Page 28 of Lovesick
“That shop doesn’t matter at all,” he said. “Only you and Ellie, got it?”
Unable to speak for fear of sobbing again, I simply nodded. Bethany leaned toward him, bags under her eyes as she yawned. He scooted closer to let her rest against his chest.
“What did the insurance people say?” she asked sleepily.
“They’re sending an adjuster out next week.”
She murmured something, eyes at half-mast. “’Kay.”
Maverick squeezed her shoulder. “Go lie down, Bethany. Lizbeth, Ellie, and I will take care of the rest.”
“I need to make dinner.”
“I already started it,” Ellie said.
“I didn’t do the laundry.”
“I’ll fold it,” I said.
“Lizbeth needs to talk this out. I—”
A mega yawn cut off the rest of her response. Before she could refuse again, Maverick picked her up off the chair and carried her out of the room, his prosthetic leg thumping on the floor as he moved. I stood, arms filled with dirty baby bottles. After shoving the bottles in soapy water, I gathered up the rest of the dishes and pushed them in too.
A gentle growl came from Thor seconds before Ellie said, “Heads up.”
A knock sounded at the door. I glanced out the windows to see Mark and JJ standing on the porch. Even after all that had just happened, my stomach flipped.
They were the last people I wanted to see right now.
I motioned for Ellie to stay put and answered the door myself. Relief crossed JJ’s face the moment our eyes met.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.” A cold brush of air accompanied them, so I immediately pulled the door open wider. “Come on in.”
They stomped their heavy boots off before trekking inside. Mark waved toward Ellie. She didn’t reciprocate.
“We came to check on our new damsel in distress,” Mark said with a wink.
“Thanks,” I said wryly. “She’s fine.”
I motioned them farther into the room, closer to the roaring fire in the hearth that Maverick had installed himself a few years ago. He’d inherited this house from his grandfather and had been doing renovations ever since he moved in. Before they could settle onto a couch, Maverick returned.
“Greetings, gentlemen,” he said in his rolling baritone. The three of them shook hands in a gruff, manly way. Then Maverick turned the full power of his gaze on JJ. “Thank you for rescuing my daughter twice, JJ.”
Maverick ignored my dramatic eye roll.
“I didn’t rescue her this time,” JJ said. “Just helped her out.”
“How much of the shop is gone?” Mark asked.
“Over half, I think.” Mav ran a hand over his head. “The main area is fine except for smoke damage and some floor that got eaten up, but the area behind the counter is scorched.”
“Adjuster coming soon?”
“Yeah.”
JJ studied me while Mark and Mav fell into business talk about the fallout.
