“No,” I said, turning to face him full on. “The house. I moved back in, now that the divorce is final.”
Brody gave me a small nod. “I can, um, stop by and take a look at it if you want?”
I chewed on my lip as I thought about whether that would be a mistake or not. It had taken me several years, but I’d finally gotten over my anger from the night I’d given him my virginity. Since Brody had returned to Seaside after being discharged from the Navy, we’d both silently ignored what had happened between us.
We were still friends…and that bugged the shit out of Jack. I’d never told him who I’d given my virginity to, but I had a strong feeling he’d always suspected it was Brody. He’d never asked, and I’d never offered up the information. It was another wall between us in our marriage.
I sighed and shook my head. “I’m going to see about hiring a handyman. There’s a pretty long list of problems that I need to have fixed.”
Brody took a step closer. “Don’t do that. Let me swing by and take a look at the switch.”
With a reluctant nod, I glanced over his shoulder to see Harlee walking up. “Hey, did you order the paint?”
She smiled at Brody. “Hey, Brody, how are you?”
He returned her grin. “Hi, Harlee. I’m doing well. You?”
“I’m good. Excited I get to help Sutton paint her entire house!” She looked over at me. “And to answer you, yes. Paint is being mixed now.”
Brody focused back on me. “Painting the house, huh? Do you guys need help?”
With a shake of my head, I replied, “No.”
At the same moment, Harlee gave an excited, “Yes!”
Brody raised his brows. “I don’t mind helping.”
I smiled. “Having you look at the light switch is a great help already.”
Harlee huffed. “Oh man, there is so much to do in that house. Jackass left it a mess.”
Laughing, Brody reached behind me and plucked something off the wall I’d been staring at. “When’s a good time for me to stop by?”
“Um. Well, anytime that’s good for you,” I said. “I close the store at four during the off season, so anytime you want. Or whenever you’re free, I mean.”
“I’m off today. Why don’t I meet you there and take a look at things… unless you need to get back to Coastal Chic?”
Before I could utter a word, Harlee spoke up. “Sutton closed the store for a few days. We can totally meet you at the house in, like, maybe thirty minutes?”
I stared at my best friend with an open mouth. When I realized Brody was waiting for me to agree, I cleared my throat. “Yeah, sure. That works. Give us about thirty minutes to pick up the paint and some other supplies.”
He winked, and I suddenly became hyperaware of my entire body, including the way my nipples tightened and my stomach fluttered.
“Sounds good,” he said. “See you ladies then.”
My heart hammered in my chest as I watched him turn and head back down the aisle.
Without even knowing what she’d done, Harlee turned to face me. “This is awesome! Maybe Brody knows someone who can help get some of the bigger issues fixed. And if he can help paint, we’ll knock it out even faster.”
I didn’t pull my eyes off his retreating back as I replied, “I’m sure he has more important things to do than help us.”
Harlee laughed and began heading down the aisle. “Are you saying our project house won’t be fun?”
It was my turn to laugh. “Project house? That’s one way of describing it, and no, I don’t think this is going to be fun. If I was smarter, I’d put it on the market and sell it.”
Harlee grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “I thought you loved that house.”
I shrugged. “Once upon a time, I did.”