But what else was new?
His sister wasn’t the first woman to manipulate him into doing things for her and he was sure she wouldn’t be the last.
Bennett was back.
She should feel annoyed by that, but she was having trouble summoning the energy today. It was day two of the farm being open and still no customers. A low level of panic had started simmering in her gut. What was left of her trust fund after buying this place was gone after a few months of living here without any additional income.
And now if this Christmas-tree-farm thing didn’t take off, she truly had no idea what to do next. This was the first time in her life that she was on her own. She’d spent the first twenty-four years being either coddled or bailed out of every situation. Her parents had the funds and the means to soften the blow of her various bad decisions. Even when she and Chloe moved out of the Georgian mansion they’d grown up in, they hadn’t gone further than the recently renovated carriage house.
It was pathetic.
She was pathetic. A barely functioning adult. And when she finally decided to strike out on her own, she somehow thought buying an old farm was the way to go. But she was all in now. She refused to admit defeat.
It had to work.
She walked out to the front porch to find Bennett climbing out of his rental car. He had a toolbox this time, but no dogs to buffer their interactions. In her current mood, that didn’t bode well for Bennett.
‘Back for more fun?’ she called and he looked up with that perfect smile.
‘I might be able to get those radiators working better.’ He strode up her front path like a man on a mission. ‘My dad told me some things to try.’
Kira considered not letting him in. It was possible that her first impression of him wasn’t exactly right. Maybe he wasn’t a misogynist who thought she couldn’t do things for herself, but she also didn’t know why he was so damn concerned about her house.
What was his angle?
It was an awful lot of work just to get her in bed. And she hadn’t really given him any indication she would want him there, anyway. Maybe he liked a challenge?
She didn’t have time to fend off well-meaning do-gooders or guys with a masochistic streak when she was too busy failing miserably at her only chance to build something for herself. So whichever one he was, she shouldn’t let him in.
On the other hand, she was tired of being cold.
She stepped aside. ‘Have at it.‘
‘Thanks.’ Another smile as he passed her and let himself in.
‘Maybe later you can find a bunch of old ladies that need help crossing the street.’
He looked over his shoulder with an amused smirk. ‘Helping with your heat and escorting old ladies? The perfect day.’
Kira huffed and rolled her eyes, but Bennett was undeterred today.
‘If it’s okay with you, I’ll just go around to each radiator and see if I can adjust the vent cans. If not, maybe the service valves.’
‘I don’t know what any of that means, but go nuts.’
‘Great.’
Suddenly, Kira didn’t like the idea of just hanging out in her house while Bennett messed around with her radiators. That would be awkward.
‘I’m going to go check on Iris.’
‘Oh, good, she still works here, then?’
Kira winced. She had not made a great first impression with her only employee yesterday, but the intrepid Iris had shown up again this morning, assuring her that she was not easily scared off. Apparently, she was used to working for crazy people.
From what Kira gathered, Iris had grown up in Dream Harbor and was undeterred by the antics of the townsfolk. She also had plenty of jobs around town and had even invited Kira to join her yoga class. She was probably perfectly fine out there by herself, snug and cozy in the little cabin. But again, Kira had no desire to sit around and watch Bennett work.
So, continuing with her ‘fake it till you make it as a Christmas tree farmer plan’, she pulled on her boots to head outside.
‘Yes, miraculously she still works here after you scared her half to death with your whole “that house is going to collapse and crush her” thing.’
Bennett stopped clanging around in his toolbox for long enough to look at her with a bemused expression. ‘I never said that.’
‘You definitely did.’
‘I wasn’t the one who went running and screaming across the farm.’
‘It was an emergency!’
‘It really wasn’t.’
‘It could have been. I could have been saving her life.’
His smile grew and Kira was horrified to find her own mouth inching up to mirror his. She shook her head. Time to go. Not time to stand around smiling at this Clark Kent lookalike. Maybe she’d find a biker or a parolee on her way that she could make out with, just to remind herself who she really was.
All this fresh, piney air must be messing with her senses.
