Fixer-Upper (Spinning Hills Romance 3) (8 page)

The “one or both of my parents or guardians will kill me” sentiment was repeated in different ways by the others. Caring for an abandoned puppy was a big responsibility and an expense many of them couldn’t take on.

She knelt down and Veronica put a hand on her shoulder. “My
abuela
tell me no touch or the mama won’t love.”

“They got no mom,” Javier said.

“I’ve already taken in two stray cats this past month, and my fiancé is allergic to dogs.” And Brian hadn’t been too happy about the cats, but he knew she loved animals and wanted her to be able to have at least one pet. Ruby had been excited to take in the black cat.

Marissa’s heart ached. For the kids, who were showing a softer side, which was so good for them, and for the abandoned puppies.

Javier dropped a cuss-bomb that showed exactly what he thought of the abandoner.

“Don’t be too sure. The blanket and location means they put some thought into it,” Johnny told him, not bothering to scold him over the cussword, but sending him a look to let him know it wasn’t okay. He then softened the look. “And they knew kids like you would want to give them a home.”

“They stupid ’cause we can’t.” Javier angrily kicked at a pebble.

Marissa stood up. “There are a few good shelters around here who’d be happy to find them a home.”

“No!” Veronica looked stricken and Marissa did her best to explain that it wasn’t a bad thing. She spoke in Spanish, explaining that she’d also place an ad with pictures in the paper, and that the puppies would get adopted in no time.

“Or gas,” Javier said, putting a hand to his throat and making a choking noise. Azra gasped and her hand shot to her chest.

“No. That won’t happen. I promise. I’ll keep an eye on them and try to find homes for them myself.” Marissa shook her head emphatically and bent down to give the puppies some love, wanting Azra to understand that no one would be “choking” the puppies. God, how she wished she could take them home herself. “And if I can’t find a home for all of them, I’ll take my fiancé to an allergist, maybe there’s a medication he can take . . .” Her voice trailed off when she noticed the kids were all eagerly looking at Johnny, who was biting the inside of his cheek.

It was an old habit, she remembered, but something about the look in his eyes made her feel hopeful.

“I’ll take them,” Johnny said. “I’ll try to find them really great homes, but if I can’t, I’ll keep them. I’ll also try to bring them by the school once in a while for a visit.” With those three sentences, and the gestures he made to make sure everyone understood his intentions, Johnny won the kids over. He was as good as a hero. “There’s four of you and five of them, so each of you gets to give him a name. Choose quickly, so I can take them to a vet and buy supplies before the stores close. They look real hungry. Make up some posters tonight, though, and put them up before school tomorrow in case someone is looking for them.” Johnny’s gestures were over the top and Marissa had to bite back a smile. The kids laughed at his antics, though.

After a long debate, each kid chose a puppy to name. Marissa took out a piece of paper and wrote down the description and gender of each puppy so the kids could keep track of the names. She’d make a copy for each of them.

Azra caught on to what they were doing, and Marissa could tell she took great delight in naming her puppy, who turned out to be a female, Pas
.
Azra wrote that on the piece of paper.

Veronica smiled at Marissa. “Almost like
paz
.”

Azra sent them a quizzical look and Marissa wrote down
paz
, which meant “peace” in Spanish, on the piece of paper before using a translator app on her phone to look up how to say “peace” in Bosnian. She completed her search and wrote down,
Paz = Mir
. Azra smiled, understanding. She reached out for Marissa’s phone with a hopeful look. Marissa handed it to her and Azra did a quick search of her own before writing down,
Pas = Dog
.

The smile on all the kids’ faces made Marissa feel as if the sun were shining down just for them. She and Johnny exchanged a loaded look and she knew there were no words in any language to describe the joy they were feeling. The kids were communicating, and they were becoming friends.

It took longer than they had anticipated, but Pas, Chico, Milo, and Pepito all had names. Only the golden-brown runt of the litter remained nameless. In silent accord, the kids and Marissa looked up at Johnny. He was taking them home, after all. Johnny petted him lightly. “Biggie,” he declared.

Everyone, even Azra, laughed.
Big
and
small
were among the first words ELL students learned, and so she’d understood the irony. Had Johnny known? Was that why he’d chosen it? And was it okay for her to feel warm about that when she had a fiancé?

Yes, she decided. She’d have felt the same gratitude toward a woman. Johnny was right. They couldn’t second-guess themselves at every turn over what had happened the night of the masquerade party.

Marissa glanced at Azra again, but her belly twisted when she saw the girl was looking at Johnny with a new light in her eyes. Was it gratitude, too? It could be . . .

She knew she was uneasy about his hero status because it brought back painful memories. Some things would be hard for her
not
to second-guess and they had nothing to do with the masquerade party. But Marissa knew she’d just have to take those things day by day. She looked around and saw all the kids were beaming at him, not just Azra.

Johnny bent down and picked up the box as if the puppies were made of Waterford Crystal, and said good-bye. The kids walked off together, murmuring among themselves in mostly broken English.

Marissa’s heart felt like it was about to burst. They were communicating because they truly wanted to, not because they were required to.

She started making her way back to her car. She’d promised Abuela Rosa, Ruby, and Sherry she’d stop by the Gypsy Fortune Café and Bakery for coffee and dessert. She and Johnny would probably be heading in the same direction. Spinning Hills.

The thought made her stop short.

“Johnny?” she called after him. He turned.

“You live in Spinning Hills.”

He grinned and raised an eyebrow. “I know.”

A smile tugged at her own lips, reminding her how contagious his smiles could be. “But doesn’t Spinning Hills have an ordinance about how many dogs you can keep? I know it’s pretty lenient but”—she bit her lip, trying to remember—“isn’t it something like four dogs per half an acre of land?”

“Yup.”

She dropped her arms to her side. “But only a few houses have an acre of land, and no house has more than that! I’m sure of it. What’re you going to do?” He shifted the box. “You’re wrong. There’s actually one house that sits on five acres. And I’m pretty sure it’s for sale.”

Marissa searched her brain trying to think of a house in Spinning Hills with that much land. And then her eyes widened. “Johnny . . . You don’t mean the Cursed Lover, do you?”

“I do.”

“Are you nuts?”

“Yes. But what’s that have to do with anything?”

Marissa gave him a look. “I mean, don’t you think buying that house is a little outrageous, given its history?”

“No. I think your ring is a little outrageous. The house is just a house.”

Marissa pursed her lips, turned, and left.

Minutes later, as she rolled out of the parking lot, she caught sight of Johnny talking to the puppies. She’d have given a lot to know what he was saying.

 

Johnny looked down at the box full of puppies. “Why’d you have to be so damn cute? Why couldn’t they have found a box of rodents? Sam’s gonna kill me. We barely have room for him, me, and Jake. Jake is my nephew, by the way, and he’s gonna go nuts over you, but we can’t stay in the apartment.” Johnny looked at them one by one. “You’re Amadors now. Cute’s not enough. But no worries. The house I have in mind for you will toughen you up the moment you see it. And smell it.”

Johnny, Biggie, Pas, Chico, Pepito and Milo were now a single-parent household with a large, extended family at the school. That hadn’t been in the plans.

But it had made one thing crystal clear. It paid to be himself. If he’d ended the day the way he’d begun it, worried about appearing professional and serious, he would’ve thought twice about taking the puppies. And the kids might never have seen them again. It felt good and it felt right, and he’d quickly thought things through enough to know it would work out. Good intentions had always been his lifelong guides.

Which brought him back to Marissa. He had the best of intentions there, but he didn’t know how to follow through with them. Mistaken identities, a fiancé, and plenty of people who’d kill him if he said,
“Oops, I confused the Medina sisters! Turns out, I want the one who’s already taken. I call do over”
—it all made him feel trapped and confused. Johnny had known Brian his whole life. They weren’t close, but they’d played sports together and were part of a larger group of friends. He knew for a fact that Brian was not allergic to dogs. Brian was allergic to anything that could make his perfect life messy. He couldn’t see Brian and Marissa together forever.

Memories of her warm lips and searching kisses mingled with the new memory of her smiling with happiness and gratitude when he’d said he’d take the puppies in, and big, sincere eyes that glowed with earnest optimism when the kids had figured out how to communicate with each other. It had only been one day, but he could feel himself falling deeper.

But if Marissa loved Brian . . . if Brian was good for her . . .

For the first time in a long time, he had no clue what direction his good intentions should take.

Johnny put the box down on the passenger side’s floor. He gazed at the lost and hungry-looking puppies and realized how much he already cared for the whole vulnerable lot: the puppies, the kids, and Marissa. “I’m not perfect. We’ve all got issues to sort out. Look at Chico here, already trying to bully Milo. But I promise you that I’ll do my best, okay? Life is like a roller coaster and learning how to ride the ups and downs can be tough, but you already know that. Who knows where you woke up this morning, and tonight you’ll be sleeping in Spinning Hills. So buckle up, pups, you’re in for a ride.”

M
arissa took a more roundabout route into town, entering through a narrow, winding, and seldom-traveled road that ran alongside a large preserve. It had been years since she’d seen the house Johnny was talking about.

About half a mile from downtown, she turned in to the beautiful, wild, lonely road that led to the house known as the Cursed Lover.

It was even worse than she remembered.

It looked like half the roof was missing, but that was because it wasn’t a roof—it was what was left of the second story’s floor. And the entire second story was gone. Not only was the house a major fixer-upper, but a heinous crime had been committed there a century and a half before. Johnny was certifiable if he planned on living there. It was crazy at best and disturbing at worst. A person had died there! By Johnny’s ancestor’s hand!

Amador
meant “lover” in English, and since an Amador had been cursed by the gypsies after burning one of their own in that very house, the townspeople had dubbed it the Cursed Lover. Legend had it no Amador could find and keep true love until the curse was broken, but no one knew how to break it.

Plenty of girls—including her own studious, innocent, and awkward friends—had tried to figure it out. They’d loved coming over to Marissa’s house because they’d harbored crushes on either her brother, or one of her brother’s friends—cursed Johnny in particular. Their house had always been full of hopeful girls and clueless boys.

She drove away, remembering innocent times, and was soon on one of the grid-patterned streets of the downtown area, looking up at the water tower. A few years back it had been painted in black and white spirals, with the words W
ELCOME
T
O
S
PINNING
H
ILLS
printed in red. She loved it. It was different. Perfect for a storybook town founded by gypsies.

They’d brought the style over from Cotswold, England, over a century before. The town had grown after the Great Miami Flood had frightened people into seeking higher ground, and the style had persisted. Normandy, French Country, Tudor, and Mediterranean bungalows and cottages, both big and small, lined the streets. The fairy tale–like architecture and colorful history made the town a tourist draw and a great place for unique businesses, but a few buildings stood empty and run-down. Marissa had never minded. Spinning Hills was an economically diverse place—a place where not everyone could afford the upkeep of their house or lawn—but it had always been a place where most people cared.

The town had personality and character, and it was one of her oldest friends. She’d loved growing up in a place where she could ride her bike to school and then stop at her grandmother’s bakery on her way home for sweets. A blessed childhood. How fortunate she’d been. It had taken a tragedy to show her that not everyone grew up so safe and cocooned.

After high school she’d felt the need to experience life away from her safety net. She’d gone to school in Florida, had been an exchange student in both Toledo, Spain, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, and had spent her summers teaching English in Honduras, El Salvador, and Ecuador.

She’d be going to Ecuador again in August for a month, and she now had mixed feelings about it. She’d made the commitment a couple of months before she and Brian had started going out, but with the job transfers and their engagement, it would now be happening at an inconvenient time, and Brian kept dropping little clues that let her know he wasn’t happy about it. But she couldn’t rescind on the commitment now.

Mostly, she was looking forward to it, though. There was a unique freedom in living in a different country for a while. It had taught her there were many different realities, and that happiness was truly relative.

Minutes later, she pulled in to the Gypsy Fortune Café and Bakery, a happy place and unique reality in its own right. It was nearly four. A perfect time for a visit.

“Here she is! We’ve been waiting for hours,” Ruby exclaimed the moment she walked through the door.

Sherry tossed Ruby an amused look. “Hardly hours. Rosa told us it would be sometime after three.”

“What’s that on your finger?” Abuela Rosa’s voice came from behind the counter. Her grandmother had zeroed in on her engagement ring immediately. Was it that big, or was her grandma that sharp-eyed?

Marissa put her hand up and smiled. “I’m engaged!”

The three women squealed and hopped like women one-third their age, and bombarded her with questions.

“When did he propose?” Sherry asked.

“Saturday night.”

“How?” Ruby’s blue eyes shone.

“At Progressive Field in Cleveland.”

“Did he get down on one knee?” Abuela Rosa asked, hungrily eyeing the ring.

“Yes. He had them flash ‘Marry Me Marissa’ on the Jumbotron.”

The three women piped down and studied her more closely. “What?” Marissa asked, suddenly uncomfortable.

Her grandmother waved a hand and said, “It’s nothing. We’re just wondering why you didn’t say anything sooner.”

“Oh.” Marissa twisted the ring around her finger and looked down at it. “Well, it happened Saturday night, and everyone was up in arms over what happened between Johnny and Melinda, so it just didn’t seem like a good time.”

Her grandmother smiled sadly and pulled her down onto a chair, sitting in front of her as she did so. “We’re always ready to hear your good news. No matter what.”

Marissa nodded and looked up. “I know, but . . . about Saturday night—”

Three faces hardened. “I don’t understand that boy. He’s been going on and on about how he’d met the girl of his dreams and how he was turning over a new leaf for her, and then Saturday night happened,” Ruby said.

Marissa felt hot and cold flushes rush through her at dizzying speeds. He’d thought she was the girl of his dreams? No. There was no way he could think something like that. They’d barely spent time together that night. His penchant for teasing everyone around him had caused him to exaggerate. Now everyone was mad at him.

Abuela Rosa frowned. “I don’t understand it. His eyes nearly bugged out of his face when he saw your sister. Everyone noticed. Then she led him outside, and next thing anyone knew, Marty was yelling at Johnny and Melinda was almost in tears because Johnny had told her he’d made a mistake about her. Rejected her in less than two minutes, and in front of all her friends, too. And you know how that lot is.”

The other two women shook their heads as if they still couldn’t believe it, and Marissa fought off guilt over the twinge of discomfort she’d felt at learning Johnny’s eyes had nearly bugged out when he’d seen her sister.

“Did he say why he thought the mystery girl was Melinda?” Marissa had been wondering how he’d come to that conclusion. Maybe if she knew, she could help defend him. He’d handled it horribly, but she knew he’d never intended to hurt Melinda. Johnny’s good intentions were as legendary as the scrapes he got himself into, and out of.

Abuela Rosa squinted at the table, as if she was trying to make sense of things. “I’ve been trying to understand just that. He said he’d met this girl at a masquerade party a year ago, that he felt a great connection with her, and that she seemed very familiar, but that it was dark and she was wearing a mask and she left before he could find out who she was, but he found an invitation addressed to Melinda Medina, so he put two and two together.”

Marissa froze. She’d left a clue that night?

Ruby nodded. “He came here the next day and tricked Rosa into telling him that Melinda had been in Columbus and at the masquerade party the night before. She even told him what costume Melinda was wearing.”

Sherry looked at Marissa. “That’s what the three of us have been trying to figure out. All roads led to Melinda. The invitation, the costume, the familiarity, the masquerade party. Melinda even confirmed she’d met a guy that night.”

Panic rose in Marissa’s throat. It was time to change the subject. “Well, it turns out I’m working with Johnny.”

Talk about eyes bugging out of faces. Marissa took advantage of their unusual silence and rushed on. “He’s the recently hired school psychologist at my new school and, well, he’s
good
. I can see how what happened hurt everyone, but I’ll be working with him and I need to be on good terms with him.” She began twisting the ring again. “But I feel bad for Melinda. I know her confidence took a hit in LA, I can only imagine the huge romance Mom concocted when she heard Johnny’s story, and then to have it all fall apart in front of those barracudas she calls friends . . . I feel bad that I wasn’t there and haven’t even had a chance to talk to her yet. But I’ll talk to her tonight.” Marissa was so not looking forward to that conversation. The idea that Melinda knew Johnny had confused the two of them left her cold.

“Talk to him, too,” Ruby said. “Find out what was going on in that head of his. Like Sherry said, all roads lead to Melinda, and yet he hightailed it out of there. We’re all too exasperated with him this time to ask him ourselves.”

Marissa nodded. She felt she owed it to him to help him out of the mess.

Abuela Rosa turned questioning eyes on her. “So, you and Johnny are on good terms now? You two have been avoiding each other for years.”

Marissa swallowed and began toying with a napkin. “Well, we’re adults now. And you should’ve seen him with the kids today. They already look up to him. He was so good with them.”

Sherry softened. “Of course he is. We knew he would be.”

“So it was the first day for both of you. How did it go?” Abuela Rosa asked. “I should have asked you sooner,
mamita
, but I got sidetracked by that diamond. You know how I love diamonds.”

“I know.” Marissa laughed. “And it went really well. Johnny even adopted five abandoned puppies, just to make the kids happy. He let them name them, and he even promised to bring them to school once in a while.”

Sherry’s eyes went round. “
Five puppies?
” she echoed.

Abuela Rosa looked unamused. “You are joking.”

Ruby stiffened. “Where in the world is he going to keep a litter of puppies? He lives above Sam’s office! And there’s a town ordinance. Even if he bought a house, he’d still have one dog too many. When will that boy stop courting trouble? How will he keep his promise to those kids now?” She gasped. “Unless he moves away. Is that what he’s planning on doing?” Ruby turned to Rosa with an accusing glare. “Maybe you drove him out!”

“Me? I haven’t even spoken to him.” Rosa glared back.

“Exactly!” Ruby fell back and folded her arms across her chest.

Marissa managed a smile. They were angry at him and they’d make him pay, but they loved him, too. He was like the town’s leprechaun. A cute troublemaker who carried around a heart of gold instead of a pot. “Nobody drove him out. He has a plan. Of sorts.” She hesitated. “He, uh, mentioned one property here in Spinning Hills that could accommodate five puppies.”

There was a long silence. It was as if she’d hit a magical
mute
button that managed to quiet all three of them at once. Many people in town would pay big for such a button.

“No.” Sherry shook her head. “He wouldn’t. It’s too crazy. Even for him.”

Abuela Rosa shuddered. “It’s too crazy and too wrong. His own great-great-great-grandfather burned a woman to death in that house!”

Ruby slapped her hands on the table, hard. “It’s perfect. He’ll break the curse! All he has to do is find his mystery woman. We’ll help him!”

Abuela Rosa sent Ruby a frustrated look. “
What
are you talking about now? If he moves in to that godforsaken house, I tell you he will be cursed for real. And trust me, I will not be helping him. I think it’s finally time we butted out. Look at what happened on Saturday. I talked to Melinda to confirm Johnny’s conclusions, Michelle found out, became too excited to keep it to herself, told everyone and their mother, and the whole world witnessed the debacle.”

Marissa gave her grandmother an assessing look. So that’s what it was. Her grandmother and mom were probably feeling guilty for their own part in the farce.

Ruby got up, swept over to the counter, and took out a box from behind it. “Look. When I read Dan’s tarot cards, the first card read
Creative Project
, and it had a picture of angels fixing a harp. And Dan and Sam both rehabilitated houses for women they loved! The next one said,
Activation
, and it had a picture of an angel blowing fire. Their creative projects were the catalyst for breaking the curse. See? The last card, if you remember, was the Three Elements card that had three angels, one hovering within a spiral of wind, one swimming underwater, and one planting seeds, its hands full of earth.

“Dan was moving around, blowing wherever the wind took him, until he met Holly. Sam was underwater, both in his business and personal life, until Cassie came along and helped him breathe again. And now Johnny must finish the work so the curse can finally be broken and our Amador boys can have love! He must make the house that someone else nearly burned to the ground rise again. That is his seed!”

Sherry and Abuela Rosa burst out laughing. Marissa felt bad for Ruby and didn’t join in. They waited for them to stop, but the two women were having a real fit. They at least looked guilty about it, but they couldn’t seem to stop. Marissa cleared her throat and, wanting to say something nice, commented, “I’m surprised Dan let you read his fortune. Although I guess he’s changed. I can’t wait for the wedding next month.”

“You’re invited?” Ruby clapped her hands together, looking delighted.

Marissa nodded. “I think it was more because Marty is one of the best men and they knew Melinda and I were moving back, so they invited us both, but I met Holly last year and we got along great.”

The other two women were now chuckling at the idea of anyone comparing the Amador boys to angels, but Ruby seemed happy to ignore them. “You must ask Holly to create a perfume for you.”