“Sorry, peanut. Water will have to do. It’s all we have.”
None of the trio looked all that thrilled with ordinary water but Lana scrubbed three glasses and filled them. They gulped it down and wiped hands across their faces.
Nathan, who was too cute for words, plunked his empty glass on the counter. Cheeks as red as a slap, he looked from Lana to Davis and said, “This is nice.”
Paige grabbed his arm. “Let’s go, Nathan.”
“Why? I want to see if Daddy and Lana are having fun, too.”
The little boy’s comment amused and touched her, too. He was having fun. He wanted his daddy to have a good time, too.
“Nathan,” Paige said urgently. “Let God do the work.” She put her fingers to her lips and twisted in the classic gesture of turning a key in a lock. Whatever the boy was about to say, his sister wanted him to be quiet.
Nathan opened his mouth as if to protest but then closed it again. “Okay.”
“Last one to the apple tree is a monkey’s uncle,” Paige said. And away they flew.
Lana cocked her head. “I wonder what that was all about.”
“With those two, don’t even ask.”
“I think they’re enjoying themselves,” she said. Thank you, Lord. Seeing Sydney carefree made the sacrifice of coming back to this town worth it.
“I wouldn’t mind a glass of that water myself.” Davis stuck his hands beneath the faucet and scrubbed. “I can wash my own glass.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Too late.” He stuck a glass beneath the spray and scrubbed. Then he filled and drank. With his hips leaning against the sink, he faced her. She could see he had something on his mind.
“Am I crazy for trying to live in this run-down old house?” she asked. “Is that what you’re about to say?”
“What? No. Most of this is cosmetic.” He waved a hand around in the air. “Structure is sound, plumbing is old but sturdy. Electrical box looks fairly new. Lots of work and a fair expenditure of money but livable.”
Lana drew a deep breath through her nose. The knot in her neck eased. As much as she wanted to do this on her own, she couldn’t. If she was alone, she wouldn’t care where she lived. But Sydney mattered. “You’re hired.”
“Don’t rush into anything. I’m pretty booked up right now with the holidays on the horizon, but I’ll run some figures for you, work up an estimate, talk to other contractors. Then we’ll need to talk budget.”
“Small.” She eased into a chair. “I want to do most of the work myself, but some of these things...” She shrugged.
“There you go, then. Start there. Take this list.” He handed her the tablet. “Figure out what you want to do yourself. Then sub out the rest to the experts. I can give you a list of those, too.”
“You’ve been a lot of help.”
“That’s what neighbors do.”
Neighbors? Really? Then where had they been years ago when she and Tess had needed them?
Chapter Four
The next evening after a long, fruitful day of work, Davis hurried up the sidewalk to his sister’s home to collect his children. Jenny had been, quite literally, a godsend after Cheryl’s death. A homeschooling, stay-at-home mom married to an accountant, she lived on the opposite side of town from Davis, which in Whisper Falls wasn’t that far. Located in a newer addition along the bluff overlooking the Blackberry River, the speckled brick house had an aboveground pool in the backyard, closed now for the season, and a massive play fort that kept his kids enthralled for hours.
He let himself inside his sister’s house which always smelled of candle scents and looked freshly polished. Every piece of furniture, every flower arrangement and picture was pristine. He marveled at how well Jenny managed with his kids and hers, including a son with health challenges, and two cocker spaniels.
“Anybody home?” he called, his usual announcement, and one that started the dogs barking.
“Daddy!” a joyful voice squealed. In seconds, Nathan came racing into the living room, a red superhero cape flying out behind him. He leaped into Davis’s arms and wrapped his legs around his daddy’s waist.
The weary workday melted away in the warm, exuberant little-boy hug from his son. His baby. The child he’d made with a woman he loved. He thanked God every day for his kids. They’d kept him sane when he’d wanted to curl into a ball and let go of life.
Though sometimes he still ached from the lonely spot Cheryl had left behind, he was a content man. Breathing deep, he held his son close to his chest, not caring that he was dirty and stained with grout. Life didn’t get any better than the love of his sweet little boy and girl.
Jenny came around the dining room divider, smiling as she wiped her hands on a dish towel. Blonde and almost as tall as he, his sister had continued to gain weight after twin boys were born seven years ago. He thought she looked okay, but Jenny worried about being fat and was on some kind of crazy diet more often than not.
“You look bushed,” she said. “Want to sit a while and have some tea?”
Davis shook his head. “Thanks, but no. Laundry to do tonight.”
“You got a minute then? I want to ask you about something.”
“Sure.” He shifted, repositioning Nathan onto his hip. The boy’s legs were starting to dangle like octopus tentacles, a sign he would soon be too big to leap into his daddy’s embrace. Davis wasn’t ready for that. “What’s up?”
“The kids told me Lana Ross has moved back into her family’s old house.”
“True.”
“They also said you’d been over to see her. Twice.” He could see his sister was not happy about his friendliness. Never one to keep her opinions to herself, if Jenny had something to say, she’d say it. Sometimes that propensity was a good thing, but not always.
“True, as well. Being neighborly.” He unwound Nathan’s arms and let him slide to the floor. “Go get your sister, bud. We gotta go.”
Jenny waited until Nathan skidded around the corner, spaniels in nail-tapping pursuit, before continuing. “Is Lana planning to stay in Whisper Falls?”
“I didn’t ask her, but she’s remodeling the Ross house. I figure that’s a sign she’s here for good.”
“You’re not going to get involved with that, are you?”
Her tone raised bristles on the back of his neck. “I might. Why?”
“Davis, don’t you remember Lana Ross at all? What she was? How she was always in trouble, always doing the worst possible things? Surely, you aren’t going to let your children associate with a woman like her.”
Davis sucked in a chest full of air and tilted back on his boot heels. Jenny was protective of him and his kids, especially since Cheryl’s death. Besides, hadn’t he thought the same things about Lana?
“Come on, Jen, that was years ago. Teenagers do crazy things but they grow up.”
“Maybe. But where has she been all this time? What has she been doing? Why would she come back here where everyone knows about her?”
“Maybe because she owns a house here?” he said with a hint of sarcasm, hands up and out. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t risk your children to find out. Stay clear of her, Davis. She’s a bad influence.”