Page 15 of Suddenly Entwined

“Is this going to take very long?” I ask.

He glances at his watch.

“Hope not. School drop off is coming up pretty quick here.”

He gets to work, and I should really go back inside where it’s warm and I don’t have to be near this infuriating man. But then Berg bends and hoists an entire door off the ground, back flexing beneath his long-sleeved henley and I think I’ll stay put. I’m supervising, I tell myself as my mouth goes dry. Thirsty. So thirsty. But after a while, my thighs are going numb and I realise I haven’t even peed today, so I awkwardly skirt around Berg to head in.

“Make yourself at home, girls,” I call, as I pass the occupied recliners.

They’ve settled in nicely, obviously knowing how to navigate to the cartoons on my brother’s television all on their own.

“Do you have snacks?” One of them calls.

“Nope!” I yell, shutting the bathroom door and leaning against it.

The squeaking voices of Alvin and the Chipmunks float faintly through the crack under the door.

Undressing feels weird knowing that there are a couple of strangers hanging in my living room and nothing preventing anyone from wandering into my home. Except for Berg. I get the idea that the big bearded guy with the tools would be a decentdeterrent. I rush through a shower, trying to minimise the time I spend naked, then dress in jeans and a sweater that didn’t come out of the questionably clean pile.

“Nearly done,” Berg grunts, not much later.

I’m sitting on one of the barstools, finishing up the instant apple cinnamon oatmeal that I found in the cupboard. There were three packets left, but Natalie and Louisa snagged the other two. I place the bowls in the sink and wander back outside. The cool morning is comfortable now that I’m dressed. Leaning against the hood of my car with the sun shining down on my face is a reminder that spring will be here eventually. We just need to get through the last months of wet and wild west coast weather. Berg closes and opens the door several times before resting his fists on his hips. The view from back here is good. The thick, waffle knit of his shirt pulls snug across his broad shoulders, and I bet I could fit two of my feet in his work boots.

He waves me over. “Come and set your code.”

“Hmm?”

“Your new code for your door.”

“Oh! My code.”

Right, I totally heard that the first time.

“This is cool. No more fishing lure keychain.”

I cup my hand over the keypad while I enter four digits. Unimaginatively, I choose my birth month and day.

“Not sure why I’m hiding this,” I say. “Obviously, you can take the whole door off the frame if you want to come in.”

“Look…” He clears his throat and scratches his jaw. “I might have been a little…annoyed last night.”

“Same,” I answer, folding my arms over my chest.

“I meant it when I said this is the only time I could do this.”

All I can do is nod, because Berg has dropped the smirk and swagger and I’m really seeing the man behind it.

“Well, thanks. For getting it done so quickly. It looks nice.”

He offers a curt nod before leaning inside. “Let’s go girls!”

His daughter's head out, grabbing their backpacks off the bottom step and heading to their dad’s truck. As they pass, he drops a hand on each of their shoulders, stopping them in their tracks.

“You girls aren’t getting out of here that easy.”

Natalie turns around, biting her lip. “Are we in trouble?” She glances up at her father’s face. “For coming into Carolina’s house?”

Berg’s expression is stern as he glances at me, lifting his chin as if to say, your turn.

---