Page 15 of A Package Deal

Georgia high-fived me and hopped down from the stool. “Let’s feed the goat-dogs!”

And so it went all day. Georgia ran around from one spot of excitement to the next, and I chased after her. When my middle-aged body needed a moment of rest, I got the little one sitting at the table drawing while I headed for the couch pushed up against the far wall of the living room. I figured I could get in a ten-minute nap if the women weren’t banging around. Instead, I found Em on the couch, thumbs flying over the screen of her cell phone.

“Firing subcontractors before they’ve even shown up for work?” I drawled, leaning my hip against the armrest of the couch.

Em’s head shot up and she pressed a button to make the screen go blank. “No. That would require having anyone respond to my ads in the first place.”

“Ah.” I came around the arm and sat down on the plump cushions, heaving a sigh. “Never knew running after a miniature human could be so exhausting.”

Em’s mouth, the one I tried not to look at too closely because of the bow at the top, briefly marred by a scar, and the fact that her bottom lip was puffier than the top, tipped into a smile.

“No kids of your own, then?”

I shook my head. “Never fortunate enough to find the right person to share that responsibility with.” When Em didn’t answer, I pressed my point from the night before. “You know, you’d get this project finished in time and that bonus in your bank account if you weren’t spending all your time looking for a new place to live.”

Her ears went red and I knew I’d guessed right. Ears shouldn’t be cute, but Em’s were. Was this middle age? You quit looking at tits and ass and instead lusted over an earlobe? I was here for it. I’d bet good money there were things I could do to that ear to get it turning fire-engine red.

Em made a disgusted noise that pulled me out of my intense study of her ears.

“Just move in. I can help out with Georgia, you both can have a safe place to live, and you can work on this project without distraction. It’s a win-win-win.”

Em folded her arms across her chest, pressing perfect B-cups against the cotton fabric. Nope. Still a tits and ass man. “I can only afford what I’m currently paying for rent. And you’re basically a stranger.”

I held up a finger. “Untrue. We know each other’s names and I’ve combed your daughter’s hair for lice. We are not strangers.”

She rolled her eyes and I had a flash of what Georgia would look like as a teenager. A pang of sadness hit me, startling me. I would miss her teenage years and all the ones in between. She wasn’t mine to keep. Em opened her mouth to argue, because of course she did, but I beat her to it.

“It’s only temporary. When you find a place, you can move out, but I’m not accepting rent. Think of this as a live-in house-remodel project.”

Em sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. She wouldn’t look at me. “Either nothing is available or they’re out of my price range.”

I spread my hands wide. “See? It’s a sign. Move in, save up some cash, and the right place will appear.” I leaned closer and observed the way her gaze darted to my mouth. “This offer comes with zero strings. I’m just a guy trying to do something nice for a cute kid and her mom, okay?”

I didn’t mention that the mom was cute too. I had a feeling that would send Em running right out of here. After she blistered me with a loud verbal ass whooping, of course.

“Fine!” Em burst out, jumping to her feet. Her face was twisted into a frown. “Thank you!”

I had to roll my lips inward to keep from smiling. She was adorable when she was angry and grateful at the same time. It was pure entertainment watching her storm out of the room with her nose in the air while appreciating the way she filled out her jeans.

And then it hit me. I was going to have to see her every day and night, in jeans, pajamas, and probably other states of undress. I’d have to keep my eyeballs to myself. The last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable. I meant what I said: my offer came without strings.

I never did get that nap, but seeing Georgia fly out of her house with an armful of stuffed animals and toss them in the bed of my truck was all it took to make me not care about a pesky little thing like sleep. I followed Em home after work today to help her start moving her things over to Mom’s house. I’d had to assure her seventy billion times that my mother would not mind them moving in. Once she met Gigi, she’d see I told the truth. She’d probably adopt Georgia as hers the second she laid eyes on the blonde curls and the way she spoke with exclamations after every sentence.

“Georgia, honey, you have to put them in boxes,” Em called out from the front door. I ambled up to the door, fascinated by the way Em’s voice changed around her daughter. Gone was the general contractor bellow and in its place was a soft-hearted mother with all the patience in the world.

“What should I load first?” I asked her as Georgia flew by us again, her short legs eating up the ground as she ran back inside the house.

Em sighed but pointed to the corner of the small living room where five boxes sat. “I hadn’t even broken down our original moving boxes yet, so that was a plus.”

Anger stirred in my gut. I’d be giving the Walter twins a piece of my mind next time I saw them. While Em brought a box to Georgia’s room before the little girl flung all her possessions in the back of my truck, I moved all five boxes outside.

A beat-up sedan pulled up her driveway on my last trip outside. A skinny teen boy got out of the car with a steaming box of pizza in his hands. Georgia saw him and squealed with excitement. I paid the guy and took the box from him. Em eyed me warily while Georgia danced around her feet.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

I shrugged. “Figured you both needed to be fed before you get to packing.” It was a small miracle that Em didn’t argue further. I noticed she got Georgia set up at the small kitchenette table with a plate and napkins, but didn’t bother to take a slice for herself.

“Tell Mr. Warrick thank you,” Em instructed Georgia.

---