“So what are you going to do?” Tanner asked. “Tell her you don’t want to sell or renovate? She’s not just going to go away.”
No, no she wasn’t. Jax wasn’t so sure he wanted her to go away. She intrigued him. Beneath that stuffy exterior, the polished clothes, and the defiant tip of her chin she always gave him, Jax knew the girl who had grown up here and had fallen in love with the sport of flying was still in there . . . and he was damn well going to bring her out.
“I don’t know what to do,” Jax admitted, blowing out a frustrated sigh. “I guess I’ll let her talk and then think about it. I’m in no hurry to do anything, really. I’m not selling, so anything else she proposes will be in my court. She’s going to have to go back to Atlanta at some point.”
Not that he wanted her to go. He must have been a masochist because he actually enjoyed having her around. That was obviously the case considering he could still taste her kiss, feel her body pressed to his.
Jax reached for the cards. He didn’t want to keep hashing this out with his friends. He needed some guy time now that Piper was asleep, and poker was the perfect solution.
“Hope you ladies brought money,” he stated as he started shuffling. “I’m still saving for that new plane.”
Cash snorted. “You’re going to have to find a sugar mama if you want that to happen or sell everything you own and live in it as well.”
Jax wasn’t deterred by finances. Yes, things may have looked bleak, but he wasn’t about to give up. When had he ever? It may take him until he was ready to retire, but he’d save every extra dime he had.
“So let’s hear more about this Melanie.” Cash reached for his cards and shot a look to Tanner.
Jax merely smiled as Tanner groaned. “Yes, let’s hear more.”
* * *
“What are you doing?”
Olivia stared at Jade as her friend came out the back door with trash bags. Not just the small ones from the kitchen, but the large black ones they’d had upstairs.
“Getting a move on this.” Jade wrestled the bags down the steps. “There’s two more if you want to go get them.”
They’d only been back from their morning run for a half hour. Olivia had grabbed a quick shower and made coffee, and had just settled on the back porch to answer e-mails.
“I’ll throw the stuff away when I’m ready,” she argued. “Put those down.”
Jade dropped the bags and propped her hands on her hips. “Trash runs tomorrow. We need to get rid of these.”
“We’re not paying for trash,” Olivia countered. “We’re not going to be here that long.”
“One of your nosy neighbors said we could put it with hers. I asked.”
Olivia stared down at her friend at the base of the steps. At some point, Olivia was going to have to let go. She didn’t think saying good-bye to old memories and her father’s things would be this difficult. She’d assumed she’d come into town, offer to help set up the sale of the airport, clean out her childhood home, and be back in Atlanta before she had to tap into any emotions.
In theory that all sounded fantastic. But reality had settled in and Olivia knew she was going to have to truly focus if she wanted to get out of here.
“Which sacks are those?” she asked Jade.
“Just the old school papers you said to toss.” Jade tipped her head, her red ponytail swinging across her shoulder. “I’m doing this for you. If you can’t get rid of the stuff, then I can. Melanie and I are here to help.”
Olivia sat her laptop on the side table. “I know. It needs to be done. Go ahead and make sure you tell Mrs. Timmonds thanks. We’ll have to make her a cake or something.”
“Melanie can. I suck at baking.”
Olivia laughed as Jade hauled the two sacks across the driveway toward the elderly lady’s house. Glancing back to her laptop, Olivia stared at the e-mails, but reached over and closed out the screen. She grabbed her phone and went to the notes section. There were some minor repairs she needed to do to the house before she could sell it. There wasn’t much reason for her to keep it since she didn’t plan on staying in Haven. Even if she and Jackson came to some agreement on the plans for the airport, she had no intention of living here.
Olivia quickly typed in the issues she knew needed to be addressed. The living room and kitchen needed fresh coats of paint, the master bedroom carpet needed to be replaced, the floor in the kitchen needed to be changed out. The more Olivia added, the more she realized this was going to take a while to get done.
She’d need to call someone to come measure and give her a price on new flooring. Not exactly what she wanted to spend some of her savings on, but she’d get a return back once the house sold. There was no way she could put it on the market in the state it was now. With the town thriving, people would expect the homes to be up to the same standards.
As she was reading through her list, her cell rang. The number on the screen had her heart kicking up.
“Tom,” Olivia greeted. “Good morning.”
“Morning. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
“No, this is perfect.” As if she’d tell the CEO any different. Why was he calling? The endless possibilities made her stomach churn. “I trust you saw the marketing plan I laid out for the VanKirk Agency.”
“That’s why I’m calling. I have given that account over to Steve
