“I said, I’ll take a look.” He placed his tool bag on a nearby table. “I helped my dad one summer repair an old furnace before I moved here. There are several common issues when a gas furnace has a hard time working. It’s probably the capacitor, but if I can’t figure it out, you can have your guy come over.”
Wynter looked down at her stocking-clad toes, but she didn’t say anything else.
“Honey, will you get breakfast started? I’m sure Marcus could use some?—”
“I’ve already eaten, but thanks, Nora.” Marcus headed over to the fireplace and noted that the wood supply was running low. A pang of guilt sluiced through him. He should have been checking in on Nora more often. She was out here alone. Promising himself to do better, he placed the fresh pieces of wood into the fireplace and set to work.
6
WYNTER
“Stop looking at me like that,” Wynter grumbled before lifting her coffee mug to her lips.
Her grandmother lifted her brows and, in a sound of mock surprise, murmured, “I’m not looking at you.”
“Yes, you are,” Wynter said with a snort. “You’re literally looking at me.”
“But not likethat.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are definitely looking at me in a way that suggests that I’ve done something wrong and I need to fix it.”
“You said it, not me,” Grams said sweetly.
Groaning, Wynter turned her attention to the newspaper in front of Grams. “Have you finished your crossword yet?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“If you’re not looking at me like anything, and you’re not the one saying the words,” Wynter grumbled, “then we can change the subject.”
Grams sighed. But she had no right to be annoyed or frustrated. She was the one who put this whole thing into motion. Marcus was tinkering with the furnace in the garage. They’d heard a couple mutterings through the thin wall.
This wasn’t even about money. Wynter could have hired someone to come out and check on things. Her grandmother only had to tell her what she needed. Money wasn’t an issue as far as Wynter was concerned.
And yet, something told her that Marcus didn’t plan on getting paid for his help. That was just the guy he was.
She pulled the mug to her for another sip, and the steam from her coffee wafted through the air.
“You need to apologize to that boy.”
Wynter’s eyes flicked to Grams. “He’s hardly a boy.”
“My assessment still stands.” There was no need to ask what she needed to apologize for. Grams knew everything, and while she hadn’t exactly approved of how Wynter handled the situation with Marcus, she’d kept her nose out of it.
Until now.
“He doesn’t want my apology, Grams.”
“Of course he does.”
“No. He wants to know why.” Wynter avoided looking directly at her grandmother. Her voice was taut with the tension that strung every muscle in her body too tight. She knew what was coming next before her grandmother even spoke.
“And why exactly did everything happen the way it did?”
Wynter flinched. She wasn’t ready to discuss this. Not with Marcus. Not with Grams. She wasn’t ready to delve deeper into her psyche to truly hold her motivations to the flame and understand them herself.
“Dear—” Grams started, but Wynter was saved when Marcus entered from the garage.
All heads turned toward him as he wiped his hands on his jeans. “I don’t have anything on me to test the capacitor, but based on checking out the other parts, I think that’s a good place to start. The hardware store in town should have one. And I’m going to take this one with me to get it tested.” Marcus jerked his head in the direction of the living room. “The fire should keep you warm while I get this sorted out.”
