Damn Wright (The Wrights 2)

“What kind of work?”

“All kinds.” When he just waited, she sighed and continued. “Aunt Shelly had dementia. When she wasn’t thinking straight, she’d hoard. And when her mind cleared, and she realized what she was doing, she was so ashamed and overwhelmed, she wouldn’t let anyone help her. She managed to take care of herself well enough to stay out of an assisted living facility until last year. Once she went into a home, she passed away in six months.”

He waited, hoping she’d go on. He loved hearing her talk. Wanted to do anything that extended their time together. He loved simply existing in the same sphere.

When she didn’t go on, he said, “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. Anyway, the house is filled with all kinds of junk and trash. You can’t even walk through it. I haven’t had time to get over there and work on it.”

“Why don’t you hire someone to do it?”

“I got a bid. It’s way too expensive.”

That undefined annoyance tickled his brain again. “Are you going to renovate it or sell it as is?”

“I don’t have the money to renovate, and I don’t have the time to manage a renovation myself. The wife of one of the doctors at work is a Realtor, and she said I had a better chance of getting more for it if I cleaned it out and had a building inspection done. If I sold it as is, I’d only get the value of the land, because whoever bought it—probably a developer or investor—couldn’t count on the house being livable. I guess some renovations can cost more than just rebuilding from scratch.”

This conversation felt like a warm rain, cleansing and soothing. He wanted it to go on forever. Literally.

This was the opportunity he’d been hoping for. Seeing that engagement ring put a wrench in his plans, but his idea was still valid. He owed her so much more than this, but this was something concrete he could offer. “I’ve been thinking—”

“Oh my God.” She rolled her eyes and looked down the street with a huff of laughter. Her smile lingered. A sweet smile that struck him like lightning. “I can’t believe the way hearing that phrase out of your mouth can still strike fear in my heart.”

He laughed, and just like that, the years between them vanished. And for that single, sparkling moment, they were connected by a shared experience, a shared memory, infusing him with the desire to inch closer and crack open more doors between them.

He’d always been the creative one, his mind busily generating phantasmal scenarios for their lives. Part dreamer, part doer. Emma had been the planner, the organizer, the thinker. She’d handled their finances, their futures.

“Just hear me out,” he said.

She heaved a sigh and settled one of her okay-dazzle-me looks on him.

“I did a little research, and average houses in your aunt’s neighborhood in fair condition go for about three hundred thousand. Nice ones that have been renovated go for four hundred grand or more. If you just cleared it out and did nothing, it would only bring in about a hundred and fifty thousand, tops.”

“I know. Still, seventy-five grand for each of us sounds like a million bucks to me right now.”

“How much do you owe in student loans?”

She averted her gaze. Emma hated debt. She’d made sure they’d always lived within their means because they both had big dreams of traveling and helping others. And they couldn’t do that if they were tied down by debt.

“About three hundred thousand,” she muttered.

He’d known it would be a lot, but that number staggered him. And guilt added weight to his shoulders. He’d promised her that by the time she got to medical school, he would be accomplished enough to support them. Instead, he’d disappeared from her life.

“I figured it would be substantial.” He crossed his ankles and pressed his palms to the fender of her car. “I haven’t seen the house, but based on the information I could collect online, a renovation wouldn’t be horrendous. Your aunt may have gone downhill a few years ago, but up until that time, it looks like she took care of her house. The air-conditioning unit is newer, the electrical panel has been upgraded, and the roof still has twenty years on it.”

“How’d you find all this information in such a short time?”

“The planning department has records of all repairs done by a licensed professional.”

“You always could find absolutely anything online. Well, that’s good news. Maybe we’ll get two hundred grand out of it.”

“Or,” he said, “we could clean it up and get two hundred fifty. Do basic renovations and get three hundred. Or trick it out and get four hundred.”

“Did you miss the part about not having the money or time to renovate?”

“I have the time, and I could put up the money needed for supplies and specialty contractors.”

“What do you mean you have the time? How long are you here?”