Page 70 of The Grumpy Side of Paradise

Evie bites her bottom lip and drags her hands down my chest. “I feel like we’ve been here before.”

“Once or twice.” Wearing a coat was definitely the worst decision I made today. Something in her eyes says she may think the same thing. Her pupils are wide and her eyes dark with the same longing I saw in them the other night.

Just as I think she might wrap her arms around my waist, a crash in the other room makes us jump apart. Not fifteen feet away, Bear and Seb’s shouting has turned into a wrestling match. Evie gasps. I sigh.

“Wire this!” Bear’s got Seb in a headlock, spinning him in circles the way Zach and I used to do to him before he outgrew us.

Seb’s got his hands on Bear’s waist, trying to push him away. His face is red, probably from laughing, but I decide not to take any chances.

“Are they fighting?” Evie lunges toward them like she thinks someone her size can break them up, but I grab her before she can try. “They’re going to get hurt!” she says and tries to shake off my hand, but I hold tight.

“Only if you try to get between them.” I move her behind me. “Let me handle it. This isn’t my first WWF event with these knuckleheads.”

I step through the space between the two -by-fours, grab Seb and Bear by the necks of their jackets, and pull them apart. Seb stops right away, and I let him go. Bear fights me for a second, then settles down. He could easily get out of my hold—he’s bigger and stronger—but I’m still his big brother.

“Let Bear go first,” I tell Seb. My brother relaxes, and I let him go. “If you can’t find other work, I can use you at The Garden this week while I take down the Smith place. I’ll pay you.”

“That’s a first,” Seb says, but with no real anger. He rolls his shoulders back and glares at Bear. “Fine. But you better be done by Monday. I don’t care if that means you work all weekend.”

Bear glares back at Seb. “I’ll be done when I’m done.”

“Bear,” I warn, and he drops his shoulders.

“Fine.” He sticks out his hand to Seb. “I’ll be done on Monday.”

“You’d better be.” Seb’s threat gets lost in the grin that creeps across his face.

“No hard feelings?” Bear squeezes his hand harder until Seb squirms to his knees and Bear’s the one left smiling.

He lets go, and Seb stands up, shaking the feeling back into his hand. “Don’t break the goods, man. These are my strumming fingers.”

“Strum this.” Bear is about to lift his middle finger when his eyes dart to Evie. He slowly lowers his hand.

“What was that?” Seb cups his ear with his hand and turns to Bear. “Strum what?”

Bear glowers at Seb and picks up his toolbox. “I don’t want to see you back here until Monday.”

“I won’t be. I promise.” Seb gives him a friendly pat on the back.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Bear answers with no anger in his voice, but he’s still glaring. “See ya at practice tonight.”

Seb makes his way out of the house, and I follow him with Evie close behind.

“Thanks, man. I promise to make it up to you.” Even though it’s Zach’s mistake. But I keep that part to myself. No reason to bring the rest of the family into our feud.

“I’m holding you to that.” He hefts the Milwaukee into the back of his truck and shuts the tailgate. “I should have checked in with you before Zach. He’s always scheduling us at the same time to speed things up. I don’t mind, but I know Bear hates it.”

“I know. See ya tonight.” I wave him goodbye, then nearly trip over Evie who’s right behind me.

“Oh, hey, sorry.” I take a step back, but she doesn’t move.

Her head tips to the side, and she examines me like a puzzle that needs to be worked out. Between my fight with Zach and the wrestling match she just witnessed, she probably thinks my family is a mess. That all we do is fight. But she doesn’t say anything.

“Can you stick around today? I can show you how to unnail a house.” I attempt a smile, but I hold my breath instead, hoping she says yes. I want as much time with her as possible.

“I wish I could.” Evie returns my smile, but it’s not her usual big, happy grin. This smile is tinged with sadness, and I think it’s my favorite of hers. There are so many emotions at play in that smile that it feels like I’m really seeing her for the first time.

She steps close, and I go still. Her eyes are soft as she slides her hand down my forearm and takes my hand. “You’ve already shown me more than you know. Thank you.”

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