Mr. Jons shrugged. “I guess they trust your building ability. No inspection, as is, and a two-week possession date.”
It was a dream offer. Janey shook her head. “Well, I don’t want to complain about the basket of gold I’m being offered. Is it someone from out of town who’s looking to move in so quickly?”
Mr. Jons flipped through the papers in his hand to where the information was, laying the forms in front of her. “No, local fellow. You know him.”
Janey spotted the name on the papers the same moment Mr. Jons announced Len Thompson. The warmth and buzz of excitement inside her changed to confusion. “Len put the offer in on my house?”
“Yes. Obviously knows it’s a high-quality location, and really, a great deal.”
Janey wasn’t sure what to say anymore. “Len Thompson wants to buy my house.”
The information stuck in her brain like a broken cog clicking over again and again, and never moving forward. She couldn’t imagine why this was happening.
Len buying a house wasn’t out of the question. The place was a little bigger than a single guy needed, but it would be quieter than his apartment, and…
She didn’t want to make any assumptions, but damn her brain for going down paths it shouldn’t. What if he wasn’t planning on having the house to himself? What if there was someone else he wanted in the house with him?
She swallowed hard. “Can I have a bit of time to think about this?” she asked.
Mr. Jons looked shocked. “Of course, if you need it, but…” He frowned, looking her over more carefully. “Are you okay? I thought you’d be happy.”
“Oh, I am,” she reassured him. “I mean, I’m happy, but I’m a little confused. How long do we have to answer the offer?”
“Twenty-four hours.” Jons pulled the papers towards himself. “There’s no problem, I don’t mind explaining if you have questions, or finding out some more details. You can counteroffer with anything, you just need to let me know.”
Janey shoved her chair back and stumbled from the table, making it to the hallway with unsteady feet. “I’ve got your card, and I’ll give you a call as soon as I can.”
She turned and all but raced from the office, madly trying to figure out exactly what had just happened.
Len Thompson had bought her house.
Was he trying to tell her something in his silent never really saying the words but saying a whole hell of a lot without them kind of way? Because she couldn’t think of why he would need a house unless…
Unless he wanted her with him?
Was this why his behavior had been so strange over the past couple weeks? She sat behind the wheel of her truck and stared unseeingly at the traffic going past.
Of all the awkward, potentially exciting, potentially horrifying situations. She was frozen. There was no good way to go about the next steps without coming off as either a presumptuous fool or holding back the excitement she should be enjoying.
So.
No use in waiting any longer. She might as well go for the gusto and find out exactly what the heck was going on.
Facing him down in the garage seemed to add another layer of risk, but at least she knew she could find him there. Walking through the front door and looking out into the familiar confines of the shop helped settle her bouncing nerves.
The scents of gas and oil filled her head, the metallic ring in her ears of tools being used—both were familiar and calming. She’d played in this area when she and Katy were younger. And while the butterflies didn’t totally stop dancing on her nerves, at least she didn’t feel quite so nauseous anymore.
She snuck past Keith Thompson, the man waving distractedly at her as he stood at the front desk dealing with a customer.
Slipping in through the staff door meant the warning buzzer didn’t go off, so all the guys were still working, eyes turned away from her.
That gave her a chance to find Len and watch him for a while. He was doing bodywork on the side panel of a car, his arm moving in a rhythmic motion as he pounded out a dent. All of his attention focused downward, thick gloves on his hands. His biceps flexing with every move.
Totally focused on the project. She knew what it was like to have that intensity turned on her, and the thought made her smile. She had nothing to fear. It was silly to be nervous.
Janey took a deep breath and stepped into her future.
“Heads up,” she called as she closed in on him. “You’re going to put Thor out of a job.”
Len paused, straightening and offering her a brief nod. “Hey. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Well, now that the house is done, I’m living a life of leisure,” she teased, her confidence shaking slightly as the word house reminded her why she was there.
Len put down the mallet, glancing briefly around the room. “You want to talk?”
She didn’t know what to do with her hands. He hadn’t pulled her in for a kiss, and she wasn’t about to force herself on him. Something awkward hovered between them, but she wasn’t sure how much of that was her fault for the assumed thoughts in her brain.
She tilted her head toward the yard door. “Can we go outside?”
He nodded, hesitating for a second before he held out his hand. Janey took it gratefully, wrapping her fingers around his. Savouring the warmth as he guided her from the room and into the late-summer sunshine.
Go for broke. It was the only way, kind of like pulling a loose tooth and getting it over with. “I talked to my realtor…”
It was the perfect opening as far as she was concerned, but again, he didn’t do anything more than nod.
Discomfort rose. “Len. You bought my house.”
He wasn’t frowning or anything, but he didn’t offer her a secretive glance or anything to reassure her she wasn’t going nuts. Instead, he turned and paced into the yard, moving away as he lifted his face towards the sun.
He turned back slowly. “It’s a good house.”
She shook her head. “But, I don’t get it. You bought my house.”
He nodded. Didn’t say anything else. Didn’t offer any reason why, didn’t do something over-the-top crazy-in-love like drop to one knee and propose.
And when he did speak, it was to shatter all of the fledgling dreams she’d begun to risk.
“I guess you’ll be off to Calgary as soon as possible.”
Pain stuttered across her nerves. She opened then closed her mouth a couple of times, looking for the right answer.
At the same time a trickle of heat ignited deep inside her belly. “Sounds as if you’re eager to get rid of me,” Janey observed.
Len shrugged. “I know you’ve got things to do, and the fall is a decent time to find a job. Better sooner than later.”
Oh, God. He was serious.
Janey wrapped her arms around herself in self-defense, raising a wall between her and the man she’d thought she was falling in love with.
In spite of the sun beating down on them, she was cold. An icy layer enveloped her, driving spikes into her heart. “I guess you’re right. There’s not much reason for me to stick around here anymore. Now that the house is sold, and all.”
“If you need help loading your truck for the move, let me know.”
She wasn’t sure how it was possible to be as broken inside and still feel such rising anger. “You’re not just eager to get rid of me, you’re as good as shoving me out the door.”
For the first time Len’s expression changed. He looked surprised, shocked even. “Are you mad at me?”
A tortured sound escaped her lips. “Are you kidding me? You have no idea what this sounds like from my side. It’s as if you can’t wait for me to get out of town.”
“I thought—”
“I don’t think you really have,” Janey snapped, all of her frustrations exploding as she lost control. “Thinking would require that you actually gave a damn, and it’s obvious you don’t.”
His face tightened. “That’s not true.”
“Oh, really? And I would know this how? Because everything you’ve done and everything you’ve said right now proves you care?” Janey swallowed hard. “You know, there are times when I was pretty sure you and I had something special happening. And I’m not talking about the sex, I’m talking about something in here.”
She pressed a hand over her chest where it felt as if her heart had shattered and only sheer willpower was keeping it together.
“I care about you,” Len insisted.
She shook her head, then reluctantly gave a single nod. “Okay. I will accept you care about me as much as you’re willing. But you know what I just realized? It’s not enough.”
His expression darkened, his gaze boring into her.
He wanted her out of town? Hell, he wanted their entire relationship to be over. Loaded into the back of her truck and driving away down the highway.
Tough shit for him.
Janey lifted her chin. “You’ve been someone special in my life for a long time, and I thought this summer meant something to us both. But I’m worth someone who wants me passionately, not only in the sack, but in every single thing we do. Someone who shows me how much I mean to them all the time. And that doesn’t need fancy presents, or fancy words, Len. It doesn’t require you to be someone you aren’t.”