“And you’re a lawyer, too.” Avery nodded with satisfaction. “You should know about these kinds of things.”
Hope chuckled. “Well, the kind of law I practiced wasn’t really like that. But a lot of legal things just boil down to common sense.”
“I wish you could talk to Mom.”
Hope didn’t know how to respond. In a way, she wished she could, too.
“Are you and my mom having a fight?”
Hope stood up slowly, rubbing her back, which was beginning to ache. “No, I don’t think we’re having a fight. Not that I know of anyway. Why?”
“Because it sounds like she’s mad at you. And Dad told her she should talk to you and she said she doesn’t want to.”
“Oh.”
“So it sounded like you were in a fight.”
Hope frowned. “Do you think it’s okay that you’re over here, helping me? I mean I don’t want to cause trouble between you and your mom.”
“I don’t think she really cares.” Avery glanced over to her house with an uncertain look.
“But you should probably check with her. And make sure it’s okay that I’m hiring you to work over here. I wouldn’t want her to sue me or anything.” Hope laughed nervously.
“She wouldn’t sue you.”
“I know. I was joking.”
“Do you know why she might be mad at you, though?”
Hope looked over at their house now. It seemed funny to think that was the same house she’d grown up in. And yet it seemed like an entirely different house. The siding had been replaced and was now painted sage green instead of blue. The windows had all been upgraded and the shutters removed. Also the front door was new. Almost everything about it was new and different. Even the landscaping had changed. Some of the big trees had been replaced with smaller ones. And the lawn looked better than ever, and unless Hope was mistaken, they had put in a sprinkler system. “If your mom is mad at me,” Hope began slowly, “I’m not totally sure why. But it might be because Nona left this house to me.”
“I knew she was going to do that.”
“You did?”
Avery’s brows lifted mysteriously. “But I never told anyone.”
“How did you know? Did Nona tell you?”
“Not exactly. But one day she asked if I would like to have Aunt Hope living in her house after she died.”
“And what did you say?”
“I said I didn’t want her to die.”
Hope smiled to herself as she reached for a tall dandelion.
“Then I told her I would like you to live here.”
“But you didn’t even know me.”
“Nona had pictures of you in her house. And you always send me cards and things.”
“Yes, but that’s not very personal.”
“And Nona always told me that I was just like you.”
“Ah…” Hope smiled as she brushed a twig out of Avery’s hair.
“Maybe Nona knew that I needed you here.”
“Being that Nona was one of the wisest women I have ever known, I wouldn’t be surprised if she knew that…and a whole lot more.”
“So you really are going to stay here?” Avery looked so hopeful.
“I think I am.”
Now Avery tossed down her spade and threw her arms around Hope. “I’m so glad!”
Hope ran her hand over Avery’s sleek, dark hair. “So am I.”
And although Hope knew it was too soon to know whether or not this thing was really going to work, she felt encouraged…and, yes, she felt hopeful.
Chapter Ten
“Anyone home?” a male voice called through the opened front door. Naturally this sent Andy into a barking fit.
“Can you quiet him down?” Hope asked Avery as she set the half-filled cardboard box on the bed. They had been emptying Nona’s closet, saving a few special old things, but getting most of her clothes ready to be given away.
Hope pushed hair away from her face and hurried to the door. “Hey, Brian.” She smiled and opened the screen door. “Come on in.”
He shook her hand and grinned. “You’re looking real good, Hope. How’s life treating you?”
She quickly explained her situation, and how she’d inherited her grandmother’s house and wanted to make it a bit more comfortable.
“So you’re moving back?” His blue eyes lit up.
“I’m giving it my best shot.”
“Well, this town is turning into a pretty nice place to live. A little spendy for some folks, but if you work hard, you can make it.”
“So how long have you been a contractor?”
“I had been working in real estate. But the market kind of flattened out. So my dad encouraged me to get my contractor’s license and come back to work for his construction company. I worked off and on with him in high school and summers during college. I never thought I’d want to do it full time. But I’m actually kind of enjoying it now. My dad’s thinking about retiring in a few years. Maybe sooner if things don’t pick up around here. We haven’t been overly busy.”
“So you think you could do some work for me?”
He pushed a strand of sandy hair away from his forehead and nodded. “I don’t see why not.”
“I could probably live with it the way it is, but it might be fun to fix it up.”
“And with real estate values what they are in this neighborhood, it’ll probably be a good investment, too.” He glanced at the kitchen and let out a low whistle. “Man, that kitchen looks like it should be gutted.”
“Gutted?” Hope looked at the sweet wooden cabinets in alarm.
He patted the doorway wall between the kitchen and living room. “And I think we could take this wall out, too. Put in a beam if it’s a support wall to make it a great room.” He chuckled. “Guess it’d be a mini great room.”
“Oh, I’m not so sure I’d—”
“And you could probably fit an island right here and put in some nice custom cabinets, stainless appliances, and granite countertops, and this—”
“I don’t really want to make the place look all modern and contemporary,” she told him. “I mean it’s not that I don’t like that style. In fact, that’s what my condo in Portland looks like, and it’s great.” She gave Brian a hopeful smile. “But I’d sort of like to preserve the integrity of the architecture. The house was built in the forties and, as you know, there aren’t that many old houses in Sisters.”
He nodded, rubbing his chin. “You’re right about that. Thanks to the fires that wiped out some of the good old houses near town. And most of the shepherds’ houses have been scrapped. Old homes in Sisters are a bit of a novelty.”
“So I’d like to maintain that old charm.”
“I’ll bet this place has some sentimental value, too. How long did your grandmother live here anyway?”
“Actually, she bought this house after my grandfather died in the mid-seventies. She wanted to be close to our family. Then she lived here right to the end.”
He went over to check out an electrical outlet. “We’ll need to make sure that it’s been rewired. It looks like it has, but if not, you could be in for a real headache.”
“Oh.”
“And we’ll want to check out the plumbing, but I’m guessing that was addressed when the town connected to sewer, so we should be okay there.”
“Right…” Hope wondered if she could be biting off more than she wanted.
“So, tell me, what’s your plan? What exactly do you want done?” He pulled out a little notebook.
“Well, I thought I could paint the kitchen cabinets. The wood seems solid and I think they fit the house. However, I wish there were a way to fit in a dishwasher. And the countertops and floor need to be replaced. I was wondering about some kind of hardwood running throughout the house. A bigger concern is the windows. I think the wood frames are charming, and I actually like that old wavy glass. But those storm windows are atrocious.”
“Maybe we could install
some new clad windows, with wood on the inside and a finish that can be painted and handle the weather on the outside. We can get ones that look like your old ones—except for the wavy glass anyway. But you’ll have double panes and low-e, which will save on your heating bills. Plus, you can probably get a tax rebate, too.”
“Yes,” she said eagerly. “That’d be great.”
“And I want to update the bathroom.” She led him back to the decrepit space. “I actually think it does need to be gutted. Well, except for the claw-foot tub; I’d like to save it. But I want new tile, new sink, new toilet—the works.”
“And they make old-fashioned fixtures. I’ll give you the name of the plumber and you can go into the shop and look at his catalogues.”
“Great.”
“I looked at the exterior some, and the roof looks to be in good shape. Other than a few little fixes here and there, you should be okay.”
“And I thought I’d try my hand at painting.” She grinned. “I helped my dad paint our house when I was a kid. And my niece might want to help.”
“That’s right,” Avery said as she emerged from the bedroom. “And painting sounds like fun.” She was carrying Andy and wearing an old velvet hat that looked to be from the forties. “Can I keep this hat, too?”
“Of course.” Hope adjusted the beaded veil over her eyes. “It actually looks rather chic on you.”
“Hi, Avery,” Brian said to her.
“So you two have already met?” Hope eyed Brian curiously.
“Sure. It’s a small town. Avery’s little brother is on my boy’s little league team.”
“You have a son?” Hope was surprised.
“Yep. Jack will be nine in August.”
“Any other kids?” Hope asked.
“Nope. Just Jack. Leah and me split up when he was only three. Haven’t had much time for more kids since then.” He winked. “Or women either.”
“Oh.”
“How about you, Hope? You’re not married, are you?”
“No.”
“Any boyfriends back in the big city?”
She felt her cheeks growing warm. “Not really. I just broke something off.”
Brian grinned, exposing straight teeth that looked extra white against his deeply tanned face. “I’m liking the idea of working for you already.”
Hope laughed. “So, will you give me an estimate or something?”
“Sure will. And I’ll bring by some window catalogues. And I was thinking about your floors and how you want to keep this house oldfashioned. I have a buddy who’s into recycling old buildings. He’s got some nice old fir that would look pretty in here.”
“Old fir would be fabulous!” Hope had to control herself from hugging him.
“I’ll give him a call.” He closed his notebook. “And I’ll work on an estimate tonight and get back to you tomorrow, if that’s okay.”
“That’d be great.”
He slapped his forehead. “Except I have Jack tomorrow, and he has a little league game at one. But, if it’s okay, I could bring him with me in the morning, and you and I could talk this over a bit more.”
“Sure, that’d be fine.”
“See ya in the morning then.” He tipped his head.
Now Hope wasn’t naïve. She had a pretty strong suspicion that Brian was giving her special treatment because he was interested in her. And, really, what was wrong with that? For that matter, maybe she was interested in him. He was good-looking and polite. And who wouldn’t like having a guy around who was handy with tools. She looked out the window as his turquoise blue pickup pulled out of the driveway. It looked like it was from the sixties and actually looked right at home with her old Rambler. Yes, for all she knew Brian could be a good man to have around.
“I think he likes you,” Avery said when she emerged wearing a different hat. This one was burgundy with a pheasant feather in it.
“And I like that hat on you.” Hope tweaked the feather. “Are you keeping it, too?”
“Sure, if you don’t mind.” Avery tilted her chin as if modeling. “But what do you think about Brian? Do you like him, too?”
“I like that he’s willing to get right to work on Nona’s house.”
Avery nodded. “Except it’s not Nona’s house now, Aunt Hope. It’s yours.”
Hope considered this. It wouldn’t actually feel like her house until the year was up. And who knew if she’d still be here by then? Still, she didn’t want to worry Avery with these details. Better to just play along for now.
Hope and Avery had just gotten the bedroom cleared out when they heard Cherry calling. “Avery, are you in here?”
“Yeah, Mom.” Avery tossed the last shoe in the box and went out to the living room.
“What are you doing over here?” Cherry’s voice sounded irritated.
“Helping Aunt Hope.”
“With what?”
“Well, you saw me out there weeding. And then I helped her to pack up Nona’s things.”
“You packed up Nona’s things?” Cherry sounded hurt now.
“And Hope let me keep some—”
“I would’ve liked to have—”
“We set aside a bunch of things that have sentimental value,” Hope said as she emerged with a box. “I planned to invite you and Faye over to pick through.”
“After you’d picked through first.”
Hope sighed. “They’re all laid out on the bed, Cherry. Other than the hats and belts and things that Avery picked, you can take what you like. Honestly, there wasn’t that much there. Nona already gave us her jewelry and anything of value.”
“Don’t forget what Nona used to say—one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Cherry marched off to the bedroom, clearly unhappy at being left out. Avery just held up her hands in a helpless gesture, and Hope went outside for some fresh air and to avoid saying something regrettable to her baby sister. Andy followed her around as she paced in the yard. She was pretending to be evaluating what needed to be done out there. But really she was fuming at Cherry.
With an armload of things, Cherry exited the house with Avery behind her. “I gotta go help Mom with dinner,” Avery called. “But I’ll be back in the morning, okay?”
“Okay!” Hope smiled at Avery. “Thanks for all your help!”
Avery grinned. “No problem!”
Hope and Andy went back inside now. This time she closed the front door. “Well, Andy,” she said. “What now?”
He wagged his tail expectantly.
“Let me guess…are you hungry?”
He trotted into the kitchen as if he understood.
“You really are smart, aren’t you?” She decided to open one of the dog food tins, spooning some into his dish then topping it off with his kibble food. His tail was really going now. But, like before, he waited for her to back off before he began to eat. And then Hope realized she was hungry, too. She opened Nona’s pantry and peeked inside to see a variety of things, including cans of various soups, peaches, pineapple, green beans, corn, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. There were also packages of pasta, and a jar of olive oil, and oatmeal, and few other things.
Next, she looked in the old refrigerator, hoping that nothing had spoiled too badly in the week since Nona had died. She poked around and finally decided to just go ahead and dispose of everything. It would be better to start fresh, and it would be better to have a new refrigerator, too. She suspected this old one wasted electricity. So she got out her notepad and wrote shop for appliances. She wondered where one went to shop for appliances—probably outside of Sisters. She would ask Brian for suggestions tomorrow. And she would get groceries tomorrow. As well as some casual working clothes. As she warmed the chicken vegetable soup on the stove, her list grew longer.
She was just about to start eating her soup when Nona’s phone rang. Thinking it was probably a solicitor, she answered it with a chilly hello.
“Hope?” It was a woman’s voice.
“Yes.”
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“Sorry to bother you. This is Erica.”
“No bother. I just figured it was a sales person.”
“I tried your cell, but it—”
“Oh, that’s right, I need to charge it.”
“Anyway, it’s Friday and some of us single girls get together for drinks and laughs and I thought you might like to join us.”
“Is food involved?” Hope looked down at the dismal bowl of soup.
“If you like. We meet at the brewery and they make a mean buffalo burger as well as a few other things.”
“I’m in. What time?”
“Around six.”
Hope looked at the clock to see it was already five thirty. “Sounds good. Hey, are any clothing stores open at night? I need some jeans and working clothes until I get back to Portland.”
“The western wear store is open until eight, I think.”
“Perfect.”
“See you around six then.”
Hope hung up and grabbed her purse. With any luck, she could snag some jeans and a couple of shirts and still make it to the brewery by six. “Andy, you be a good boy, okay?” He had already finished his dinner and was snuggled into his living-room bed, looking at her as if he expected her to come and sit in the recliner next to him. “I’ll be back in a while,” she promised. “You take care of the place, you hear?” Then she rushed out, got into the car, and drove the few blocks to the western wear store. She would’ve walked, except she was in a hurry.
“Can I help you?” asked an attractive blond woman. She had on Wranglers and cowboy boots, a white western-cut shirt, a tan suede vest, and a lot of silver and turquoise jewelry.
“You look like you’re ready for rodeo,” Hope said.
“Well, it is next weekend.” She pointed to a colorful poster.
“That’s right.” Hope frowned. “Actually, you can help me. I’m in a hurry, but I need some jeans and shirts. I flew in from the city and only brought city clothes.” She motioned down at her now soiled linen pants and shirt. “And it turns out I’m staying longer than I expected and am working to clear out an old house.” She waved her hand. “Long story. But I just need a few things to get me by.”
Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon Page 9