Page 38 of Fall Over You

“Like me? Could I stay at your guest house?” Her eyes are bright, and gosh, I could never say no to her if I tried.

“Maybe once we get it all fixed up,” I say.

Tyler looks like he could vomit. I’m sure this is all a lot to process. Frankly, I don’t know how I’m so calm. A man who was closed off to me for years is suddenly . . . about to be my husband? Maybe?

“Okay,” I say, sliding the key into the lock. “Drumroll, please.”

I lean into the door as it swings into the house, which is currently stripped to the studs. The smell of fresh cut wood is in the air from where I started the floor repair, but ran out of money and time to finish. Most of the brand new floor is down, though. Tyler doesn’t say anything, stepping over the threshold.

“Ellie, let me carry you.”

Tyler hauls his daughter into his arms, but doesn’t pay her much mind after he kisses the side of her head. He walks from room to room, running his free hand over the framework.

“Kitchen?” he asks when he wanders into the area with the most plumbing hookups. “And living room?”

“No, this is a bedroom. Living room’s over there with the big window.”

“Oh.” He walks into the space and looks out the window, its view showing the woods behind the house. Autumn’s colors are starting to fill in and Tyler shakes his head. “Yeah. Wow. I see why you’d want to renovate this. How much, you think?”

“If I paid someone to do the work? A hundred grand, easy.”

“And if we can do it?” His toe points my way as he looks over at me.

We. It seems almost inconceivable to think Tyler and I could be a “we” after all the hard feelings between us.

“More like thirty grand.”

Tyler whistles and shakes his head. “We’d be stupid not to.”

“It’ll take a while, though. Without a full crew, we’ll be slow. Every day that goes by without a renter is a day it’s not making money.”

“I’m a night owl,” Tyler says.

“Me too.”

“We can’t both be out here. Somebody’d have to be at the house with Ellie.”

“What house?” Ellie asks.

“I’ll tell you in a minute, shug. Let me work on this with Miss Becca.”

“We could do the kitchen first, eat dinner out here, and work until her bedtime,” I suggest.

Tyler nods slowly, eyes scanning the area. “You’re right. We gotta get this thing off the ground. Only $30k, huh? How long until we make it back?”

He’s already thinking to making the investment pay off, which is a good sign and makes it all more real. He’s actually considering this, and if I have any reservations, I best just shut them down now. I’ve been here hoping for help, and help is coming along in the most unexpected package possible.

“With this investment and some key investments to the festivals, I could bring in more quick cash.” I pause, embarrassed to admit the next part. Several things in my house need repairs, particularly the hole in my bedroom ceiling. The time the house went unoccupied really took a toll and while it’s livable, it’s not something I’d willingly show guests. “And there are a few things at the house that need fixing sooner or later. But getting this thing profitable will help bring in the cash for house repairs.”

“Okay, round up to $50k then. Leave room for problems.”

“Alright,” I say. “But again, the cottage is the priority. How much do you need?”

He chews on the corner of his lips. “I need the first year’s salary for a new mechanic. Just in case it takes a while to get off the ground.”

“Sure,” I say. “So fifty and fifty.”

He grimaces. “And the back bills for parts dealers.”