Page 44 of Between Now and Forever
“He was fine.” Jay’s words are strangled.Tight.“He learned a few things.”
“It’s always a good day when you learn something new.”
He clears his throat. “Looks like you got the spindles out. But what in the hell happened to the stairs?”
“Oh.Those.” I focus on the spot where steps once stood. “They weren’t level, and I about fell through the right side yesterday afternoon while carrying groceries. I figured I’d rebuild them tomorrow when I put in the new spindles.”
I wait for him to respond. Once it’s clear he’s not going to, I finally look at him.
A grin graces his lips. His arms are folded across his barrel chest. Amusement plays across his features in the most relaxed, carefree way I’ve seen him.
It’s a sight to behold.
“Let me get this straight,” he says, shifting his weight. “You’re going to fix the railing. Build new stairs. Clean the gutters. What else?”
“Well ...” I turn to the house. “I think there used to be a ceiling fan on the front porch. So I’m going to see if I can figure that out. I’m going to install security cameras. Those are on their way from an online store. I want to do a little painting and fix a toilet that won’t stop running. Oh! And some of the outlets in the house need to be replaced. They’re on a dimmer switch, and it’s going bad. So the lights just kind of pulse in some rooms, giving us a headache.” I point at Jay. “But you can’t tell Cricket that.”
“Why not?”
“She thinks I can’t do electrical work.”
He hums. “I’ve not seen you in electrical action, but I’d wager that Cricket is right.”
I gasp.“Rude.”
He chuckles and moseys around the front lawn, stopping at various places to check out the house from different vantage points. I have no idea what he’s doing, but I could watch him move around all day.Even if I am mildly irritated at him for second-guessing my skills.
Finally, he stops traveling and makes his way back to me.
“The project I’m meant to work on this week got called off,” he says, slipping a hand into the front pocket of his jeans.
“Okay . . .”
“Let me come over and help you.”
“Absolutely not.”
He rubs his forehead.
“I told you that we’re self-sufficient over here,” I say, then wince. “I mean, your helphasbeen appreciated. But we aren’t a charity case.”
“No one said you were.”
You implied it, though.I grab a rake off the porch and gather the weeds I pulled earlier.
“You’re sweet to offer,” I say. “But this stuff is fun for me. It’s the only fun I have left, and I don’t want to contaminate my happy place with someone helping me out of pity.”
“It’s not out of pity.”
I stop raking. “Then what is it?”
He holds my gaze as he walks to me. Every step he takes cranks up the temperature between us. He’s controlled and intentional.
He stops inches before me, towering over me by nearly a foot. His cologne fills the space between us with a scent I sniffed out of his flannel before I tossed it in the washer last night. It’s comforting and exudes strength, giving me a spark of excitement.
“Why can’t it be as easy as I have time on my hands and you have work to do?” he asks.
“Because no one wants to work if they don’t have to.”
