The doorbell rang, and Bonnie could see Aaron standing on the porch from the side window.
She opened the door. “I thought maybe you changed your mind.” Hoped was more like it.
“Nope. More excited about this venture today than I was last night,” he said with that crooked smile of his. Dressed in cargo shorts, a T-shirt and flip-flops, he looked like he was ready to go to the beach instead of house hunting.
Bonnie stepped aside to usher him in. Aaron Cole on her front porch would definitely raise some eyebrows, and word would get back to Lauren or their father. As much as she feared what a bad idea this was, her father needed the work.
“I took the liberty of pulling up a few listings for you to review,” she said as she led him back to the kitchen.
“Morning, Aaron,” her dad said, lifting his coffee cup in greeting. “Doughnut? I bought enough for everyone.”
“Good morning, Mr. Windsor. I’d love a doughnut.” Aaron took a seat at the kitchen table and lifted the doughnut box lid, perusing his options.
“I thought I made it clear that you’re to call me David.”
“Right. Old habit. Harder to break than I thought.” He took the chocolate long john. “Thank you for the doughnut, David.”
“So, like I said, I pulled a couple listings for you to review.” Bonnie grabbed the listing sheets off the table. “I wasn’t sure how big you wanted to go with your first flip, so I have them sorted into three levels. First would be the houses that need some cosmetic work, maybe a bathroom update. Second would be houses that need a bit more love. Kitchens are outdated, major cosmetic changes are needed, like this one.” She handed him the listing on Mulberry Road. “All the flooring will have to go, and there’s wallpaper in almost every room.”
“What’s level three?” Aaron asked, looking over the listing.
“Total gut. Probably not the place you want to start for your first flip. Much more risk involved.”
Aaron set down the Mulberry listing. “I want to look at those. Why not go big with our first flip? More opportunity for me to learn.”
“More opportunity for you to lose money. You could end up having to put more into it than you can get out,” Bonnie argued.
“Sure, but if we start small, I only learn to do whatever we’re working on. I’d have to flip ten houses to do it all. You and your dad have only agreed to help me with one. Why not buy a house that needs a little bit of everything? If it doesn’t make a profit, at least I will have gained the experience needed to do the next one.”
“The boy’s got a valid point there,” her dad chimed in.
Of course, money was no object for a Cole. To Aaron, this was playtime. A break from his real job. A new worry blossomed in the pit of her stomach. What if after flipping one house, he decided to go back to his job at Cole Industries? She had been the one to agree to only work on one house, but she knew her dad was hoping for consistent work. Where would that leave her dad if Aaron decided flipping houses wasn’t for him? Suddenly, she wasn’t sure which way to push. Something too easy might bore him to death and he’d lose interest. Something too hard could overwhelm him and cause him to throw in the towel as well.
“Come on, Bonnie. I’m up for a challenge, and I’ve got your dad here to guide me through it all. I couldn’t ask for a better teacher.”
Her father chuckled. “Give the man the level-three listing, Bon Bon. It’s his money and I get paid by the hour, not by the house.”
Aaron smirked up at her. Thick eyelashes framed his brown eyes. “Level three, please.”
With a sigh, Bonnie pulled out the listing on Greenbriar. It was a foreclosure. The bank wasn’t going to negotiate. Not that the price mattered to Aaron. “Can we at least look at a couple of the level-two houses? Maybe my dad will notice there’s more to be done than I did by looking at pictures online.”
Aaron scanned the listing sheet before glancing back up at Bonnie. “We can look at whatever you want to look at, Bon Bon.”
“Please don’t call me that,” she snapped.
“But it’s so cute. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it.”
“I’ve been calling her that since the day she was born,” her dad chimed in. “It is pretty cute, isn’t it?”
“Makes me think about chocolate,” Aaron said, taking a bite of his chocolate long john.
“I love chocolate bonbons,” her dad mused aloud.
“Can you two stop?” Bonnie begged. “Seriously, I thought we were going to be professional.”
Her dad set down his coffee. “You want professional? I can be professional. Right after I drop the kids off at the pool.” He stood up, grabbing the newspaper before heading for the bathroom. Bonnie covered her face with her hands. She should have been used to it by now. The man had been embarrassing her this way her entire life.
Aaron almost did a spit take. “Oh my gosh, I love your father.”
Bonnie sat next to him and broke off a piece of blueberry doughnut. “He has no filter sometimes.”
“My father’s filter is so strong, sometimes we sit in the same room for hours and he doesn’t say a single word. I would much prefer to be around someone like your dad over mine.”
Mr. Cole wasn’t exactly the warm-and-fuzzy type. Bonnie had been over at the Cole house enough to know that. He showed his affection for Lauren by spending his money on her, but she could never tell him her problems or go to him for advice like Bonnie could with her dad. David might have said things that made Bonnie cringe, but her dad was always there to give emotional support whenever she needed him.
“Speaking of your father,
