He drew back slightly, shaking his head. “Yeah. That’s . . . terrible. I’m sorry to hear it. I didn’t know you had a personal connection to the place.”
She shrugged. “Well, sort of, I guess. I spoke with her right before she left for Lilith House, but I never talked to her while she was here. Apparently, they had strict rules on cutting off all outside influences. But when I saw the property up for sale, it immediately caught my attention because of Kandace.”
He pulled his full lower lip between his teeth for a moment. “So,” he said haltingly, “what are your plans for it? It’s a pretty big place for just two people.”
As Scarlett watched him, noted the subtleties of his posture, the way he held his expression, she got the strange sense that this right here was the only reason he’d agreed to the lemonade and cookies. It was this question he’d wanted to ask. It was the only reason he’d stayed—he’d wanted to prod her for information. It made suspicion kick up inside her again, the feeling that this house meant something more to him than he was letting on. And a small piece of her felt—stupidly, she told herself—hurt. His agreeing to spend time with her was due to an agenda. What, she had no idea. And why do you care anyway?
She picked at a piece of chipped paint beside her thigh. Despite her mildly hurt feelings, there was no reason to keep her plans for Lilith House a secret. In fact, if her business was going to succeed, she needed the word to spread as far and wide as possible. She needed to make connections—however casual—with the townsfolk in Farrow. And one of its officials wasn’t a bad place to start. Her hesitation, though, was not only because she was suspicious of this handsome stranger with far too many secrets in his eyes, but because she’d only spoken of her dreams with her mother and Merrilee. She’d only said it out loud to the people she trusted deeply. Saying it now made it feel as though she was giving something sacred to someone she may or may not be stupid to trust. “I . . . uh, I’m a pastry chef. A baker. Before I found this place, I was hoping to someday open my own cake shop—wedding and event cakes mostly—in LA. I unexpectedly came across the sale of Lilith House and my dreams sort of”—she let out a small, nervous laugh—“started spiraling, I guess.” She felt the blush rise in her cheeks and hated that it did. Vulnerability made her nerve endings feel raw. “If I can make it work, it will be perfect for an event venue. It’s only a couple of hours from LA, but provides the feeling of being world’s away. Swept into an earlier era.” She smiled. “There’s a ballroom on the second floor at the back of the house with these wrought iron verandas that are just stunning. Or they will be, with some work. There’s already a communal restroom area for bridal parties to use, even if it does need to be completely re-tiled. The grounds, if brought back to what I imagine was their original splendor, will be perfect for outdoor ceremonies, or simply strolling under the moonlight. Even this gazebo . . . once the broken boards are fixed and it has a fresh coat of paint, I can just see the photographs that might be taken with this as a backdrop.” She picked another chip of paint from the bench. “It needs repairs and remodeling, and refreshing, of course. All the appliances have to be updated. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me. But with an industrial kitchen and—” She stopped, realizing she was starting to spiral again as she always did when she started dreaming of Lilith House’s potential. When she started envisioning the life she might carve out for Haddie and her. Scarlett let out a small laugh and brought her hand to her cheek. “Anyway, my goal is to start the work as soon as possible and wrap it up in a year with a spring opening.” She looked down—away—not wanting to see his reaction, telling herself it didn’t matter anyway. She didn’t even know him. Had no real idea what kind of person he was.
When she peeked up at him, she saw that he was gazing at her thoughtfully. She saw no disapproval in his eyes and she let out a slow breath, her shoulders relaxing. Camden glanced at the house and then back at her. “Weddings. Parties,” he murmured as though almost speaking to himself. “Those are good things.” He looked back at her. “Maybe it’s exactly what this place needs.”
Scarlett smiled. Yes, she thought. Love. This place needs love. It suddenly seemed so very clear, and the idea bolstered her dreams that much more. It gave her purpose. “I hope so,” she said. “I’m going to do my very best.”
He was quiet for a moment before he said, “That friend in town I mentioned whose father owns the hardware store? He does some remodeling on the side, you know, if you’re looking for bids.” Camden squinted and looked away. His body seemed to have stilled as though he nervously awaited her answer.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Louis gave me the name of someone as well. Carl Dover?”
“He’s good too. Not as good as Mason.”
“I’ll give both of them a call.”
Camden dug in his pocket, pulling out his cell phone with the hand not holding the folded piece of grass. “Give me your number and I’ll text you his. That way you’ll also have mine in case . . . you know . . .”
“Those kids show up with a battering ram?”
Camden laughed, an expression mixed with a note of surprise, and it transformed his face from handsome to devastating. She stood quickly, wiping her hands free of the dust and particles of paint chips that had stuck to her skin and he followed suit. “I should get back to work . . . see if Haddie needs . . .” Her words faded when she glanced over to where her daughter had been, only to see an empty blanket, her pile of books scattered across the vacant spot. Apparently reading had been set aside for more exploring. “Well, I’d better go. By the way, do you know if there’s anything wild I should be concerned about? You know, other than old indigenous zombies?” She gave Camden a wry tilt of her lips. “I’ve been letting Haddie explore the property and she told me she saw a fox and something with horns. I know so little about wild animals so . . .”
Camden squinted at the empty blanket for several beats. “Probably a deer. And yes, there are foxes, a black rat snake or two. All harmless.”
“Unless you’re a rat.”
He smiled again. “Exactly. Well, thank you for the lemonade and cookies. Now I know why they were so good. You’re a professional.”
She let out a laugh on a breath. “At the moment I’m just the unemployed owner of what could very well turn out to be a money pit.” She shot him a smile. “By the way, thank you for the safety that new lock will bring. It was kind of you.”
Camden nodded, handing her the folded blade of grass the way Haddie sometimes handed her an empty gum wrapper. Confused, she automatically took it from him. “Call if you need anything,” he said, only turning his head back toward her, showing her his profile, his jaw rigid. And with that, he strode through the weed-ridden gardens toward the front of the house.
Scarlett looked down at the folded piece of grass held between her thumb and index finger. It wasn’t something he was discarding as she’d originally thought. She brought it closer to her face, marveling at the intricacy of the thing he’d created right in front of her without her even knowing. It was a fox, with tiny feet and tiny ears, it’s snout in perfect proportion to the rest of its body. How in the world had he done it? At all, but much less while simultaneously holding a conversation? And it’s a fox. Scarlett gazed at it for another minute, delight spreading through her. “Taluta,” she whispered, recalling the name from the legend he’d shared with her. She looked up just to see him rounding the house and disappearing out of sight.