Page 10 of One Hundred Merry Memories

He taped the cardboard to the frame and stepped back. "This should hold until you get someone out here."

"You're pretty handy. Do you have any experience taking a disaster and making it less so?"

"Are you trying to hire me?" He already had a job, but having twenty-four hours a day gave him lots of idle time, and he wouldn't mind working on something that filled his days.

"I hadn't considered it until this moment. I can pay, not a ton, but we can work out a deal for something fair if you're interested.”

He looked around the place. "It needs a lot. The porch is about to collapse, the roof isn't in much better shape, and while the interior looks mostly cosmetic, we might find bigger problems once we look deeper."

"You're using the word we. Does that mean you're considering it?"

His eyes opened wide and shone as if the little amber flecks in them were backlit. "As it turns out, I might be." He walked down the hallway. "I see there are three rooms. What are your plans for them?"

"One will be mine, and the other an office where I'll work."

"You work from home?"

She smiled. "Yes, I'm an author."

Jackson's eyes widened with surprise. "That's pretty impressive. What kind of books do you write?"

"Romance, mostly, although recently I've been exploring other genres like women's fiction," she explained.

He nodded. "That's fascinating. I don't think I could write a book."

"It's not as easy as some people make it seem. And romance is the hardest because the story has many components. There's the hero's arc, the heroine's arc, and the story arc. Romance lovers are savvy readers and expect a central love story and an emotionally satisfying ending.”

"You're speaking a foreign language to me."

“Have you ever been in love?" she asked with a smile.

Jackson shifted, averting his gaze from hers before looking back. He'd never been good at relationships. "No," he said gruffly, clearing his throat and focusing on something else in the room instead of her face.

"It can be wonderful or tragic," Amanda said.

“Sounds like you have some experience.”

“Mine didn’t end in a happily ever after, but I have loved, which is something.”

Amanda's eyes fell on him, and they were filled with sadness. He didn't want her pity. "It's not a big deal," he said, glancing away from her and shifting uncomfortably where he stood. "I'm better at fixing things than I am at the whole relationship thing."

“And apparently I’m better at writing love stories than living them.” She smiled. "Well, you have plenty to keep you busy here." She gestured around the cabin. "We should probably talk about what has to be done and how much I can pay you."

Jackson took a deep breath and walked the perimeter of the room. "The porch needs reinforcing. The roof replacing. The windows need caulking—a lot of work needs doing here."

He explained all the needed repairs and estimated the time it would take him to do them. When he was finished, Amanda leaned against the wall and crossed her arms.

"This is going to be more expensive than I expected," she said. "I don't want to take advantage of you by offering too little money."

"I asked about the rooms because I'm in a situation. I'm staying with my buddy's brother, but they have a new baby and fear I’m in the way. It wasn't supposed to be a long-term thing. I was wondering if I could trade skills for room and board."

She stared at him like he'd grown a wart on his nose. "You want to stay in the cabin with me, and you'll work on my place for free?"

He nodded. "And food too. You'll have to pay for supplies, but I can provide the labor."

"What about Gunner? Will he eat my cat?"

Jackson laughed. "No, he prefers kibble or bacon. He also likes Katie's homemade dog biscuits."

---