Ready For It (MacAteer Brothers #2) - M.L. Nystrom Page 0,62
in my chest, and I had a sudden need to make a point that he was here with me. Jealousy, perhaps? I walked over to stand next to him and threaded my arm through his. I expected him to wrap that arm around me. He didn’t, and my heart crumbled a little. At least he didn’t push me away. I couldn’t have handled that.
“Water heater’s old.” His statement sounded a little terse. I heard warning bells and ignored them.
“New roof. Four years ago.”
The short woman perked up. “Yes, the roof is new and is metal. I’m not sure exactly which type, but according to the company, it’s seeded to last for about sixty to eighty years. It’s the last roof this house will ever need.” Her voice rang with the rehearsed sales pitch.
“Unless leaks.”
Damn, Owen. Just dump a bucket of cold water on everyone, will ya? “I’m sure there’s a warranty, right?”
“Yes, there is a warranty. I’m not sure of the details, but I can find out for you.”
“Kitchen.”
What the fuck? I expected Owen to speak in his truncated speech pattern since he didn’t know the agent, but his clipped tone sounded rude. It grated on my nerves and made the agent visibly nervous. She gestured to the main part of the house. “Through here.”
The open floor plan featured a living room, kitchen, and dining areas. The vaulted ceiling rose above an overlooking loft/den. Large windows and a skylight let in the evening natural sun and bathed the cavernous room in gold light. I loved it!
“Big windows. Lose heat in winter.”
Another killjoy moment from Owen. I ignored him. “Does the gas fireplace work?”
The agent grasped that straw with a huge grin. “Yes, it does, and it has a blower too.”
Owen grunted and pulled away from me to examine the kitchen. The plain black Formica against a white background looked unappealing, but with some nice tiles and backsplashes, this would be an ideal place to cook. That is, if I ever learned how.
“Bad outlets. Not code.”
Huh? “What are you talking about?”
“Need breakers.”
The agent became flustered. “Yes… well… the inspector mentioned that, and the owner is planning to update.”
Another grunt from Owen. He ticked me off more and more as we moved through the house. He managed to find something wrong in every room. A ceiling fan wobbled, closet space was laid out strange, the way the vertical blinds had been installed, cracks in the bathtub caulking, wallpaper in the bathroom put on crooked… the faults kept coming and coming. Everywhere I looked, I saw the potential of what this place had for me and my kid. Owen’s nitpicking got under my skin so much, I finally had it.
“What the fuck, Owen?” My voice rose in exasperation. “Everything you’ve cited so far is something that can be fixed or updated. What the hell is your problem?”
“Who?”
“Who? What do you mean, who? You, that’s who. You seem to have a problem with everything in this house.”
He shook his head. “Who’s gonna fix it? Me?”
I was taken aback. The thought never occurred to me that he wouldn’t be helping me with this part of house maintenance. “Well, yes. I assumed you would.”
He got quiet. Even for a man of few words, this quiet unsettled me. A sense of dread hit my belly that I’d made a big mistake somewhere along the way with Owen. I tried to tough it out and cover it up. I faked a big smile and tried to take his arm again. “Ahh, come on, O-man. I’m sorry I expected you and Connor to help me get this place whipped into shape. I just figured that was already understood that I’d be hiring you guys to do any work. I won’t even ask for the friends and family discount.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Owen stared at me, unblinking and unreadable. Then he handed the papers back to the fidgeting agent and walked out. I stood there in the awkward silence, the only sound Owen’s heavy work boots clomping to the front door.
I smiled brightly at the agent. “I guess someone is in a mood, eh? I’ll be right back.”
Owen opened the door to his truck when I caught up with him. I was sure my anger showed as I grabbed his thick forearm to get his attention. “Again, O-man. What. The. Fuck?”
He whirled around and slammed the door closed. I took a step back. At first, I thought he was angry at me. His rudeness to the agent