A Stranger in Wynnedower by Grace Greene Read Free Book Online Page B

project plans and take
inventory.”
    She paused. There was
no response. She gave it another try. “I came here to interview for a new job
thinking it would be fun to live in the same town as Jeremy. Not to interfere
in his life, but because we’re the only family we have. I was hoping for a
better job, too. The thing is, I set up an appointment knowing I’d be here
visiting Jeremy, but the man who was going to interview me went out of town on
an emergency, so I can’t even take care of that.
    “I’d like to hang
around a few days in case Jeremy returns. I want to make sure he’s fine, and
then, when I know he is, I’ll…well, he’ll be sorry.”
    “Of course.” His mouth
quirked up in a smile. “Why do you think he’ll come back here?”
    “I just know it. He
knew I was coming to visit, so he’ll expect to find me here.”
    Jack spoke in a soft
tone, “He knew you were coming and he left.”
    “Oh,” she shifted in
the chair and tugged at her jacket to straighten it. “I arrived a few days
early.” No need to mention she’d arrived considerably early nor that Jeremy had
met a girl. No point in giving the wrong impression. She shrugged and smiled.
“I’m in limbo. I can stay or go back home. I’d rather stay. What about my
offer?”
    “To work for room and
board?”
    “That sounds about
right.”
    He looked her up and
down, conspicuously so. “Okay, so today you look more useful than you did
yesterday in that red suit and the high heels, but….
    “Carnelian red.”
    “Carnelian. Is that
significant?”
    “No. I like the sound
of it.” Silly, yes, but she didn’t care. She’d laid out her best arguments.
Now, it was time to move forward as if a decision in her favor was a foregone
conclusion. “I can get dirty with the best of them.”
    “Is that so?” He raised
his eyebrows.
    “I’m not afraid of hard
work.” She sat back. “I’d like to know about your vision.”
    “My vision?” He
frowned.
    “Not your eyesight.
Your vision . For Wynnedower. You said you were gone for years. Why did
you come back?” Nosy, but she sensed an opening and pressed the advantage.
    “My family was rarely
here. My parents preferred city life. My father did the minimum to keep it
habitable. He expected eminent domain to claim it sooner or later, but most of
the city and industry went in the other direction.”
    “Why didn’t he sell
it?”
    “Good question, but a
boring answer. It was ‘in the family,’ and he couldn’t bring himself to dispose
of it. Guilt. Now, it’s mine. My problem.”
    “What do you want to do
with it?”
    “Sometimes I want to
burn it down.” He tapped his fingers against the table. “I’m not wealthy. I
can’t afford to restore it merely to live in it. It’s huge and inconvenient.
I’ve considered turning it into a bed and breakfast combo party rental
facility. For things like weddings and such, but–”
    Rachel ceased hearing
Jack, but instead, in her head, she saw a bride poised on that grand stairway
with the guests looking up in admiration. Her pulse quickened.
    “Are you staying with
historically correct renovations? Or a mixture? Maybe a combination? Or perhaps
eclectic?”
    His black eyes fixed on
hers. She shivered.
    “Tell me what you
mean.”
    “Well, historically
correct is lovely, but your house defies that. It’s so ugly.”
    “You think Wynnedower
is ugly?”
    “Ugly beautiful, I
mean. For instance, the exterior looks like it’s straight out of the Cotswolds
in England, except for the grand entrance which smacks of ante-bellum south.
Those iron key plates on the doors…they’re like something from an even earlier
time, almost colonial.
    “Make the combination
an asset. Elegant distinctiveness.” She had no idea what that meant. Where had
those words come from? She wasn’t really lying. A pretender, then? She’d read
an article or two and maybe seen some photos, and it all came together in her
head—with her acting like she knew what she