Page 19 of Fifty-Fifty

“Well, I’m so happy that you did! My name’s Beau, and this here is Mackenzie, but we call her Mac. Can you say hi, baby girl?”

“Hi,” her little voice repeats, bringing a soft smile to my face.

“Aww, she’s the cutest thing ever! I’m Bridget, and this is Emma and Ava, my two girls. You’ll meet Shawn in a minute. He’s just grabbing the last of the luggage from the back of the car.”

“Well, ain’t that sweet of him! Tell me, where in the world did you find him? I can’t seem to find a good man for the life of me!” Beau jokes.

Bridget’s voice goes light and airy as she talks about her husband, making me roll my eyes. “Shawn and I met in high school almost twenty years ago. Man, when I put it like that, I feel old!”

Beau laughs, and I can almost picture her grin as she chats with the customer.

“You’re not old! You don’t look a day over thirty! But I bet you’re awfully tired. Let’s get y’all checked in so you can get some rest.”

“Thank you! That’d be great.”

I hover near my door as the two women talk like they’re old friends, exchanging playful banter and inside jokes the entire time.

I’m shocked by the entire interaction but refuse to admit that Beau has a way with people. That she knows how to make them feel comfortable, how to make them feel at home in a foreign environment. It’s a gift, even if I don’t want to admit that to myself.

I debate going down to say hello but decide against it when the girls start complaining about how tired they are. Instead, I head back to my bed and continue sketching.

* * *

Beau and Mac disappeared to the grocery store about thirty minutes ago, so I take the opportunity to climb on the roof and fix the leak she had mentioned this morning with her little toolbelt and everything.

Damn, that girl’s sexy.

Once I find the damaged shingles, I get to work. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long and I’m almost finished when I hear Mac’s childish voice jabbering on and on about dinosaurs. The sound brings an instant smile to my face. Just like always.

This morning, she told me all about the T-Rex, Raptor, and Stegosaurus. Her eyes were practically glowing when she got to the Triceratops, motioning with her little hands that they have horns coming out of their heads. I could only understand half of what she was saying, but she was adorable nonetheless.

When Beau sees me on the roof, she uses her hand to block the sun by giving me a mock salute. “Noah?”

“Yeah?” I call back.

“What are you doin’ up there?”

I can’t decide if she’s going to be pissed that I didn’t follow her orders and helped her even though she told me not to, or if she’ll worship me like I’m her savior for taking something off her never-ending to-do list. Cautiously, I reply, “Fixing a leak! I’m almost done!”

Mac starts clapping her hands excitedly like I just solved world hunger, and I smirk in return. Beau, however, doesn’t look quite as amused.

After a tense moment of silence, she yells, “Don’t break your neck!”

And with that, she heads inside with a toddler on her hip and a sack of groceries on her arm.

Sassy little thing.

Fifteen minutes later, I climb off the roof and head inside to wash my hands. After taking a leak and rinsing my hands under the cool water, I head to the kitchen to grab a drink.

I pause when I step over the threshold, seeing the countertops covered in flour and a very happy Mac sitting smack dab in the middle of the chaos.

Beau is busy slipping on her oven mitts when she sees me mid-stride.

“Hi,” I greet her.

She eyes me warily. “Hi.” I still can’t decide if she’s mad or not.

“Hi!” Mac interrupts, happily.

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