J
When I saw how much Lisa was hurting and how scared Rosé appeared, any nervousness and hesitation I'd previously felt melted away. This wasn't about me. This had to be about them, their family, taking care of their mother. I listened quietly while holding Lisa's hand under the table. We'd moved to the kitchen for the conversation.
"These damn stairs," Rosé grumbled. "I wanted to sell this place and buy a ranch, but she refused to sell it. This was the place where she and Daddy lived their entire married life." She shook her head. "So, while her memory was intact, I decided we'd hang in there. And when her mind started to go, I decided to explore the possibility of selling because she didn't remember the place."
"I'll help you. Want me to take pictures for the listing?" Lisa perked up and I recognized her need to be useful, her need to contribute and not leave everything on her sister's shoulders.
Rosé laughed sadly and covered her face. When she finally dropped her hands, she gestured around the room wearily. "Look at this place. Or better yet, smell it. I'm haunted by twenty years of liver and onions in this place. The realtor's assessment was grim. I don't have the money to put into it. So, we can't sell it and find another place that's more affordable."
"What would you do?" I asked. "If money was no object, what did the realtor want done?" My wheels were turning. I'd made miracles happen before when my mother was dying. I might be able to do it again for Lisa and her family.
"The carpet needs to be replaced. Tile floors instead of linoleum. The main floor should have hardwoods. The kitchen probably needs to be gutted and updated." Rosé gestured to the stove and fridge. "These are practically antiques."
I nodded. "What else? Bathrooms need updating? Neutral paint on the walls?"
Rosé stood and moved to the doorway to survey the space. "Yeah." She wrapped her arms around her stomach. "My belly hurts even thinking about it."
I glanced at my phone. Already it was closing in on eight in the morning. "What time are visiting hours?"
They both looked at me. Lisa tilted her head to the side. Then she glanced at her sister. "Why don't you go upstairs and pack a bag for Mom? I'll help you in a minute."
With a sigh, Rosé disappeared. I could hear her footsteps on the stairs. I eyed Lisa carefully, wondering if I was about to get reprimanded. I had been asking an awful lot of questions.
"I'm fixing the house," I blurted out.
She blinked a few times like she couldn't process what I'd said. "What do you mean?"
"Well, your mom could be in the hospital for weeks if this is a broken hip. In the meantime, I'll get the house ready for sale. We both know a good realtor." My brows rose while I waited for her to catch up.
She slapped her forehead. "Jisoo. Right."
"I'm sure she could help us find a nice ranch and list this one for sale. We might even be able to have all of this done before your mother is released." I blew out a breath. "Listen, I can't do much here to help. And I'm not trying to get in good with your family because…let's face it…I'm awesome and they'd be crazy not to like me." I laughed nervously while Lisa squeezed my hand. "I'm not good at doing nothing. Go to the hospital with your sister. I'll get things moving around here."
Her brow furrowed. I could feel her resisting.
"What? Is it the money?" I threw my hands in the air. "I have money. You can pay me back from the sale of the house, if you insist."
"Oh, I insist." Lisa frowned. "And we go Dutch on the repairs. I have emergency credit cards just for these kinds of situations."
"Fine. I'll send you a bill. Let me get to work." I stood and wandered over to the counter where I'd seen the coffee maker sitting on the counter. Shaking my head, I lifted my phone and quickly placed an order after glancing at a piece of mail on the table for the address.
"What did you just do?" Her brows rose.
"She needs a Keurig. It'll be here later today." Then without saying another word, I turned to make an old-fashioned cup of coffee, grumbling the entire time. While the pot filled, I stepped outside and placed a phone call.
"Jennie?" Jisoo sounded rushed. "Is anything wrong with our order?"
I sighed. "No, that's going very smoothly. This is about Lisa. Can you help me sell a house?" I'd caught her up in a matter of minutes.
"Beb," she called out Mino. I heard him rushing toward her. Must be nice to have a guy at her beck and call.
The door creaked behind me and Lisa stood there holding a mug of coffee for me. "Here. I watched you make one the other day. All sugar, no cream. Super sweet."
I bit my cheek and my face flushed. "You brought me coffee."
"Of course I did. I knew you wanted some. It was ready…" She chuckled. "It's no big deal."
I nodded. It was safer to let her believe that than to explain how much these simple gestures meant to a woman like me. I put the phone on speaker so Lisa could listen in.
"Beb, can you pick up Penelope today?" Jisoo asked. "I need to go to Seattle to help Lisa and Jennie."
That was the first time I'd heard our names used together. Again, I was embarrassed by how much I liked it. Damn. This girl was getting under my skin.
"Absolutely. Want us to meet you there for dinner?" Mino asked in the background.
"What if I let you know early afternoon?" I could hear the smile in Jisoo's voice.
"Works for me. Love you, Chu. I'm going to the bar project now."
Lisa and I exchanged a look when we heard them kiss. I stared at her lips, ready to kiss her too. Before I could fight the urge, Lisa had pressed her lips to mine. "You're amazing. I'm going to go check on Rosé, okay?"
"Of course. I'll be in as soon as I'm done talking to Jisoo." I took a sip from my mug, my eyes closed as I savored the perfect cup of coffee. "Nailed it," I told her. Then I lifted my mug. "Thank you."
"Okay, I'll be on my way as soon as I pack up a few things from the office."
"What do we do first?" I asked. "We have zero time to waste. What do you suggest?"
I heard Jisoo inhale deeply. "Honestly, probably get a storage unit or a Pod. Move everything out. The rest of the remodel will go faster. I'm going to email you a list of contacts to call in the Seattle area."
My phone chimed and when I glanced at the screen, I realized she'd already sent it. "Thank you. I'll work on this right away." Our phone call ended and I wandered back into the house while placing the first call. I hired packers and reserved a storage unit nearby.
"You don't play," Lisa murmured. "So what's up?"
"The house needs to be packed up. Anything Rosé and your mom need should be in suitcases. She'll have to stay in a hotel. I'll find one near the hospital. We're getting this house overhauled. I'm guessing we can have it ready to go on the market next weekend." I pursed my lips and surveyed the room. "I'd love to talk, but I have a lot more to do before I leave."
"Wait. You're leaving? You just arrived." She tensed.
I shook my head. "I can only stay for two days. After that, I have some huge shipments to go out and I need to handle business stuff that can only be done there. I hope you understand."
Lisa sighed. "Okay."
"I'm going to have Enterprise pick me up so I have a vehicle to run errands." I studied the list Jisoo had sent me.
Rosé returned to the kitchen. "Lisa told me what you two are doing. Thank you." She threw herself in my arms. Then she stepped back and asked, "How long have you two been dating?"
I stiffened. "We're not. It's complicated…" I glanced at Lisa for support but found none.
"We're going to go to the hospital now. I'll call you when I know more," she mumbled as she stood and exited the room.
The door shut behind them as she herded Rosé out to the car. I stood for a moment and watched them drive away. My chest ached for some reason. And if I allowed myself to feel for a moment, I'd have to admit I knew why. Blinking back tears, I tried to focus on the task at hand, but all I wanted to do was talk to Lisa. Surely she understood. We'd had one date, one night of passion, and as much as I enjoyed being with her, I found it equally terrifying.
By the time Jisoo arrived a little more than an hour later, I'd thrown myself into the project and accomplished nearly everything on the list. She took one look at me and shook her head. "I recognize that look," she murmured. "What happened?"
I swallowed hard. "It was an accident," I grumbled.
Jisoo frowned. "Her mother?"
I shook my head. "No, Lisa. I fell for her." Then I burst into tears.
