Page 10 of The Fall Fix Up

“Not really,” Janae replied with a shrug. “They’re just swamped. They came back and made sure everything was structurally sound, so thankfully I don’t have to worry about the whole thing collapsing on me. But until the apartment is rebuilt, they won’t have much time for side work. I get it, of course, but it means I’m on my own for a while.”

Grace gave a sympathetic frown. “That’s rough. You’re not exactly Ms. Fixer-Upper.”

“Exactly.” Janae chuckled. “I can paint a damn good mural, but I can’t even figure out how to replace a baseboard without nearly putting an eye out.”

Ava snorted. “Isn’t that what YouTube is for?”

“Sure,” Janae conceded easily. “YouTube also told me to get a stud finder, and I almost texted my high school girlfriend before I realized the video wasn’t telling me to revisit past mistakes.”

That made them both laugh, and Janae joined in, though there was a sliver of frustration under her humor. She hated that her art skills didn’t translate into the kind of practical self-sufficiency she needed right now. It made her feel helpless. The front door opened then, followed by the creak of floorboards. Vini came in smelling faintly of motor oil. She tossed her keys onto the counter and, with a bone-deep sigh, immediately walked over to the sink.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late.” She turned on the water and pumped some soap into her hands. “It took a little longer than I planned to finish up the last oil change and tire rotation.”

“It’s fine,” Ava said. “We were just chatting about home repairs.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re planning more DIY projects? I thought we learned our lesson last time when Grace tried to—”

“We’re not talking about home repairs for us,” Grace said, cutting in. She gestured at Janae. “Janae moved into the house she bought, but it still needs work, and her contractors obviously aren’t able to work on it right now.”

Vini raised an eyebrow before setting her hands on her hips. “Oh. Well, if you need a few things fixed, I have a friend that could probably help you out.”

Janae tried to wave off her suggestion. “Seriously, it’s fine. I can try to get a few things fixed a little so it’s more livable until—”

“Please don’t tell me you’re going on YouTube for house-repair advice,” Vini cut in. When Janae didn’t say anything, she pressed her fingers to her temples. “We better be drinking tonight because I think I need a double.”

“Wine is in the fridge,” Grace replied. Janae thought she was being nice by changing the subject, until Grace turned and gave Janae a meaningful look.

“Weren’t you saying before that if you could just get the kitchen up to speed, you would feel a lot better about things?” Grace asked pointedly.

Janae narrowed her eyes and hissed, “Traitor.” When Vini looked back at her, she raised her hands in surrender. “I’ll think about it. It might not be in my budget anytime soon since I did already pay the contractors for some work that hasn’t been completed yet.”

Grace nodded. “Well, you better think fast. Winter’s coming.”

Ava snorted and shook her head when Grace grinned knowingly. “You sound like a Game of Thrones meme.”

“Plus, I don’t want to take advantage,” Janae continued.

“It’s not taking advantage if I offer,” Vini pointed out. “Plus, the guy owes me and he’s nice enough that if he heard you needed the help, he’d offer himself. I’ll ask him to drop by tomorrow to at least give you a better idea of what needs to be done. It might not be as much work as you think.”

Janae blinked quickly as she thought about it. She didn’t know what to say. “I mean . . . if you’re sure your friend would be okay with it.”

Vini nodded as Grace brought the food to the table. “Trust me. He’s a great guy and I know he’d be more than happy to help.”

Later that night, Janae couldn’t stop thinking about Vini’s suggestion as the house creaked around her, the walls groaning with each gust of wind. She snuggled farther under her two blankets.

After their dinner conversation, and seeing how her friends had reacted to the photos of the house, Janae had finally given in and asked Vini to see if her friend would be willing to drop by for just a quick consultation.

Janae still felt guilty for possibly inconveniencing someone else, but when a brush of cool air passed over her, she conceded that it was a necessary evil. With a sigh, she put her phone on the nightstand and settled in for sleep. Even though she was tired, it took her another hour to finally nod off and when she awoke, she was still plagued with the same indecision she had gone to bed with.

The morning dawned quiet with the same chill in the air as it had for the past few mornings. When Janae’s feet hit the wood floor, she winced with the cold and quickly hopped back in bed to put on her thick socks. She shuffled into the kitchen, wrapping her cardigan tight around her shoulders. The room still smelled faintly of paint thinner and dust. When another gust of wind blew open part of the flap that covered one of the windows, sending crisp air stinging over her cheek, she finally conceded that when the guy came by, she would ask for as much help as he was able to give.

“Okay, damn it. You win,” she said aloud to the house. She glared up at the ceiling before shuffling back to her room to get ready for the day.

Maybe if she told Braeden she was getting things handled sooner rather than later, it would keep her twin off her back too. A girl could dream. Then again, knowing Braeden, it would probably invite even more questions. By the time she heard the rumble of a vehicle coming up her driveway, Janae had worked herself into a tizzy. She didn’t even know what to ask about first other than just letting the guy in and telling him to look around.

Her nerves had her moving to the front door, throwing it open before the person could even knock. If she had known who Vini would be sending, she might have taken the time to throw on something more than a pair of old paint-stained sweatpants and a sweatshirt that had seen better days.

Aiden climbed out of an old pickup, dark curls brushing the nape of his neck as he hummed along to whatever he had been listening to when he pulled up. His navy slacks were loose, but not enough that she couldn’t help but admire how the fabric framed his long legs. She only had a moment to shift her gaze when he straightened and glanced up at the house. He was close enough that she saw surprise flicker in his warm brown eyes before his lips split in a wide grin.