Divided Interests (Southern Bride 3)

Why had I never truly moved on? I dated a guy recently for almost a year. For the last few months of our relationship, Jeff had been asking for me to move in with him. He even hinted about maybe getting married. I couldn’t do that to him. Especially not after the day I saw Lucas in Whole Foods in Austin, and I hid behind a display to watch him. I knew I wasn’t being honest with myself, or Jeff. I went to his place that night and broke up with him. That was almost seven months ago…

I hadn’t been on a single date since.

Pathetic. It might as well have been my middle name.

“What about you, sweet little Paige? Are you dating anyone?” Linda asked.

“Not currently. I was, but we broke up.”

Lynn gave me a smile that said she was sorry, while Linda May looked me up and down, as if to say maybe it was the five extra pounds I’d packed on that was the breaking point.

Fine, fine. Ten pounds.

“Linda May, if you’ll excuse us, I have something personal to talk to Paige about.”

My eyes widened at the emphasis Lynn had put on personal. Linda May shot Lynn a distasteful look and headed back into the house.

“Like I was saying, I need you to stop by Lou’s office before you head back to Austin.”

“Okay. I’ll do that. Is everything okay?”

Lynn’s eyes sparkled with mischief. Something was up, and Lynn wasn’t about to fill me in on it.

With a wink, she replied, “It will be.”

Paige – Present day

I STOOD IN front of the old house and smiled. I’d always loved this place. I’d even dreamed of owning it someday, and I was positive I had mentioned that a time or two to William. The fact that he left me the house thrilled me more than I could say.

Well, he left me half of the house. The other half belonged to his grandson. My ex.

Lucas.

Looking at the large, two-story white house, I took in the little details. They didn’t build houses like this anymore. The large white columns held up the second-floor roof. I remembered sneaking out of the upstairs bedrooms and climbing onto that very roof. Lucas and I would lie out there and look at the stars. It wasn’t uncommon for all of us to spend the night at William and May’s house. May was Lucas’s grandmother. They loved having us kids there. Said it filled the house with love and laughter. Jen and I would stay in one room, while Lucas and Milo stayed in another.

My gaze wandered to the empty front porch. Then Milo’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “I can give you an estimate to paint the house and do a few minor repairs. You want to keep it white, right?” Milo asked, writing in his notebook as we walked up the steps, into the foyer and over to the large living room.

It was a no-brainer to call Milo when I realized the house could use a coat of paint inside and out. I probably should have waited for Lucas, but since I hadn’t heard from him after I left him a voicemail asking him to call me, I decided to jump feet first into this project. It had awakened my soul the moment Lou told me I was part-owner. I had to admit, I wasn’t surprised when Lou told me William had left the house to both of us. The man had wanted us to get back together something fierce and hadn’t been silent on the subject for the last ten years.

“Yes, if we could match the shade of white, that would be amazing. I also found this old picture in one of my photo albums. Do you think you could build me a porch swing? I remember the four of us swinging on it. I was hoping the old one might be on the property somewhere, but I haven’t found it yet.”

“I can talk to Carl. He’d be the best person to build it, since he probably swung on it too, and might enjoy building it,” Milo said with a wide smile, before it faded. “Paige, have you talked to Lucas yet?”

“Nope,” I said, popping the P and holding up a swatch of paint colors against the wall in the living room.

“Don’t you think y’all should decide which half the house is yours and which half is his?”

The humor in his voice wasn’t lost on me.

“My plan is to buy Lucas out.”

Milo’s eyes went wide, and then he laughed. When I didn’t laugh, he stopped. “Wait, you’re being serious?”

“Of course I am. Lucas doesn’t want this house. I’m pretty sure that his girlfriend doesn’t want to move to Johnson City. Besides, he has a home in Austin.”

“So do you!”

“Not anymore. I put my downtown loft on the market and moved into this farmhouse this morning…right after I quit my job.”