Page 12 of Hearts on the Mend

Ruth never wore lipstick in her life, doesn’t even have her ears pierced. Is she seriously living her best life on a sandy beach, sipping piña coladas, while I’m stuck dealing with this house of horrors?

“There,” I say simply. “Hi.”

“I should have flown back for this.”

“And leave the warm weather?” Mr. Murphy asks. “How are you, Ruth?” It’s then I notice his thick accent and the lack of r’s.

“I’m old, Richie, but hanging in there. Has Cassie shown you around yet? Nolan there?”

He doesn’t confirm, and I don’t look up to check if he heard. Instead, Mr. Murphy answers for us. “Gotta be honest, Ruthie. This is a much bigger job than ripping out some carpet and painting.”

“I’d sell as is, but I want Cassie to get as much as she can for it.”

I don’t feel like unpacking my whole life story, especially in front of Ruby. So I jump in. “Right, well, this is the living room. Follow me, and I’ll take you to the kitchen. That’ll need a lot of work to update. And then there’s the furnace.”

“What’s wrong with the furnace?” Ruth asks.

“Heat’s on, but the house won’t warm up,” I answer.

“Need to seal up some of the older windows, honey, and use the woodstove in the kitchen. That helps heat the first floor well.”

“Need the chimney inspected first,” Nolan cuts in. “To avoid fire risk since it hasn’t been used in a while.”

That voice of his wraps around me, rich and rough. I just know that when I can’t sleep later, I’ll be hearing its echo in my mind, stuck with flashbacks of that night. I’ve missed it. But it won’t do any good for me to show just how much he’s getting under my skin right now.

“Anyway,” I continue. “Here’s the kitchen. What do you want to show them specifically, Ruth?”

“Oh, no bother. I just need to know if they’ll help. I’ll cut you a check for repairs and all the materials. You only need to supervise, Cassie. Nolan is responsible and honest and a hard worker.”

“Except this isn’t my specialty,” he pipes up, carefully examining the electrical box on the wall by the old stove.

“Well, no offense,” I start, “maybe there’s a construction company we can get an estimate from if you’re not comfortable with handling the work.”

“None taken.” He clears his throat, then peeks into the empty room off the kitchen. The black glass doorknob rattles in his hand. “This is a big job, Ruth,” he says over his shoulder. “And I’m not staying in town much longer.”

Richie motions for the phone, and I hand it over, carefully studying Ruby as she pokes along behind Nolan, her hands tucked behind her back, clutching Noodles tight.

“We can talk more later, Ruthie, but I think it’s a big ask.”

“Of me, or Nolan?” she asks.

Nolan grumbles under his breath in the hallway. “Right here, Dad.”

“My dad doesn’t live with us anymore,” Ruby pipes up.

Nolan’s massive shoulders tense, and I swear the musty air in the house is squeezed out.

“Nolan lives—” his dad starts.

Nolan plucks the phone out of his father’s hand. “Ruth, thanks for considering me. I’m sure Dad had good intentions when the two of you spoke, but I can’t do this right now.”

“I don’t expect you to rebuild the house. Only help shine it up a bit. Patch up all the cracks, take down the wallpaper, and give the rooms a fresh coat of paint.”

“That’s not doing the job correctly,” he counters. “I see a lot⁠—”

Richie jabs his elbow into his son, who towers over him. “Always followed the rules, this one.”

I wrap my arms around my middle, wishing for all of this to be over. It’s bad enough he’s here, in my house, but he’s back in town too? For how long?