Chapter Three

That afternoon, Mandy stood on the porch at the house and glanced at Alex’s storage pod parked along the curb, her heart in her throat once more. Maybe cutting her losses and heading to California right now wasn’t such a bad idea after all. But no. She’d vowed to make sure everything was settled with her mother’s estate before she left town for good, and she refused to break that promise. Even if her knees tingled with the urge to flee.

She took a deep breath then started inside, only to duck suddenly as something sailed past her head and clattered down the front stoop. Since when had this place become a war zone?

“Oops,” a male voice yelled through the shadows inside. “Didn’t know anyone was out there.”

A supersized guy in stained overalls with a red bandanna wrapped around his head appeared in the doorway. Sunlight revealed his tattooed arms and paint-covered hands, one of which was extended to help her straighten. “Sorry again. I’m Jack Carson, by the way.”

Mandy didn’t recognize his Sons of Anarchy appearance, but the name rang a bell. “Wait. You’re not the same Jack Carson who got bullied outside Heavenly Falls High every day, are you?”

“Same.” Jack frowned, squinting at her. “Have we met?”

“Yep,” she said, grinning. “It’s me. Mandy Reynolds. Alex’s annoying ex-stepsister.”

“Oh, wow! He mentioned you were back in town, but you look different. All grown up.” He scanned the faded jeans and bright yellow T-shirt with a smiling sun on the front she’d changed into after her shift at the diner. His gaze returned to hers and he smiled. “How are you?”

“Good.” She tucked a piece of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear. “I’m sure Alex probably mentioned the situation with the house to you, so yeah. It’s—”

Before she could say more, Alex moved into the doorway, insinuating himself between her and Jack. He scowled at Mandy. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working.”

“My shift ended at noon,” she said, lifting her chin, refusing to let him intimidate her into leaving. Her own fears about owning this house were doing a fine enough job of that already. Shoulders squared, she grounded herself in place. “Figured I’d come and help start the cleanup. The sooner it’s done, the sooner this situation will be over with, right?”

Alex’s lips compressed and he breathed out through his nose before giving a curt nod and heading back inside. “Right. C’mon then.”

Mandy trailed after him into the foyer, noting the boxes of cleaning supplies and tools scattered about, along with several high-powered construction lights gleaming from different corners of the space. Under the harsh illumination, the need for serious renovations to the place were even more evident. More work, more time needed. More time, more chances of getting trapped under this house indefinitely. Her pulse kicked up another notch despite her efforts to stay calm. Her dry throat made talking harder, but the awkward silence was worse, so she said, “Wow, looks like you and Jack are prepared with all those supplies.”

“Yes.” Alex said, his tone frosty as they entered the kitchen. “Picked them up at the superstore earlier. Wanted to be prepared, since I’m moving in tonight.”

Oh. She swallowed hard, doing her best to hide the surprise from her expression. She’d figured they’d both wait until the place was at least cleaned before taking the plunge, but obviously not. Mandy glanced around again at the dull floors and peeling paint, her breath catching, her throat burning. Sure, she wanted to get out of Gina’s hair as quickly as possible, but she also wanted to avoid getting eaten alive by dust mites.

“Tonight?” she managed to squeak out past her constricted vocal cords.

“Yep.”

The smell of pine-scented floor cleaner filled her nose. Looked like Alex had already gotten this room underway. The cabinets were still a hideous neon green, but they practically sparkled with cleanliness. Same with the beige countertops and the tile beneath her feet. While Alex worked on the door of the dishwasher, her mind wandered back to how he’d hightailed it out of the diner earlier, causing her wonder about his leg again. All she’d gotten out of him so far was that there’d been some kind of accident while he’d worked for the IRS, and that told her basically nothing. She’d lost touch with him and his family after their parents had divorced, and her mom had never mentioned anything to her about Alex, so she had no clue how he’d hurt himself.

While he fiddled with the dials, her eyes snapped to his backside. Not intentionally, of course. It just happened because it was there, in front of her, looking all taut and tight in those faded jeans and…

The sound of a clearing throat had her glancing up to find Alex watching her with an annoyed expression.

Damn. Busted.

Her cheeks prickled hot and she looked away fast, flustered. What the hell was wrong with her, ogling Alex’s butt? She had no business eyeing him like a side of choice beef. They were stuck in this house together because of her mother’s will; no need to make things more complicated than they were at present.

“Something I can help you with?” he asked, brow raised and expression pinched.

“No.” She wanted to tell him where to get off, but that probably wouldn’t help things, either, so instead she gave in to the curiosity tingling inside her gut. “How’s your leg today?”

“Same.” He mumbled, a bit of the bluster seeming to go out of him as he leaned his hips against the edge of the counter and crossed his arms, drawing her attention to the way the material of his black T-shirt hugged the contours of his muscled torso and biceps.

Stop it.

Mandy shuffled her feet and hung her head, searching for something to say that wouldn’t make her feel more embarrassed than she already did. “Uh, where should I start cleaning? Upstairs?”

He stared at her a long moment. “Look, Mandy. I appreciate you wanting to help.” His dubious tone said the opposite. “But are you sure you want to do this today? The place is still pretty rough, and you were always squeamish about bugs. No one’s lived here in a few months and even longer upstairs. Jack sprayed the place down earlier, but a real exterminator can’t come until Monday, so there could be all kinds of critters living on the second floor. Maybe you should just let me handle it for now.”

Yeah. She might’ve lost touch with Alex over the years, but she’d never forgotten the sting of his dismissal. Lord knew she’d felt it enough times thirteen years ago. In fact, his patronizing words felt all too familiar to the brush-off he’d given her when she’d asked him to be her date to the homecoming dance her freshman year. God, what an idiot she’d been. Of course, he’d said no. Why wouldn’t he? He’d been in college, a grown man, and she was just some stupid lovesick teenager drooling in her cornflakes over him.

Well, Mandy wasn’t fifteen anymore, and she wasn’t about to let him shove her aside again. She had too much at stake here. Bugs or no bugs, she was going in. “I can handle it.”

Alex blinked at that, something akin to admiration flickering through his eyes before disappearing in a flash. He opened his mouth then closed it when Jack’s voice echoed down the hallway.

“Hey, Lex. What do you want me to do with these plaster pieces from the ceiling? Some of them are pretty banged up. Not sure they’re salvageable.”

“Hang on. Be right there,” Alex yelled back before focusing on Mandy again. “Well, if you want to start upstairs, the supplies are in the foyer.”

“Great,” she said, glad for something to do that didn’t involve being around him. For whatever reason, having him close again was screwing with her head, and she didn’t like it. “I’ll get started then.”

As she passed him, his sandalwood and soap scent drifted and sent a fresh wave of awareness sparking through her bloodstream before she could stop it. She looked back at him over her shoulder, not realizing how close they were—close enough to kiss him, if she leaned in slightly. Her stomach bottomed out at that mental picture, and she hurried away fast. “See you in a bit.”

Stop thinking about his lips. Stop thinking about his lips.

But the more she scolded herself, the more she kept picturing them, so instead she switched to remembering her big-picture goals—Hollywood, freedom, fulfillment of her dreams. None of which involved Alex or his lips.

Mandy grabbed a box in the foyer and filled it with a gallon of industrial strength disinfectant cleaner, sponges, a bucket, a mop, and a face mask to protect her from the copious amounts of dirt in the air before heading up to the second floor.

“If you need any help, give me a yell,” Jack called from the parlor.

“Will do,” she yelled back, fumbling with the box of supplies in her hands. “Thanks.”

On the landing, she sat her heavy load on the floor and looked around for a place to start. The large bedroom with the bathroom next door seemed good. When she moved in, she wanted to keep as much space as possible between her and Alex. Given his leg injury and the fact he’d staked his claim first, she’d let him have the master suite downstairs. She’d take the second floor as hers. She filled the bucket with cleaner and water, grabbed her mop and sponge, put on her mask, then headed for the bedroom, only to stop short on the threshold. Bright midday haze glowed through the grim-caked windows, spotlighting all the cobwebs.

Her gut heaved and her skin tightened, but she forced herself to breathe.

Alex had said Jack sprayed up here already. It was fine. Everything was fine.

There was a ladder in the corner, so she climbed up to start tearing down the webs from the ceiling. The face mask helped keep the dust out of her airways and, with her earbuds in, she soon got into a groove. Flo Rida sang about having a Good Feeling and she worked her way down the wall to the opposite corner, poking a dangling large brownish dust bunny with her mop to dislodge it, but it didn’t move. She knocked it again, harder this time. The stubborn thing stayed put, but a crack opened in the side of it, sending a flood of tiny black dots streaming down the wall. Weird. As far as she knew dust bunnies weren’t liquid. The more she squinted at the tiny objects, though, the more she made out legs. Legs and bodies. Legs and bodies and beady eyes and—

OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod!

Spiders. Spiders were everywhere. All those legs and beady eyes and fangs. Her breath came hot and fast, trapped against her face because of the mask. The rush of blood in her head drowned out the music in her ears, and her shaking legs threatened to topple her off the ladder, directly into the swarming mass of horror now covering the floor beneath the ladder.

Nowhere to go. No escape.

Her lungs seized, and dark spots grew larger at the periphery of her vision. She was going to pass out. Pass out and fall and be devoured by those spiders with their fur and fangs. She had nightmares about spiders with fangs.

She clung to the ladder and tried to scream for help, but all that emerged was a breathless gasp. “Help! Please help me!”

The cold metal ladder dug into the scalding skin of her cheek as the world darkened around her. This was it. The end.

See you soon, Mom.

“Mandy, I was thinking…” a voice said from what sounded a million miles away. “What the—”

The curse was lost amid the clamber of heavy work boots up the ladder behind her. Soon a warm, hard chest pressed against her back, and two strong arms slid around her waist, holding her close, protecting her from insect evil. She whimpered with relief.

“It’s okay,” Alex said against her temple, his lips brushing her skin and making her shiver. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you. Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, not trusting her voice. All Mandy wanted at that moment was to turn and bury her face in his neck so she’d never have to see the awful spiders again, but he held her in place, his heart racing in time with her own.

“Jack?” Alex called, his words rumbling through her, deep and reassuring. “Can you bring that bug spray up here again please?”

Mandy rested her forehead against one of the rungs, battling the urge to puke.

“Oh man,” Jack said moment later from the doorway, a large metal can and a hose with a spray nozzle in his hand. “I sprayed in here earlier, I swear. Sorry, Mandy.”

“It’s fine. Just please make sure they’re all dead this time while I get her out of here.” Alex yanked her off the ladder and into his arms before carrying her out to the second-floor landing and placing her gently on her feet. He removed her face mask and tossed it aside before pushing her static-filled hair away from her face. “Will you be okay here for a minute?”

She nodded, swallowing hard against the bile burning her throat and holding onto the banister for dear life.

Alex hobbled down the stairs as quickly as he could, then returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a folding chair. He cracked open the water and set up the chair before settling her into it and thrusting the cold drink into her trembling hand. “Drink something. You’ll feel better,” he said. “Just give it a minute.”

“I’m sorry. I feel like such an idiot.” Her stomach cramped as she chugged the cold water then held the bottle against her heated cheek. “There were so many of them. So. Many.”

“I know. I saw.” He waited until she looked at him, then smiled. “And I know you don’t want to hear this now, but spiders aren’t all that bad. They eat the other bugs, so actually they’re kind of good.”

Yep. He was right. She didn’t want to hear that. “I’ll take your word for it, thanks.”

They stayed there a while. A minute? An hour? She didn’t know. Time lost meaning when you were terrified. Eventually, though, her pulse slowed and her stomach settled. Jack finished up in the bedroom and returned downstairs. During the mayhem, she’d forgotten all about Alex’s injury, but now as he shifted his weight and rubbed his left leg, it was obvious it was bothering him. She started to get up. “Thanks again for helping me. Why don’t you sit?”

“I’m fine. It’s fine.” He kept his gaze lowered. “Just been awhile since I rescued anyone.”

Mandy snorted. “If it’s any consolation, it was very manly of you.”

“Yeah?” Alex chuckled. “That’s what I’m going for these days. Manly.”

The deep timbre of his voice sent a fresh rush of awareness through her. And whoa Nelly! All those naughty thoughts about his butt and his lips came rushing back before she could stop them. Not good. Not at all. He was being all heroic and she was back to lusting over his bod. For all she knew, he had a significant other. Something else they’d never discussed. For lack of anything better to talk about, she went there—in a roundabout way. “Well, I bet your girlfriend appreciates you handling the bugs.”

His small smile dissolved into a frown again. “No girlfriend.”

Her insides fluttered at that news. It was none of her business, really. She should respect his privacy, the way he was respecting hers by not asking about her love life in return. Or maybe he just didn’t care. That seemed more likely.

Taut quiet stretched between them again. Finally Alex started down the stairs, stopping partway to look back at her. “Jack can handle things up here. Why don’t you start moving some of the boxes from my storage pod inside, if you want?”

“Uh, sure. Okay.” Mandy stared at his retreating back, feeling even more off-kilter.

Jack came out of the bedroom and stopped beside her. “Sorry again. Arachnophobia’s no joke.”

“I’m sorry I was such a wimp about it.” She walked beside him back down to the first floor. “So, you and Alex are still friends after all these years. That’s cool.”

“Yep. We went to the same college. Even worked together at the IRS. I’m still there, but Alex is off on permanent disability now though, so…” Jack set the spray can aside and undid the scarlet bandanna from around his head to wipe his face with it. “Anyway, Mark and I try to keep an eye on him.”

“Why?” Her curiosity soared again along with her shock. Alex was on permanent disability? His injury must’ve been worse than she’d thought. Especially if his friends had to watch out for him. “Is he that bad off?”

Jack hesitated. “Oh, well. I mean he’s not a danger to himself or anything. But things haven’t been easy for him, since he and his dad—”

“Maybe you can check the room upstairs again and make sure nothing’s still moving?” Alex asked from the hall, giving Jack a pointed look.

“Sure thing.” Jack stuffed the bandanna into his pocket, his cheeks reddening. He backed out of the foyer, sidling past Alex as if tiptoeing through a minefield. “Mandy and I were just catching up on stuff.”

With that, he charged back to the second floor, taking the stairs two at a time.

Alex turned back to Mandy, and she rocked onto the heels of her sneakers, feeling oddly guilty. It wasn’t like they’d been gossiping or anything. She just wanted to know more about him, since they’d be living under the same roof and all for a while. They stood there alone in the foyer, nothing but the sounds from the street outside filling the empty space around them until finally Mandy remembered something from the day before during their meeting with the attorney. “Mr. Pickett mentioned the Newsom brothers designed this place?”

“Yeah.” Alex’s brow wrinkled. “So?”

“Tell me about them.”

He snorted. “You want to hear about Samuel and Joseph Cather Newsom?”

“Yes.” She slid her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Heck, at this point she’d listen to him recite his grocery list if it meant avoiding another argument with him. “I love learning new things. Plus, it will help me forget those nasty spiders crawling everywhere.”

He glanced out the front windows then sighed, his broad shoulders slumping. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but only if you help me move the boxes from outside.”

“Deal.” She followed him out to the semi-trailer-sized pod and grabbed a couple of boxes. Alex did the same, then they headed back into the house. All the while, he answered her question. “The Newsom brothers studied architecture on the East Coast, then moved to California, where they designed many of the great Victorian homes in San Francisco.”

“Interesting.” Her boxes were marked “Living Room,” so she carried them in and set them near the wall. “And you know all this how?”

They made another trip to the storage pod and, with each step, the tension between them seemed to dissipate a little more.

“My major in college was architecture, before I switched to finance my sophomore year,” Alex said, loading her up with a few smaller boxes before grabbing several larger ones himself. “I stopped at the library in town before coming here this morning and checked out the original blueprints of the house, and from what I can tell, the design’s based on the Carson Mansion in Eureka, California. That’s why it’s listed on the National Registry. Seems a bit odd to have it here in Heavenly Falls, but I love its uniqueness and think it should be treasured.”

Mandy didn’t miss that slight dig toward her for wanting to sell, but she chose to ignore it in favor of keeping their newfound accord. “Does that mean we have to keep that in mind during the renovations?”

“Maybe. I’ve got a call in to the registry to find out.” He glanced back at her. “I’ll let you know what they say. The fact it’s listed will affect the market price, though.” Alex put his boxes down and then wiped his hands on his jeans. “We can discuss that when I buy you out. She deserves owners who’ll appreciate her as they should.”

She? Her? Mandy had heard of people referring to boats as women, but houses? Alex bent to move a stack of boxes around, close enough for her glimpse the tiny scar near his right eyebrow. He’d gotten it playing touch football in the backyard after Thanksgiving.

Her chest fluttered with nostalgia again. That year had been the best. For once, she’d felt part of an actual family. Of course, it had disappeared the following summer when Mom had filed for divorce from Alex’s father and moved them into an apartment in Schaumburg.

Unexpected tears prickled in her eyes before she blinked hard, looking around to distract herself from the yearning to belong clawing inside her. “I remember this house now, from when I was a kid. I think there were rumors it was haunted.”

“Yeah, I think I heard that, too.” He watched her for a moment before turning away again. “That’s enough stuff for now. I’ll have Jack help me with the bed and bigger stuff later. Maybe you can clean the master suite down here, since Jack’s working upstairs?”

“Absolutely,” she said as he backed toward the hallway, relieved to have some time and space to herself to clear her head. “Whatever you want.”

Mandy grabbed fresh supplies, then went to the other end of the house. The ceiling and the walls in here had already been done, and even she had to admit that with the grime gone, the house was pretty cool. There was an art nouveau vibe to the ornamentation and even a chandelier over the bed.

Fancy, fancy.…

She laughed to herself and popped her earbuds back in, switching up her tunes to her favorite 80s pop songs. By the time the bedroom was done, her muscles ached and her heart was at ease. At least until she swiveled to find Alex leaning against the doorframe. She popped out her earbuds and straightened. “What do you think?”

“Looks good.”

His gaze never left hers, and for a crazy second Mandy couldn’t tell if he was talking about the room or her. Which was stupid, because of course he was talking about the room. He’d made it abundantly clear he had no interest in her that way, both in the past and the present. She forced a small smile. “Thanks.”

“Hungry?” he asked, pushing off from the wall. “It’s after six now.”

“Oh, did Jack help you bring in the rest of your stuff already? What about the bed?”

“I’ve got an air mattress I’ll use tonight. We’ll move the heavy stuff in tomorrow. Besides, I need to put the bed frame together first.”

“Hey, guys,” Jack said, poking his head into the room. “I’m taking off for the night. Lex, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He waved to Mandy. “No more spiders this time. Promise.”

“Thanks,” she said, waving back.

Alex walked his friend to the door then returned to the bedroom. “So, food?”

Her stomach growled loudly. “Yes, please.”

“Okay. Let’s order something in. My treat. There’s an awesome Chinese place a couple blocks over. Or pizza or subs. Whatever you want. We’ll christen the newly cleaned kitchen right.”

“Chinese is good.”

“Great.” He pulled up a menu on his phone then handed it to her. “Order what you want.”

She did, then handed the phone back to him to make his selections. “I’m going to go wash up. Be right back.”

…

Forty-five minutes later, Alex eyed Mandy from across the kitchen table, trying to decide if she was bluffing. He hadn’t played poker since college, and his skills were a bit rusty. Not to mention his ability to read people these days was wonky. Ever since the shooting, he hadn’t been able to trust his instincts. They’d failed him that day, what’s to say it wouldn’t happen again.

She tapped a finger against her full bottom lip. “I’ll see your bet and raise you a nickel.”

A knock at the front door kept Alex from making a bad gamble.

“Food’s here.” He laid his cards facedown on the table then stood and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “Be right back.”

“Make sure they gave us extra soy sauce,” she said from behind him. He glanced back at her, his gaze dropping to the sun on the front of her shirt, smiling at him from atop her breasts. He quickly looked away again, warmth flooding his system.

“Already asked for it when I ordered,” Alex called back as he reached the foyer, his words stumbling slightly. He cleared his throat then faced the delivery guy, paying him fast then grabbing the paper bags from his hands before shutting the door.

By the time he got back to the kitchen, Mandy had cleared away their card game.

He started pulling out their food and setting it in the middle of the table, including two bottles of soda. “They gave us plastic silverware and chopsticks, too.”

“Great.” Mandy tried to move past him at the same moment he turned to toss the empty bag on the counter, and they collided. Without thinking, he grabbed her shoulder to steady her, and a tingling rush of awareness zipped through his bloodstream, hot and bright and dangerous. Alex pulled away as if burned. “Sorry.”

“No, no.” Mandy backed up several steps, looking anywhere but at him. “My fault.”

Alex slumped into his chair and busied himself by mixing his rice into his kung pao chicken, his fingertips still abuzz from their brief, unexpected contact.

Mandy took the chair across from him and picked up a packet of chopsticks with one hand and her carton of shrimp lo mien with the other. “Guess I’m still in your way. Just like when we were kids. Hopefully it won’t be a problem, though, once we both get moved in. I plan to take a room on the second floor, to give us each some space and, you know…”

“You’re not in my way,” Alex said, hiding his wince at the lie. No, that wasn’t true. Until they settled the estate and he bought her out, she was most definitely in his way. And unfortunately, he did know. Things were difficult enough with people treating him differently since the shooting, thinking he was weak because he walked with a limp. The last thing he needed was more pity, especially from Mandy. “And stay where you want. I don’t care.”

She looked up at him, a flash of hurt in her blue eyes, and damn if he didn’t feel like he’d just kicked a puppy or something. Okay. Fine. Maybe that had come out harsher than he’d intended, but he just wished the awkwardness between them would go away already. It was going to be weird enough living under the same roof again after all these years. They didn’t need to be walking on eggshells around each other, too.

They ate in silence for a while, until Mandy asked, “So, what’s fun to do around Heavenly Falls these days?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Alex kept his head down as he chewed. “I don’t get out much.”

The weight of her stare burned a hole through him, and he finally hazarded a glance up. “What?”

“Jack mentioned earlier that you’re on permanent disability—”

“Jack says too much.” Alex scowled down at his plate again. “It’s not my leg. I get anxiety attacks.”

“Oh.” She went back to eating. He expected her to give him some BS platitudes about getting out more and getting over it, like his dad had after the shooting, but Mandy surprised him again. When she responded, her tone sounded matter-of-fact instead of the usual faux consolation he got from some people. “I played a part in college where my character was disabled and never left her apartment. I did a lot of research on the subject of accessibility and ableism.”

“Lucky me,” Alex said around a mouthful of food.

“Hey, I’m just trying to understand, that’s all.” She shoved her fork into her mouth, a drop of soy sauce clinging to the corner of her lips. He did his best to ignore it, but damn. All he could picture now was licking it off with his tongue, and where the hell had that come from? This was Mandy, his ex- kid sister, not a woman he wanted that way.

Besides, he was done with love, done with romance. After his ex-fiancée couldn’t handle his PTSD following the shooting, he vowed never to open himself up to that kind of pain again. “Just don’t, okay? It’s better if we each just keep to ourselves for the duration of this…” He gestured between them. “Whatever this is, then go our separate ways.”

Several seconds passed as they stared at each other across the table.

“If you say so,” Mandy said at last, sounding entirely unconvinced.

“I do,” he grumbled, stabbing another hunk of spicy chicken with more force than necessary. “Look, I’m not the same guy I used to be. He’s gone and he’s not coming back.”

“Is that a challenge?” Mandy raised a brow at him, and for some crazy reason her determined expression sent a rush of testosterone whooshing through him like an Olympic bobsled team. He swallowed hard. “Because you know I can’t resist a challenge.”

Gah. He should’ve left well enough alone, but he couldn’t. Not where she was concerned. If he didn’t know better, he’d say he enjoyed their banter, but that was impossible. He didn’t want to want Mandy that way. Didn’t want to open himself up again and make himself vulnerable. Didn’t want any of those strange complications in his already screwed-up life. He needed to put a quick kibosh on this, right now, before it went any further. “Not a challenge. A warning. Don’t go poking into dark corners. Remember what happened with the spiders upstairs?”

She blinked at him, the color draining from her cheeks. It was a low blow, he knew that, but dammit. She needed to stop trying to psychoanalyze him and his situation. He’d gotten more than enough of that in the hospital. Besides, he wasn’t hers to fix. He was probably beyond fixing, anyway, at this point. He just wanted to be left alone. He had too much at stake here—the house, his future—to risk it all by opening up to a woman who’d be gone soon anyway.

They watched each other, the air between them sizzling with daring, anger, something more.

“Fine. But don’t think your rejection hurts. Believe me, I’m used to it from you by now.”

He scrunched his nose, taking that in. I rejected her? When?

Thirteen years was a long time ago. They’d seen each other only when he’d been home on breaks from Northwestern. Mandy had still been in high school, and she’d had a major crush on him. Alex had tried to ignore it, hoping it would go away. He couldn’t remember any instances when he’d turned her down, except for that one time when she’d asked him to some dance at her school—homecoming, maybe—but…

Nah. That couldn’t be what she was talking about, could it?

He’d forgotten all about it until now, but the look she was giving him said she hadn’t.

Well, crap. He didn’t like the idea that he’d hurt her, but what was he supposed to say now, all these years later? He stirred around the pile of fried rice, avoiding her gaze.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said at last, meaning he should definitely worry about it.

“You’re right. We should keep to ourselves. None of this will matter anyway when I go to Hollywood.”

He nodded, expecting to feel better about that than he did. He moved on to safer topics, ignoring the tightness in his chest. “So, you want to get into movies, then?”

“Yep. I’ve got several contacts from school in the business now. I’m hoping one of them comes through.” She devoured another few bites of noodles and shrimp. “A girl I graduated with from Chicago University just landed a major role in the new Super-Twins franchise.”

“Wow.” Comic book heroes were really not his thing. His taste in movies ran more to the classic 80s stuff—John Hughes, Ridley Scott, Spielberg. “What about local theater? Heavenly Falls has an improv group that meets once a month, I think. My friend Mark used to be in one for a while. Maybe he could tell you about it.”

“Nah. I won’t have time.” She wiped her mouth then closed up her empty container. “Between waitressing at the diner and getting this place back in shape and the new job I’m applying for on Monday, my schedule should be pretty full.”

“New job?”

“Yeah, just something part-time. To help supplement my income. L.A.’s an expensive place to live. Why?”

“No reason.” He pushed to his feet and threw his own trash away. If she wanted to get another job, good for her. It would mean even less time they’d have to spend together around the house. He should be overjoyed. Ecstatic. Heaviness weighted down his gut beyond the Chinese food he’d just eaten. “Don’t forget the proceeds from when I buy out your half of this place.”

“Hmm.” She moved in beside him at the counter. “You really think you’ll have the money to do that anytime soon?”

“Yep.” He forced a confidence he didn’t quiet feel. One hundred grand was a lot of cash to come up with, but he’d find a way. “We’ll get the value reassessed after the renovations.”

“There’s just so much to do around here,” she said, sighing. “It’s overwhelming.”

“Nah. I can’t wait to dig in.” A bit of his old energy returned at the thought of all the painting and building and buffing. “I’ll do as much of the work myself as possible. Mark and Jack said they’ll help, too. I know what I’m doing. I’ll make sure it’s up to code.”

Mandy nodded, rubbing her arms, her gaze lowered. “Guess that’s it, then. You sure you’re okay staying here tonight? I’m calling an Uber back to Gina’s place. I can drop you at the hotel again if you want.”

“No, I’m good.” He followed her back to the front of the house while she used her phone, then waited with her in the foyer until a driver pulled up to the curb a few minutes later. They walked out onto the porch together.

“Well, thanks for dinner.” She jogged down the front steps then turned back to him. “I’ll be by tomorrow to drop off some of my stuff.”

Alex gave a curt nod, waiting until her Uber pulled away before going back inside and locking the door. After working hard all day, he should’ve been exhausted, but his mind kept circling back to Mandy. She couldn’t wait to escape this place and follow her dreams to La La Land, but he already loved the house. It was his way to prove to himself and the world that he was still capable, that he could still handle things, that he was more than a guy with a limp who’d been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

He stood in the hall, staring at the wainscoting again before shutting off the lights.

Maybe in restoring this place, he could restore a little of his soul, too.