Page 14 of Only One I Ever Wanted

“Sounds good. Mind if I play some music?”

“Not at all.”

I set out my tools when she disappeared. A tall speaker in the corner of the kitchen counter kicked on. I laughed as “Rockstar” from Nickelback filled the small room.

She reappeared in the doorway to the living room. “I couldn’t resist.”

“God, how many times did we listen to this song that summer?”

“Far too many to count.” Her smile slid away, leaving a sadness in her big, hazel eyes. She pushed away from the jamb. “I’ll get out of your hair.”

Before I could tell her she wasn’t a bother, she was already gone. I sighed and tossed one of my old towels down on the floor before I knelt down.

What should have been a quick job ended up having more complications. I sang along to the playlist of songs from our past. I finally found the problem between the line from under the sink to the dishwasher. A spray of water shocked me enough to roll out from under the sink.

Whomever had set up the dishwasher had been an idiot.

I stripped off my T-shirt and used a dry corner to mop off my face. I had another shirt in my truck, but it wasn’t worth it to go get it when I’d probably only get wet again the way this thing had been put together.

The song changed over to an old one from Finger Eleven. The lyrics had been printed on my brain. Another one that had fed the summer of our senior year.

Procured beer and a pontoon boat that we’d all chipped in to rent.

I sang along as I fixed the shitshow of a hookup. When I crawled out, I found Nora with her phone up and a grin on her face. The sadness was long gone, and there was something far different in her gaze.

“Singing handyman? Didn’t realize I was getting a concert too.”

I threw my shirt at her, and she dodged it with a laugh. “You’re not posting that anywhere, are you?”

“Maybe...” She zipped into the living room.

“Nora!”

“What? Hot guy under my sink is a good post.”

I stalked toward her. “I’m sure no one needs to see that.”

“C’mon, this is marketing gold.”

I stopped. “Be serious.”

“What? I am. You are not showing off a plumber’s crack to be ashamed of, Sullivan Murdock. Just abs that I do not remember from high school.”

“It’s been a damn long time since high school.” I crossed my arms over my damp chest. I kept in pretty good shape, simply because if I didn’t work out, I’d probably go absolutely mad since Danny had come back home.

I rowed off the stress in my basement gym.

“Don’t post that.”

“Too late.” She shoved her phone into her back pocket and laughed as she darted around the coffee table, down the hall. I sprinted after her noticed that it led to the bedrooms. I stopped halfway down, unsure if I should follow. Fifteen years ago, I wouldn’t have blinked.

Now was much a different situation.

Even if Nora was still so very off-limits.

But I felt a breeze and without the haze of hormones firing at me, I finally noticed that it was getting brighter at the end of the hall. The old house had an add-on. I kept moving, and the hall opened up into a four seasons room at the back of the house. She was sitting on an ancient couch with the biggest, and ugliest, cabbage roses print on it.Sun was shining on her pale blond hair, turning it golden.

Her fingers were flying over the keys.

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