Marissa hesitated before picking up the phone. This might not even be the same Aaron Mathews. After all, many people probably shared that name. It would just be weird if the same Aaron Mathews would pick now to call. She was just being silly.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she finally picked the phone up. “Marissa McCall, how may I help you?”

“Marissa, this is Aaron Mathews, from way back in middle school. Long time, no see.”

Her voice choked for a minute. Aaron Mathews. A childhood dream, a childhood nightmare. Then she drew herself together and tried to keep a professional tone. After all, he was just a man she had known during her younger years. No one special.

“Aaron, what a surprise. How may I help you?”

“I’m looking for a home here in Indianapolis. I saw your picture next to one I’m interested in and thought I’d give you a call.”

Her gut clenched at his words. She really didn’t even want to see him again. He had hurt her badly and she had no desire to revisit those old wounds. It might be silly, but that’s how she felt.

On the other hand, the greedy, more practical side of her argued that she shouldn’t turn away business. Not only did she need the money, but it went against her grain. After all, she was a professional. Surely she could deal with one man she hadn’t seen for almost 20 years. Okay, 18 to be exact, but close enough.

Besides, if Lydia Hart ever learned that she had turned away business Marissa wouldn’t have a job much longer.

She gathered her courage and spoke into the phone.

“That’s great, Aaron. Which house caught your interest?”

A big, beautiful Victorian in Broad Ripple.” He told her the address and her heart dropped.

“I’m sorry, would you mind repeating that?”

God, she hadn’t misheard him. He wanted to look at the house right next door to the home she was living in. The house she was flipping. No, say it wasn’t so. She swallowed before she answered him.

“I see. Aaron, I do need to warn you. That house needs quite a bit of work.” She tried to disguise the note of desperation in her voice. She needed to talk him into seeing a different house.

“Not a problem. I’m pretty handy when it comes to construction. Repairs don’t scare me.”

“I understand the neighborhood’s not the best, either.”

"Huh. Well, I think it's perfect. My parents retired here a few years ago and this place is within walking distance of them. My dad has Alzheimer's now and I want to be close to help my mom care for him."

“Oh, I see.” Dang, there was no talking him out of looking at this house. And it was a great house. If she could have afforded it she would have loved to flip the Victorian rather than the much smaller craftsman she’d purchased. The house was huge, though, and out of Marissa’s price range.

“Well, I guess what we need to do then is set an appointment to see the house. When would be good for you?” She hoped she managed to disguise the frustration in her voice.

“Is tomorrow morning okay?”

“Mmm, let me check,” she delayed. “Okay, that looks good for me. Say 10AM 10   ?”

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay. By the way, will your wife be joining us?” She couldn’t stop the little devil that made her ask the question.

“No, I’ve never married.”

Her heart gave a little leap before she could stop it. He was still single.

“Oh, okay.” She hoped she didn’t sound like a dork. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Sounds great, Marissa.” His voice was warm, like heated honey. “I appreciate your help.”

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow."

Marissa disconnected and let her hand rest on the phone for a long moment, her mind whirling. Aaron Mathews. Of course, she didn’t live in a cage. She knew he had gone on to play NFL football, a fantastic quarterback. He didn’t play for the Colts, though, so she hadn’t followed him too closely.

She remembered he had suffered a career-ending injury two or three years ago. She didn’t know what exactly had happened but Aaron Mathews soon fell off the radar and she hadn’t heard of him since.

Now she was going to see him in person tomorrow morning. Holy crap.

 

Plus , there was the fact that she was going to see Aaron Mathews in the morning. That thought was unnerving and left her feeling shaken. She had to wonder, too, if he had called Staci before he called her. Was it possible he had been involved in Staci’s death?

She pulled into her drive at the small craftsman bungalow she currently called home. She’d fallen in love with the red brick house the moment she’d seen it. Yes, the property was run down but its potential called to her. The yard was compact but filled with lovely perennials such as lilac bushes and roses. The wide front porch was inviting, a stained glass framing a wide window in the living area, right in the middle of the porch.

Inside, however, was a different matter. Marissa walked in the front door and immediately noted the dated wallpaper and worn carpet. The paneling shaded the area, the living room and dining room feeling rather claustrophobic and dark. There was a staircase in the living room that led up to two bedrooms and a bath. Downstairs there was also a bedroom, kitchen and full bath. The kitchen was small and closed in, the downstairs bedroom dim and dreary.

There was much work to do here, but it didn’t frighten Marissa. She was used to taking old homes and turning them into dream homes. Her father and brother ran a restoration business and she’d grown up watching her father transform rundown houses into refreshed, restored homes and had decided to take advantage of that. Now she knew that with some elbow grease and design know-how she could turn almost any run -   down home into a great space.

She jumped right into renovations when she came home, throwing herself into pulling down paneling in the living room. She’d taken time to change into cutoff jeans and a T-shirt and cuddle with her Basset hound Larry, a long, low, lazy dog that was five years old, then got serious. The work was hard but she poured her frustrations into it, working out some of the anger and confusion that boiled within her.

By the time she finished removing the paneling in the cozy living room, Marissa was hot and sweaty, her hair tumbling in wild, wet curls around the pink bandana she'd tied in her hair. She stood and stretched, her body aching. Lord, her muscles begged for mercy. And her stomach was growling. It felt like it was banging against her spine. She needed to clean up this mess and fix herself something to eat.

She lugged her load outside and dumped it into the big waste receptacle then headed back in to gather up another batch. She grabbed as much of the wood as she could and began toting it out. She took such a large load she could barely see around the mound of wood in her arms. She stumbled as she exited the doorway and flopped onto the porch. A sharp squeal escaped her throat as she headed towards earth.

The lumber exploded out of her arms and clattered down around her. Marissa lay there, sprawled on the porch, the breath knocked out of her. Her elbow and knees burned where the skin had been scraped off. Larry tipped his head back and let out a mournful howl.

Marissa lay there unmoving for several seconds. Damn, how stupid could she ? She'd deliberately picked up more than she could safely carry, then managed to trip and fall. She was almost afraid to move for fear she'd find more injuries and she was pissed she'd made such a rookie error. For a minute tears burned her eyes and she buried her head in her arms.

“Hey, lady, are you all right?”

A deep voice boomed out and she lifted her head slowly. Oh, God, there’d been a witness to her foolishness.

“Are you okay, lady?”

That voice again. Slowly she focused her eyes and saw a man halfway up her sidewalk, a giant hairy dog at his side. She shook her head and looked again.

OMG. Say it wasn’t so. Her violet-blue eyes locked onto a pair of deep brown eyes, a jolt of shock sounding through her. Aaron Mathews stood there staring at her prone body.