“I thought he wasn’t sticking around,” Lily said. “You mentioned he was leaving. Days ago, right?”
Tessa toed a dandelion bloom, scattering white seeds into the air around her feet. “He changed his mind.”
“He changed it or you did?” Lily said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
“Lily, we’re not here to grill Tessa on her love life,” Anna said. Then she looked at Tessa. “Unless there’s something more you want to tell us.”
“You two are like good cop, bad cop. But okay,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at the house and then lowering her voice, “I think he’s sticking around for me. I mean, I hope he is. He’s great, isn’t he? I don’t know what he sees in me, but he’s…” she sighed, “perfect. Or close to perfect. Or perfect for me.”
All three girls giggled, and Eli groaned. “I think I need to go inside and talk about nails or hammers or plumbing.”
“Sorry,” Tessa said. “Not the manliest conversation out here.” She looked at her friends. “What do y’all think about the garden? It’s a little further along than the house, of course, but it’ll be lovely out here when they’re all done.”
Eli nodded and walked toward the oak tree. “It’ll be a great place for a small wedding.”
Tessa agreed. “They used to have weddings here all the time. People were married out here, and then they used the house as the reception area.”
Eli cleared his throat. “I meant for our wedding. Anna, are you gonna tell them or should I?”
Tessa’s mouth fell open, and Lily spun around on her heel to gape at their best friend.
“Guess the cat’s outta the bag,” Anna said. “Eli proposed and I said maybe. I’m kidding. I said yes!”
Eli pulled a ring out of his pocket and passed it over to Anna. She slipped it on her finger and held out her hand toward Tessa and Lily. The diamond sparkled in the sunlight, casting shimmery rainbows on Anna’s cheeks.
“It’s beautiful,” Tessa said.
“How could you not have told me?” Lily asked.
“I wanted to tell you both at the same time. We came back home for a few days so we could tell my folks. They already knew because Eli asked Daddy for permission, but they didn’t know when he was gonna ask. But he asked, and here we are.” She looked around at the garden. “But I agree. This would be a great place to be married. If Tessa’ll let us.”
Tessa smiled so widely her cheeks hurt. “Of course. I’m honored. Wow, do I have time to fix it up? When are you getting married? It’ll probably take me three or four more months. Will that work?”
Anna laughed and touched Tessa’s arm. “Breathe,” she said. “You have plenty of time. We were thinking six months or so. When the weather is cooler.”
Tessa hugged Anna. “I’m so excited for you.” Then she hugged Eli. “You’re one lucky guy. You got the best girl in the neighborhood.”
“Hey,” Lily pouted, “what about me?”
“You’re already taken,” Tessa said, poking Lily in the ribs. “Come on inside and let me show you the upstairs, and we can start thinking of ideas on how we should decorate and arrange for the wedding.”
Once inside, Paul joined them, and they toured the upstairs. Anna and Lily stood at the French doors and gazed out into the garden. Lily lifted her arm and pointed. “Imagine everyone down there, and you up here in your wedding dress looking like Juliet. Gorgeous pictures.”
Anna glanced at Eli over her shoulder. “Will you spout Shakespearean poetry to me from the garden?”
“Do I have to?” Eli asked, causing Paul to laugh.
“Best to keep the woman happy,” Paul teased.
Tessa’s cell phone rang, and she slipped it out of her back pocket. “Oh, it’s Mr. Fleming. He must have news about the condo buyer. Excuse me one second while I take this.” Tessa answered the call and stepped into the master bedroom. “Hey, Mr. Fleming.”
“Tessa, I’m glad I caught you,” Mr. Fleming said. “Listen, I have great news. Mr. Kincaid has finalized his offer to buy the building. He has all the necessary funds, the paperwork has gone through just as promised, and everyone will receive what they were offered according to the individual agreements.”
Tessa’s shoulders relaxed, and she sagged against the wall. “What a relief. Thanks for calling, Mr. Fleming. Is there anything more I need to do?”
“Not at the moment. I’ll keep you updated, but I think it’s all smooth sailing from here.”
Tessa ended the call and sighed. There were workers downstairs who expected to be paid for the work they’d done so far. She’d already spent a chunk of her savings on the earnest money, and the bit she had left she had planned to use for the beginning stages of rehab. The sale of her condo would cover repairs for as far as the money would reach. Would it be enough? She didn’t know, but it was at least a start.
She glanced up as Paul stepped into the room. “Well, the condo sold. I should see the money soon. At least we know we have more funds coming in so we can fix this place up right.”
Lily walked in behind Paul, followed by Anna and Eli. “That’s great, Tess,” Lily said. “One less thing to worry about.” She glanced over at Anna before asking, “Do you—do you think you’ll have enough to repair everything, even with the condo money?”
Tessa shrugged. “I don’t know. Now that we know the condo sell is a sure thing, Paul and I will sit down and go through the costs. We’ve made a couple of lists. We based the needs on priority and necessity versus wants.” She slipped her phone into her back pocket. “I’m hopeful.”
Paul nodded. “We’ll go through our lists and see how much money is available.” He slipped his arm around Tessa’s shoulders. “Buying this house wasn’t a mistake.”
Someone cleared her throat in the doorway, and Tessa glanced over to see Charlie standing there with a look of concern on her face. “I have a question about the balcony up here. Do you have a minute?”
Tessa nodded. “Be right there.” She looked at her friends. “Maybe we can have dinner?”
Anna walked over and hugged Tessa. “I agree with Paul. I’ll call you this afternoon, and we’ll make dinner plans.”
Lily hugged Tessa and voiced the same thoughts. Then the three of them walked out, leaving Tessa and Paul in the master bedroom.
Tessa lowered her voice when she said, “You do think we’ll have the money for the basics, don’t you? I keep thinking that maybe my crazy impulsive decision is going to work out this time.”
Paul entwined his fingers with hers. “Yes, don’t worry. The sell of the condo is going to give us enough. Let’s see what Charlie needs, and then we’ll head to the apartment and go through your finances now that we know the condo is sold, and you’ll feel better.”
Charlie pulled out her notepad and talked about structural support and concrete footings. Tessa could barely concentrate. She kept seeing dollar signs floating around Charlie’s dark hair, and Tessa almost reached out and swatted one. But she shoved her hands into her pockets and nodded her head when necessary.
Paul slipped downstairs to grab his notebook, and when they were alone, Charlie asked Tessa, “Are you having money troubles? Be honest. I have a lot of men depending on this job.”
Tessa’s stomach felt as though someone had sat on it. “No. It’s all going to work out. Paul and I are going to crunch numbers, just to be sure, but we both feel confident that everything will work out.” She smiled, and it felt genuine. “And I want to help the workers. I don’t want those guys out of a job. We definitely have the money for a good many of the repairs that we’ll need to make this house livable.”
The crease between Charlie’s brows lessened. “I know you want to help, but you have to make sure you take care of yourself too. Don’t make decisions that will hurt you.”
Tessa snorted. “I should have that tattooed on my forehead. Maybe then I’d follow the advice.” She reached out and touched Charlie’s arm. “I won’t keep the men working if I can’t pay them. I p
romise. But I think we’re going to be okay. Honest.”
Charlie nodded her head. “I believe you. If I can help in any way, let me know, okay?”
“Thanks.”
Paul bounded up the stairs, and then he and Charlie continued their discussion about the balcony. She hadn’t realized she’d been carrying around the worry about whether or not the condo would sell and they’d have more money to help with repairs. Now that the deal was made, there was a good chance she could save Honeysuckle Hollow and herself.
22
White Lightning Grits and Thunder Eggs
Later that afternoon, Tessa dropped her purse onto the couch in the apartment. She handed Paul a folder full of her financial paperwork, and he sat on the couch and opened his laptop. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with ice and water for Paul. Then she opened her twenty-ounce Dr. Pepper, took a large gulp, placed Paul’s glass on the coffee table, and plopped down on the opposite end of the couch so she could stretch out her legs. As soon as she was comfortable, her cell phone rang.
She dug through her purse. “It’s Charlie. Let me take this in case she has updates. Charlie, hey.”
“Tessa, do you have a minute?”
Tessa sat up straighter on the couch. “Sure.”
“The electrician and a friend of mine who’s a master mason just left. They have some news. You know we already discussed the fact that you have knob and tube wiring all throughout the house, and, well, it’s not up to code. There’s no way we’d be allowed to professionally renovate this house and not update it. We wouldn’t even be able to get permits, plus, you’d never be able to resale the house or be properly insured. It would be a mess. Anyway, the electrical will have to be replaced.”
“I was afraid of that,” Tessa said, “but I understand it needs to be done. Any idea what that’ll cost?”
Charlie paused long enough for the Dr. Pepper in Tessa’s stomach to bubble and push burning acid up her esophagus.
“It’ll take a lot of work,” Charlie said. “They’ll need to disconnect the old system, run new wiring, install modern junction boxes, replace fuses and breakers, and update any outlets, receptacles, and fixtures connected directly to the wiring. It’ll be time-consuming, and they’ll need full access to the house, which I don’t think will be a problem. You’ll need somewhere to stay while they’re working.
“The job will be easier since you have an attic and a crawlspace, but due to the size of the house and the fact that the garage will need rewiring too, it’ll be a big job. Plus, you’ll have to patch holes in the walls when they’re all finished. Not a problem to do that, but I just want you to know what’ll be going on—”
“Charlie,” Tessa interrupted, “what kind of cost are we looking at?”
Charlie exhaled. “Probably twelve thousand dollars.”
Tessa’s eyes widened, and she pressed her hand against her collarbone because the Dr. Pepper burn had turned into full-blown indigestion. Paul glanced over at her and raised his eyebrows in question. He tilted his head at her like a dog would, which she would have thought was adorable if she hadn’t felt so sick to her stomach.
“There’s more,” Charlie continued. “The master mason took a look at the chimney and the brickwork surrounding the foundation as well as the actual foundation, since it’s brick too. The mortar is more than one hundred years old, and due to natural wear, it’s deteriorating. Unfortunately, it will continue to worsen. His suggestion is not to replace the foundation, which should ease your mind a little, but he suggests repointing the bricks.”
“Meaning what?”
“Layman’s terms means that he’ll fill in and repair the joints in the brickwork. It’s kind of a dying art. I wouldn’t be comfortable with you using anyone else. He’s the best.”
Tessa sagged against a couch cushion and exhaled. “And how much does the best cost?”
“This is a guesstimate, but I’d say you’re looking at twenty-five thousand dollars.”
Tessa pitched forward. “Twenty-five thousand!” She was in full-on choking mode. Air felt strangled in her throat. “Are you serious?”
“Think it over tonight. I’ll call you in the morning. But, Tessa, I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think it was important to be done. I know you’re in…in a tighter position. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Tessa still had the phone pressed to her ear when she heard Charlie end the call. She lowered the phone. Paul hadn’t taken his eyes off of her.
“What’s twenty-five thousand dollars?” he asked.
“Only part of two new additional costs,” Tessa mumbled.
“Tell me,” he said.
Tessa bumbled her way through Charlie’s explanations concerning the knob and tube wiring and the brickwork that needed to be updated and repaired. When she finished, he nodded, and typed the information into the spreadsheet he’d created for keeping track of the cost of the repairs. He moved his laptop to the coffee table and turned to face Tessa.
She wrung her hands together in her lap. “Let’s hear it.”
Paul exhaled and tapped the eraser end of a pencil against his knee. “With the addition of the electrical needs and the masonry repairs, you’re looking at a cost of between $37,000–40,000. I’m leaving room for error, so maybe it would end up being less, but I don’t want to play this that way. The house will be livable. You’ll have plumbing and electrical, and the foundation will be solid.
“I think you’ll be able to repair either the kitchen or the bathrooms, but not both. You can update the kitchen with cheaper appliances or used ones until you can afford top-of-the-line finishes. You can refinish the flooring downstairs in the most important rooms—the foyer, kitchen, dining room, and living room—but not the upstairs. We can probably hook up laundry in the garage for now. The balcony will have to wait, but we can fix the front porch. And as for aesthetics, there won’t be any money for that.”
“So, no painting or repairing plaster or landscaping,” Tess said. “No bathroom updates because I’ll need to have a kitchen. Cheap appliances, okay, I can handle that. I’m not that great of a cook anyway. Laundry room outside, check. No flooring upstairs, so I’ll be walking on unfinished hardwoods. As long as we make sure all of the nails and carpet tacks are gone, I should be unharmed. I won’t be able to afford furniture—I have my sleeping bag and tent.” She rubbed her fingers against her closed eyes.
“At least the dining room and living room still have a few pieces of furniture, and Tessa,” he slid across the couch and grabbed her hand, “you can stay in the apartment as long as you need.”
She nodded and felt her throat tighten. “I wanted to be able to do this.”
“You are doing this,” he argued.
“Anna and Eli want to be married in the backyard in a few months.”
“A lot can happen in a few months.”
Tessa sighed. “I wish your optimism were contagious.”
Paul pulled Tessa against him, and she rested her head on his shoulder. “Why don’t you go relax for a while? Take a bath or whatever it is women like to do when they need to unwind. I’m going for a walk.”
“Are you coming back?” Tessa asked. She winced at the pathetic tone to her voice.
Paul chuckled. “Eventually,” he said. “You think I’m bailing on you?”
“No, but I wouldn’t blame you for hightailing it out of here. This could be a snowball effect, leading straight to a money pit. You might not want to sully your name on this project.”
“I assure you I have sullied my name sufficiently on my own,” he said, pushing Tessa into an upright position. “Now go relax. Why don’t we make plans with your friends tomorrow?”
Tessa nodded and glanced at the wall map. After Mrs. Steele had kicked them out of the house on Sunday morning, she’d brought the mint plant back to the apartment. It had stretched its long tendrils around the silver pushpins again. Tessa’s eyes trailed to Mystic Water on the map, where there was no pin. “If you sti
ck around, won’t you miss your adventures?”
Paul followed her gaze and then reached out to tuck her hair behind her ears. “Who said this isn’t one?” He leaned over and kissed her. Then he pulled her to her feet and nudged her toward the bedroom. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
He grabbed his laptop, slid it into his bag, and walked out the door. In the bathroom, she turned on the faucets and filled the claw foot tub. She could handle living without the nicest furnishings and the proper paint on the walls. Possessions could be acquired over time. But Tessa wondered whether she could adjust to living without Paul. Would she have to? Or would this new adventure be enough to keep him in Mystic Water?
Tessa dangled her romance novel over the side of the tub and dropped it onto the bathmat. Paul had been right. The bath had relaxed her initially, but now an uneasy feeling crept into her chest. She sat up, bubbles sliding off her arms, and a bolt of lightning zigzagged across the sky outside the bathroom window. A cannon blast of thunder ripped through the silence, and Tessa flinched. She quickly stumbled out of the tub and drained the water.
After she’d toweled off and changed into her pajamas, she walked into the living room at the same time as when Paul hurried through the door. Rain splatters covered his clothes, and he’d shoved his laptop bag beneath his shirt as best as he could, giving him the look of someone with a square belly. Water had soaked through the top half of a brown paper grocery bag he held.
“Storm’s a’brewing,” Paul said in a British accent, leaning against the door to close it. “Winds from the east, bringing in gray mist and cold rain. Good old, Watson, a good many of us may wither before its blast. But it’s God’s own wind nonetheless, and a cleaner, better, stronger land will lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared.”
“Watson?” Tessa asked, walking over and taking the grocery bag from him so he could remove the laptop from its captivity.
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