“Apology accepted.”
Seeing how good Kevin actually was, gave John pause. “Maybe you aren’t the person for the job after all.”
“Is it illegal?”
John didn’t answer. He looked at Kevin, hoping his expression said it all. “It isn’t illegal,” he said. “In fact, I’m working with Deena, who I’m sure you know was Lucy’s lawyer. We want to make sure we do everything legally. I need someone to inspect the house. If the house has an issue of any kind, a defect let’s say—”
“Like a cracked foundation?” Kevin got the meaning.
“Yes. If someone found a problem, the sale would be void. I want the house. I’ll buy it back, and I can do that if there is a defect. I need to know what someone else thinks.”
“Gotcha. So how do I come in?”
“Surely you know someone who can write a report. What if the defect is discovered spontaneously?”
“Like an explosion?” Kevin arched his brow.
“Let’s hope not.” John laughed. “Explosions in tenuous mountain settings aren’t good. I want an expert report.”
“I can’t ask someone to write a false report. That’s illegal, but I can get someone to look at the property. It’s an old house; there are bound to be issues. She asked me to handle her move so I have access to the home. She’s hiring movers to pack up her stuff and put it in storage.”
“You are?” John was jealous again. Lucy had turned to Kevin instead of him. “So, will she contact you from time to time? If so, this has to be between you and me. Lucy can’t know that I’m working with you and vice versa, okay?”
“Why is that?” Kevin narrowed his eyes.
“It’s a good thing,” John assured him. “The fewer people who know, the better. You’ve got your finger on the pulse around town. This thing could be pretty involved. I need you to help me keep this from her if she comes back.”
“We’re lying to her?”
“Nope. Surprising her. Plus, if I can’t pull off what I hope to, I won’t have gotten her hopes up only to crush them.” He remembered the day they went on the drive and how excited she got when she thought he’d changed his mind. He promised that if this came together, he’d never disappoint her again.
“Roger that,” said the cop inside the man.
“Thank you, Kevin. That’s all I wanted. I’ll be in touch. I don’t mean this to be sneaky, but if you know that Lucy will be in the area, give me a heads up.”
He nodded.
John could see he was going all in again for Lucy. Friends like that were hard to find.
“You’re a good man.” He showed him to the door.
John had one other person to call. He fished through his contacts for the name of the man who owned the house on the vista in Idaho Springs.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lucy
Lucy’s father, who she missed terribly, had been disappointed after she finished college and didn’t go to Denver or some other big city to make lots of money. While she left Blackwood behind her and tried to set up shop, she had conversations with him or, she hoped, his spirit.
She hadn’t known her mother well and had stopped missing her long ago. Lucy sorted out that much of her objection to losing the town was because of her dad, and what they had shared there. She had not sought something different because of what she might lose by leaving—her memories of him.
The one good thing about Denver was it had a pool hall she liked. Lucy had spent many a night over the last few months trying to adjust to city life at Tarantula Billiards & Bar.
After the dark experience in Idaho Springs, she’d sworn off pool for a while, but she needed it now. It was her way of spending time with her father, if only in her thoughts.
While she kept her snark and attitude to a minimum, she quickly got a reputation for being a fierce player. She also knew if she was handling the transition to Denver with a pool cue instead of seeking friends, some part of her had no intention of putting down roots there. She was a creature of habit and in a big city, things were unpredictable and a routine impossible.
She tried to like it but it wasn’t for her. It was hard to chase a lot of money when she had what she thought was a lot of money. The city was too much of a shift. She didn’t like the faster pace or the fact that she didn’t know anyone. Denver wasn’t her home and never would be.
At first, she signed up with temp agencies. She put her hat in the ring with marketing companies while she maintained the freelancing she could do online. She got a lot of work, but no single job lasted long term.
She didn’t produce at a rate they wanted. It was a combination of being a perfectionist and not being motivated. She didn’t like working this way—one-off jobs that came and went. She also had an internet issue. She couldn’t seem to stay off it.
She had no contact with people from Blackwood, except for Kevin and Deena. Though she’d physically moved on from John, she was emotionally connected to him. Their intense and brief fling was over, but she googled him every day. She searched the news and his name for any mentions. Her fingers hovered over his contact information on her phone, never pushing the call button despite her desperate need to hear his voice. She missed him profoundly.
She’d had two dates that failed miserably. The first because it wasn’t John. The second for the same reason. Each time she caught a glimpse of a tall man with broad shoulders and a head of dark hair, her heart raced. Each time, her hopes soared that he’d come looking for her, but she knew he hadn’t because he was respecting her wishes. She’d asked him to give her space and time. He was a man of his word.
She spoke to Deena regularly. While her friend kept the mention of the Blackwoods to a minimum, she knew that Caleb and Deena were inseparable. There was talk of cohabitation as if that weren’t already a thing with them sleeping together nightly. Every time Deena answered the phone she could hear Caleb in the background.
Because she couldn’t pry information out of her friend, she searched John’s name on the internet constantly. Her recent inquiries turned up the notices of intent to sell the town. The notices of evictions were also there. Then she searched his images and studied all the pictures of him throughout the years. The press liked the Blackwoods not only because they were rich, but because they were good-looking people. Personable. Kind. Giving.
There were pictures of John from when he was barely out of high school. She had never searched his name before she met him or she would have followed his escapades long ago. It might have been a good thing she hadn’t known him when he was younger and they hadn’t hung around the same circles. She was certain, as she traced his face with her finger on the computer screen, that she would have been heartbroken over him long ago, instead of now.
One morning, she was doing her daily search and something interesting came up. She got the usual outdated hits because the internet never forgot. Notices about the sale and how some developer was now moving in to begin renovation. But this morning, she saw something about her address. The house she’d lived in had been condemned.
Lucy sat up in her chair and let out a curse that turned heads at the agency where she was working as a temp.
It made little sense that the house was condemned because it was perfect—unless the developer decided it wasn’t for them. Either way, Lucy was sad. Because condemned could only mean that her beloved house would be destroyed.
She tried to call Kevin and ask what was up but got his voicemail.
She dialed Deena who answered with a giggle.
“Hey, you? How’s the mile high city?”
“It’s okay. It’s not Blackwood, but then again, Blackwood’s not Blackwood anymore either, is it?”
She heard Deena tell Caleb to stop. No doubt she’d caught them at an inconvenient moment.
“I’ll let you go. Call me when you’re finished with whatever you’re doing.”
“No, it’s all good. We were playing cards and Caleb was cheating.”
“Cheating?”
&
nbsp; Deena laughed. “Strip poker and he’s been throwing every hand in order to get naked.”
“Oh. Wow. I should let you go.”
“No,” she said with gumption. “I was going to call you anyway.”
“Is this about my house?”
“What do you know about your house?” She had a worried sound to her voice.
“Just that it got condemned. Does this mean they’ll destroy it?”
Deena was quiet for a moment. Her silence was all Lucy needed to hear.
“It’s a complicated situation.”
“No, not really. I realize now that all things change. I was silly to hold on so tightly to a house. I should have held tighter to more important matters like our friendship.”
“We’re still friends, and I miss you terribly. I was going to call you and see if maybe we could meet in Idaho Springs tomorrow. It’s about halfway between you and me. I have a property to visit there. A real estate contract that needs to be finalized. How about we meet there and then go for lunch?”
The mention of real estate made her think of the lovely house on Vista Point Road. The view was breathtaking, but certainly not as lovely as John naked and hovering over her body. God how she missed him. Maybe she’d get the courage to call him, too. “I’d love to visit you.” She considered asking about John. Her desire to call him might be moot if he wasn’t in town. “Have you seen John?” She held her breath and waited for an answer.
“He’s around.”
“Oh, good.” In a smaller voice she said, “I miss him too.”
“How about tomorrow? I’ll text you the address in the morning.”
A thrill rippled through Lucy’s insides. It might only be for a visit, but she was going home, and it wasn’t to a place, but to the people that made her feel like she belonged.
* * *
Deena hadn’t texted her an exact address, but a street and a meeting time. What were the odds that she’d be on Vista Point Road? All she said was Lucy would know when she got there, which was probably code for my car will be in the driveway.
Idaho Springs was halfway between Blackwood and Denver. As she approached it, she saw the signs for casinos and points of interest and lovely vistas. The vista was one of the best parts of having visited there. That and John.
She took the exit to the shiny little old western town, looking forward to seeing the home John had taken her to. While it had never left her mind, the closer she got, the stronger the pull. She tried to get her bearings since she had only navigated the town once.
She remembered the first turns outside the main street into a nest of residences. There was the stop sign. She pulled on through to the next intersection, which was the second stop. She looked around for Deena’s car, but what she saw instead astounded her. Right there where the old miner’s shack used to sit was her house. That made no sense.
She did a fast double-take. Her house?
Lucy shook. Her house from Blackwood was right in front of her, sitting on the lot with the rare vista. It was like a great dream where she got visited by a loved one. Her house on that piece of land was an incredible combination, even if they both happened to be in Idaho Springs.
She pulled into the driveway, barely able to function at this weird change in reality. Nothing had prepared her for it. She wondered how this had come to be. She opened and closed her eyes and each time she saw the same thing. Her house.
She got out to walk around the property. It wasn’t a copy or a knock-off. This was her house, the one that was supposed to be a B&B. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She could hardly stand, she was shaking so fiercely. No one answered.
She would call Kevin or Deena when her hands stopped shaking, but first, she sat on the step with her brain spinning. She cupped her head to stop the motion. Finally, she heard the door open. She was so overcome with feelings, she couldn’t speak or move.
“Hi,” said John warmly, a smile in his voice.
Lucy waved at him over her shoulder, trying to suppress the tears that wanted to rush out. She could no longer hold them back.
He took hold of her hand and helped her up. She fell into his arms, hugging him and never wanting to let go. In his embrace, she felt his warm, solid form, and she knew she was home. Blackwood wasn’t home, John Blackwood was.
“Oh my God, I’m so glad to see you,” she said into his chest.
“Well, you'll have to uncover your face to actually do that.”
“You moved the house.”
“I couldn’t move the vista, though I would have tried for you,” he said, beaming down at her. “Wanna come see?”
“You moved the house?” she repeated.
“Yes,” he said, proud of himself. “I bought the widower’s house and gave it to the developer in exchange for your house. They scaled it back to capture the original structure and glammed it out once it was in place.”
He held her hand and walked around the floor plan they both knew so well. He led her to a door he’d added off the back.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I put this slider in so we could see the outside. You’re lucky I have the curtains drawn so you get to be surprised.” That similar to what the previous owner had told them.
He let go of her hand. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Even though she scoped the internet and studied his face every day, she had forgotten how gorgeous he was. He opened the drapes to reveal the spectacular vista.
“Oh my gosh,” she cried.
“This is yours, Lucy,” he whispered. “If you want it.”
“John Blackwood, why are you single?” she teased.
“Oh, Lucy. I’ve been waiting my whole life for you.” He stroked her hair.
“Will you please hurry and kiss me?”
John rushed forward and drew her up in his arms with intense urgency.
When he pulled back he said, “Let’s go out on the deck and take in the view.”
The deck extended around the house as much as possible. It was spectacular. She had spent the Colorado winter in Denver. She was leaving it now in early spring.
John walked her to the farthest part of the deck, where there was an enclosure walled with brick and glass. It was a summer room and inside were many of her plants.
“I dug up your yard.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because you’d planted them and you loved them. I wanted to give back everything you lost and everything you loved.”
She looked up at him. “All I lost was you. All I love is you.”
His expression was unreadable. “Can I tell you something?”
Her heart raced. Was this the moment where he told her he’d considered his own what-ifs and she didn’t belong?
He slid as close to her as possible. “I learned a lot while you were away, and I reinforced much of what I knew.” He sighed. “One thing I know for certain is that I love you.”
The air whooshed from her lungs. This wasn’t goodbye. It was hello.
“I love you too.” She looked around her. “You did all of this for me.”
He cupped her face. “I did it for us. My life is poor without you. You’re the gold dust in my world. The Blackwoods have always been prospectors. My grandfather hit a vein of gold that changed the lives of many. When I met you I knew I’d hit the motherlode. You’re frustrating and fabulous. You’re beautifully bad and wonderfully wise. You’re kind and cantankerous. I’m yours if you’ll have me.”
“I do, I want you, John Blackwood. I don’t care if you come with a house, a sports car, or a bank account full of money. I’d take you as a pauper driving a moped.”
“That could be arranged. I’d give it all up for you if you wanted.”
She looked around the patio and the vista before her. Its beauty like a gift from the gods.
“I’m in love, I’m not crazy.”
“Baby, I’m crazy in love—with you.”
She leaned into him. “How did you pull this off?
I read that the house was condemned.”
“It was, but only because it was being moved. However, I was prepared to do enough damage to void the deal between me and the developer. A real sharp lawyer presented them with the offer to switch. I bought the widower’s house and swapped it. I moved that one there and this one here.”
The bottom line for Lucy was he’d done this for her.
She was filled with desire for him. They turned to one another and kissed. Practically climbed inside each other trying to taste all they had missed for so long. Lucy broke the kiss to look at him.
“You said this was for us. Does that mean you’ll live here with me?”
He tilted his head, stroking her hair, adoration flowing from his eyes.
“If you’ll have me.”
“I’m yours.”
“Can I get that in writing?”
She wrapped her arms around him. “I can have Deena create a contract saying so.”
“That sounds great but not today because she’s busy.”
“Yeah?”
“Cal carted her to Vegas to marry her. They’re on their honeymoon.”
He knocked the air of out her in a good way. She couldn’t close her mouth for seconds with the surprise. He nudged her chin to raise it.
“Wow. She said she’d meet me here.”
“That was a lie.”
“She’s forgiven.”
“This is our house, and if you’re game, I’d love to take you to our bed.”
“Ours?” She liked the sound of that. “Yes … ours.” She tilted her head in question. “What happened to your place?”
“Kevin has my house now. I’m letting him stay there for free, but I’ll probably give it to him, eventually, now that he’s finished stalking you.”
“I didn’t see that coming. You and he are friends?”
“He’s a good guy, and he’s a good friend for Maya. She’s sober and straightened out and they’re hanging out. Just friends, but good ones.”
She nodded. “We have some good friends, and you know what else?”
“What?” He pulled her closer to his body.
What If: A Small Town Big Love Novel Page 16