Finding Love in Ivy Falls

Chapter Twelve

MANNY

I’d Wait For Decades

Torran was at it again.

Her face was fixed in that intense, unrelenting gaze, and I tamped down the urge to groan.

‘We are not refurbishing the cabinets,’ I said, keeping my tone even while Tina, the Steadicam operator, kept the shot focused on me.

‘Come on, Manny. You know how I love to keep things as close to period-accurate as possible.’

I walked to the cabinets and placed a finger against one of the doors. The small hint of pressure made the hinge moan. With a low creak, it broke away, and I caught it before it crashed to the floor.

‘Get my point?’ I set the cabinet panel on the ground, which was already covered in dirt, old leaves and droppings from animals I worried were scurrying around this house.

‘All right,’ she sighed. ‘You win. This time.’ She gave me that smirk that said she enjoyed being a pain in the ass.

The director called cut, and the small crew moved out of the kitchen.

‘I heard the apple-picking trip was a hit. The girls won’t stop talking about the corn maze or those little apple pies. You made extra points there, for sure.’ There was a teasing hint to Torran’s voice that always lingered when she talked about her sister.

‘I hope so.’

She gave me a steady stare that said she knew there was more.

‘You know I have feelings for your sister. Strong feelings. They only grow the more time I spend with her.’

‘Then why aren’t you acting on it?’

‘Because I understand her heartbreak. Her hesitancy. After Gina…’ I let loose a low breath. ‘It took me a long time to get in the right headspace. To even think what might be next for me. I want to respect that process for Tess. Not push her into something she might not want.’ I kicked at a loose piece of tile on the floor. ‘Her friendship means a lot to me, and Lou loves her. I have to make sure she wants to be more, because it would kill me if things went sideways and I lost her friendship.’

‘Manny, I get it, but Tess, well, sometimes she needs a little nudge.’

‘Not in this case,’ I countered. ‘It’s got to be something she wants one hundred percent. No doubts. No regrets.’

‘Fine, I’ll stop meddling. But just for the record, I think you two are perfect for each other.’

I shook my head. She’d never let up, but Torran also understood her sister was in a vulnerable place. The last thing I wanted to do was take advantage of it. Tess had taken my hand in the car, and it was a start. It may take a while to get beyond those tentative touches, but I’d wait decades for Tess.

A crew walked out of the house, tucking tape measures into their work belts.

‘Are they measuring for the glass estimate?’ I asked.

‘Yes, double-paned. I want this beauty to be as energy efficient as possible.’ Her gaze moved back to me. ‘Speaking of glass. Thanks for getting the door repaired for Tess.’

‘Sure.’ A question floated through my head as the guys went back to their truck. ‘You’ve lived in this town most of your life. Do you think what happened at Tess’ house was a Halloween prank?’

‘There are a lot of teenagers on that street with too much time on their hands. My guess would be yes,’ she said.

‘They did a lot of damage for a prank.’ I cut myself off, keeping my other suspicions to myself.

‘Manchester Riley Parks, what are you not saying?’

Crap. Tor only used my full given name when I’d hit a nerve. Her gaze remained unflinching, and I knew I’d never get out of the house without admitting my worry to her.

‘The whole scene still feels weird to me. Why break in and not take anything?’

She flailed out a hand like she could wave away my worry. ‘You’re overthinking this. I’d bet those kids were throwing rocks and one happened to hit the window.’

What she said made sense, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was going on.

‘Let’s talk about the porch issues on the back of the house,’ I said, not wanting my spinning thoughts to distract us from the work that needed to be done today.

‘It’s a total gut,’ Torran said, following me out of the kitchen. We walked through the front door and around the side of the house. Navigating our way across the warped and crumbling wood was like playing Jenga. One wrong move and the whole floor could go.

‘We have to tear out all the rot and start with fresh lumber,’ I said.

‘How long do you think it will take? We need to make it a priority so we can safely get the crew in and out through the back kitchen door.’

‘I’d guess about two weeks. I already have a crew lined up to start in a few days.’

Her phone pinged, and she glanced at the screen. Tension built in her shoulders, and she worried her bottom lip.

‘Problem? Is it Tess?’ I said, way too panicked.

‘No,’ she said in a teasing voice. ‘It’s Beck asking about when we are going to set up a meeting with Teddy Ray. He’s anxious about finding the perfect spot in Ivy Falls for his next restaurant.’

The edges of my chest tightened. I wasn’t good at juggling too many projects at once. We’d agreed to work on this house as a follow-up to the first season of Meet Me in Ivy Falls , and it was a good choice because we were going to have to build the whole dang house from the foundation up. It had to be my only focus if we were going to do it right, but in the back of my mind, I thought about Tess. How she lit up when we talked about the coffee bar. I’d do everything in my power to make her look like that every single day, and helping her revamp the store was a good start.

‘Manny, what else is wrong?’ Torran’s voice drew me out of my thoughts.

‘I’m not sure I can take on another thing right now.’

‘Another thing?’

I tore the hat off my head. Scrubbed at my messy hair. ‘Tess has been talking to your dad about how to bring more revenue into the store.’

‘Yeah, I’ve been bugging the two of them about it constantly.’

I hesitated. Since we’d first started working together, we’d done every project as a team. Even though it was her sister, I didn’t want her to think she had to take on this too. ‘I might have promised Tess that I’d build her a coffee bar at the P&P.’ Torran’s brows shot to her hairline, and I quickly said, ‘It won’t interfere with what we’re doing here.’

‘A coffee bar?’ She let out a whoop. ‘That’s a fantastic idea! She could definitely get more people in the door that way.’

‘Don’t get too excited yet, there’s a lot to be done. I’ll have to work mostly at night, so I was wondering if you and Beck might be willing to rotate with Barb and Susan to look after Lou for me?’

Her bright green eyes shined. ‘Of course. We’ll all work together to watch Lou.’

‘Good. I can’t imagine it will take too long getting the structure set up for it. The issue will probably be the permits. Know anyone who can help with that?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘I’m sure the mayor can help.’ Her face quickly sobered. ‘Thank you, Manny.’

‘For what?’

‘For supporting Tess. Standing by her. With Billy…’ She blew out a rough breath. ‘Well, she deserves someone believing in her. I’m glad that’s you.’

She gave me a warm smile and went back to inching her way around the shaky porch. I stood surveying the mess, hoping Lou would understand my taking on one more project. That even though this was important for Tess and the P&P, I’d have to spend more time away from her.