Fixer-Upper (Spinning Hills Romance 3)

by Ines Saint

  His nephew, Jake, and Holly’s daughter, Ella, ignored them all and peered into the box. “Puppies!” they exclaimed.

  Sam’s eyebrows went up.

  “Puppies? As in plural?” Dan walked over.

  The cake and Johnny’s first day were forgotten, reminding him that nothing on earth could compete with cute, furry animals for attention. Everyone except Dan and Sam picked up a puppy. “They’re cute as heck, but please tell me they’re not all yours.” Dan turned to look at him.

  “Sorry. Can’t do that. I’ve adopted them all. They’re Amadors now. Say hello to your new nephews.”

  Sam didn’t look at all surprised. “They can’t all stay here for long, you know,” he said. Cassie covered her puppy’s ears and shot daggers at Sam with her eyes.

  Johnny told them how he’d ended up with five puppies, conveniently leaving out the part about working with Marissa Medina. It would only lead back to Saturday night, and he wasn’t in the mood.

  “You’re one of the smartest people I know, and yet you always seem to get yourself into these screwy situations. I can never figure out how you do it,” Holly said.

  “What are you going to do about them? You promised you’d keep them together and Sam’s right. They can’t all stay here for too long,” Dan said.

  “I know. I’ve got my eye on some property, and Cassie here’s gonna find out who owns it.”

  Cassie looked surprised. “Where, Johnny? You know the rules. You practically need a farm to house five dogs and there are no farms here.”

  “You’re leaving Spinning Hills?” Holly asked, looking equally stunned.

  “Nope.”

  Dan and Sam narrowed their eyes in thought. A moment later, both pairs of eyes widened and they looked at him in disbelief.

  “Wait . . . you can’t mean . . .” Holly looked up at Johnny.

  Cassie covered her puppy’s ears again. “That’s—that’s nefarious, Johnny, even for you,” she sputtered. “It’s wicked. Holly’s great-great-great-aunt was murdered by your great-great-great-grandfather in that house!”

  Both Ella’s and Jake’s eyes went round. “Wicked?” Ella repeated, clasping her hands together. She was obsessed with fairy tales and knew the word well. “Murdered?” Jake’s eyebrows went up, and he turned to stare at his dad.

  Holly sent Cassie a withering look. “There are children here and you cover the puppy’s ears?”

  Later, after stuffing themselves with cake and pizza, he, Dan, and Sam were standing in front of the Cursed Lover. Sam lifted a shoulder. “Hey, you know me. I’ll take on anything.”

  Dan shook his head. “But a woman was burned alive in there. By our ancestor’s hand.”

  Johnny grinned at him. “Don’t tell me you’re creeped out.”

  Dan was serious. “Hell, yeah, I’m creeped out.”

  Sam turned to Johnny. “We’ll take it on if that’s what you want, but, come on, man, at least admit it’s creepy.”

  Johnny looked around. Tall grass swayed in the breeze. Different species of trees, both huge and small, dotted the land here and there. A willow and a few birches gave shade to a winding, sparkling stream out back. Three deer stared at them, their ears perked, as if ready to bolt should the humans prove hostile.

  It was beautiful, peaceful, and serene. As he stood there, he could almost feel it welcoming him home.

  The house backed up to a preserve, it was a ten-minute walk down a picturesque road to the downtown area, and although he’d never tell his brothers, he felt as if someone in his family owed it to the house, the land, the town, and especially the murdered bride, to set the place to rights. Give it a new life and a new story. “I can see how others might think so, but look around, this place is beautiful. Don’t think about what it is. Think about what it will become.”

  Sam looked around, too. “It is nice.”

  “Really nice,” Dan grudgingly agreed. “There’s nothing else like it here.”

  The three brothers were quiet as they began walking around. They met again in the back of the house. Johnny tried the back door. “It’s open.”

  They stepped inside. The smell hit them first. It was worse than he could’ve imagined. Major water damage, mold, rodents, roaches . . .

  “Maybe you should just tear the whole thing down,” Dan suggested.

  Sam rubbed his chest. “I don’t know. That goes against the grain with me. I think the skeleton can be saved. Others must’ve done work on it after the fire and over the years to prevent further structural damage. The gingerbread trim, bargeboards, and spindle galleries outside also look good. The wraparound porch needs work, though. But us fixing it up would be kind of poetic, you know?”

  Dan and Johnny looked at him, surprised, before busting up with laughter.

  Johnny put his arm around Sam’s shoulder. “I gotta admit, I was thinking along the same lines.”

  “Never tell Ruby I said so, but I can see what you mean. Can you even buy it, though? Who owns it?” Dan asked.

  “Cassie texted me a few minutes ago.” Sam looked at them each in turn. “The county owns it. They’ve been trying to get rid of it for years. It can be Johnny’s for a little over twenty grand, and that’s only because of the five acres. But they warned that no bank will finance the home because it’s condemned.”

  “Then it’s a done deal,” Johnny declared. “Can you tell her to get started on the paperwork?”

  “Dude, the house has to be practically rebuilt. Only a hard money lender will finance it,” Dan argued. “That’s not a good idea.”

  Johnny stifled a sigh. Even his brothers kept treating him like a goof-off who didn’t think ahead. “Listen, I’ve got a little over fifty grand that I’ve saved up over the years, thinking I’d need a good down payment for a house. With that, and with the three of us doing most of the work here, we save at least another forty, and that leaves me with enough to get the house to where I want it. I know it was originally a grand, two-story painted lady, but Ruby once told me the bride wanted a Victorian cottage and so that’s what I want, too. Holly also found an article on how the bride had picked out the gingerbread trim and the bargeboards, and she designed the spindle galleries herself, so it’s great we can keep those. It’ll honor its history and cost a lot less than turning it back into a grand two-story. I’ll just have to keep the inside simple for now. That’s something I can take on little by little on my own. I’ve got a year and a half to go before I have to start paying off my student loans, and they don’t amount to nearly as much as they could’ve thanks to all the work I’ve done with you, Sam. Business is doing well, you’ve paid us back, and I’m set to rake in even more as the houses keep on selling. Everyone thinks I don’t think things through, but I do. I just let my heart lead first, but I’ve learned the hard way to make sure my head follows. I just wish everyone could see that.”

  Dan put a hand on Johnny’s shoulder. “You know what? You’re right. It actually sounds like you’ll be sitting pretty.”

  “Very pretty. This place is gonna end up looking like a cupcake on top of a dollhouse,” Sam teased.

  Dan’s eyes lit up at that. “It totally will. We can put flower boxes along the windows and get him some frilly curtains.”

  Johnny sent them both a wary look. “Good to know the idea of humiliating me is such a motivator. My point is, I’ll be fine. My salary won’t be great, but I won’t need it to be, thanks to all the work I’ve done and will do for you. I’ll have to cut back a lot, but I won’t stop. Like Dan, I enjoy it too much.”

  The three of them studied the ramshackle structure one last time. It looked like Johnny would have ninety grand to get the small house into shape, which meant that, with his brothers’ help, he could have the works.

  “By the way, Marty called to remind me we’re still on to play at Huffy’s this Friday night,” Dan said.

  Well, he and Marty had to talk sooner or later. They’d never stayed angry for long, but then again, they’d never argued over any
thing other than sports before.

  “And Mom’s been to the office twice looking for you,” Sam said.

  Johnny blew out a breath. “Crap.” He’d told his mother again and again what he wanted to do with his life, but she wouldn’t accept it. Confrontations with her were never easy, and he’d tired of this one long ago.

  “One thing at a time, man. Let’s wrap things up here first.” Dan sent Sam a look, as if to say Johnny had been through enough that weekend.

  “Sorry about that.” Sam slapped Johnny’s back good-naturedly. “It shouldn’t be too hard to close on the house in record time, what with the county owning it and practically giving it away. We could have it completely gutted and roofed in one week, and plumbed, wired, insulated, and drywalled by the end of the second. I’ll need to order custom windows and that will take a while, but we could put new doors in by then, too.”

  A breeze swept in then, and both the front and back doors slammed shut. They whipped their heads around. Both of the four paneled pine doors looked like they had once been painted to imitate oak. They were obviously solid and serviceable. “I guess the doors want to stay,” Johnny quipped.

  Sam laughed. “Let’s get back to the office. I can’t take this stink much longer, and we’d better get started on plans for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC, too. And Johnny still hasn’t told us about his first day.”

  “The puppies kinda threw us off,” Dan said. “We should probably go feed them now, too.”

  “We?” Johnny raised both eyebrows.

  Dan shrugged. “There’s five of them. You’re gonna need all the help you can get.”

  They opened the front door and walked out as Johnny said, “You don’t know the half of it,” under his breath.

  Dan stopped to give him a quizzical look. “How was your first day?”

  Johnny lengthened his stride and widened the distance between them. “Turns out I’m working with Marissa Medina,” he said as he walked to the pickup. “It also turns out she’s the girl.”

  Johnny didn’t need to look back to know his brothers had stopped in their tracks.

  “You work with Marissa? And she’s the girl? Jeez, Johnny, it’s like the perfect shit storm,” Dan said after a long moment. He always did have a way with words.

  “You do know she’s going out with Brian Golden, right?” Sam, always the master of practical matters, asked next.

  “I know. They got engaged over the weekend.”

  Dan blew out a breath. “It just gets better and better,” he muttered.

  Though he hadn’t gotten into the details, telling his brothers made him feel as if a load had been lifted off his shoulders. Being with his brothers had been the only thing that made him feel whole throughout his life. They got him. But they had their own full lives now, and they were busier than ever.

  Marissa parked in her parents’ driveway. Her mom and dad were sitting in the lush garden in front of their stuccoed, red-tiled, two-story Mediterranean Revival. Built in 1947, it was the last house built in town and one of only twelve Mediterranean-style houses.

  “How was your day?” Her mom jogged up to her the moment she got out of the car. “Are you staying? You said you were staying. Where’s your clothes? You brought your cat this morning, but you didn’t leave any clothes.” Marissa was engulfed in a bear hug.

  When her mother let go and Marissa could breathe, she replied, “I had a great day, I’ll probably be staying for a while, if that’s okay. It’ll be so much easier if I don’t have to drive an hour to work each way. And my clothes are in a suitcase in the trunk.”

  Her father waited for Marissa to come closer before he pushed off the garden bench. Her mother trailed behind her, asking, “Did the students like you? Were they well-behaved? I’ve been praying all day that it’ll be everything you hoped it would be. I even lit some candles at church this morning.”

  Marissa and her dad exchanged a look. Most people held the opinion that Hispanics were hot-blooded, excitable, and had too much energy for their own good. Meeting her parents usually dispelled them of that idea. Her father was calm, gentle, and had a good head on his tough shoulders. The calm and gentle part he got from his own dad, who’d passed on twenty years before. Marissa had only been six, but she remembered her abuelo as a gentle soul and a consummate dreamer. Her father’s good sense and strong sense of self came from Abuela Rosa.

  Marissa’s mom was another story. She was a short, blond, green-eyed, continuously rolling ball of energy. As a corporate recruiter, that energy had plenty of outlets, but it was also too-often channeled into apprehension and needless worrying over her kids. Although they occasionally became exasperated with her and let her know, they didn’t mind it much because their father had a way of calming her down and putting things into perspective for her.

  “Thanks, Mom. I think it’ll be everything I’ve ever wanted and more.” She squeezed her mom’s hand.

  Her mother gasped and yanked her hand up. “You’re engaged!” she cried out. “Roberto, look, she’s engaged. Look at that big, beautiful ring!” But one moment she was ecstatic, and the next she was whispering, “Oh Lord. I’m so happy for you, Marissa, but I think it’s best we keep this from Melinda for now.”

  “Congratulations, honey.” Her dad hugged her tight. “I want to hear all about it over a glass of white wine,” he said before turning to his wife and placing both of his hands on her shoulders. “Michelle, Marissa’s good news should not make Melinda feel bad. If it does, then there’s something wrong there that she’ll need to address if she’s going to grow up.”

  Her mom swallowed and looked up at her husband. “I know you’re right, but she’s going through a hard time and she’s not herself right now.”

  Marissa had been thinking the same exact thing and she’d even put her ring away. Twice. But then she remembered all those years when Melinda’s life had been charmed. Her sister was beautiful, with a pleasing, nonthreatening air, and school had come easily to her. It had made teachers love her, made boys fall head over heels, and given her more than enough friends—and a few jealous frenemies. Marissa’s life had been wonderful, but not perfect, and yet she’d never once envied her sister or begrudged her good fortune.

  Right now, the idea of making her sister feel worse stressed her out, probably even more so than her mother, but Marissa agreed with her dad. Coddling Melinda was a terrible plan of action. The past six years had changed Melinda. She hadn’t had the instant success she’d been so sure of, and it turned out she didn’t have a good work ethic, either. Things had always come easily to her, and the moment things became harder, Melinda started blaming life, luck, her coworkers, and even her family.

  Marissa snuck her arm around her mother’s shoulders. “I know how you feel, Mom. Trust me, I’ve been stressing out about how she’ll take it, too. It’s why I didn’t say anything yesterday when I called, but Dad’s right. Hiding other people’s good news from her won’t do her any good. It would be like telling her it’s okay to begrudge others their good fortune just because things aren’t going her way.”

  Her mother took a deep breath. “Okay, then. Let’s go inside. But don’t say anything unless she notices the ring.”

  “Michelle . . .” Roberto warned. “That’s unfair to both of your daughters. It implies that we think Melinda is too mean to be happy for her sister. If Melinda was the one who’d just gotten engaged, you’d be shouting it to the four winds, and Melinda knows that. Look at how excited you were when you thought she and Johnny were destined to be Spinning Hills’ newest sweethearts.”

  Marissa’s stomach dropped, and she sent up a fast and fervent prayer that Melinda wouldn’t figure out that Marissa had been the girl Johnny had met at the masquerade party last year.

  Her mother’s face hardened. “And Johnny’s to blame for the funk she’s been in these past two days. Jobs haven’t panned out, her career hasn’t panned out, and she thought at least her love life was finally looking up. It all sounded so romantic
—I still can’t wrap my head around it. What was he thinking? I loved that boy like he was my own, fed him nearly every Sunday night for all those years, and Rosa said she was so sure . . .”

  Marissa closed her eyes, feeling bad for Johnny as her mother went on and on. The whole thing really had gotten out of hand. Why was he such a magnet for girl trouble?

  Her father opened the door, leading his muttering wife inside, and Marissa followed. Melinda was sitting on the sofa, watching television in a pretty nightgown, and petting Jolly, Marissa’s cat. Her hair and makeup were perfect, and Marissa wondered why she was still in her nightgown.

  “Melinda, come here.” Her father motioned to her sister with one hand, while placing his other on Marissa’s shoulder. “Your sister has some great news to share. Go on, honey,” he said, looking down at her with an encouraging smile.

  Melinda turned around. Marissa pasted a smile on her face and awkwardly lifted her hand to show her sister her ring.

  Melinda’s eyes flickered between Roberto and Michelle before resting on Marissa. “Wow. Look at that. Congratulations!” She stood up and walked over, a smile on her face. She took a good look at the ring before hugging Marissa and saying, “You are one lucky girl, and Brian is one smart guy.” Her tone was sincere and she smiled a small smile, one meant to convey that although she was sad, she could still be happy for her sister.

  “And Melinda has some good news, too!” Michelle Medina put in. “She has an appointment with an admissions advisor at Wright State University tomorrow. Roberto, bring the wine. Let’s toast our beautiful, smart daughters. I’ve already got dinner ready for today, but we should have dinner tomorrow night at Huffy’s so Marty can join us, Melinda can tell us all about her appointment, and Marissa can fill us in on her new job!”

  Later on, as Marissa was unpacking her clothes for the rest of the week, Melinda came in her room, sat on the corner of the bed, and smiled that small smile again. “So, you’re going to marry the guy you had a crush on all through high school. How funny is that?”