Chapter 30

“Yes. I was aware of buying a fixer-upper, but I fell in love with it.”

Jules nodded, it was a lovely house. The garden surrounding it wasn’t inspiring in February, but he could picture hot summer days on the patio, flowers in every color, and was that an apple tree? He squinted out through the window. A part of the garden was fenced in by an irregular picket fence—a kitchen garden? Jules’ mom had always grown some veggies in their garden.

“Is that an apple tree?” Jules pointed at the tree outside the window.

“Yeah.” Nix nodded and put the water on to boil. “There are cherries, plums, and pears too. And around the house—” He pointed in the direction of the bedroom. “—there are gooseberries and currants. It’s all growing out of hand. I know nothing about gardening.”

“You should prune the bushes now before spring.”

Nix widened his eyes. “Oh, honey, you have your Saturday cut out for you.”

Honey? Jules’ face heated. “I haven’t pruned bushes in years.”