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time he let the sentence drift off.
    Making love. “I considered it dating, but I wasn’t sure if you did.” She glanced toward the open bay, anxious to move the subject back to Cody. “Anyway, I’ve never seen him before.”
    “He was only four when you and I met. My dad got his mother, Rose, pregnant and actually married her. But then he went back to his useless ways, drinking, carousing. Disappearing for supposed jobs out of town for weeks at a time and coming back with excuses instead of money. So I got more involved in their lives. A year ago, he bailed altogether. Nobody’s seen or heard squat from him since. Even on Cody’s birthday or at Christmas.”
    “And you help them out.”
    “They don’t have anybody else.”
    He gave them his hard-earned money. Money he hoped to buy this garage with. Damn, her heart was melting. He really had no idea what a good man he was.
    “So, about the house,” he started to say.
    “I’ll need your help,” she broke in. “I know nothing about home repair. Of course, I know you don’t have a lot of free time. But we need an idea of what has to be fixed.”
    “I’m happy to help, but—”
    “And you should be. You’re getting half of the profits.”
    “Mia, you’re giving away a lot of money here. The house itself may not be worth a lot—and will probably be razed for one of those four-story skinny houses that are popping up—but, even with that, the land’s worth over four hundred thousand, I’d guess.”
    “That’s what my father thinks. At least that much, if not more.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not going against Grandma’s wishes. You think I want her haunting me?”
    He looked as though he were about to argue further, but she saw hope spark in his eyes when he realized that she wouldn’t be swayed. “You really want me to have it?”
    “Grandma did. And yes, I do, too. Will that be enough to buy this garage?”
    “With what I’ve saved, after inheritance taxes, maybe. Guess you heard that conversation at the bank, huh?”
    “We both know one of each other’s secrets. My cancer, your appeal for a loan.” She let those words hang in the silence for a moment. “So, when can you come over and assess the house?”
    “When are your parents not going to be there?”
    She couldn’t help smiling. “They aren’t staying at the house. It’s too rustic. That’s the word my mother uses: rustic. It’s a nice way of saying run-down, or beneath her. I told them I’m staying in town for the two weeks I have before I start my new job. To see the house project and packing through. They’ll be heading out in two days. Since it’s mine—ours—they don’t need to stay.”
    “I bet that went over well.”
    She blew out a breath. “My father wanted to take over the project, and my mother wanted to wash her hands clean of it. I made the decision, though.”
    “I bet neither of them is happy about you staying here. With me.”
    “The thing is, they still—and maybe always will—see me as their fragile child who needs them. They’re not taking my growing up and making decisions on my own well.”
    “Especially any decision that includes me.” He patted the car. “I should be done with this job by then, and I don’t have another one until week after next.” He released a long breath. “So I’ll see you after work in two days.”
    She gave him a nod and pushed away from the car, her heart singing at the thought. “Okay, then.”
    Stop that. This is business. We get the house in sell shape, and I go on to start my new job. Because as much as some things haven’t changed—and that includes the way he makes me feel and the way my parents feel about him—so much has. Maybe even the way he feels about me.

Chapter 5
    Two days later, Raleigh watched men in business attire walk around the gas station, or, more precisely, around the perimeter of the property. They typed notes on tablets, took pictures using the same devices, and