"Are you crazy? I don't want him around here if it's going to upset you."

"It was just a surprise, that's all. I should have taken a deep breath before kicking him off my property. Let's have him come give an estimate."

"Are you sure? Because I will stay on my phone all night calling other contractors…"

Mia laughed. "I know. And I appreciate that. But this is something I think I need to confront, and honestly, we need the work done as quickly as possible. Having somebody local is the best way to go."

“Okay. I'll text him and see if he can come back over this afternoon. Will that work?"

"Yes. Time to try to work this out since he has moved back to town. I just hope he's changed."

"Me too."

Cooper stood there, his hands in his pockets. He hadn't even walked up the stairs yet. He was just standing there, like he wasn't sure exactly what to do, kicking gravel around with his boot.

Mia stood at the top of the stairs on the porch, staring down at him. It was probably the only time in her life she would ever be taller than Cooper.

"I'm surprised you called me back out here," he said.

"Me too. But the reality is that we need this work done quickly and we need it to look good, And Kate seems to be confident in your craftsmanship," Mia said, not making eye contact. Kate had stayed inside, opting instead to let Mia and Cooper have some time alone to talk.

"Mia, I want to tell you how incredibly sorry I am for how I acted when we were in high school. That was a really difficult time in my life for several reasons, but it didn't give me the right to take it out on you."

"I appreciate you saying that."

He looked up at her, and she found it remarkable how he actually did look sorry. It wasn't the same face she had remembered from high school; it was more weathered now with some wrinkles around the eyes. But he actually looked like a genuine person.

"No, really, I want you to understand that I have felt bad about this for so many years. I just had some things happening at home, and it made me really angry. And that anger spilled into school. It gave me a way to distract myself. I don't know what to do to make amends to you other than telling you that I'm going to build these structures for free."

Mia's mouth dropped open. "No, you're not. We're paying you."

"Look, I need something that will make me feel like I've made amends with you. It's the one part of my history that I can't ever seem to get over. Let me do this. Let me gift this to you and to this B&B so that I know I've done everything I could to make it up to you."