He smiled. “Well, that happens. Just gotta make the most of it, right?”
“I guess. But New Hampshire isn’t close. Don’t you miss your sons?”
His smile faded. “Yeah, sometimes I really do. But it was my choice to move back. And in order to afford child support, plus alimony for my second wife ... well, I needed the kind of job that pays the bills.”
“Like selling these?” She pointed to the big manufactured home in front of them. It was nice enough but more house than her parents needed.
“Yeah. And I do a little contracting too. It all works pretty nicely together.” He pointed at her. “But you still haven’t told me what you’re doing here. Or why you’re looking at manufactured housing. Is it for you? Are you here to stay?”
She explained her recent move home and her parents’ need for help. “The county gave me the green light for a hardship house, and I want to find something to make life easier for them. It needs to be affordable and not too big since they have less land now.”
“Yeah, I heard they sold the farm.” He scowled. “To the Oroscos.”
She didn’t miss his disdain. “Only part of it. Do you know the Oroscos?”
“My baby sister married Miguel Orosco. Man, was that ever a mistake.”
Jewel blinked. “Your sister?”
“Yeah. Do you remember Beth? She was five years younger than me.”
Jewel barely recalled a little sister. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Aaron. Miguel told me his wife passed away, but I didn’t realize she was your sister.”
“Well, I blame Miguel for it.”
“You blame him? For her cancer?”
He let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Long story. Another time.” He put on a phony smile. “So what kind of house are you looking for?”
Still trying to wrap her head around Aaron’s sister being married to Miguel, she attempted to get her bearings. “Well, like I said, my parents need something simple, small, and low maintenance. And accessibility is critical. My dad’s health will continue to deteriorate. At some point he’ll need wheelchair assistance and a hospital bed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He pointed down the row of houses. “I might have something to interest you.”
As they walked to the other end of the lot, he asked again how long she would be in town.
“I’m hoping to renovate the old farmhouse and turn it into a B&B. It’s old and needs lots of repairs and upgrades, but it has personality and potential. And it’s really pretty out there.”
“Sounds like you need a contractor.”
She glanced at him. “Yeah, do you ever handle remodels like that?”
“Sure. I just finished restoring the Phillips’ house up on the hill in town. Turned it into a real showplace. You should see it.”
“Well, we don’t need a showplace. And I’ll be on a budget.”
“Aren’t we all?”
“Asmallbudget.”
He laughed as he pointed to a house painted a garish shade of yellow that almost hurt her eyes in the bright sunlight.
She struggled to think of something to say as they approached it. “That’s a real eye-catching color,” she commented wryly as he unlocked the turquoise blue door. “I hope the interior colors aren’t as wild as this. It might be hard to see past them.”
“Don’t worry. This got painted to please a customer with wild taste, but the folks lost financing before we had a chance to change anything inside.” He opened the door with a flourish. “Voilà.”
She went inside and was immediately relieved to see the neutral color scheme. “This isn’t bad.” She instantly regretted her words. After all, he was a salesman. She needed to act less interested. But she was pleased that it was bigger inside than she expected. And it had vaulted ceilings.
“It’s just under a thousand square feet but has three bedrooms and two baths and, as you can see, an open floor plan.” He crossed the main living space. “And check out the width of the doorways. You could easily maneuver a walker or wheelchair.”
