Chapter 4: We'll Talk About Bigger Projects Later

Emma's POV

The auction happens in a small room at the town hall. A few chairs, one table, the mayor sitting behind it with someone who looks like a lawyer. I'm the only person here to bid.

"Miss Gray?" The mayor confirms.

"Yes."

"You're sure about bidding on the Wilson Estate?"

"I'm sure."

"You know the condition it's in?" He exchanges a glance with the lawyer. "It's been abandoned for years. Needs extensive repairs."

"I know."

The lawyer clears his throat. "Starting bid is one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars. With repairs, you're looking at another hundred thousand minimum."

"I understand."

"And it's quite isolated up there," the mayor adds. "Power goes out in winter, road's nearly impassable in summer. Are you certain—"

"I'm certain."

A pause. The mayor nods slowly. "Alright then. Let's begin."

The whole thing takes maybe five minutes. No other bidders, no one raising the price. "One hundred twenty-five thousand, once. Twice. Sold."

Just like that, I own a house.

After signing the papers, the mayor stands to shake my hand. "Welcome to town. You're the first person to buy the Wilson Estate. We all thought it'd sit empty forever."

"I'll take care of it."

"If you need anything, let us know." He's smiling now, genuinely pleased.

Walking out onto the street, I stop and take a deep breath. What did I just do?

The money comes from selling my paintings. I called my gallery in New York two days ago. "I need to sell everything."

"What? All of it?"

"All of it. Now."

"Emma, are you sure? These pieces—"

"How much can you get?"

Silence on the other end. "Maybe two hundred thousand."

"Good. Transfer it as soon as possible."

"But Emma—"

I hung up. The money arrived two days later. After paying for the house, lawyer fees, and other costs, there's not much left. But it's enough to keep me going for a while.

Ethan helps me clean the place. When I first ask, he hesitates. "I've got work—"

"I'll pay you twenty an hour."

"Twenty dollars? That's way too much!"

"It's not."

He stares at me, then finally nods. "Okay. Thanks."

The house is worse than I expected. Dust everywhere, spiderwebs in every corner. The pipes are rusted, wiring's old, roof's leaking in several places. But the glass is intact, just filthy. We spend two days clearing out the main building, another week getting basic water and electricity working. Ethan knows how to do everything. Fixing pipes, wiring circuits, patching the roof.

"Where'd you learn all this?" I ask while he's working on a stubborn pipe.

"At the shop. Mom taught me."

"She's pretty amazing."

"Yeah." He smiles, and it's the first real smile I've seen from him. "She's the best."

Two weeks later, the house is barely livable. I move in with a bed, a table, a few chairs. Nothing else. But standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the ocean, I don't care about furniture. This is my place now.

I unpack my art supplies. Canvas, paints, brushes. They've been sitting untouched since I left New York. Now I want to paint again, but not on canvas. On the glass walls themselves. I want to paint the ocean, abstract strokes of blue, gray, white. Light and movement. From outside, you'd see the painting and the real ocean overlapping. From inside, you'd see the ocean through the paint.

I start mixing colors. It's been four weeks since I left New York, and for the first time, I feel like creating something.

A few days later, my car breaks down again. Right in front of Lisa's shop, the engine just dies. She comes out, takes one look, and shakes her head. "This thing needs to be replaced."

"I know."

"I can fix it, but it'll take a few days."

That's when Ethan walks over. "Emma, I know someone. He's got a repair company, fixes everything. Cars, houses, appliances. You could ask him."

"Where is he?"

"I'll call him."

Ten minutes later, a tow truck pulls up. The driver climbs out. Tall, short hair, wearing work pants and a t-shirt. "Hey. I'm Cole. Cole Morrison."

"Emma Gray."

He walks to my car, pops the hood, examines the engine for a minute. "Minor issue. I can fix it right here, don't need to tow it back to town."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Where do you live?"

"The Wilson Estate."

He looks up, surprised. "You bought that place?"

"Yeah."

He smiles. "Brave."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just that it's special up there." He closes the hood. "Come on, I'll follow you."

At the estate, Cole pulls my car into the garage and gets to work. I stand nearby, not sure what to do. "Need help?"

"Nah. Go do your thing."

I head back inside to paint but keep glancing toward the garage. He works with focused efficiency, and about an hour later, he walks in wiping his hands.

"All set."

"That fast?"

"Like I said, minor problem. But I noticed some things about this house." He gestures around. "Your pipes are pretty far gone. Wiring's got issues too. And the roof, at least three spots leaking."

"I know, just tell me straight."

"If you want, I could do an assessment. Figure out what needs fixing now versus what can wait."

"How much?"

"No charge." He smiles. "Consider it a welcome gift."

"Really?"

"Really."

I study him. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why be so nice to a stranger?"

He's quiet for a moment. "Because I like this place. The Wilson Estate. It's been empty too long. I'm glad someone bought it, someone who wants to fix it up."

"You've been here before?"

"When I was a kid. My dad brought me. I thought it was like something out of a fairytale." He looks out at the ocean. "Then it just sat here rotting. Always seemed like such a waste."

"Well, someone's living here now."

"Yeah." He turns back to me, grinning. "So I want to help."

A week later, Cole shows up with a notebook. "Here." He hands it to me. Inside, pages are filled with notes. "Red means urgent. Yellow's should fix soon. Green can wait."

I flip through it. The detail is incredible. Every problem listed with notes and estimated costs. "This is going to cost a lot."

"Yeah, but you don't have to do it all at once. Take it slow."

"Can you help me fix it?"

"Sure."

"How much?"

He thinks about it. "Materials plus a little for labor. I won't charge much."

"Why?"

That smile again. "Told you. I like this place."

He walks over to the kitchen sink. "Let me start with this pipe. If we don't fix it soon, it's going to burst."

"Now?"

"Now." He gets to work while I stand there watching.

After a moment he glances up. "Oh, and these repairs? No charge. Small stuff. We'll talk about bigger projects later."