She nodded. “They make a pretty picture.”
“I thought about them. I thought about a job that would always be needed. Someone has to fix those lights when they break down. Someone has to fix the electricity in all those big houses in town.”
“That’s a good reason,” Audrey said.
Sheldon wanted something he could count on. He found he couldn’t count on being the manager of a horse farm. The manual labor to clean the boat hulls would fall to a younger man in time. And he needed a profession that would pay him better than the minimum wage he was receiving now. The book on electricity seemed to jump out at him in the library and he’d checked it out.
He felt like he was making progress. He wouldn’t go back, couldn’t go back. That life was gone. But in this new life, he would try his hand at new things, be more open to people. Jason was an engineer, trained to be useful. He would never be hungry, never have to scrub scabs off boat hulls for the rich.
Sheldon had once thought his brother should be more like him, conforming to tradition, polished in his dress and manner. Those things were useless. And no good to him when everything went bad. Now Sheldon was planning to be more like Jason, resourceful and respectful. He might not be able to go back, and Jason would never know the effect he had on Sheldon, but Sheldon would know.
* * *
THE SMELL OF brewed coffee and bacon cooking woke Jace. Turning over he looked at the clock. It was just past seven. He sat straight up, realizing Kelly was up and that she’d been at her desk or holding a hammer or paint brush for hours already. It took him three minutes to shower and five minutes to dress. Ari was still asleep.
Jace was thankful the child no longer slept fitfully, which was why Jace probably overslept. He headed for the kitchen and the good-smelling coffee. Coming into the room, he found people he didn’t know. A man and a woman.
“Hi,” the man said. “I’m Drew.” He offered his hand and Jace shook it. “You must be Jace.”
“And I’m Mira, his wife and Kelly’s cousin.” She stood at the stove, ladling bacon onto a plate with a paper towel on it. “We heard you needed a car.”
Jace just stared at them.
“Kelly called and said you had to turn in your rental,” Drew said.
“We have a car that’s not being used.” Mira glanced at her husband. “And Drew is too stubborn to get rid of it.”
“If I had, then Jace here wouldn’t be able to borrow it.” Drew looked back at Jace, the smile on his face told him the car wasn’t a bone of contention between the couple. “It’s not a car, actually, but a beat-up old truck. The keys are on the floor,” Drew said.
“Thanks. I’ll take care of it,” was his reply.
“Good. Now, how about some breakfast?” Mira said. The mood brightened at the prospect of food.
“It smells wonderful.” Jace helped himself and took a seat at the table. His plate was piled high with bacon, sausage, eggs and toast. A jar of homemade jam sat on the table. And the coffee she poured in his cup was exactly as he liked it.
“Kelly told me you like your coffee strong.”
“This breakfast is terrific. Thank you. Where is Kelly, by the way?”
“She’s up in the attic searching for some papers,” Mira said. “She’s already eaten. And Kelly is not one to let anything grow under her feet. She’s always moving.”
The three of them sat and ate their breakfast.
“What are you two doing today? Kelly mentioned you help her out around here, so I guess she gave you a list of things to do, too,” Jace asked the couple.
Mira laughed. “Not today. We only came to deliver the truck.”
Drew said, “I know your family lived here before, but when Kelly bought it, it was truly run-down. She’s spent night and day bringing it back to where you see it today.”
“It’s a good thing the place was never protected as a historic landmark,” Mira said.
“Why is that?” Jace asked.
“Rules,” she said. “If the house or the grounds had been designated a landmark, there are hundreds of rules about what can and cannot be done. What materials can be used. Where things can be placed. Dimensions of buildings that can be built. And every change needs to be approved by a committee. It would have taken years for her to go through all the paperwork and inspections for even the most minor thing. Kelly has kept the character of the house, modernizing some of the areas that needed it.”
Jace had forgotten his meal. Insight into the character of the woman he crossed swords with was more interesting.
Jace’s respect for her increased dramatically.