Linda Goodnight - Sugarplum Homecoming

“Nothing specific. Random things about brown hair.” He tapped on the paneling, made a note of loose trim and a cracked light fixture.

“Sydney once asked me to dye her hair green, but that was for a costume party.” Lana opened the door to the downstairs bathroom, a small space with an old claw-foot tub.

“Nice.” Davis ran a hand along the rounded edge. He didn’t seem to mind that it was filthy. “Do you know what these sell for in today’s market?”

“If it’s more than a new one, this one is for sale.”

“Seriously?”

“I’ve had old stuff all my life, Davis. All these antique fixtures can go for all I care.”

“I’ll check around. You might be able to make some money. Lots of people like authentic vintage.”

The idea heartened her. She and Sydney would make it here. She would find a way to turn this house into a home.

“Tell me about yourself, Lana,” he said, tapping the wall above the bathroom sink with his knuckles. “What happened to your singing career in Nashville?”

“You knew I lived there?”

“This is Whisper Falls. We hear everything. Usually, about five minutes after it happens.”

He was right, and the memory of a small, gossipy town was not a comfort. People would remember her teen years. People would gossip. All she could do was pray the talk didn’t harm Sydney. There would be enough speculation about her as it was.

“So what about Nashville?” He leaned forward to inspect the hot water tank. Other than being coated in dust and cobwebs, it worked. She knew that already.

“The usual, I guess. I thought I was a better singer than I am. But I had some great experiences.” Some lousy ones, too. “I sang for my supper, met some famous stars.” Usually at the hotel where she’d cleaned rooms, though she’d once encountered Faith Hill and Tim McGraw coming out of Banana Republic with their kids.

“I remember when you and your sister used to sing the national anthem at the football games. You were good. Where’s Tess living now?”

That was anyone’s guess. Under a bridge. In a crack house. But hopefully, in the same mission that had brought Lana to Christ. “She’s still in Nashville.”

The conversation was beginning to take an uncomfortable turn. Lana didn’t want to discuss Tess or Nashville for that matter.

“You’ve lived a glamorous life. Why come back to Whisper Falls?”

Glamorous? “Time to settle down. Sydney needs to be settled in one place, one school, and the music industry is not always a stable lifestyle. Anyway, it wasn’t for me.”

“I get that. My kids are everything. I’d walk on fire for them.”

“Or climb Whisper Falls?” Lana asked, surprised at the easy joke.

“Exactly.”

He opened the vanity cabinet. A dead mouse smell rushed out.

“Eww.” Lana grabbed her nose and backed out of the small space into the hallway. Davis, more resourceful, leaned over the tub to shove open a tiny window. Fresh air, spurred by the breeze, swirled inside, but the stench remained. Outside, an overgrown pine scraped against the screen, dropping pine needles without enough scent to matter.

Davis followed her out into the hall, pulling the door behind him. “Let that air a while.”

“Good idea. Maybe for a year.”

“If you’ve got a plastic bag, I’ll see if I can find and remove the source.”

In the narrow hallway, they were crowded. If either moved more than a few inches they would be touching. Rather, she’d be touching that work-muscled chest of his. A man who carried boxes of tile and grouting mud had to be strong.

“You’d do that?”

Davis didn’t seem to notice her discomfiture. He tilted his head, looking down at her while she looked up. “I work in remodels. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I find behind walls and under old cabinets.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and shivered in pretend horror, though the ploy was more to get her mind off him than true repugnance. “I don’t think I want to know.”

After he had dispatched the mouse carcass, for which she would forever be grateful, they made their way on through the house. Lana watched in dismay as his list of repairs grew longer and longer.

By the time they’d worked the way back to the kitchen, the kids came flying through the back door, faces red and sweaty.

“We’re thirsty,” Sydney said. “I wish we had some pop.”

“Sorry, peanut. Water will have to do. It’s all we have.”

None of the trio looked all that thrilled with ordinary water but Lana scrubbed three glasses and filled them. They gulped it down and wiped hands across their faces.

Nathan, who was too cute for words, plunked his empty glass on the counter. Cheeks as red as a slap, he looked from Lana to Davis and said, “This is nice.”

Paige grabbed his arm. “Let’s go, Nathan.”

“Why? I want to see if Daddy and Lana are having fun, too.”

The little boy’s comment amused and touched her, too. He was having fun. He wanted his daddy to have a good time, too.

“Nathan,” Paige said urgently. “Let God do the work.” She put her fingers to her lips and twisted in the classic gesture of turning a key in a lock. Whatever the boy was about to say, his sister wanted him to be quiet.

Nathan opened his mouth as if to protest but then closed it again. “Okay.”

“Last one to the apple tree is a monkey’s uncle,” Paige said. And away they flew.

Lana cocked her head. “I wonder what that was all about.”

“With those two, don’t even ask.”

“I think they’re enjoying themselves,” she said. Thank you, Lord. Seeing Sydney carefree made the sacrifice of coming back to this town worth it.

“I wouldn’t mind a glass of that water myself.” Davis stuck his hands beneath the faucet and scrubbed. “I can wash my own glass.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Too late.” He stuck a glass beneath the spray and scrubbed. Then he filled and drank. With his hips leaning against the sink, he faced her. She could see he had something on his mind.

“Am I crazy for trying to live in this run-down old house?” she asked. “Is that what you’re about to say?”

“What? No. Most of this is cosmetic.” He waved a hand around in the air. “Structure is sound, plumbing is old but sturdy. Electrical box looks fairly new. Lots of work and a fair expenditure of money but livable.”

Lana drew a deep breath through her nose. The knot in her neck eased. As much as she wanted to do this on her own, she couldn’t. If she was alone, she wouldn’t care where she lived. But Sydney mattered. “You’re hired.”

“Don’t rush into anything. I’m pretty booked up right now with the holidays on the horizon, but I’ll run some figures for you, work up an estimate, talk to other contractors. Then we’ll need to talk budget.”

“Small.” She eased into a chair. “I want to do most of the work myself, but some of these things...” She shrugged.

“There you go, then. Start there. Take this list.” He handed her the tablet. “Figure out what you want to do yourself. Then sub out the rest to the experts. I can give you a list of those, too.”

“You’ve been a lot of help.”

“That’s what neighbors do.”

Neighbors? Really? Then where had they been years ago when she and Tess had needed them?

Chapter Four

The next evening after a long, fruitful day of work, Davis hurried up the sidewalk to his sister’s home to collect his children. Jenny had been, quite literally, a godsend after Cheryl’s death. A homeschooling, stay-at-home mom married to an accountant, she lived on the opposite side of town from Davis, which in Whisper Falls wasn’t that far. Located in a newer addition along the bluff overlooking the Blackberry River, the speckled brick house had an aboveground pool in the backyard, closed now for the season, and a massive play fort that kept his kids enthralled for hours.