Feeling uncomfortable under his stare, I pointed down the hallway. “Toby’s working on the toilet.”
His brows lifted high. “Really? And how’s that going?”
“I’ve heard a few cuss words coming from that direction.”
He laughed under his breath, a deep pleasant sound that made my insides tighten. “The man is a wizard when it comes to game design, but home design and construction—I’m not so sure about that.” He lowered his voice on the last few words and gave me a wink. “I can take all the help I can get though.”
Glancing past me into the living room, he grinned. “The house has nice bones. I like all the built-ins. Toby was right—the place has a lot of potential.”
He seemed genuinely impressed with the place so far. I knew the house was a steal and it made me happy knowing he thought it had good bones. “I think so, too. I feel fortunate to have found it, and I got a smoking deal thanks to my parents and Toby.”
“That’s what I understand.” He reached out and ran long-fingered hands along the door casing. “Real wood, too.”
Those were the hands of a real man. Masculine and callused, probably from long days wielding a hammer. I didn’t want to think about how young he was and what that meant in terms of experience with construction. Honestly, I was ready to forgo experience when he looked so good. He would serve as a nice distraction in the coming weeks.
“My house is the same. I live nearby…in case you ever need anything.”
My stomach tightened at that bit of information. When I had left Maple Creek, he’d lived on the other side of town, in an old duplex with his mother. “You have your own place?”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” he said, once again laughing lightly. “Not all of us live at home with our parents.”
“Hey, I heard that!” Toby yelled.
I laughed under my breath and whispered, “My mom keeps telling me that if I’m not careful, I’ll have my brother as a renter.”
Brax shook his head. “She spoils him too much. He’ll never leave home. He has it too good.”
“That’s exactly what my mom said last night.” I rolled back onto my heels. “I’m impressed you have a house at your age.”
“I suppose I could say the same thing to you,” he said with a mischievous grin that made my pulse quicken. “I saved up and bought my first flip a week after I graduated from high school. When it came time to sell I couldn’t bring myself to do it, so I moved in instead.”
Again, I was really impressed that someone so young had been so adventurous. “Where did you work?”
“I started working at Drake’s Concrete when I was sixteen. Tough work, and yet it set off the construction bug inside me. I love the idea of taking something old and making it beautiful again. Drake taught me that.”
My gaze shifted to his hands. He wore a black Tungsten ring on his right hand, but no ring on the left. I wondered if he was dating anyone. He had to be, right? I mean, he had to be the hottest ticket in town. He was too gorgeous to go under the radar.
I found it hard to believe he was single.
Not that he’d be interested in someone almost five years older than him.
“How does it feel to come back to a small town after having lived in a big city for so long?”
His gaze was intense as he watched me, making me shift on my feet. How much had Toby shared with him about Ross? Given they were best friends, I had to assume he knew a hell of a lot about my situation. In fact, he might know the whole story, which made me uneasy. I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy, and so far, I had received a lot of it, especially from my mom’s friends. I appreciated their concern, yet I just wanted to put the past behind me. Move on and enjoy what was next for me.
“It feels good to be home,” I said with a forced smile. “It really does. I wish I had made the move months before.”
The side of his mouth lifted in a smile, then he flashed me a grin I remembered well from my childhood. To my surprise, my heart gave a hard jolt.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had such a strong reaction to a man.