Page 15 of Peach Tree Family

"All right, thanks."

They went outside. It was overcast and Seth didn't think they would get to work for long. Seeing some tools on the porch, he asked, "Did you bring all these tools with you?" They were all on the small side and looked pretty new.

"I did. I knew there would be work to do here," Theo said.

"You amaze me," Seth said. Theo narrowed his eyes at him like he suspected Seth was making fun of him. "I mean it. I have only one thing of use. These old work gloves. They were my grandpa's but they are still holding up. You want them?" Seth held them out to him, but Theo shook his head.

"No. I've managed without them."

"Then I'll do the hands on stuff. You use the tools."

"Sounds good," Theo said and he started working the boards loose on the window to the living room.

"It will be good to have some light coming in," Seth said as he pulled off the first board.

"And we might have electricity soon too," Theo said. "They're sending someone out from the power company to check things over, and hopefully we'll have the power on."

"I'm in charge of all the boards," Ace told Seth as he picked up the board he threw away.

"Yes, you're the boss of them. Be careful of the nails," Theo warned him.

As Ace took away one board, Theo pulled off another one, but it came loose easier than he expected. As he lost his balance and stumbled back, Seth was right behind him and Theo fell against him. Seth laughed at the feeling of suddenly having Theo practically in his arms.

"I'm supposed to do that," he told Theo, who blinked at him a few times before he straightened.

Maybe he noticed the weird tremor that passed through Seth's whole body when he was holding onto him. It was really powerful, like a jolt of electricity. To cover up the strange feeling, he asked Theo about the house.

"It was last occupied about ten years ago when my grandfather stayed here after he and my grandmother divorced," Theo told him. "When our granddad retired, he wanted to move back here, fix up the house. Grandma wasn't into that. She wanted them to move to Jamaica, where her family is from. They split up over it and all their other differences. Granddad was into reading and old jazz records. Grandma liked to be around people. She called this place a shack in the woods."

"This place is nice. Looks well built and it's not in bad shape," Seth said.

"My great-grandparents built it, and my granddad fixed it up. And it looks like the windows got boarded up early so they didn't get broken except for that one."

"What do you want to do about it?" Seth asked as they moved over to the broken bedroom window. The boards were put over it from the outside, but some of the broken glass was still there.

"Leave it boarded up, but I want to clear out the glass," Theo decided.

They went inside and barely got any light until Theo turned on the camping lantern. "Let me handle the glass. I have the work gloves," Seth said heading him off before he could get to work on it.

"Be careful." Theo stood to one side as Seth pulled pieces of glass free of the frame. "The window isn't too big. I'm hoping it won't be too expensive to fix," Theo was saying then he stopped Seth as he got ready to break off a stubborn piece of glass. "Let me try something."

As he held the glass, and Theo used the screwdriver and hammer to loosen it from the frame, Seth found himself stuck between him and the wall. He was so close, brushing up against Seth and making him tingly. Why the hell did that keep happening?

"The first thing I'll be able to afford is paint, but I'd rather take care of the window and the porch," Theo said and Seth was glad he broke the silence that to him seemed heavy.

"How did it go at that inn? Did you get to interview?"

"I did and they'll let me know," Theo told him.

"The short version, huh," Seth said with a smile, so Theo told him a little bit more.

"It's a big place, looks as good as it did online and expensive, there's a gift shop, a restaurant, a tearoom and events halls."

"That would be a good place to work, right?" Seth said.

"It would. But Leo Copeland won't be an easy boss to work for."

Seth had that same impression, but he wasn't worried for Theo. "I have a feeling you'll do fine," he said and Theo looked surprised.

---