Read Online Island Refuge (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 1) by Kimberly Rose Johnson - Free Book Online Page B

saying?”
    “Yes, I’m going to slowly liquidate the antiques.”
    Rachel pushed the salad around on her plate. “Why? The house is perfect as is.”
    Zoe watched the interplay between the two, barely tasting the fresh dressing she’d mixed into the salad. Rachel definitely looked distressed over Nick’s announcement. “Maybe you’d be interested in buying some of the pieces, Rachel.”
    The younger woman worried her bottom lip. “I’m not in a position to do that right now. You’re selling everything?”
    “If the price is right.” Nick brought a roll to his lips.
    Nick’s plan proved what they already knew. Rachel was interested in the antiques.
    Zoe sighed.
    “Something wrong, Zoe?” Mitch refilled his cup with water.
    “Tired I guess.” It was true, although not the whole truth. Before coming to the B&B, she’d been a night owl and slept in until nine most mornings. On top of the new schedule, she offered to keep an ear out for Aiden, so he wouldn’t have to go off with Rachel. Until she figured out why the woman had snooped in her room and stayed quiet about it, she couldn’t trust her with the boy. “How’s the roof coming along?”
    “Should be finished tomorrow.” Mitch nodded to Nick. “What happened to that guy you hired to help out?”
    Nick waved a fork in the air. “He called a bit ago and apologized profusely. Apparently he had unexpected business in Seattle. The good news is he’s going to help out with a couple of other items on my to-do list once you leave.”
    “I’m glad, but I was counting on the extra hands for the roofing. Guess we’ll have to step it up. Maybe work later into the evening.” Mitch shaded his eyes and looked up. “By the way, I like the shingles you chose. That steel gray looks nice against the white house.”
    “Which is getting painted as soon as we finish the roof. I hope by Monday this place will have a fresh and inviting appearance.”
    Rachel frowned. “You’re painting too?”
    “Yes. I’m surprised you didn’t notice since I hired crew to prep the house for painting. You seem more bothered about the paint than the roof. Is there a problem?”
    “No, not really. Will the fumes from the paint come into the house?”
    “No, but don’t open your bedroom window.”
    Relief shone in her eyes.
    Zoe added her observation to her list of oddities regarding Rachel. She looked around at the group and noted that everyone including Aiden had demolished their food. Pleasure shot up her spine. Wait until they tasted tomorrow’s meal.
     
    ****
     
    F RIDAY MORNING N ICK waved as his brother and nephew drove away. The week had flown by. Now it was up to him and Chase to get the house painted. At least Mitch had helped clean up the mess from the roof and the house was prepped for painting. Chase would be here in the morning with the paint and power sprayers.
    A part of him was as giddy as a little boy at Christmas. It felt good to see their progress, but another part felt as tired as an old man. His body wasn’t used to this kind of labor. Muscles he hadn’t thought about since high school made their presence known.
    Jenna would probably have gotten a kick out of running the B&B. She’d never been completely happy being a housewife. Sure, she’d volunteered many hours at their church and had friends she often did things with, but it couldn’t have been easy on her with him working so many hours. Regret weighed on him. If only he could have a do-over. However, the past couldn’t be rewritten. But as Mitch had pointed out yesterday, he was the author of his future. He just had to determine what his story would be.
    Funny how his brother could be so philosophical, yet barely got through each day. At least things were looking better for Mitch than they had been.
    He turned and faced the house. Back to work. He tromped up the stairs leading to the front door and walked inside. “Zoe?”
    “In the kitchen.”
    Of course. He strode to the kitchen and found