His Best Friend’s Sister

by Eve Gaddy

  It didn’t take long for him to know this wasn’t the house. “I’ll be honest. This house is boring. Everything is neutral except the carpet, which is hideous.” Brown carpet. Not beige, not a pretty brown, but blah, yucky brown that had a number of stains on it. “And I don’t know why they took a chunk of carpet out of one of the bedrooms and then did a really crappy job of replacing it.”

  “I wondered about that too. Still, keep in mind that paint and carpet are easy to change. You’d be surprised at the difference that can make.”

  “If you say so.”

  The next two houses were in the same neighborhood and similar to the first property, though not quite as boring. Zack began to think the kind of house he wanted didn’t exist.

  “We have a number of properties to see tomorrow,” Megan said. “I’m hopeful you’ll find something you like.”

  “Me too,” Zack said. But he wouldn’t bet the ranch on it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “This is it,” Zack told Megan. It was only the second house they’d seen that morning but he knew the perfect house when he saw it. Perfect, except it needed work. A lot of work to make it like he wanted it. Not as much to make it habitable. At least, that’s what he thought. “I’d like to bring Harlan Sullivan over to check it out before I make an offer.”

  “All right. Since the house is unoccupied we can do that whenever you want.”

  “Let me call Harlan.” Zack called Harlan’s cell and he answered on the first ring.

  “Sullivan.”

  “Harlan, it’s Zack. I need a favor.”

  “Okay, what is it?”

  “I want to make an offer on a house, but it needs a good bit of work. Would you mind looking at it and seeing if you think it would be worthwhile to fix up?”

  “Sure. I’ve got some free time now. Can we do it soon?”

  “Is now okay for Harlan to come over?” he asked Megan.

  “Yes. Do you want me to cancel the other appointments or do you still want to see them?”

  “That depends on what Harlan says. Let’s hold off on that for a little while.” He told Harlan the address and ended the call.

  The house was an older one, on the street behind the big mansions, Levi’s being one of them. By no means a mansion, it was a large two-story clapboard house with a wraparound porch, six bedrooms and several other rooms. Four bedrooms upstairs, the master and one other on the first floor, as well as a room that Zack thought would be perfect for Laurel’s office. The kitchen was large, open and had a picture window looking out into the backyard. It had been unoccupied for years since its elderly owner had died and her heirs had put it on the market.

  The asking price was already low but Megan thought he could offer even less, since it had not only sat unmoving for years but also needed work. A lot of work. Even Zack could see it needed new paint, carpet and floors, but he didn’t know if it would need any structural changes. As for the yard, best not to even think about that.

  Harlan arrived shortly and after greeting Zack and Megan, said, “I wondered if anyone would ever want to buy this place.”

  “You’re familiar with it?” Zack asked.

  “I haven’t been inside but I’ve always thought it was a shame that it had been left to fall apart. I really like the exterior.”

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” Megan said.

  Harlan didn’t say much as they walked through the house, and Zack was too nervous to ask anything. He realized he really wanted this house. Not another house, but this one that they could restore and make their own. Imagine, him with a wife, kids, maybe even a dog. Every family needed a dog. A year ago he’d never have thought of himself as that traditional. But a year ago Laurel hadn’t even been a possibility, much less involved with him and pregnant with his babies.

  “Zack?”

  “Sorry, did you say something?”

  “Does Laurel know you’re looking at houses?” Harlan asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Are you going to tell her?”

  “Of course. I have to if I want her to move in with me.”

  “Do you think she’ll go for that?”

  “I don’t know. I hope so.”

  Harlan simply nodded. “Well, structurally the house is in surprisingly good shape. I think most of what you’d want to do is cosmetic. Obviously, I can’t tell about the electrical system or the plumbing without a closer examination. I have numbers for people who can check that out for you.”

  Him, deal with all that kind of crap? Oh, hell no. “Would you consider being the contractor for this? You’re already doing the airport and you’ve saved us a lot of aggravation.”

  Harlan laughed. “Sure. Especially considering you’re trying to get my sister and her kids to move in here with you. This will be a much better place for them to live.”

  “Great.” They shook hands. “I’ll have Megan put in the offer today.”

  “When are you going to show it to Laurel?”

  “After they accept my offer.”

  Harlan’s eyebrows rose. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “I’m not sure of anything with Laurel. But whether she likes it or not, she’s going to need help and I want to be with her and the kids. All the kids. So I need a house.”

  “Can’t argue that.”

  Zack shrugged. “I want her to be involved with the remodeling. But even if she won’t, I’m going ahead with it.”

  *

  Laurel had no idea what Zack was up to but she knew he was up to something. He’d been acting a little oddly the last week or so, but she couldn’t put her finger on what was wrong. Or maybe it was something good. Whichever it was, on Saturday Travis and Tobi had taken the kids to the park and to lunch afterward and Zack had said he had a surprise for her.

  Then he blindfolded her—a blindfold, for God’s sake—and drove her to some mysterious place. He helped her out of the car, still blindfolded, walked a few steps with her and told her to take off the blindfold.

  They stood in front of a house. The old Schaefer house, to be exact. The place had been empty and falling apart for years. There was a Sold sign on top of the For Sale sign in the front yard. Oh, no. He didn’t. He couldn’t have…

  Zack was looking at her anxiously. “What do you think?”

  What do I think? I’ve always loved this house. I hated to see it so neglected. “Why are we looking at this house?”

  “Because I bought it. It needs work, of course, but the price was great. I want you and Cody and Katrina to move in here with me. After we do some work on it, of course.”

  Some work? Try a ton of work. “Zack, I told you I’d think about marrying you but—”

  “I know you’re not ready for marriage yet,” he interrupted. “But that’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking you to move in with me. Here, in this house. Let me show you around before you answer me.”

  She ought to just say no and be done with it. But Zack was so obviously excited and happy that she couldn’t bear to disappoint him. And to be honest, she was dying to see the inside.

  “Harlan looked at it before I made an offer,” Zack said as they climbed the front steps. “He says the structure is sound and what needs to be done is mostly cosmetic. He also said the wood floors will be beautiful once they’re refinished and he talked about the crown molding.” Zack laughed. “Not being a builder, I hadn’t noticed a lot of the things Harlan talked about. I just knew I liked it. Oh, and Harlan also agreed to do the remodeling.”

  Of course he did. That was no surprise. Harlan and Travis both had been after her to move to better housing since the moment she’d moved into the Texan, shortly after Stan left and she discovered she was flat broke.

  Her heart sank as she and Zack walked through the place. Yes, it needed work. But she saw as much promise in the old house as Zack did. The rooms were big, unusually large for a house of its era. Upstairs there were four bedrooms and two baths. Or three bedrooms and a playroom or office,
whichever was necessary.

  The master bedroom was downstairs and quite large. There was a sitting area by a window looking out into the backyard. There was a wood floor that had been carpeted over but thankfully the old carpet had been removed. The bedroom had the same crown molding Harlan had spoken of to Zack.

  The master bathroom had been updated in the not terribly distant past, with the installation of a shower and some grab bars. There was also an antique claw-foot tub. It needed to be refinished badly but Laurel could see it as it once was, with the interior gleaming white and the exterior painted a robin’s-egg blue. Or maybe it should be painted a pale yellow—

  “We can get rid of that tub and get a new one,” Zack said.

  She stared at him. “Are you insane? That tub is gorgeous. Well, it will be once it’s refinished and painted.”

  Zack grinned. “Whatever you say, dear.”

  The kitchen was an old, spacious country kitchen. Like almost everything else in the house, it needed updating badly but Laurel knew it would be beautiful once it was given the attention it deserved.

  They went outside to the big wraparound porch. “Watch your step,” Zack said, holding on to her. “Some of the wood has rotted away.”

  Looking at the front yard, Zack sighed. “We’d probably need to plow under the yard, except for some of the trees.”

  “Not all of it. Just the part that’s supposed to be grass. The flower beds have roses and wisteria and who knows what else is hidden beneath the weeds.”

  “What do you think?” Zack asked again. “Can you see yourself and the kids living here?”

  Oh, God, it would be wonderful.

  “I see why you chose this house. It has so much potential. I’m sure the kids and I would love it.”

  “I sense a but coming.”

  “I can’t do it, Zack. It would be a commitment I’m not ready to make.”

  “Damn it, Laurel, I’m not asking you to marry me.”

  “I know. But living together is a huge step. Almost as big as marriage.” Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them away rapidly. “I can’t.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Zack wanted to yell. Or pull his hair out. But damn it, she’d started to cry. He would never understand Laurel. Why the hell was she so commitment-shy? What had her bastard ex done to her?

  “Come on, I’ll take you home.” He started down the sidewalk to the car.

  “I’m sorry,” Laurel said, trailing behind him. “I don’t blame you for being angry.”

  “I’m not angry.” Yeah, of course he was angry. Angry, frustrated, hurt. Damn right he was angry.

  On the drive home Laurel started to talk, explaining, or rather, not explaining, why she couldn’t move in with him. Finally, he’d had enough. “Stop. Stop explaining. Stop making excuses. I asked you to move in with me. You said no. Period. So can we just drop the fucking subject?”

  She stopped talking immediately and stared out the passenger-side window until they reached her apartment. Zack walked Laurel to her apartment, waited until she unlocked her door and stepped inside. “I’ll see you later. I’ve got some work I need to do at the airport.”

  “Do you really?”

  Hands in his jeans pockets, he simply shrugged.

  “Can you stay a minute? We need to talk.”

  “No we don’t. What else is there to say?”

  “Please, Zack. Come in and talk to me.”

  “Fine.” He walked inside but didn’t take a seat. He didn’t intend to stay long.

  “I don’t want you to think that I don’t appreciate—”

  He ground his teeth. “Stop, damn it. I don’t want your gratitude. Or appreciation or whatever you want to call it.” Pausing, he took a few steps away and turned back to her. “Have you actually thought about what you’re going to do when you have the babies? Never mind the pregnancy, which is a whole ’nuther subject. Do you think you’ll be able to take care of Cody, Katrina, and newborn twins, and work two jobs? All without any help?”

  “That’s beside the point.”

  “No, it is the point.”

  “You feel obligated—”

  “Damn it, Laurel, how many times do I have to tell you I’m in love with you before you believe me? It has absolutely nothing to do with obligation.”

  “Don’t you yell at me, Zack Bannister,” she snapped, finally losing her cool.

  “I wouldn’t need to yell at you if you weren’t being incredibly stubborn and deliberately obtuse.” Now he’d pissed her off. Good. He was pissed too.

  “Obtuse?” she yelled. “So now I’m stupid because I won’t fall in with your plans?”

  “I didn’t say you were stupid. I said you were being deliberately obtuse, meaning you’re trying very hard to pretend like you can do everything alone and you have to know you can’t.”

  “I don’t know any such thing.”

  He gave her a sardonic look.

  “I need time to think about things. About moving in with you, and other…stuff. You need to give me some space.”

  “Meaning what? Zack, go away for the night and let me think about things or Zack, go away and don’t come back?”

  Laurel was struggling with her temper, just as he was. Maybe he should leave before this argument devolved into a yelling match where they both said things they didn’t mean. She didn’t answer him, but her expression said you can go to hell.

  “Whatever,” he said. “Call me. Or don’t.” He strode to the door.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I’m giving you all the space you need,” he said, and he opened the door and walked out without another word.

  *

  For the next few weeks Zack gave Laurel plenty of space. He called. To talk to the kids. He even came over. To see the kids. But he wouldn’t talk to her beyond the bare minimum necessary for him to see Cody and Katrina. Which sucked because the kids loved him. She wasn’t going to make them unhappy by not letting them see Zack just because he was being unreasonable.

  She had plenty of time to regret her part in the fight she and Zack had. It wasn’t all her fault. After all, Zack had been ridiculous. Oversensitive. A jerk.

  But hell, so had she.

  The kids were driving her nuts. They wanted to see Zack more. They didn’t understand why he couldn’t come over every night. “Where’s Uncle Zack?” and “Why can’t Uncle Zack come over tonight?” and “We want Uncle Zack to read us a story/help us with homework/play a game with us.” She was running out of excuses, so after a week of their whining, she finally told them the truth. Or as much of it as she thought they could handle.

  After work one day she sat them down on the couch and said, “I want to talk to you about Uncle Zack.”

  “Yay! Is he coming over?” Both children were looking at her hopefully.

  “Not today. Zack and I aren’t going to see each other for a while.”

  Both kids looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language. “Why?” Cody asked.

  “Sometimes grown-ups have misunderstandings, and they need time to think about things. So he can’t come over every night like he did before.”

  “What’s a mis-in-stooding?” Katrina asked.

  “It’s when you get mad at somebody,” Cody told her. “Why are you mad at Uncle Zack, Mommy?”

  “I’m not mad. Exactly. We’re just… I’m… I need…” she floundered, wishing she’d never started this conversation.

  “Is Uncle Zack mad at you?” her far-too-observant son asked.

  Laurel gave up. “Yes. A little.”

  “But you aren’t ’zactly mad at him?”

  “I’m…yes, I guess I am a little mad at him too.”

  “So if you’re just a little mad why can’t you ’pologize to each other? And then Uncle Zack can come over all the time, like he did before,” Cody said with unerring logic.

  Katrina had been silent through that conversation but she spoke up now. “I want Uncle Zack to be my d
addy. I love him,” Katrina announced.

  “Me too,” Cody said. “And Uncle Zack loves us.”

  Wonderful. He loved her kids. Her children loved him. And damn it, so did she. But even though she loved him, she wasn’t ready to marry him. And moving in with him was almost the same.

  But that house he’d bought…it could be her dream house. Why did the man have to pick a house that she loved? How was she supposed to turn down the answer to her dreams?

  You managed to do that quite well. And for what seems to him to be no good reason.

  Oh, shut up.

  She should call him. ’Pologize to him, she thought with a smile. It wasn’t fair to her children to make it hard on them to see someone they loved. Zack was going to be in their lives. She owed it to all of them to try to mend fences with him.

  Mend fences, ha! You miss him like crazy.

  She fed the kids dinner but didn’t eat much herself because she felt a little nauseated. That wasn’t unusual for her at this stage of pregnancy. After bathing the kids and getting them ready for bed she read to them and ignored their comments about “that’s not how Uncle Zack reads it.”

  Finally, the kids were taken care of and she needed to do some work for the airport. But she was tired and nauseated and couldn’t face the idea of work, so she lay down on the couch and turned on the TV, resolving to get up early and work.

  An hour later Katrina came in. “Mommy, I don’t feel good.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked groggily, having fallen asleep almost immediately after she lay down.

  In answer Katrina threw up. In Laurel’s lap. Half an hour later she’d changed into her pajamas and gotten Katrina back to bed with a trash can sitting beside her in case she didn’t make it to the bathroom. Generally, Laurel had a cast-iron stomach but not tonight. Maybe it was the pregnancy, but she’d barely avoided being sick herself. She crawled in bed, hoping Katrina was over the worst of it, but knowing that wasn’t likely.

  So when Cody woke her up later, she wasn’t surprised. “Is your sister okay?”