Chapter 2

TWO

Wade

"Well, that didn't go well," I mutter to myself as I close the front door behind me.

I stare around at all of the cardboard boxes scattered all over the worn hardwood floor of the living room. I stand there, surveying the chaos that is my new home. Or at least, it will be for the next few months until I can fix it up and flip it. The place is a bit of a mess, but it's my mess now, and there's something satisfying about that, about all of the possibilities that I can see for this place.

The house is an old Victorian, the kind you'd see in a storybook, a fairytale with a happy ending. It has a wide front porch, tall, narrow windows, and a steeply pitched roof.

Or at least, it would look like something out of a storybook if it wasn't so run down. The paint is peeling, the roof needs work, and the yard is overgrown with weeds. The previous owners were old and couldn't keep up with the place. They've been living in Florida for the last few months, and the house has fallen into disrepair.

I can see the potential, though, and with a little, make that a lot of work, this place could be something special. I hope so anyway so that I can make a decent profit when I sell it.

I never thought I'd own a place like this, not when I was a kid bouncing around from one foster home to another, always feeling like I was living on borrowed time before I got shuttled off to the next house. I never quite fit in at any of the homes. Hell, I never felt like I quite fit in anywhere. I was too guarded and moody at the foster homes, too quiet and reserved at school, and too young on the construction sites I used to work at. I've never really belonged anywhere.

Back when I was a kid, the idea of owning a home was about as realistic as winning the damn lottery. I was too busy trying to survive, to think about things like mortgages, remodeling, and property values, but here I am, standing in my very own house.

I run a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the day start to settle on my shoulders. It's been a long one, starting before sunrise with a three-hour drive, then unloading the truck, getting the utilities turned on, and dealing with a few unexpected surprises, like the raccoon that's apparently made its home in the attic. I have a long list of things to do around here, like unpack, but all of that can wait until tomorrow. Right now, I just want to find my bed, or at least the mattress I threw down on the bedroom floor, and get some sleep. I have another job starting tomorrow morning, and I need to be ready for work then.

My mind flashes back to Auden and that disastrous first encounter. I think that the image of her wrapped in that towel is going to be burned into my brain forever. Not that I'm complaining.

I've been in love with Auden forever. Like literally forever. I met her when I moved to Lilac Harbor in the fifth grade, and as soon as I locked eyes on her, I was a goner. She had her dark brown hair up in pigtails then, the ends brushing against her shoulders.

I can remember everything about that day and Auden. The way her green eyes sparkled. How she carried herself, so confident even at an early age. I remember the overalls that she was wearing. They were clearly her favorite because she wore them at least once a week for that whole year.

Tonight was the first time that I ever saw her in a towel, though. I wince as I remember our interaction. I didn't make a great first impression, not that I'm surprised. I never seem to make a good impression with people. It's probably because I don't really know how to interact with them. I know that I come across as gruff and aloof, but I can't seem to find a way to fix that. My size doesn't help much either. I tower over everyone that I meet, and I know that can come across as intimidating. Normally I don't mind, but with Auden, it sucks because she's my dream girl.

She's the only girl that I've ever been interested in, the only girl that I've ever wanted or dreamed about, or longed for. It's always been her, but I never worked up the nerve to talk to her and ask her out in high school and then she left town for college. I kind of figured that I'd never see her again, but she moved back here last year. I've seen her from afar a few times since then, but our paths have never really crossed.

Not until now.

Now we're neighbors.

Maybe now is my chance with her.

I always figured that Auden would never be interested in a guy like me. I mean, I'm a grumpy loner who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Even my own parents didn't want me, so why would she?

Do you always answer the door dressed like that?

As soon as the words had left my mouth, I regretted them. It wasn't what I meant to say. Hell, it wasn't what I meant to think, but seeing her like that, in nothing but a towel, I couldn't help but feel a surge of protectiveness. Or maybe it was jealousy. I don't want anyone else to see her like that.

I wince as I remember what I said to her and her reaction. Her green eyes had flashed and her hip had popped out at that and part of me had loved to see her sassiness. I'd like to say that I was only so harsh because it's been a long day and I just wanted to go to bed, but I've never been great with people so even if I was well rested, I'm pretty sure that I would have still messed it up.

I push off of the door as the music turns on next door, quieter this time. I walk over to the windows and slam them closed before I head upstairs to the bedroom.

The room is bare, with just a mattress on the floor and a couple of boxes stacked against the wall. It's a far cry from the way I remember the house looking when I was a kid, passing by on my bike. I used to wonder what it would be like to live in a place like this. Back then, this house might as well have been a palace, a dream that felt completely out of reach to me.

Growing up in the foster system, I never stayed in one place long enough to call it home. Most of the time, I was just trying to keep my head down, avoid trouble, and hope that the next family I ended up with wouldn't be worse than the last. I learned early on not to get too attached to people or places because nothing ever lasted. Not until I was sixteen and met Ray. He became my foster dad and my family.

But that's part of why I started flipping houses in the first place. It's not just about the money, though that's definitely a big part of it. It's about taking something broken, something that other people have given up on, and making it whole again.

I pull off my shirt and jeans and toss them aside, sinking down onto the mattress with a groan. The exhaustion from the day is finally catching up with me, and all I want is to close my eyes and forget about the awkward encounter with Auden, but as I lay there in the dark, my mind won't stop replaying the way she looked at me, the way her green eyes flashed with annoyance at me. She had looked like an angry kitten as she glared up at me, trying her hardest to slam the door in my face.

I wonder if she remembers me at all. Probably not. I was just another face in the crowd back then, too shy and too awkward to ever make an impression, but I remember her. I remember the way she used to laugh with her friends, the way she always seemed to light up a room just by being in it. I had a crush on her for years, but I never worked up the courage to do anything about it. Not that it would have mattered. Even if I had, I'm sure I would have found a way to screw it up.

But things are different now. I'm not the same insecure kid I was back then. Well, not totally. I've got my own life, and my own goals, and I'm not looking for anything to get in the way of that.

Still, there's a part of me that wonders what if she was interested in me too. What if I hadn't been so afraid to talk to her back then? What if I hadn't let all those opportunities slip by because I was too scared of rejection? And now, what if I could somehow find a way to fix things, to start over and actually get to know her this time around?

I let out a sigh and turn over on the mattress, trying to push those thoughts out of my mind. It's pointless to dwell on the past, especially when I've got so much on my plate right now. The house is going to take a lot of work, more than I initially thought, if I'm being honest, and I need to stay focused if I want to get it done on time and turn a decent profit.

But even as I close my eyes and try to drift off to sleep, I can't shake the image of Auden standing in her doorway, her dark brown hair twisted up, that damn towel wrapped around her curvy body.

I wonder if she's thinking about me too.

Probably not, I tell myself. She probably turned the music down, went back to whatever she was doing, and forgot all about me the minute she closed the door, and maybe that's for the best, but deep down, I know it's not going to be that simple.

I've always been the kind of guy who overthinks things, who lets his mind run wild with possibilities. And now that Auden is back in my life, even in this weird, unexpected way, I can't help but wonder if there's a reason for it. If maybe, just maybe, this is my chance to finally get it right. To finally get my girl.

I roll onto my back, staring up at the dark ceiling. The house creaks around me, settling into the silence of the night. This place is old, full of history and memories, and as much as I try to ignore it, there's a part of me that feels connected to it, like maybe this house and I are both looking for a fresh start.

As I lie there, I can't help but think about what tomorrow will bring. I'll probably run into Auden again. Lilac Harbor isn't exactly a big town, and now that we're neighbors, it's almost inevitable. Maybe next time I'll manage to not come across like a complete jerk. Maybe next time I'll manage to have a conversation with her, one that doesn't end with her slamming the door in my face, or trying to anyway.

Maybe .

With that thought lingering in my mind, I finally start to drift off to sleep, the weight of the day pulling me under. But even in the darkness, even in the quiet of the night, I can't shake the feeling that everything is about to change. Whether I'm ready for it or not.

And maybe that's exactly what I need.