Fixer-Upper (Spinning Hills Romance 3) (19 page)

Brian groaned. “On the outside, sure. But man, did we make each other miserable. And I kept getting stuck in relationships like that. But then I ran into you again, and you were as grown-up on the outside as you’d always been on the inside, so pretty and happy, still caring and fretting over others.”

His answer mollified her, and they stayed that way, silent and thoughtful, for a long time.

Finally, just before she was about to leave, he asked, “What about you, why do you love me?” in between kisses.

Marissa pulled away. His kisses always filled her with a pleasure that came from feeling content, but never passion. It had never bothered her before. She relished the calm, happy feeling. But ever since she’d learned Johnny was the stranger whose kisses had filled her with that consuming, almost scary yearning, her lack of passion for Brian felt unfair. She looked down and swallowed before answering. “It’s funny, but I guess it goes back to those tutoring days, too.”

Brian took both of her hands in his. “How so?”

She looked up and met his clear, uncomplicated gaze. “I never said anything, but I was going through a difficult time. I’d lost a friend and I couldn’t seem to get over it. But then you’d come around and take my mind off of it. You were so determined to get an A so you could get into a great college, and you were so into high school, and sports, and the future—you reminded me I needed to get back into life. I want to do what I do, but I don’t want to get lost in never-never land.”

“B
e realistic, Johnny. You can’t move into this dump!” Cassie cajoled as she stared at the Cursed Lover. It was moving day, and Johnny and the puppies were ready.

Sam glowered and Cassie threw her hands up. “Don’t give me that look! I know it’ll end up being a dream, but right now it’s a dump. All it has going for it is an inspired roof.”

“And a little fenced-in area for the puppies to explore,” Johnny reminded her. “Don’t forget that. A roof over our heads and room to roam and explore. It’s all we need.”

“What about indoor plumbing and food?” Holly asked.

“There’s one working toilet in the house, and, for some reason, there’s a working shower out back.” Dan pointed to the only two amenities.

“And I’ll be eating at Mom’s until I get a kitchen put in.”

“She needs the company,” Sam added.

“
You’ll be showering outside?
” Cassie rounded on him, her blue eyes wide.

“That’s right. And I’ll be showering at dusk, in case you and Holly are curious.” He winked and promptly took a firm elbow to the gut from Dan. Sam just rolled his eyes at him and said, “As if.”

Johnny laughed at Holly and Cassie’s grieved faces. “Look, no one ever comes here, so me and my privates will be perfectly safe from my many would-be oglers, I’ll have a microwave to nuke some oatmeal in the morning, a little fridge to keep Mom’s leftovers in, room for snacks, and a bed. I’m good.”

“The raccoons will get to the snacks before you do. You have no cabinets!” Holly looked at Dan. “Are you seriously going to allow him to move in here? Why don’t we have him stay in our basement?”

Dan lifted Holly’s chin. “You should know by now that nobody has any sway over him when he gets something into his head. And you forget we just finished our basement . . . do you really want five puppies peeing all over the new carpet? Don’t worry about Johnny. Worrying about him will make you bat-shit crazy, only to see him somehow come out on top and wearing a ridiculous grin on his silly face.
Trust me on this
.”

Sam clamped a hand on Holly’s shoulder. “Dan’s right. About the ridiculous grin, the silly face, and the worrying over nothing. He’ll be fine.”

Cassie headed toward her car. “I have a few storage bins I can drop off for him. He can stuff his snacks in them so the raccoons, squirrels, deer, and skunks don’t get to them first.”

“I have front and back doors, people. I doubt deer can get in.” The squirrels, raccoons, and skunks he wasn’t so sure about.

 

Brian left late Sunday afternoon, and Marissa stopped by the Gypsy Fortune Café for coffee, a treat, and some fun company. She and Brian had spent the last hour with her parents, Marty, and Melinda. Her mom and Marty were planning the engagement party at Huffy’s that Marissa now knew Brian didn’t want to have. It had set her nerves on edge.

“And Holly says he’ll be showering outside
.
In the buff. No swim trunks or anything. What if it’s coyote or deer mating season or something?” Ruby was saying to Abuela Rosa and Sherry when Marissa walked in. All three women laughed.

Marissa smiled. Here was the fun company she was looking for. “Who’s showering outside?” she asked.

“Marissa! Hi!” Sherry greeted her warmly, but not before exchanging a look with Abuela Rosa.

“Hi. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy,” she said, catching the look.

“Don’t worry,
mija
, you’re not.” Abuela Rosa hugged her and pecked her cheek. “We were just talking about Mr. Linden. Ruby told his wife that showering outside in the nude under a full moon is an old gypsy cure for erectile dysfunction, and Holly found out they both believed it.”

Marissa emerged from her grandmother’s hug to see Sherry grinning from ear to ear.

“Mr. Linden?” Marissa frowned. “As in our old school principal?” An unwanted image pierced her brain and she shuddered.

“I know.” Her grandmother shuddered, too.

“Oh shoot,” Ruby said as she looked down at her phone. “Johnny just texted me. He was giving the puppies a bath over at his new place, and he thinks he forgot to turn off the tap out back. He wants me to check because I live the closest, but I promised Holly I’d stop by to help her with seating arrangements.”

“I’d do it, but it’s my turn to close up the shop. If Rosa closes, I can swing by . . .” Sherry looked over at Abuela Rosa, who was shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I promised a sick friend I’d stop by to read to her for a little while.”

“I’ll do it.” Marissa shrugged and looked out the window. She had about an hour before it got dark. “It’ll be interesting to see how much work they’ve managed to get done.”

“Stay for a bit, though. You still have time,” Ruby said. “Have some tea and cake with us before you go.”

Sherry got up to make her some tea, her grandmother reached for a dessert dish, and Marissa settled onto one of the stools for a nice long chat with three of her favorite people.

Half an hour later, just as the sun was beginning to set, the three women sent her on her way. They didn’t want her at the Cursed Lover after dark, and Marissa wholeheartedly agreed. As close as it was to town, it was also lonely. And creepy.

She drove up the gravel driveway, got out, and looked up at the house. It had a new, cheerful red metal roof that brought an instant smile to her face. She loved it. Not even the old, dirty windows and lack of siding could detract from the proud new roof.

Marissa looked around. In the distance, a deer perked its ears and remained very still. She took a step, and it darted away to join others near the preserve. A soft wind was rustling the leaves on the trees, a rabbit was hopping its way into the tall grass, and birds chirped all around her.

Any fear she had left her and peace settled in. Last time, she’d only focused on the house and its history, but the surrounding property was lovely and the house now held hope. She still thought Johnny was crazy for buying it given his family’s history, but she could see why it had appealed to him.

The sound of running water reached her as she got closer, and she made her way to the back, hoping it hadn’t flooded anything and scolding herself for not coming over sooner.

She rounded the corner . . . and froze. Johnny froze, too. Because he was naked. And wet.

Marissa’s mouth went dry and then flooded with saliva. She tried to swallow, to close her eyes, to scream, but she couldn’t manage the smallest movement.
No wonder Johnny drove women batty.
The one and only thought she was capable of was also her call to action. She whipped her head around and began shouting, “Cover up! Cover up!” while covering her eyes, even though she’d already turned her head and she couldn’t unsee what she’d seen. But the man was even better-looking naked than he was wearing clothes, and she needed to at least try to erase that image from her mind. The water dripping from his hair, his twelve-pack, his muscled arms and thighs . . .

Johnny started laughing and she stiffened. “You’d think you’ve never seen a naked man before, Marissa,” he said to her back. “Although you’ve probably never seen one who’s helped renovate nearly twenty houses in the last two years alone, so I can understand your confusion. There’s a difference between a man who sits at his desk all day and a man who spends his days heaving, hefting, and hammering away.”

She gritted her teeth. “Get over yourself.” The entirety of the situation hit her in one swoosh. Why was she still there? There was no reason for her to be there. There had been no running water and no text from Johnny to Ruby.

Her grandmother and company had tricked her into running into Johnny naked! He was the one they were talking about when she’d arrived. She began marching away, fists balled, ready to stomp back to the café and give her grandmother a piece of her mind.

But Johnny suddenly grabbed her arm and swung her around before she could get to her car. “I’m sorry,” he said. He was wearing a towel around his hips, but he was still dripping wet and still gorgeous. Marissa looked down, feeling traitorous and guilty. “I was teasing you, the same way I was teasing Holly and Cassie a little while ago, and the same way I’d tease
any
friend. Even your brother. I didn’t mean anything by it. I swear. What are you doing here?” he asked.

She took a step back. “Ruby said you texted her because you accidentally left the water running, and you wanted her to turn it off for you because she was the closest. The three of them tricked me into volunteering to come over here!”

Johnny’s hazel eyes went from soft to bright, and he bit his lip. Again, she had to look away. “Calm down. There was no harm done, and you’ve gotta admit, it’s kind of funny.”

“It’s not. I mean, it sort of is, but it means they don’t want me to be with Brian. I knew they had ambivalent feelings, I sensed it, but now I’m sure, and it hurts.”

“No. It means they were bored, saw an opportunity to play a trick on you, and took it. You know how they are.”

She risked another glance at him. “But how did they know you’d be showering naked outside?
Why
are you showering naked outside?”

He grinned, and she had to look away yet again. He probably thought her eyes were having a seizure. What was with her? Brian was better-looking than Johnny. At least his face sometimes was. She slapped her forehead at the new traitorous thought, and Johnny took a step back from her.

“I was teasing Holly and Cassie, telling them how I was going to shower naked outside just before dusk. One of them must’ve ratted me out.” He pretended to look out into the distance. “Shoot. That means the place will soon be crawling with ladies wanting to get a peek at my goods.”

That finally got a laugh from her.

“There. That’s better. And you came just in time. I need help feeding the puppies. Why don’t you come inside while I throw on some clothes?”

“No . . . I should leave. I wouldn’t like it if Brian was cavorting around with a naked female.”

He laughed. “We’re hardly cavorting. Trust me, you’d know it if we were. This is merely talking. I really do need help with the puppies. They’re hungry little suckers, and I’ve had help these past two weeks. You can also fill me in on the details of the trip to Denver for the Mosaic Fair, in case we make it, because it looks like we have a great shot and I still don’t know a thing about the logistics. It’ll be a work meeting.”

Marissa blew out a breath, feeling herself relenting, yet unsure whether it was the right thing to do. A quick examination of her feelings told her she really did want to help feed the puppies—Johnny had taken that responsibility on for the kids, after all—and they really did need to discuss the musical and finding time to meet at school had proved difficult. She’d tell Brian all about it. She’d only leave out the naked part, so he wouldn’t get mad at her grandmother. “All right. As long as we keep the conversation focused on the puppies, the kids at school, and the musical.”

“Sounds good to me.”

From inside the house, Johnny lifted up one of the puppies, so Marissa could see its adorable face through the dirty window. The puppy blinked at her. It had already grown so much! She went inside and waited.

 

Johnny tossed on the first pair of jeans and T-shirt he could find, and came out of the room less than a minute later, almost afraid Marissa wouldn’t be there. But there she was, wearing worn, faded jeans, strappy red sandals, and a form-fitting V-neck Reds T-shirt, and looking more tempting than any bikini-clad model as she folded some T-shirts he’d strewn over an old armchair.

“Show me where the puppies are. I was afraid I’d go into the wrong room.” She gave him a self-mocking smile and his chest ached. That smile was one of the things that endeared her most to him. She knew herself, knew she tended to worry and fret, but she worked hard to catch herself at it and turn it around.

“You have to wash your hands first,” he said, looking away before he gave even more of his heart away. She’d be married soon, and he needed to get over her. Maybe inviting her in hadn’t been a good idea.

She glanced at the gutted kitchen. “Where?” she asked, her voice laced with amusement. Only a kitchen cart with portable double burners sat in one corner.

He bit his lip, knowing a normal person would feel ashamed of the house’s condition. But he wasn’t normal. “In the one bathroom.” He gestured with his head to the hallway. The bathroom only had a toilet, a pedestal sink, and a cracked mirror. Some of the new wiring and plumbing was still visible.

She washed her hands, then followed him into the dimly lit, still damp-smelling room. Chico and Biggie were roaming around the makeshift whelping box, while Pas, Milo, and Pepito blinked and began to rustle. Marissa sat cross-legged on the floor, gently picked Milo up, and began to cuddle and coo. Johnny sat down in front of her and stroked Chico’s fur with the backs of his fingers.

“He’s so plump and warm, and they all look healthy.”

“They’ve got a heating pad, and they’re all feeding well. We’ve been lucky.”

She looked over at him, eyes shining. “I wish I could take one home with me.”

The longing in her voice gave him pause. He wished he could tell her Brian wasn’t allergic to dogs, but as long as he doubted his own intentions in telling her, he’d keep quiet. Maybe Brian had been telling the lie so long that he believed it. The way Cassie truly believed she was allergic to seafood, when in truth, she only hated it.

Before long, all five puppies were whimpering and sucking their little mouths in.

“I’ll go warm up their milk. I’ll be right back. Don’t let them suckle each other! The vet said that could cause sores and infections.”

By the time Johnny got back, the puppies were all hungry, and Marissa looked like she was in love. “How do you decide which ones to feed first? They’re all hungry! Only Pas looks ready to wait.”