“Right. Well, you’ve seen the place. What would you recommend?” Josh looks impressed by my spreadsheet, which makes my cheeks heat. I turn the page to the floor plan of the existing house, which I printed out from the real estate listing.
“Okay, this is the floorplan of the existing house. Three bedrooms, a living room and not much else. And here”—I turn the page—“I’ve done a bit of a rough sketch. Very rough, mind you, but it shows what I think you could do. Although now I’ve seen the house in person, I have even more ideas about how to make it an amazing home.”
Josh whistles. “Wow. That’s … wow.”
“I know it seems like a lot, but if you’re going to spend money to make it liveable, you might as well spend a little more and make it a house with great resale value and appeal.” The stunned look on Josh’s face is making me a little nervous. “I mean, the roof at the back needs replacing anyway. You might as well raise it and put some bedrooms up there while you’re at it.”
“No. I mean. Yes. That makes perfect sense. It’s just … it’s only me. This seems like a lot.”
As I look at my sketches, I realise what I’ve designed is very much a family home. “Well, it is for now, but you never know. You might, you know, get married. Or something.”
Will bursts out laughing. “Yeah. Good one, Gee. I don’t think so.”
I can feel my cheeks burning as Josh looks up from the sketch.
“No, Gee. This is great. I mean, marriage is not for me. My parents made sure of that. But it makes sense to turn the house into something with good resale value. And this looks great. Really.”
Ouch. It takes me a hot second to absorb what he’s said. I know Josh has always been a player. I had no idea he was so dead-against marriage. Which hurts. Because growing up, he was always the one I thought of as my future husband, having him around again has brought all those fantasies back to life in my heart.
I mean, I’m not expecting him to declare his undying love and carry me off into the sunset. Well, not right now, at least. And maybe it’s romantic nonsense, but I hate to think of him all alone forever. I hate to think of him with someone else, too.
He flicks a scowl at Will, who is still chuckling at the thought of Josh getting married. “And is this figure here how much you think it might cost?”
I take a mouthful of wine to clear the lump of disappointment from my throat before I answer.
“Yeah, that’s a ballpark. I just thought, you know, it would give you an idea.” I’m embarrassed now. I got carried away. It’s overkill if he’s never going to get married. I give myself a mental shake. First things first. He needs to decide if he wants this house.
“I can’t believe how much work you did on this, Greer. Thank you. This gives me a really solid idea of what I should pay for the place and what I could potentially do with it.”
Lunch arrives, and Will turns the talk to more practical matters.
“How do you plan to pay for all this, Josh?”
“Wee,” I hiss.
“What?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It’s okay, Greer.” Josh laughs and gives Will a shove. “Don’t beat around the bush, man.”
“I need to know if I’m going to do the conveyancing.” Will gives me a superior big brother smirk.
“I’ve got the finances lined up to buy the place, and I thought I’d use my trust fund for any renos. The old man has to be good for something, right?”
Josh doesn’t have much of a relationship with his father, and I’ve never even met him, which goes to show how absent he was. All I know is he owns a pretty successful company. Something to do with medical equipment. Money has never been a problem. Lack of it, at least. Just a lack of attention.
“Fair enough. I’ve got one of my staff looking over the contract you sent me, and I’ll let you know if they find any nasties lurking in the small print.” Despite his wild personal ways, Will is a really good lawyer.
“Great. Thanks. And if there’s any way we can get an expedited settlement, let’s go for it. The sooner I can get out of the serviced apartment, the better. The agency has taken a lease through to October. I can extend it if I need to or rent somewhere else. If I could get out earlier, I’d be happy.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Renting? Fuck that noise. You can move in with me. I’ve got a spare room. Think of how much fun we could have.” Will is practically bouncing in his seat with excitement. I, on the other hand, have a stomach-sinking dread. Those two together are mischief waiting to happen. Not to mention, the close proximity to my brother will seriously limit any opportunity for privacy.
“I wouldn’t want to put you out, man.”
“Put me out? Having my best friend on tap for shenanigans? You jest.” Will slaps Josh lightly upside the head.
Josh turns to me. “How long would renovations like these”—he points to the sketch still open on the table—“take, do you think?”
