Free We'll Be Home for Christmas by Helenkay Dimon Page B

labor.”
    She held out a sheet of paper, stuck it right under Travis’s nose then showed it to Spence. He answered because Travis appeared to be too busy grinning to come up with a response. “That’s right. Travis gave you what you need.”
    She turned to Spence. “But how am I supposed to figure out if I can afford the estimate if you’re forgetting huge chunks of costs?”
    “You’re not.”
    She scanned the list, as if he hadn’t said a word. “Like electrical and labor and...is there even an amount for materials on here? It looks like I’m being charged for some random supplies but that’s it.”
    “You’re the one insisting on a bill.”
    Her head shot up. “Well, yeah. I’m not a brainiac like you’re supposed to be.”
    “I’m not.” Interesting how she didn’t believe that rumor. That one was at least based on a sliver of truth even though he did everything he could to avoid the topic of his IQ while Austin brought it up whenever possible.
    “But how do I pay you without the information?”
    “You don’t.”
    The paper crumpled in her hand. “That’s ridiculous.”
    Spence let his scowl travel over to his workers. They must have gotten the hint because the saw started humming again and the low rumble of conversation and sounds of hammering picked up a second later.
    He looked back to her. “The word you want is neighborly.”
    “This goes beyond helping out a neighbor, don’t you think?”
    “No.”
    When her gaze shot to Travis, he piped up. “No, ma’am.”
    She rolled her eyes then brought her attention straight back to Spence. “You’re telling me you paid for Cleo’s house or Darla’s?”
    He’d paid an electric bill or two for Cleo after her husband died and the amount of her Social Security check dropped, but Spence wasn’t sharing that because even Cleo didn’t know where the emergency funds had come from. Darla had figured out a way to make the older woman take the money as a temporary solution and agreed to keep his secret. He didn’t need the whole town standing at his front door with hands out, but sometimes he could help. With Lila he was doing more and he refused to think about that either.
    “You need help. If your Uncle Ned were the one trying to put this place back together, I would do the same thing,” Spence said.
    She shot him a get-real scowl. “I find that hard to believe.”
    “Look, Ned saved my ass more than once growing up.”
    “How?”
    Not that Spence wanted to get into this but that determined look on her face told him he had to. “I was a typical teen. Did dumb things. I got into the habit of skipping school—”
    She smiled. “Because it was too easy?”
    “Something like that. Bottom line is your aunt and uncle gave me a place to go when I needed it. In return I had to buckle down at school, Ned’s words by the way, and go to class. There was a threat about dragging my sorry butt to school and embarrassing me in front of everyone if I didn’t stop fooling around.” Spence left out the part about how his had mother left and the loss screwed up his dad. How Lila’s uncle and aunt provided a small window of normalcy when Spence craved one and until his dad found his emotional equilibrium again.
    Lila’s head fell to the side as her gaze searched Spence’s face. “But that’s a debt you owe Ned, not me.”
    That’s not how Spence saw it. He lived in a paid-for house and did fine financially. Money was the one thing he had and paying back Ned, no matter if it was directly or through his niece, was an obligation he took seriously. “You asked and I answered. Now we should get back—”
    “No.” She tightened her jaw so hard he thought he heard it snap.
    “Excuse me?”
    “You can’t tell me this isn’t related to sex.” She practically shouted the last word.
    Travis pointed in the general direction of the cabin farthest away. “I’ll go find something to do over there.”
    Spence waited until they were alone, or as alone as