Hey, Aren't You....

"Really good. He's been letting Dax and me run the day to day stuff so he can take some time off. We've been trying to get him to do some more dating, but he can be pretty stubborn."

"I know someone who's available and...."

"Ouch!" Faith said after her mom's elbow found its target. "What was that all about?"

"Oh, I think you know," her mom said.

Faith rubbed her side then asked about his brother.

"He's doing great, too. He's turning 30 next week and we're throwing him a big surprise party. Katie told you about it, right?"

Olivia didn't say anything but if he really did have a 12-year old daughter then he'd gotten married very young. Then again, one didn't need to be married to have a child so....

"Um...no. When did you tell her?" Faith asked.

"Oh, just the day before yesterday so that's probably why she hasn't told you yet. We weren't sure we were gonna even do it because he's so laid back. This is not the kind of thing he likes. But Alyssa is gonna love it!"

Faith told her mom quietly, "That's his daughter." Olivia nodded and Faith continued.

"Yeah, he is pretty quiet, huh?" Faith offered.

"He had to grow up fast, you know. Having a baby at 18 can do that to you. It completely changed his life and it completely changed him. Dax is the thinker in the family. The oldest sibling is often quieter, but he's in his own world. He's great at what we do, too. I mean, I think I'm pretty good at this stuff, but he's just amazing. He's a perfectionist when it comes to a job and while that can slow things down sometimes, it pays off in the long run. Dax is always learning something new. I've never seen anyone who enjoys learning so much. I've tried to get him to try out for Jeopardy a bunch of times because there's really nothing he doesn't know from houses to history to music to literature to...."

Troy stopped talking and shined his flashlight into the electrical box. "Bad news. This house is completely out of code. Electrical and plumbing. You're gonna have to rewire and repipe the entire house."

"What's the cost on that, Troy?" Olivia asked.

"Figure about $10-$12 grand for both," he said. "Let's see. We're looking at a complete gut of every room and a new roof plus all new windows so....we're looking at about $60,000 on top of that and that's lower end. If you want hardwood floors, crown molding, granite, high-end appliances, you could hit $75,000 pretty easy. Still, that's a lot better than trying to buy a house like this in today's market."

"So I'm really looking at about a seventy-five thousand dollars," Olivia said wanting to be safe.

"That's probably high, but not an unreasonable estimate, Olivia," Troy said. "Keep in mind we're not even talking about the outside yet. The front yard won't be too hard. Just remove the trash then plow it all under and reseed it. Plant some flowers and a shade tree and you're all set. The back is the problem. The whole thing is a disaster. I'd say about three grand for the front and maybe another fifteen for the back yard if you want to put in some nice features like a patio, a pergola, a fire pit. You could dig it up and just seed it with grass too, for maybe four five thousand, but that would such a waste of a large, open area. Still, I'd call this place a bargain no matter what."

Olivia felt a little silly for watching the bottom line so carefully. Tom had had a sizable term life policy on himself and then she had the proceeds from the sale of her home plus what they'd had in savings and investments before he passed away. It wasn't like she didn't have the money to do a first-class job on this place.

"You know what? I agree. This really is a bargain and the location is perfect. It's really hard to find a place that doesn't have wall-to-wall neighbors and I do love the quiet. We'll do this up right with energy-efficient windows, hardwood flooring, a fire pit and pergola out back. The works. Faith? You and Katie can help me decide exactly what kind of wood for the flooring, countertops for the kitchen, paint colors, window treatments, and the whole nine yards, as they say."

She turned to Troy, smiled, and said, "Let's do this!"

"Well, if you want us to do the work, we can get started early next week. We're finishing up a huge project next Monday and after that we can fit you in."

"Definitely," Olivia told him. "You're family now, Troy. I wouldn't think of going anywhere else so sign me up!"

"Consider yourself signed up then," he told her. "We'll start demo on Tuesday and pull permits. We sub out our electrical and plumbing but both companies have worked with us for several years and they're both outstanding. You don't have any mold and surprisingly, there's no asbestos here, so I'm thinking this should be about six-week project as long as we don't hit any big snags."

Olivia thanked him as she and Faith hugged him goodbye. "It was so nice to finally meet you, Troy," Olivia told him.

"Same here and I hope you'll come to Dax's surprise party. His birthday is next Thursday so I'll be knocking off here around four o'clock to get things ready."

"He's seems great," Olivia said on the way back to Faith's home.

"Yeah, Katie's pretty much ga-ga over him and now you know why. Gorgeous, well-spoken, great job, polite. What's not to like, right? Don't get mad at me again, but you really should at least consider going out with his dad."

"Faith? I don't even know the man. We haven't even met, for goodness sakes. How about giving me some time to adjust to being back home and getting reacquainted with my daughters? Would that be too much to ask?" she said trying not to sound exasperated.

"Okay, fine. Message received. But I am going to introduce you. You know that, right?"

"If we're going to this surprise party then I would hope so. Just don't even think about trying to set us up."

Faith gave her another look then started laughing. "Mom? I'm so glad you're home!"

As promised, demo started early on Tuesday morning and by the time Olivia drove up to the house, a very large dumpster parked in the driveway was over half full.

"Olivia!" Troy called out. He waved her his way and she tentatively headed over.

"Is it safe?" she asked. There was banging and pounded and the sound of a chainsaw somewhere nearby.

"Completely!" he told her. "Let's take a look inside."

Olivia couldn't believe the difference six men and four hours of picking up...stuff...had made.

"This is unbelievable," she said. Virtually everything inside the house and in both yards was in the dumpster and the crew was already ripping out kitchen cabinets and destroying dry wall.

"Demo is great!" Troy said. "There's nothing like taking out your frustrations on a wall or a countertop." He grabbed a sledgehammer and asked, "You wanna take a swing?"

Olivia laughed and said, "I think I'll pass. Your guys seem to be having a lot of fun."

They turned the corner and Olivia nearly ran into someone wearing a white hat who was just over six feet tall with broad shoulders and very dark hair. He turned around and saw Olivia first and then his brother.

He smiled and said to Dax, "You weren't kidding. She could be her twin sister," in yet another Megyn look-alike comment.

He was still smiling when he removed his hat and said to Olivia, "You must be Mrs. Roberts. I'm Dax Porter. It's such a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

Olivia had seen good-looking men all her life and although she wasn't opposed to taking a second look, she rarely saw anyone who caused to stop and stare. Dax was that rare exception to the rule. His hand had been out for several seconds before she finally realized it.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said unable to take her eyes off of him. "Yes, I'm Megyn."

The brothers saw a confused look on her face before she understood. She smiled then said, "Let me try that again. I'm Olivia. I'm definitely not...her."

"Oh, okay," Dax said smiling at her. "You just look like her. As in 'twin-like'."

Olivia came to herself and said, "Well, I'd have to say you two look a bit like those Property Brothers brothers on TV."

Dax laughed and said, "They're both 6'5" so they're taller but...." He glanced at Troy who finished his sentence.

"Well, we're better looking, right?" he said jokingly.

There was no arrogance in the comparison. They were both obviously kidding around and yet Olivia not only saw a resemblance, Dax was much better looking than either of the handsome twins from the well-known HGTV show. Faith hadn't been kidding when she described him.

"How do you like being home, Mrs. Roberts?" Dax asked politely once the initial banter was behind them.

"I'm thrilled! I'm so happy to be near my daughters again," she said.

"I couldn't live if I was away from mine," he told her seriously.

"She's...12, right?" Olivia asked.

"Just turned," Dax told her. "She's the love of my life and the spitting image of her mother."

Olivia didn't know how his wife had passed away and wasn't about to ask.

"I'm so sorry, Dax," she told him.

"And I for you, Mrs. Roberts. I didn't have the pleasure of meeting your husband, but Katie often speaks very fondly of him to Troy. He sounds like an amazing man."

"He was and thank you, Dax," she said. "And will you please call me Olivia?"

"I'd be happy too...Olivia. But if I slip up and call you Megyn, please don't be mad at me, okay?"

His smile was simply unbelievable. Then again, his entire face was unbelievable. He had piercing blue eyes set deep below a very masculine brow. He had long, dark lashes and perhaps the most symmetrical face she'd ever seen. He was clean shaven but it was obvious he had a very dark beard underneath which made sense considering he had the blackest, thickest hair she'd ever seen. He wore it closely cropped, and at 30, there wasn't a hint of gray anywhere. To use her older daughter's word, his hair was...yummy. In fact, Dax himself was...." Olivia smiled when the right word came to her—Dax looked...delicious.

"Oh, no. I won't take offense. She's a very pretty woman. And tough as nails, too."

Dax smiled then excused himself.

"It was truly a pleasure meeting you, Mrs...Olivia. We'll be seeing a lot of each other for the next couple of months, but for now I really need to keep on eye on things with the crew."

"The pleasure was all mine," she told him thinking that for once that was actually true. She looked around and found Troy again then let him know she was heading back to Faith's house.

"I'll try and stop by once a day...if that's not too much. I don't want to get in your way."

"You're welcome anytime, Olivia, and you're never in the way." He leaned over, smiled, then said quietly, "Don't tell Katie I said this, but you're kind of easy on the eyes."

She hit him playfully in the arm and said, "Coming from a young man as nice looking as you, that's quite a compliment."

"Well, it's true," he told her. "And honestly? I'm happy to find out the woman I love will be so beautiful for many years to come."

She knew they were in love. What she didn't know was when he might ask her daughter to marry him. Having met him, she now wholeheartedly approved. She wished him a good day, then headed back to her daughter's house.

Over the next two days Olivia mentally marked the progress the crew was making and she was thrilled to see things opening up in a very literal sense. The kitchen was gone as was most of the rest of the drywall throughout the house. When Faith said 'take it down to the studs' she hadn't been kidding.

The only bad news is when Dax told her Troy had made a rare mistake by forgetting to include the cost of new siding. The fact that he was the one breaking the bad news to her made it much more palatable.

"In for a penny, in for hundred grand, right?" she said with a smile.

Dax had smiled back and said, "I was worried you might fire us after a flub that big."

"No, I don't think I'd do that," she said.

She then said something she'd been thinking but hadn't planned on saying out loud. And when she did, she felt more than a little silly. "I...I kind of like the view around here."

The look on her face told Dax she didn't normally say things like that. He smiled and told her, "Well, let's just say the feelings are mutual and leave it at that, shall we?"

Olivia left around noon having been reminded by Troy about the big 'shindig' at the Porter residence that evening and she assured him she'd be there.

Faith let her know it wasn't anything close to formal but she still planned on wearing a very nice dress. "The Porters really know how to throw a party, Mom," she'd let her know as a kind of warning that informal didn't tacky.

"Then I guess I'll follow suit and do the same," her mom said as she went to get ready.

Unfortunately, Olivia brought just two dresses with her and neither was suitable.

"Faith?" she called out downstairs. "Let's go shopping! My treat!"

Three hours later, mother and daughter both had beautiful dresses and new shoes to wear to the big soiree.

Olivia chose a sleeveless, royal blue belle dress by Halston that had a crew neckline and a fitted waist that fell to mid-thigh level.

"Mom? I love you but I hate that I can't wear that dress and you can. Oh, and that you look fabulous in it, too."

The truth was, it did look amazing on her. It fit very closely from the waist up while the lower, skirt portion had a more open, almost-flared look to it. Faith had never had her mom's figure and the fact that she was 45 and could still wear this so easily made her both very proud and a little bit envious.

"But you look beautiful, too, Faith!" Olivia told her.

Faith had had to chose something much more forgiving and no one would ever call it sexy, but it was a very pretty dress. It was black and fell to just above her knees and with a pair of black heels it looked very...pretty.

Her mother hadn't helped matter any by choosing a pair of five-inch, silver, spiked heels with an ankle strap which would be simply stunning with the long, dangling silver earrings and pendant she'd also bought.

By the time they were ready, David had been waiting for 30 minutes, the bane of all men everywhere. Faith came downstairs first and David stood up to greet her.

"Wow! Don't you look beautiful!" he told her. He reached for her hand and spun her around. I can't wait to dance with you tonight," he told her.

Moments later, Olivia walked in and Faith watched her husband's facial expression change. She heard him say very quietly, "Holy shit," before smiling brightly.

"I don't even know what to say," David blurted out.

Faith headed toward the door as she grabbed her clutch and said, "You've already said quite enough!"

Olivia smiled but didn't say anything other than, "You look very dapper," which was true as David was wearing a dark suit with a dark-red silk tie.

Faith was out of earshot when David said, "Olivia? You look absolutely amazing!"

She thanked him very quietly then grabbed her own small bag and said, "Shall we?"

Faith didn't speak to her husband—or her mom—the entire drive, but she did notice David looking in the rearview mirror every few seconds which only added to her frustrations.

Things went from bad to worse on the way inside as a couple saw Olivia and the woman said to her husband, "That's her! Excuse me? Miss? Aren't you..."

Faith looked at her and said almost caustically, "No. She's not," and kept walking.

David offered to get them something to drink once they were inside the house, a huge, expansive home with very high ceilings and a very open floor plan.

"Faith? Are we okay?" her mom asked when they were alone.

She turned toward her mom and said, "How sad is it to be jealous of your own mother?"

"But why would you be? Faith, you're so beaut...."

"Mom? Please don't, okay? I'm not unattractive, and I'm fine with how I look. My handsome husband tells me I'm pretty all the time. But let's be honest. You're just...hot. I don't know what other word to use. But I'm not upset at you." She took her mom's hand and said, "How could I be when I love you so much?"

David arrived at the same time as Katie and Troy walked up. There were hugs and smiles and lots of small talk before everyone got quiet.

"Dad," Troy said just as the hugs ended.

Olivia looked up to see a very tall, very handsome man who was clearly older than her but still quite attractive. He had a small amount of gray around his temples and a smile to match that of his sons.

He said hello to everyone then addressed Olivia. "So, you're the beautiful lady my sons have been raving about. Megyn...what's her name, Troy?" he asked turning toward his younger son.

"Kelly," he said sheepishly as Katie gave him one of those looks. "Hey, it's true, okay?" he said to his girlfriend.

"Yeah, my mom is kinda hot," she said with a smile.

"May I get you something to drink?" he asked.

Olivia picked up her champagne flute and said, "I'm good, but thank you."

"Okay, well, perhaps we'll have a chance to get better acquainted later on," he said smiling and looking directly at her.

"I'll look forward to that," she said.

"Mom? Why don't you and Troy, Senior, go ahead and chat while the four of us catch up?"

Before she could respond, everyone turned around when they heard a young voice call out, "Grandpa!"

Olivia knew that had to be Alyssa, the poor girl who'd lost her mother. She threw her arms around her grandfather when he bent down to say hello.

"How's my favorite girl in the whole world?" he asked.

"Fine," she said looking around at the other guests. She knew all of them but Olivia and Katie stepped in to help out.

"Alyssa? This is my mother, Olivia Roberts. Mom, this is Dax's daughter, Alyssa Porter."

"I'm very pleased to meet you," she said sweetly.

"And I you," Olivia said. "You are a very pretty girl."

That was a true statement. Having two beautiful parents, it would have unusual for their child not be attractive. What impressed Olivia the most, though, was the very adult-like way she carried herself.

"Thank you. My dad says you look like a famous person on TV," Alyssa said innocently.

There was some polite laughter but nothing that would hurt her feelings.

"I don't know about that," Olivia said. "I guess we all look like someone though, huh?"

"People say I look like my mom," Alyssa said.

"Well, then your mother was a very beautiful woman," Olivia said with genuine conviction.

"She was my best friend. Well, her and my dad."

"Speaking of the devil," Troy, Senior, said. "Hey, Dax!"

"Hi, Dad! Hey, honey!" he said to his daughter. "I should have known you'd find your grandpa."

He saw Olivia for the first time then not only stopped talking but stopped smiling, as well.

"Hi, Dax," she said hoping he would stop staring. It wasn't that she minded, she just knew he was unaware he was doing it.

"Olivia," he said finally. "Wow. You look incredible."

She saw Faith roll her eyes then smile.

"Thank you, Dax. You look very handsome yourself." She smiled at Alyssa then said, "In fact, you're almost as handsome as your daughter is beautiful." Alyssa smiled happily and Olivia repeated, "Almost."

Then she realized this was supposed to be a surprise party and asked what had happened.

"My dad figured it out," Alyssa said answering for everyone else. "He's really smart."

That brought another polite chuckle followed by a suggestion from Troy, Senior, that everyone feel free to mingle along with the hope they'd all enjoy themselves.

Dax explained how he'd found out. "I wasn't sure until I saw Troy cut out early today. I knew he wouldn't be leaving early on my birthday if he didn't have something up his sleeve. So because I don't like surprise parties or fanfare, I told him I knew." He looked at his brother then said, "I didn't know, but it's not hard to get over on this guy."