“A B and B, I love it! And it totally makes sense if you host weddings on the property.”
“Exactly. And if we bumped out the back wall for an extended kitchen, we could put living space for us above. That would leave the five bedrooms in the old part of the house for guests.”
Her enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself brimming with new energy. “Yes! Oh, Georgia, that’s perfect. Just imagine decorating that place—it could be so beautiful.”
“I know!” Her eyes lit up. “Antique beds, a big old table in the dining room, vintage dishes and silver pieces…” Then she sighed. “But that takes money. And we haven’t got it.”
“What about selling your current house?” I asked.
Georgia shook her head. “We couldn’t. It’s been in the family too long. Plus it’s mortgaged with the farm, which is owned equally by Pete, Brad, and Jack. Any money we got for it would technically have to be split between the three of them.”
“Would Jack move into it if you left?” I wondered where he was working this morning and if he was thinking about last night as much as I was. “Maybe he’d buy you out.”
“I don’t think so. He doesn’t have the cash, and he loves that damn cabin.”
“You’d think he might want to leave, though, given the chance. Aren’t the memories kind of painful there?” As soon as I said it, I realized that it wouldn’t matter—staying in that cabin was one of the ways he prevented himself from letting go of his past.
“Yeah.” She sighed as we reached the path leading to their front porch. The others had gone inside already. “He baffles me sometimes, you know? The way he refuses to move on? He chooses to be unhappy, and I don’t know why.”
I dropped my eyes to the ground. I knew why, but Jack trusted me with his feelings. I couldn’t betray him.
“I mean, Steph’s clothes are still in the closet.”
I gasped and met her eyes again. That was a detail he hadn’t mentioned. “Wow.”
She shook her head. “I’ve offered to get rid of them so many times, but he won’t let anyone touch them.”
“God, it’s so sad.” My hand covered my heart. “How can he live like that?”
“He says that’s how he wants it. And whenever any of us try to help, he lashes out.”
“He does do that,” I agreed, remembering how he’d snapped at me yesterday at the market. “But it’s hard not to try, because once you get to know him, you see how sad he is. And you want to help.”
Georgia looked at me for a moment. “I will say this. He’s been different since you’ve been here. Better.”
“Me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. You guys were like two googly-eyed teenagers when you got back last night. Let’s not pretend there’s nothing there.”
“What could be there?” I tried for innocent, but it came out more coy than anything.
Georgia laughed. “I don’t know exactly what it is you’re doing, but he’s never called my smile magic. I haven’t seen him that way in years. It’s a shame you live so far away.”
“Yeah.” Frowning, I played with the braid trailing over one shoulder. “But I don’t know if it would make a difference anyway. I mean, does he ever date?”
“Never,” she admitted.
“And he told me the other night he’ll never get married again. Doesn’t want a family.”
“Yeah, that’s what he says to us too, any time we suggest he try getting out there again. It’s sad, because he’d make such a great father. And he’s still young.”
Exhaling, I dropped my hands to my sides. Tried to cover up my disappointment with a lie. “Oh, well. I don’t think I’m his type anyway, and he’s not really mine.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said airily. “I think you two could be good together. And sometimes opposites attract, right? Maybe you can change his mind.”
I smiled. Opposites attracted, sure, but attraction wasn’t our problem. We had all kinds of that. Our problem was that the attraction was getting stronger. It was bringing us closer. It was making me feel things with my heart and not just with my body.
But he wasn’t interested in my heart.
Georgia and I chatted a little more about the branding and social media strategies I’d outlined for them, and I was happy to hear they’d contacted a web designer and had filled out her project questionnaire. Again she asked me to please send her a bill for my time, but I politely refused. “You’re going to need every extra dollar to buy that house,” I told her. “Consider it my donation.”
She hugged me and went inside to discuss things with Pete and Brad. Presumably Jack would be in on the discussion eventually, but he hadn’t come to see the house. I hoped he’d be reasonable on the subject of buying it.