Page 10 of More Than A Fixer-Upper
“As long as your parents are okay with a couple extra kids, they’re more than welcome,” Rosalie says.
Drew steps back, guarded. I glance at Seth he nods. The kid reminds me of myself at that age.
“They’ll be fine. I’ll let their folks know,” Seth says.
Hailey and Winnie exchange numbers and start chatting about school, music, movies, and local fun. Drew sticks close to Rosalie, phone in hand, pointing things out. I walk over to him.
“Hey. I saw you pointing at the porch roof. What are you thinking?” Drew stiffens. “Sorry didn’t mean to sneak up.”
“It’s okay,” he says, voice low but steady. “I think the porch roof needs replacing. We were sweeping yesterday it’s sturdy, but there’s a lot of mold.”
“I noticed some warping. See how it droops in places?” I point out a few spots. Drew nods. “That means it got wet and dried unevenly. Could be from tree cover or something hanging over it. You’re right it needs replacing. Hailey spotted some things too. What else do you see?”
He rattles off the same list as Hailey, then adds that some tree roots are starting to push through the siding. Rosalie watches us with a look of wonder. I don’t know why, but something about this kid makes me want to know him better.
Seth and I stay outside with Drew while the others head inside.
“Is it going to be expensive to fix?” Drew asks, biting his lip.
“I’m not sure yet. I need to bring in the right people. We want to do it right don’t want to mess up the foundation. I also need to see what’s going on inside.”
He nods and walks toward the house.
“I have the list,” he says. “Mom and I went through every room while we cleaned. We made suggestions, and anything that looked off went on the list.” He pulls out his phone, clicks through, and hands it to me. “Mom’s going to want to talk to you, but I figured you could get a head start.”
We reach the porch. Before we go inside, Drew turns to me.
“Mr. Marks says you’re a good guy. I may only be thirteen, but don’t mess with my mom. She raised us alone, gave up everything for us. This is her dream her connection to her family. I won’t let anyone take that from her. Not even my sister’s attitude about moving to a smaller town. Do we understand each other?”
He stares me down. Seth too.
Is this kid for real?
Yeah. He is.
Chapter Eight
Rosalie
HaileyandWinniesitcurled up on the couch near the fireplace, scrolling through music groups and giggling. Mr. Marks shakes his head with a fond smile.
“Hailey’s my great great niece. She’s a good egg.”
“Thank you for everything, Mr. Marks.” I touch his forearm, smiling. This man is a treasure. I’ve called him with so many questions, and he’s never once made me feel like a burden.
“Gerald, please. We’re family now.” His voice softens. “I wish Rosa had been here to meet you. She would’ve loved you and those kids.”
A tear slips down my cheek before I can stop it. I swipe it away quickly.
“I hope one day we can sit down and talk about her. I want to know everything.” My voice barely rises above a whisper.
“We will. Once this place is up and running, we’ll sit down and talk. Christmas was her favorite holiday. She used to hosta party for the kids here hire a Santa, ran a toy drive, got local businesses to donate food. It was magical.”
“I’d love to do something like that. Back in Texas, my school did food and clothing drives for the homeless shelter. The kids loved it whoever brought the most food won a pizza party.”
“Linda would love that idea. I’ll mention it to her.” Gerald smiles. “Will you try teaching here?”
“I might have to, at least until the bed and breakfast turns a profit.” I sigh. “I don’t know how much this will cost. There are bills, and the kids have needs. I’ve already started the process to transfer my teaching certificate to Wyoming.”
