Bonnie wasn’t moving from her place in front of the pull-down attic stairs. “Dad, you have a concussion.”
He rolled his eyes as if he was the child in this relationship. “Let me do my job. Move. Now.” He may have looked childish, but he sounded very parental.
“He’ll be fine. What could happen up there?” Aaron asked.
He could fall through the ceiling, there could be a rabid raccoon hiding up there, maybe he’d trip and hit his head. The possibilities were endless. This job was a magnet for trouble.
“Nothing bad is going to happen. I’m going to inspect things and come back down. That’s what’s going to happen.” Her dad wrapped his arms around Bonnie, picked her up and moved her out of his way.
“Dad! Stop. I was going to move.”
“Next time, do it when I tell you to.” Up he went.
Aaron covered his mouth to hide a grin. It wasn’t funny. The corner of her mouth curled up, but she fought a full-blown smile. Okay, it was a little funny.
“You look pretty today,” Aaron said while they waited in the hallway by the bedrooms.
Bonnie fidgeted and tugged on the pale pink blouse she had put on today. She purposely didn’t dress to work today, because she was clearly not cut out for construction. “Thanks.”
“You should wear pink more often. It complements your complexion.”
“My complexion?” This time she smiled without restraint.
He ducked his head, his cheeks pink like her shirt. He gripped the back of his neck with his hand. “I don’t know. I’ve heard my mom say that before. It looks good on you, that’s all I’m trying to say.”
She could feel her forehead crease. Since when did Aaron Cole get so easily flustered? The Aaron she knew was full of confidence. There was no way she could throw him off his usual game.
“You assured me there weren’t going to be any more accidents on this job. You better make good on that promise.”
“I’ll make sure. We aren’t doing anything dangerous today and you’re not going to be wielding any sledgehammers, so I think we’re in the clear.”
She put a hand on her hip and tipped her head to the side. “Really? You’re going to go there with me?”
His laughter caused her stomach to do a little flip, and the way he looked at her sometimes made her wonder if he saw someone different than she did when she stared into a mirror. Someone more.
“If the butterfingers fit,” he said with a shrug.
“Oh, really?” She was smiling so much her face hurt.
“Really.” His swagger was back, and it was even more attractive than his adorable sheepishness.
“You two done flirting? I could use some help in here,” Sasha said, coming out of the master bedroom.
“We aren’t—” Bonnie started to say.
“Coming,” Aaron said, slipping past her to help Sasha.
Flirting? Bonnie was not flirting with Aaron. Aaron was like a brother, and he thought of her as an annoying little sister. He dated people like Caroline Gilbert, Miss Blue Springs 2012, or Sylvie Washington, who modeled part-time and ran her own cosmetic company. He’d never been interested in women like Bonnie.
Her dad’s feet appeared as he climbed down the ladder. She came over to hold it steady for him even though it was attached to the ceiling.
“Where’s Aaron?”
“Helping Sasha.”
“What’s the good word?” Aaron asked, coming out of the bedroom.
“Well, the only good news is that the attic does extend over the living room, so it is possible to take down the ceiling and really open up that room.”
“Yes!” Aaron fist pumped. “It’s going to look amazing. Wood beams, maybe a couple skylights. It will sell the house.”
“The not-good news is that it looks like that roof is a problem. There was leaking at some point. I can see the water damage on the attic ceiling. I’m surprised we couldn’t see water damage in the living room. I fear you need a new roof.”
“How much is that going to cost?”
“Around four thousand. The other problem is you might have asbestos wrapped around some pipes up there. I can’t say for sure, but you need to get someone in here to check it out. If it is asbestos, removing it is going to be costly.”
Aaron’s face fell. “How costly?”
“I can’t say for sure, but I’d estimate it around seven, maybe eight thousand.”
Bonnie felt that in her chest. Twelve grand was a lot of money. Of course, Aaron had plenty to go around.
“We have to take care of it no matter what, right?” Aaron asked.
“You have to take care of it no matter what.”
With his lips pressed tight, he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Well, there goes more of our profits.”
“Disappointing, I know,” her dad said. “But it’s a good thing we checked up there and found it. I’ll call around and find someone to remove it.”
Her dad picked up his tool belt and walked back out to the living room. Aaron leaned against the doorjamb. “You warned me,” he said to Bonnie.
“I warned you about what?”
“You said I might be getting in over my head with this house. You were right.”
“I love being called right, but I’m sorry I was right about this. Hopefully, this is the worst of it. Giving the living room high ceilings is going to be awesome. We can make that a huge selling point.”
“Can you get me an extra twelve thousand because of it?”
Bonnie scrunched up her face. “Probably not that much, sorry. I’ll do my best, though.”
“I know you will. I’m pretty sure if you flash that smile at someone, they’ll buy this house for top dollar.”
She appreciated his faith in her. Although she didn’t have many people wanting to buy houses from her at the moment, so they’d have to pray someone from out of town, with no knowledge of who the Coles were, came in to buy. “I will do everything in my power to make you money.”
“Well, this is still an excellent learning experience even if I only make a hundred dollars, right?”
“You are
