Page 1 of H & G Restorations

Chapter

One

A fter turning the H & G truck into the long driveway, Hans stopped to look at the large Victorian house in front of them.

It was enormous and picturesque. At least it was as he imagined it could be with a lot of love and hard work.

Turrets and quaint windows peered down at them from above as the sagging wraparound porch beckoned them forward.

Even in its dilapidated condition, he could see what it once had been.

“This one’s going to take a lot of love. Better double—wait, triple the time you estimate. You know we’re going to find rot and other problems,” his partner and the love of his life, Gretel suggested.

“Noted. Maybe quadruple. Whoever brought us out here must know that this is going to be one hell of a job,” Hans predicted.

“Let’s go meet him. I’ve never met a tech wizard before. I wonder what attracted him to the old Candy Lane Mansion. It seemed like it surprised everyone when it sold suddenly.”

“I guess we won’t ever know sitting here. Looks like he knows we’ve arrived.” Hans nodded at the large, fit man who had walked out onto the front porch to greet them.

In just a few minutes, the two partners strolled up to the house with their clipboards. Gretel called, “Good morning.”

“Good morning!” The deep voice that answered them sent a shiver of delight down Hans’s spine.

He was committed to Gretel, but they had looked for a special kind of third to complete their pairing for several years.

No one had checked off all their boxes, and the duo wasn’t willing to settle.

It intrigued Hans when he felt Gretel’s jolt of interest.

“Sir, I’m Hans and this is Gretel. We’re the owners of H & G Restorations. I’ll warn you, we’re pretty infatuated with this property. It’s iconic in Storybrook.”

“Hi, Hans. Gretel. I’m glad to meet you. I’m Magnus Scott.”

The large man stepped down the creaking stairs. As he emerged from the shadows of the overhanging roof, Hans heard Gretel gasp softly as the sun revealed chiseled features and brilliant, ice-blue eyes. To say he was attractive was the understatement of the century.

“Mr. Scott, it’s a pleasure to meet someone invested in bringing this”—Hans gestured to encompass the house—“back to life.”

“It certainly needs a bit of work. I was looking around before you got here and put my foot through a floorboard in the kitchen. I’d guess there’s some leaking pipes in there,” Magnus shared.

“There always is,” Gretel piped up.

“My bulk may be a detriment inside until you determine what needs to be done. How about if I stay out here?”

“That’s a good idea, sir. We’ll get a better idea of what’s going on as we move through each room methodically.

This will take a while. We could meet you in town late this afternoon to give you the highlights of what we’ve found.

There’s no need to hang around out here all day long,” Gretel suggested.

When Magnus nodded his agreement, Hans double-checked that he had the right contact number for him. “Where are you staying?”

“I have a place at the Kingston Hotel in town until I can find somewhere to rent for the duration of the remodel,” Magnus said. “Perhaps you could meet me there for high tea at four? I’ve heard it’s quite an experience.”

“They’re usually booked months in advance,” Gretel blurted.

Hans could hear the regret coloring her words. She’d asked to do that for a year or so and he hadn’t gotten it done.

“Then, it’s a good thing I set it up when I booked my room. I’d hoped to have someone to share the tea party with,” Magnus explained with a smile at the young woman.

“Thank you, sir. I will look forward to it,” Gretel answered, and Hans knew she’d move heaven and earth now to make this dynamic man’s house a home. She would have done that anyway, but Gretel loved special connections like this.

“Perfect. I’ll leave you to survey the house. You will be very careful, correct? I don’t want either of you to take any risks,” Magnus said, his voice becoming serious.

“Definitely, sir. We’re used to navigating around old houses. We’ll meet you with a few scratches, but in fine shape for tea,” Hans promised.

“I’ll leave you to it.”

The two partners watched him walk away. Hans knew he was checking out the handsome man’s butt, and following Gretel’s line of vision, he wasn’t the only one.

“Come on, partner. If we’re efficient, we’ll have time to shower before we meet Magnus.” Hans wrapped an arm around her back to steer Gretel toward their target.

“For high tea!” she said, already celebrating and bouncing beside him in excitement.

“Focus on the work now. You heard Magnus. Be safe.”

“Totally dismissing tea to focus,” she reported, shuffling through the papers on her clipboard. “I’ll head to the basement to check out the foundation, heating, and plumbing.”

“I’m coming with you. Until we see the condition of the floors, we stick together,” he decreed.

“Aye, aye, sir!” she sassed, saluting.

The swat he landed on her bottom stung his hand slightly, and Hans watched Gretel rub her rear end in surprise. A toot of the luxurious sedan as Magnus turned around made them both realize that their prospective new boss had seen that.

“Hans,” Gretel groused as she turned back to stare at the house. “Don’t lose us this job.”

When he nodded, she grabbed her pencil and pointed upward. “Major roof rot above the porch. All supports and planking need replacing on the front. We’ll need to measure for the amount of lumber it will require.”

“Agreed.”

Cautiously, they made their way through the first floor, taking meticulous notes.

Finding the stairs down, Hans descended the steps first to check how they held his greater weight, but also to brush away any spiders that had taken residence inside.

Gretel was fine standing in filth as she cleared out the muck of years of plumbing clogs and collapsed pipes, but spiders would give her nightmares that would wake them both.

There was good and bad news on the bottom floor. The foundation was rock solid, but they would need to replace the plumbing and wiring completely. There were a few oddities that puzzled the couple. They recorded everything by taking pictures.

“I’d expected we were going to rewire, anyway. No one who makes their living through technology conquests would be satisfied with the limits of old-fashioned connections,” Gretel commented.

The main floor brought its own share of concerns and celebrations. Hans rubbed his hand over the ancient stove that remained in incredible condition for its age. “Do you think he’ll want to tear everything out and put a sleek, modern kitchen in here?” he questioned.

“That would be a shame, but it will have to fit the needs of a large man working in here. He’d dwarf this space,” Gretel pointed out.

“You noticed how broad his shoulders were too,” Hans teased.

“Who could miss that?” She pointed to a large footprint in the dirt next to an even bigger hole smashed through the flooring. “He has to wear a size twice yours.”

“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Hans teased.

“I am not thinking about our client’s personal attributes, other than to note space requirements for a body that…

chiseled.” Gretel squatted down to probe into the hole Magnus had left.

“The subflooring seems pretty solid, but all this has to go. What would you suggest? Room by room or gut the whole thing and start fresh?”

“Save the best and move it into a storage area while we rip up all the rot, rewire and plumb,” Hans suggested.

“I agree.”

They wrapped up at the bottom of the stairs.

It was a gorgeous carved wooden staircase with an intricate pattern that would require hours to strip off the old, gummy varnish and bring it back to life.

The couple looked at each other and nodded.

This would be totally worth the time to refinish.

The craftsmanship couldn’t be replicated now.

Armed with a million photographs to show Mr. Scott and their notes, Hans and Gretel climbed back into the truck. They’d have time to clean up if they rushed. Hans noticed Gretel turned back to get another glimpse at the house.

They both felt it. This house called to them for help. And Magnus Scott? He was pure man candy.