And after twenty years, she was mature enough to know that being with him, even without getting the answers she wanted, was better than being without him. Plus, he was going to help her around Gloriana House, which was already a huge concession.
While he worked, Evie spent time with Granddaddy and Judah, playing an endless game of gin rummy with one and taking the other for slow walks to the grass.
It was nearly four when she walked Judah downstairs, grabbed a few bottles of water, and guided the dog to the garage building on the west side of the property, following the sound of an electric sander.
Outside the separate garage, which, in her lifetime, had never actually housed a car, but certainly had a century’s worth of tools and random garden equipment, Judah started sniffing and exploring some shrubs. Evie squinted into the building toward the workbench, catching sight of Declan in some afternoon light streaming through a window, his slightly damp T-shirt stretched over rock-solid muscles as he gripped the tool to shave a window frame.
It’s gonna be hard to be just friends.
And imagine how complicated making a baby would be.
But what they had made was progress. From frozen to friends, and she liked that. She also liked how delicious he looked in a tight, sweaty T-shirt. Ripped. Solid. So damn masculine and easy on the eyes.
Her handyman.
When he’d mentioned that, her mind had slipped back twenty years to a cool Carolina mountain morning when a boy made…promises.
I’ll be your handyman…chauffeur…lover…husband.
She couldn’t remember the exact words he’d written on some random note card all those years ago, but she remembered the sentiment behind them. Sometimes, on her darkest nights, she’d dredge up that feeling of the last truly happy time they had together, less than an hour before their worlds and friendship imploded.
Yes, his father died, so it seemed fair to not hold him to promises he made when he was young and trying to get her back into his sleeping bag. But the fact was, Declan, for all his goodness and strength and loyalty and love, broke that promise so fast, her head spun just thinking about it. And he never even tried to fix it…yet.
“I bring water and a dog,” she called when the electrical hum stopped, coming closer to offer a bottle of water. “Thirsty?”
Putting the sander down, he pushed the plastic goggles he wore up over his hair, sliding into a grateful smile. “Parched. Thanks.”
He took the bottle and offered a casual toast, glancing past her to see Judah, snout-down in some bushes. “Look who’s been sprung.”
He took a sip and walked to Judah, crouching down to pet him. “How ya feelin’, big guy?” Judah looked up at him, slightly interested, then returned to whatever smelled better on the ground.
At the workbench, Evie checked out his progress. “How’s it going with the sixty-year-old window sashes?”
“Truth? Honey, you need entirely new windows in this place.” After petting Judah some more, he rose and came to stand next to her. “This is a Band-Aid that will allow them to open and close again. Not sure how great the insulation will be this winter, or what one decent storm could do.”
“All new windows?” She curled her lip. How much did she want to invest in making her family home beautiful when it wasn’t…hers? Maybe she should let the wealthy new homeowner worry about that.
“It would cost a fortune if you wanted to match these,” he said as if he could read her mind. “I think you’d need a real historic home specialist to do the job,” he said after swallowing a deep gulp of his water. “Speaking of historic homes, do you ever get used to the tourists gawking and taking pictures?” He gestured toward the street. “I’ve seen half a dozen today.”
“As long as they don’t bother me, I take it as a compliment for the house my ancestors built.”
He peered past her to the side of the house. “It needs work, but there’s no denying this house is a stunner.”
For some reason, hearing him say anything good about Gloriana House made her heart happy. “I’m so grateful for what you’re doing,” she said and wondered if he knew she meant so much more than helping with repairs. Being here, caring about this house, helping her…it meant the world.
“Then we’re even.” He pointed his head toward Judah. “He’s so much calmer than he was at the station. You’re like magic with animals, you know that?”
“He’s a simple creature, to be fair. He’s got a person and painkillers. Oh, I spoke to Dr. Rafferty,” she added. “They’re going to have a staff for me on Saturday, including an anesthesiologist and two nurses. They’re even letting me bring Molly into the OR. In fact, she’s on her way over now.”
“Molly is?”
“She has to do one more physical on Judah and sign an online form for approval to be in the OR.” At the sound of a car pulling into the long drive, she turned, seeing that old van that had been at Waterford. “Is that what Molly drives? I could swear that’s the same dog van your aunt Annie used to drive.”
He chuckled. “It is the same one. And not merely the make and model—it’s the very same vehicle.”
“Wow, it’s in good shape.”
“Molly never told you the story of how Trace found it and refurbished it? Ask her. And ask her why.”
“I will—”
“But not when Pru’s around, because she hates the story.” He led her out of the garage into the sunlight as the doors of the van opened, and more than just Molly climbed out. “And speaking of Prudence, there she is.”
A lanky teenage girl slipped out of the van, followed by Gramma Finnie and Yiayia. Then Molly reached into the
