Page 14 of A Package Deal

Warrick snorted softly. “Good. At least Bessie will get milked.”

I turned to follow Pip inside and finish up for the day, but Warrick stopped me. “Can we chat for a second?”

And here we go, the next hammer to drop. Warrick was officially putting in his notice for watching Georgia. I couldn’t blame him. It was exhausting watching a five-year-old, especially one that wasn’t his and he wasn’t getting paid for it.

“Georgia, honey, can you run inside and make sure Pip drinks some water? She keeps forgetting and I’m afraid she’s dehydrated.”

Georgia’s face lit up. “I get her juice! Erbody loves juice, not water, Mama. She won’t be de-hated.”

“Thank you,” I called after her. Then I turned to look at Warrick, rolling my shoulders back and facing the music, even if it wasn’t a tune I wanted to hear.

“Yes?”

Warrick scuffed the toe of his boot in the grass, looking uneasy. I folded my arms across my chest.

“If you have something to say, just say it.” I didn’t have time for this. I had an impossible project to work on and apparently a new babysitter to find.

He lifted his head and seemed to pin me in place with his sharp gaze. “I went to Grass in town to have dinner last night. Overheard one of the Walters talking about evicting a tenant so he can sell the place.”

I stiffened.

“Wouldn’t have thought much of it. The Walter twins were assholes back when I lived here as a kid. But then they talked about a single mom and her daughter and my ears perked up.” He took a step, the closeness making me feel claustrophobic. “Are you getting evicted, Emmerleigh?”

I could feel my ears turning red. I hoped Warrick wouldn’t see it, or think it was simply a sunburn from the hot afternoon sun. I didn’t need my client knowing about my personal life, or seeing the shambles it was in.

“None of your business.”

Warrick took another step closer. I had to tilt my head way back to keep meeting his gaze. Which I would do until he gave first. A woman only had so much pride left and I was at the end of my rope. I didn’t like being backed into a corner and I had zero intention of admitting weakness. I braced for him to fire me. I wouldn’t even blame him. My life was a mess. I was a liability with a kiddo who needed watching, an almost nonexistent crew, and now homeless. But I’d be fired while looking him in the fucking eye while he did it.

“Move in with me.”

CHAPTER SIX

Warrick

I wasn’t impulsive. I was a fixer.

No way in hell was I going to stand around and watch a single mom get tossed into the street. And this had nothing to do with finishing the project on Mom’s house on time. This had everything to do with having an empty bedroom and no reason not to offer aid. Anyone—well, except for the Walter twins—would do the same.

Sadly, Em hadn’t even answered me when I offered. Her mouth had dropped open and then she spun on her heels, marching back into my house without a single word in response. I trailed after her, but she evaded me, cleaning up for the day and barking instructions at Pip for tomorrow. Her mouth only quit running when she had Georgia inside her truck and she slammed her own door shut. She gave me a glare through the window and then off she went, back home to a rental she had limited days in.

“Fuck, that woman is stubborn,” I said to Bessie when the truck was long gone. The damn cow just swung her tail back and forth as she stared at me. Speaking of stubborn females…

I spent the evening getting Colson’s old room ready, clearing out all of Mom’s crafting stuff and running a dust rag over every surface. Fresh sheets went on the double bed and I found a rollaway bed up in the attic that would do temporarily for Georgia. Mom and I would be having words about the state of the attic when she got back. I was fairly certain we could burn everything up there and no one would miss anything. Made me wonder at what age humans morphed into pack rats, keeping every memento and scrap of paper.

Based on the obstinate set of her jaw last night, Em wasn’t ready to move in, but I was nothing if not optimistic. I was also strategic. Which was why I bought one of those plastic kiddie pools from the general store in downtown Blueball when I stopped to pick up dinner. Nothing a five-year-old liked more than farm animals and pool time during the hot summer days. I had a feeling the best way to get through to Emmerleigh was to go through Georgia.

Em and Pip showed up just after dawn the next day, the subcontractor towering over her boss. Pip kept up the bawdy singing and Em kept up the bellowing. They had opposite bodies but were the same person inside. Georgia pulled my attention away from the ladies by informing me that she could go back to school tomorrow if she didn’t have the “head bugs.” I set her on a kitchen stool relocated to the dining room and combed through her hair while Pip and Em made loud banging noises in the kitchen.

“Uh-oh,” I said, zeroing in on her scalp. “Is that...?”

Georgia squealed and grabbed at her head.

“Oh, never mind.” I combed to a new spot, chuckling.

“Wa-wy! You scared me!”

I kept combing until I’d checked her whole head like I had each day before. “You are officially head bug-free, Peaches.”

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