“Yeah, I can’t do that. It would feel like such a waste of money right now, especially when I’m completely capable.”
I couldn’t disagree with that sentiment. I’d always felt that way, too. “You’re like me. Though it’d save me time by not having to do it myself, I have this thing about paying people to do something I’m more than capable of doing on my own.”
Nodding her agreement, Mia’s eyes scanned the area she needed to shovel. “There’s so much left. If I don’t get back to it, I’m afraid I might not ever get it done.”
There was a battle happening inside my head. I’d given Mia a suggestion to hire someone, but she wasn’t willing to do it. I thought her boyfriend should be here helping her, but it wasn’t my place to say that.
And the words my brother had said to me were lingering in the back of my mind. If the guy she was with was such a dick, it was likely he wouldn’t be around much longer. Showing Mia the kind of guy I was could work in my favor.
“I’ll tell you what,” I started. “I’m going to get my space cleared over here, and once I’m finished, I can come over to help get your space cleared for you.”
“Oh, Brock, that’s very sweet of you to offer, but I can’t ask you to do that,” she replied.
“You didn’t. I offered.”
“Technically, yes, you did. But even if I could bring myself to accept that offer, there’s so much snow to shovel. You’d be out here all day.”
I shook my head. “It’s not as backbreaking as you might think, because I’ve got a snowblower.”
Her eyes widened. “You do?”
“Yep.”
“So, why are you using a shovel?”
I shrugged. “I wanted to get some exercise.”
She shot me an incredulous look. “I swear, I’m convinced I’ll never understand men.”
Maybe that was because she was with a man who acted like a spoiled brat. “We’re not that complicated. Trust me.”
Mia tapped her finger on her chin and eyed me with a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. “And yet, you stand there with a shovel when you have a working snowblower.”
Laughing, I promised, “I’m going to pull it out in a bit. I’m just getting a path cleared, and I’m going to shovel out the walkway from the driveway to my front door. So, honestly, if you want me to take care of your snow for you, I can do it.”
Mia allowed her eyes to roam over my face for a bit, and I could see the questions lingering there. But she never asked them. Instead, she stated, “I’ll work on my walkway for now and clear out what I can. But if you really wouldn’t mind helping, I’d be so appreciative.”
I dipped my chin. “Of course. Let me get back to working on this, and I’ll be over soon to help.”
“Thank you, Brock. It really means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome, Mia. Don’t worry about it.”
With that, I got back to work on clearing out the snow at my house. It didn’t take long, since I decided to spend less time using the shovel, so I could get it done faster and help Mia sooner.
I only hoped my brother was right. With any luck, Mia was going to see that she deserved better than what she had.
SEVEN
Mia
“I was convinced you were never going to call.”
I’d done it. I’d finally reached out to Susie and told her I was ready to get together with her and talk. It was a Saturday afternoon at the beginning of February, I was eleven weeks pregnant, and without a winter storm to contend with, Susie and I had decided to meet up for lunch.
I still wasn’t entirely sure how this was going to go down, but the fact that we were here, and she seemed genuinely concerned for me, helped to ease some of the worries I had.
I sent an apologetic look across the table. “I’m sorry, Susie. I never intended to make you feel like I was rejecting you or anything like that, but I was a bit out of sorts when everything first happened, and I needed some time. It hasn’t been easy to process it all and wrap my head around this new life I’m facing.”