The Home They Built Read online

  Her mother chuckled. “Plus we’d miss out on all the visitors who feel compelled to check out a place that offers auto care and cupcakes.”

  “If I lived in this town, I’d have my oil changed every five hundred miles,” Eryn confessed. “But for now, I’m only going to choose one cupcake.”

  “We’re only choosing one,” Anna reminded her. “We’re splitting one. For now. But we’ll definitely be back.”

  “If you’re only having one, I recommend the blackberry cream cupcake with the vanilla bean buttercream frosting,” Reyna said. “I have to get to work, but it was nice to meet you. Good luck with Tess.”

  Anna looked at her—perhaps more sharply than she’d intended—because they hadn’t told the woman who they were and she wasn’t sure she wanted Tess brought into the conversation while Eryn was standing right next to her.

  Reyna must have mistaken her look for being caught off guard at being recognized. “I’ve seen your show a few times. And my husband and I didn’t hear about you coming to town until yesterday, but Tess must be excited.”

  “She is. And we’re excited to get started.”

  After Reyna left, Anna tried to pay attention to Eryn running through their cupcake choices, but she was still thinking about the fact an entire town knew that Tess Weaver’s house hadn’t been an inn for very long, if ever. While Anna might have indulged in some fast, excited chatter about the house to keep the production from digging too deep into the application, she’d done a deeper dive on her own and confirmed her suspicion: Blackberry Bay had never had a Bayview Inn.

  The few official documents Tess had provided had obviously been doctored. A slightly different font that was only noticeable if a person zoomed in on the PDF files. A document written in an old handwritten script that had obviously been pieced together by taking phrases and words from other documents. While it was a step above the look of a ransom note, it was a short step, and Anna was glad taking possession of the applications to study was part of her usual process. She didn’t want anybody else from Relic Rehab taking a closer look at them.

  But was Tess Weaver really so beloved in Blackberry Bay that the entire town was willing to cover for her? Anna hoped so.

  When she and Eryn finally decided to take Reyna’s advice because she would know the best flavors, after all, Jenelle sliced the cupcake neatly in half before putting it into a small box.

  “I actually brought cash with me,” Eryn said. “I don’t usually carry cash, but I wasn’t sure if, you know...”

  Anna winced as Eryn trailed off before she could make it worse, but the woman only laughed. “Even in Blackberry Bay, it’s 2020. This town runs on tourism and tourists want it to look quaint, but they also expect to pay for things with a wave of their watches and have free Wi-Fi for their kids.”

  After Anna paid with a wave of her watch, they thanked Jenelle and continued their walk. The sun had already burned off the slight morning chill, and she knew once the humidity started building, it was going to get uncomfortable fast. They sat in the shade of a gazebo on the town square to eat the cupcake—which was as delicious as Reyna had promised—and then started walking back in the direction of the municipal lot.

  Eryn stopped under a sign that said BLACKBERRY BAY MARKET in block letters, with An Old-Fashioned General Store written underneath in a smaller script. “We need to remember this place to come back to later so we can stock up on something other than granola bars.”

  “Let’s just check it out really quick right now, because if we have to find a bigger store or even drive out of town to do grocery shopping, the sooner we know, the better. We can start a running list.”

  Eryn laughed. “You say that as if we don’t come up with the same list every jobsite and I don’t keep a copy on my phone to save time.”

  But she climbed the wooden stairs and pulled open the screen door. Anna followed her in, surprised there were so many customers at this time of day. The store was a clean, well-lit and organized blend of small grocery store and—as advertised—an old-fashioned general store. There were plenty of souvenirs and handcrafted goods for the tourists, but as they explored the aisles, she was pleased to see the shelves were stocked with a variety of staples.

  A strangled squeaking sound behind her made Anna turn suddenly, her body tensing.

  Eryn was the source of the sound, but Anna didn’t see an obvious reason for the distressed squeak. “What’s wrong?”

  “Do you see that? What is that?”

  Anna realized she was talking about the very large and expertly taxidermied moose in the back of the store and struggled not to laugh outright at her friend. “Are you talking about the moose?”

  “That’s a moose?”

  “How have you never seen a moose before?”

  Eryn glared at her. “I’ve seen pictures of them. I just thought they were more like goofy deer than goofy giant horses.”

  “Television? Movies?”

  “I guess I don’t watch a lot of moose-related shows, Anna.”

  “His name’s Morris.” They both jumped at the sound of a male voice right behind them. “He’s a big one, all right.”

  They turned to face an older man who, if Anna had to guess, probably played the town Santa Claus every year.

  “If you need anything, just holler. I’m Bob, by the way.” He was smiling, but then his gaze narrowed on Anna and he tilted his head. “Have we met before?”

  She gave him the friendly—but not too friendly—smile she’d practiced in a mirror when people first started recognizing her in public. It didn’t happen often because, let’s face it, remodeling shows weren’t the same as blockbuster movies, but after the second awkward moment of recognition, she’d decided to rehearse her response until it felt natural to her.

  “I don’t think we have,” she said in a chipper voice before shifting the conversation away from herself. “So, uh...did you shoot the moose yourself?”

  “Nope. He came already stuffed from a guy over in Maine because tourists love seeing a moose, even if it’s dead. Moms love taking their kids’ pictures with Morris, let me tell you. He’s quite popular with the girls and their selfies, too.”

  Anna hadn’t missed the fact the shelves near the moose were lined with toys and junk food, but she didn’t congratulate him on the marketing win. “I’m sure he is.”

  “Are you sure we haven’t met? I’m positive I know you from somewhere, but I can’t place from where.”

  “I’m sure. But I get that a lot because I’m on TV, on a show called Relic Rehab. People who don’t watch it still see commercials and ads on the internet, so there’s a vague sense of familiarity.”

  “Maybe. I don’t watch a lot of television except for that one station that plays all the Gunsmoke repeats.”

  “So do you own the store?” Eryn asked, and Anna imagined they were about to hear about how his great-grandpa opened the first store in town and it had passed down from generation to generation.

  “Oh, I don’t own it.” He nodded toward the back of the store. “Sydney does.”

  Anna took a step forward and peered down the aisle. A Black woman about her own age saw her and waved. Then she set whatever she’d been looking at back on the shelf and headed toward them.

  “Good afternoon,” she said. “Is there something in particular you’re looking for?”

  Bob answered before Anna could. “She asked me if I owned the store and I was just telling them you’re the owner. I help out during tourist season because I get on my wife’s nerves when I’m underfoot.”

  “You know I can’t do it without you, Bob.” Facing Anna, she held out her hand. “Sydney Ames.”

  “Anna Beckett, and this is my friend Eryn Landsperger.” When they weren’t meeting people in a professional capacity, she always introduced Eryn as her friend, rather than her assistant. Not only was it less awkward
for everybody, but she and Eryn actually had developed a friendship over the last few years.

  “How long have you been in Blackberry Bay?”

  “Today’s our first full day,” Eryn said. “It’s a beautiful town.”

  “We have some amazing postcards made by local artists if you’d like to rub your vacation in the face of those few friends and family members who refuse to get Facebook or Instagram.”

  Anna laughed. “I’ll definitely check them out, even though we’re not really on vacation. We’re in town to help renovate the Bayview Inn.”

  “The what?” Bob looked confused.

  So did Sydney for a few seconds, and then she smiled and gave Bob what she probably thought was a subtle poke with her elbow. “The Bayview Inn! That’s right. Remember, Bob, that a TV show is coming to help Tess renovate her inn?”

  “Right.” He nodded, though he still looked a little confused, in Anna’s opinion.

  And that wasn’t good because Eryn was sharp, and if she caught on that something was amiss, the game could be over before Anna even got to play a hand.

  She made a show out of checking the time on her smartwatch. “We really need to run if we don’t want to be late. It was nice to meet you, Sydney. Bob. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot of us while we’re here.”

  After getting Eryn out of the market without Bob letting the cat out of the bag, Anna breathed a sigh of relief. But she also knew this was only the first day. The more time Eryn and the rest of the crew spent in town, the higher the chances they’d find out the Bayview Inn didn’t exist.

  When Eryn pulled into Tess’s driveway, though, seeing the black Harley-Davidson parked next to Tess’s car drove the worries about being exposed right out of her head.

  Right now, she needed to focus all of her attention on pretending she wasn’t attracted to the very hot grandson pretending to be the handyman.

  Chapter Four

  Anna had already guessed the Weaver family was going to make for interesting television, but she’d had no idea just how much of a handful they were going to be until she had them all together in the kitchen and was trying to give them a brief overview of what was expected of them.

  As soon as Tess walked into the kitchen, wearing some kind of floral caftan with orthopedic sneakers, her daughter-in-law had groaned and looked up at the ceiling as if seeking divine guidance. Joel sat at the table, looking at neither his wife nor his mother but at the tabletop, since that was probably all he could see while he was clutching his head in his hands.

  Anna could handle all of that. Families who renovated together tended to get on each other’s nerves pretty quickly. But Finn? She wasn’t sure she could handle him.

  He was leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his chest, which just drew her attention to the way his biceps looked in the snug T-shirt. And unlike the other members of the Weaver family, he looked slightly amused by the goings-on. As a matter of fact, when his grandmother had entered the kitchen, it looked as though he’d been fighting back an urge to laugh, but she wasn’t sure what to make of that.

  It was pretty clear Joel and Alice wanted nothing to do with Tess’s plan to get a free renovation from Anna’s show, but she couldn’t really decipher where Finn stood on the idea. The one time their gazes had locked across the kitchen, there’d been a whole lot of sizzle, but no answers.

  “Do you all have smartphones?” Eryn asked after a glance at her phone, which was where all of her lists lived.

  “I don’t.” Tess pointed at what looked like an antique flip phone sitting on the counter. “Mine’s a not-smart phone. It’s probably dead, though, because I lost the charger cord.”

  “When did you last charge it?” Alice asked.

  “I know I used the cell phone to call Jenelle when Reyna had her baby, because I was at the market when I heard.”

  “Parker’s ten months old, Mom,” Joel said, and the low growling sound Alice made in her throat was a signal to Anna that she needed to keep this meeting moving.

  She cleared her throat to get everybody’s attention back to her. “Because Relic Rehab was a YouTube hit before the network ever picked it up, my audience really enjoys the candid moments caught on cell phone video. We’ll have Tess covered, but the rest of you should feel free to video anything you might think is fun or interesting, especially interaction between you, and we’ll review it for inclusion if you sign releases for it.”

  “Do we get paid what your cameramen get paid?” Joel asked.

  Anna smiled. “The more compelling the episode, the stronger marketing it becomes for the Bayview Inn. People love to visit businesses they’ve seen on television.”

  Joel nodded, obviously getting the message, so she moved on. There were a lot of basics to cover, including the promise that if they did their best to ignore the cameras at first, eventually they wouldn’t have to work so hard at it. They didn’t mind if homeowners looked at the cameras—it just added to the do-it-yourself feel they encouraged with cell phone video—but being too aware of them made people awkward and the conversations stilted.

  They also had a short list of demolition-related jobs that were important to catch on camera—such as smashing tiles and pulling down horsehair plaster—and those would be scheduled with the crew so they could have multiple cameras filming.

  “Also, if something fun happens, like finding old newspapers or a treasure in the walls, but the camera didn’t catch it, we might do a little reenactment,” she added. Then she decided it was time to stop talking and just begin the process. The only way for the family to get comfortable was to start doing it. “Today’s all about being excited to pack up the last of the personal things and get started. We’re going to go shoot the walk-and-talk while you get them ready, Eryn.”

  “Perfect. Tess, let’s start with you.”

  “Start what with me?” Anna heard the older woman ask, but she didn’t hear the answer because she was already heading for the front door with Mike on her heels.

  He’d already gone through the run-through footage and determined the best camera angle, and with her nerves under control and Finn not watching her, Anna managed to get it done in one shot. Mike made her do it several more times, just to be sure, but she knew she’d already nailed it.

  When she went back inside, she could hear footsteps upstairs, so she figured that was where the rest of the crew had decided to start the filming. But as she neared the kitchen, she heard a deep, inexplicably sexy voice that stopped her in her tracks.

  She wouldn’t mind hearing that voice whispering sweet nothings in her ear, that was for sure. But right now he didn’t sound particularly happy. Or sweet.

  “You are not putting makeup on my face.”

  Anna heard the frustration in Eryn’s sigh, but she wasn’t going to intercede yet. “We won’t call it makeup, then. We’ll call it...primer or something.”

  “Primer? Or spackling paste?”

  The growl in Finn’s voice made Anna want to giggle, so she pressed her lips together. Hearing her laugh at him wasn’t going to improve his mood any.

  “It’s just a little powder,” Eryn persisted. “So you’re not too shiny if we have to use the lights for the indoor shots.”

  “It’s going to be so hot today we could fry eggs on the sidewalk, but thanks to the humidity, they’ll probably end up poached. So unless you’re going to film me sitting on my ass in front of an air conditioner, I’m going to be shiny.”

  “Fine,” she heard Eryn snap. “Go forth and be shiny, then.”

  When she heard chair legs scraping over the floor, Anna stepped into the kitchen. Eryn just rolled her eyes and closed the case of very basic makeup supplies they used. Luckily, being a show primarily featuring construction meant they didn’t have to travel with a glam squad.

  Then she looked at Finn, and when their eyes met, she could practically see his
annoyance melting away. His lips quirked, not quite smiling, and she felt a flush of heat she hoped Eryn wouldn’t notice.

  “If I’m shiny later,” he said, “blame me. Eryn tried.”

  “I heard.” Anna shrugged. “We don’t really do much, but we’ve found that even if people are tearing apart a house, they want to look good on television. Not that you have to worry about it.”

  A sound suspiciously like a choked-back snicker from Eryn’s side of the table made Anna wince. She hadn’t intended to imply it would take more than a little shine on TV to make Finn anything less than devastatingly handsome, but based on her assistant’s reaction, she’d managed to do just that.

  “Thank you,” Finn said, his mouth curving into a grin. “I guess I’ll go upstairs and see if they need me to lug boxes or whatever.”

  Because she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from watching him walk away, Anna nodded and then pulled her phone out of her back pocket to give herself something to look at besides his back. And his butt in those jeans.

  She didn’t look up until she heard his footsteps climbing the wooden staircase. After she was sure he was gone, she slid her phone back in her pocket and took a deep breath. She’d thought this project would be a challenge because of the secrets she had to keep—the real reason she’d taken it on, as well as Tess’s fraudulent claims. But she definitely hadn’t expected her desire for the handyman to be on that list.

  “It’s not supposed to be this hot in May, is it?” Eryn grimaced as she tugged her shirt away from her chest, fanning it a little as if it would send a breeze over her skin. “Or humid.”

  “You and I have both lived in Connecticut for over five years, so you know as well as I do that if it’s hot in New England, it’s humid.”

  “In May?” Her assistant shook her head, and then leaned closer to Anna. “It doesn’t help that every time you and Finn are in the room together, the temperature spikes at least ten degrees.”

  It was Anna’s turn to roll her eyes. “If you keep spouting that nonsense and somebody hears you, I’m going to make emptying the RV septic tanks your job from now on.”