drill Grant was using. What was he doing? Curiosity got the better of her. Climbing off her bed, she checked her reflection in the mirror above the dresser. Her hair had dried in a riot of curls, so she smoothed it back and knotted it into a ponytail.
She found Grant in the living room, removing screws from the dark wood paneling that lined the walls. Several panel pieces already lay on the floor. Grant had taken off the flannel shirt he’d worn over a navy T-shirt. His forearms were strangely tanned for the middle of winter and not-so-strangely muscled.
“You’re taking the paneling off?” she asked when there was a short break in the noise. “I thought you were going to paint over it.”
He glanced at her, then he bent to pick up one of the panel pieces. When he turned it over, she saw the black on the other side.
“I think it’s mold,” he said. “But it looks like it’s only embedded on the paneling and not the walls.”
“Oh, wow.” She walked closer. “I’m glad you caught that.”
“With material this old, I have to check.” Grant scanned the rest of the room, and then his blue gaze settled on hers. “If you need help taking your boxes to the shop, I’ve got a truck.”
Maurie noticed a light sheen of perspiration on his forehead and his arms and ... “Well, that would be nice, but my friend Taffy is arriving tonight. We’ll probably rent a trailer.”
Grant lifted a single brow. “You don’t need to rent a trailer. My truck can handle it.”
Maurie tilted her head. “Don’t you think the work will go faster if you do the house stuff and I do the store stuff?”
The edges of Grant’s mouth twitched as if he was holding back a smile. “Since I have to remove the paneling sooner than later, I was thinking we could take a truckload over today. It’s a bit crowded in here.”
Maurie followed his gaze. Boxes were everywhere. She couldn’t really expect him to work when there was hardly room to walk. She looked back to him to find that he was watching her. “I don’t want to put you out,” she said. “And I’m not sure if I can really move stuff into the shop until I officially close.”
“Why don’t you call the realtor?” Grant said. “Is it Jeff Finch?”
How many realtors were there? “Yeah, do you know him?”
Grant smiled. “It’s Pine Valley. We go back a ways. Let me know what he says.”
“Okay,” Maurie said, not entirely convinced she wanted to be that pushy.
Grant turned to the next part of the panel and started up his drill again.
Well then. Grant was a bit bossy, it seemed. But she’d hired him to do the renovations, so she returned to her bedroom, shut the door, and called the realtor.
Jeff Finch answered on the second ring. “Finch Realty,” he answered.
“Hi, uh, Jeff,” she said. “It’s Maurie Ledbetter. I’m wondering if it would be okay if I moved some boxes into the store space today. I’ve got Grant Shelton at my house doing renovations, and we could use the extra room.”
Jeff didn’t hesitate. “Sure thing. Stop by my office on your way, and I’ll have the key ready for you. You can keep the key, but you’ll need to let me know each time you’re going to use it.”
“No problem,” she told the realtor. “Thanks for this. Grant will be happy too.”
“I get it. How’s he doing, by the way?”
“Fine, I think.” The turn in the conversation surprised her. Things with Jeff Finch had never veered toward personal before. Even though she knew there was no way Grant could overhear the conversation, she lowered her voice. “Should I be worried about him?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, I’m sure,” Jeff said. “He’s cancelled on everything that we’ve tried to set up with the guys. We go way back to high school. Since his divorce, I’ve reached out to him a few times, but no dice.”
Maurie swallowed. “I don’t know Grant well enough to comment. Although he did mention some frustrations with the custody issues over his son.”
“Yeah, Trent’s a great kid,” Jeff said. “Sorry. Don’t mean to get you involved.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m here to stay in Pine Valley, and if there are things I can help with, I’m happy to.”
“We’re excited to have you, Maurie,” Jeff said, his tone warm. “See you soon.”
After she hung up with Jeff, she thought about what he’d said about Grant. If he had isolated himself from pretty much everyone, he probably wasn’t dating. It was interesting to think about, and it sort of made her feel fluttery. And guilty at the same time. Fluttery that he was available and guilty because he seemed to be under a lot of stress.
So, it looked like she’d be moving boxes right now with Grant.
She walked into the living room. Grant had worked fast and had removed the paneling along an entire wall. He glanced over and, seeing her, turned off his drill.
“The realtor gave us the green light,” she said. “We just need to pick up the key from his office.”
“Great.” Grant unplugged the drill and set it on the floor. “Which boxes do you want to go first?”
She looked around the room. “Everything in this room goes, except for the baskets. I’ll be doing some orders over the weekend.”
“Great,” he said, then picked up a double set of boxes.
Maurie opened the door for him. “I’ll grab my shoes and jacket, then help.” She hurried to her bedroom and pulled on her tennis shoes, then found a zip-up jacket in her closet. She didn’t want to wear a full coat or she’d get too hot.
Twenty minutes later, the bed of Grant’s truck was loaded with boxes. And while she was trying to catch her breath, he closed the tailgate and then jumped into the truck.
She climbed in, noticing that he didn’t look the least bit winded. He wasn’t even perspiring, and he was still in his T-shirt. Which meant Maurie couldn’t let herself stare at him too long. Apparently her teen crush hadn’t completely died. She was just glad he wasn’t married anymore; it would have been even more awkward crushing on him.
“How did you get into gift-basket sales?” he asked, pulling away from the curb.
Maurie leaned back on the seat. His truck was older, but it was clean and had a polish scent to it as if he cleaned it regularly. “Probably something to do with my foster mom. Not only was she a fabulous chef, but she always put together the most amazing presentations for neighbor gifts and fundraisers.”
Grant nodded. “So you started out as a dot.com?”
“Yeah, I loved the flexibility of filling orders,” she said. “Day or night. But I soon learned that it was hard to shut off work ... you know, I’d never really get a break because my job was at home.”
“I can imagine,” Grant said. “Most people don’t like hammering in their house late into the night, so my job definitely has a cutoff time. Do you have only one employee?”
“For now,” Maurie said. “I’d like to hire someone part-time in Pine Valley. Taffy will continue to do most of the online stuff. So I’ll focus on the retail location. Unless I can convince Taffy to move here. She always talks about the day she wants to settle down and have a bunch of kids, so a small town is perfect for that.”
“What about you? Did you come to Pine Valley to settle down and have kids?” Grant asked, then his neck stained red. “I mean,” he backtracked, “that didn’t come out right.”
Maurie looked out the window, willing her own blush to stay away. “It’s okay,” she said. “I suppose if it happens, then it happens. But if there’s one thing I learned in my months of therapy, it’s to be happy wherever I am. Happiness comes from my choices in life and not from worrying about what is beyond my control.” She exhaled. Had she said too much? Been too personal?
She peeked at him to see that he was smiling.
When their gazes connected, he said, “You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”
Heat stole across her cheeks. Well, she was definitely blushing now. “You’re pretty great too. As a kid, and now.” Before she could dig herself any deeper, she added, “You have way more energy than I’ll ever have.”
Grant smiled as he turned the final corner that led to Main Street. “Working hard keeps my mind off the other stuff.”
Boy, did Maurie know that. She didn’t want to keep quoting her therapist, so she said, “I completely get that.”
Grant slowed the truck in front of the realtor’s office. The lights were on, and through the window Maurie spotted a pretty, red-haired woman. She must be the receptionist.
“I’ll grab the key.” Maurie opened the door and climbed out of the truck just as Mr. Finch came out the front door.
“Hello there, Maurie.” He held up the key as he walked toward the truck. He peered around her. “Grant. How’s it going?”
Maurie took the key and stood aside as Jeff moved to the open door to talk to Grant.
“Keeping busy, Jeff,” Grant said. “How about you?”
“Work, as usual,” Jeff said. “Hey, are you up for skiing next weekend?”
“About that...” Grant said in a hesitant voice. “I’ve got a lot of work going on, so I’d better not commit to anything.”
Jeff patted the doorframe of the truck. “No problem. If you change your mind, even at the last minute, shoot me a text or give me a call.”
The two men said goodbye, and soon Grant and Maurie were on their way again.
“So you ski?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, but he didn’t elaborate.
“If you think I expect you to work weekends at my house, I don’t,” Maurie said. “It will probably be good for you to do something other than work.”
“Like I said, I’d rather work than much else at this point.” He paused. “Sorry, I’m not ... Well, I was married, and I really don’t feel like I fit into the single life anymore. Skiing all day, then going to the bar and picking up women isn’t really on my priority list.”
“Maybe you can skip the bar part,” Maurie said. She didn’t know why she was pushing so much. Grant’s activities were none of her business.
“Maybe.” Grant’s tone was noncommittal.
Maurie thought about Jeff Finch. He was a good-looking man, though not someone she was really attracted to, and she hadn’t considered what his personal life might be like. But what else did handsome, single men do on the weekends?
Grant drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, then pulled over to the corner where her shop was located.
Before shutting off the engine, he looked over at her. “I’m way past high school, if you know what I mean. The pickup scene at bars gets really old, really fast. Reminds me of high school stag dances.”
Maurie nodded. “I never really got the regular high school experience.”
“Yeah, and I’m sorry for that,” he said. “I wish things could have been different for you, even though I’d be the first to say you didn’t miss much.”
Maurie’s throat tightened.
“But there is something to say for going through all the rites of adolescent passage,” Grant said in a soft voice.
She pushed back the emotion that was welling up inside of her. “Well, like you said, I missed out on all those horror stories from high school,” she said. “Gladys thought I should continue with homeschooling because I didn’t have time to catch up and attend regular classes. So college was my first classroom experience since middle school.” Her voice sounded overly bright, and she knew it.
“If you could do things all over again, what would you wish for?” Grant’s tone was somber, and he still hadn’t turned off the ignition.
She looked away from his blue gaze, then down at her clasped hands. “A mom who cared about me from the beginning until the end.” Now the tears weren’t going to stay away. She blinked a few times. “In the end, I did get that. Even if for only a few years, and even if she wasn’t my biological mom. I was lucky for the time I had with her.” She brushed at her cheeks. “Sorry, I guess this moving stuff has made me emotional.”
Grant rested a hand on her shoulder, and the warm weight of his palm was comforting. It also sped up her heart rate. His fingers brushed against her neck, and Maurie inhaled at the sensation.
“I don’t blame you,” Grant said. “You’re doing a brave thing. Changes are always hard, yet here you are, moving mountains.”
She let a small smile escape. She wanted to lean into his touch. Feel more of his warmth. Instead, she reached for the door and popped it open. “Back to work, Grant Shelton.”
She loved the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled.
Grant turned off the engine, then opened his own door.
They climbed out, and Maurie crossed the sidewalk to the front door of her shop. She’d have to scrape off the stenciling on the door and change it to Every Occasion. Maybe Taffy would do it.
Maurie unlocked the door to the shop, then held the door open as Grant carried in the first stack of boxes. He carried boxes two at a time, while she only managed one. With Grant’s help, the work went fast. Once all the boxes had been unloaded, Maurie closed the propped door and surveyed the bare walls.
Grant came to stand next to her. “This is the place, huh?”
“Yep.” Maurie felt the slow warmth of joy seep through her. This was the place. Her place.
The shop had been cleaned out by the previous owners. But there was some trash on the ground, and the main counter was in a sorry state. It had been a clothing boutique. Framed posters of models had been taken down, leaving a dingy outline on the taupe walls. Maurie had already decided to paint the walls a soft yellow to give a warm and friendly ambience.
“What are your plans?” he asked.
And she knew he wasn’t asking out of politeness. As she told him of her design ideas, he nodded along the way, asking a few questions and even throwing in some feedback. The more she talked, the more she realized how easy he was to talk to. He really listened, he didn’t act as if he was in a hurry, and he didn’t take over the conversation.
And the more she was around Grant, the more she compared him to her last boyfriend, Brandon. The two men were opposites. Brandon also had a busy schedule with his software start-up, but even when they spent a weekend on vacation together, he’d still been so self-involved, and she’d felt like a decoration at his side.
She and Grant finished discussing upgrades, and the excitement of having her own shop continued to buzz through her. The guests at the Pine Valley ski lodge would find a great variety of gifts in her shop and wouldn’t have to rely on packing what they needed for special celebrations. And the items she offered would be more unique and desirable than the gimmicky touristy items.
“Well, one thing at a time, right?” she said, looking over at Grant from where she’d crossed to the storefront window.
“I’m happy to help,” he said.
The sincerity in his voice made Maurie’s heart do a little flip. “Thanks,” she said. “I’ll let you know.”
She opened the shop door, and Grant went through, then Maurie locked up. When she turned, Grant waited by the truck, holding open the passenger door for her.
“I appreciate your help,” Maurie said, approaching the truck, her ankle boots crunching over the windswept snow on the ground.
“No problem.” Grant’s breath clouded in the cold air, but there wasn’t a goose bump in sight.
“How are you not cold?” she asked, pausing next to him.
He shrugged those muscled shoulders of his. “I run hot, I guess.”
Yes. Maurie climbed in, and Grant shut her door. Then she watched him walk around the front of the truck, silently agreeing with him 100 percent.