Playing For Keeps (Checkmate Series Book 4)

by Emilia Finn

  Pull it together, Andi. Fix this place, then deal with the girly emotions when you’re in bed later and no one can see.

  I unlock the front door and swing it open. Stopping beside the parcels, I draw clean air into my lungs and listen to Ninja’s collar jingling invisibly behind me. She’s scared to come out, but scared to be alone. She wants human interaction, but has no clue if I’m friend or foe.

  It’ll break Riley’s heart to know she was abandoned.

  Turning back to the house and studying the filth spread from one room to the next, I let my breath out on a long sigh and cast a glance to the sky. There’s no way he can come home to this.

  I teased that man mercilessly about being a momma’s boy, but where is she now? Why the hell can’t she feed his damn cat while he’s in the hospital trying not to die?

  Lowering my head on a sigh, I take out my cell and consider who best to call to get what I need done. We need to make this house safe for someone in a wheelchair, for someone who’ll graduate to crutches, then a prosthetic. Moving down the front steps, I go back to the truck and slide Nacho’s satchel back over my shoulder. She snorts in the bag, happy little snorts, then pokes her head out the top to take in her new surroundings.

  “I’ll fix you up soon, okay? I’ll get your dinner and stuff sorted, and a little bed. Then we’ll go to Lindsi’s and you can see Livi again.” Walking back up the front path, I slide my thumb across my cell screen and scroll my contacts list. I need helpers. Cleaners. Cleaning supplies. Handymen.

  Smart women know to go straight to the top, so I find her name and hit dial.

  “Hello?” The loud cacophony of fighting men and slamming fists fill the call. “Hello? This is Kit Kincaid, but it’s really loud in here, so you gotta speak up.”

  “Kit! Hey.” I feel like an idiot standing out front while I shout into my cell. “This is Andi… Um, Lindsi’s cousin.”

  “Oh! Hey Andi! How are you? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  “I know, I just flew in today. Um, I know this is kinda random, but I was hoping you could help me out with something.”

  “Sure…” Her voice wavers, like she’s wondering if I need my groceries carried in, or help stealing a car. She’s willing to help with one, and curious about the other. “What do you need?”

  “Your brother-in-law is a builder, right?”

  “Jimmy? Yeah. Sorta. He used to be. Why?”

  “I was hoping I could get some contractors over, but, like, right now.”

  “Right now?”

  “Yeah, today. It’s a special situation. I would never normally call anyone and expect them to drop what they’re doing to accommodate me, but this is different. This is for someone else.”

  “It’s okay…” Like she’s shuffling papers, perhaps checking her calendar, she hums under her breath. “What exactly do you need? How many guys? Jimmy’s got a private session going on right now, but he’ll be done in twenty or so. Then he has one more later this afternoon, plus a kiddie class. Bobby’s off for the rest of the day; he’s just working out with Jack, but they’re screwing around trying to settle an old bet, so they could maybe help? Jon can probably take the kiddie class, then I can send Jimmy, Jack, and Bobby. Oh! And you know Marcus? I don’t know what he’s doing right now, but I could give you his number. He builds shit for a living, so maybe he’d be a good contact, too.”

  Marcus. The man I flirted with forever ago at a backyard barbecue and discussed the very thing I’ve been so adamant against; commitment. “I forgot about Marcus.”

  “I’ll text you his number.” She pauses. “What’s going on, Andi? What do you need done so fast?”

  “Um…” Stepping back inside the stinky house, my voice cracks as I take Nacho to the living room and set her on the leather couch. “Did you hear about what happened to Riley? Ah, Officer Cruz.”

  “Yeah.” I can almost feel the way her good mood spins into grief. “I know he got hurt, but mostly we’re getting news about Jess, since she and Laine are besties with Britt. Britt’s a mess because her friends are hurting, so Jack’s pissed that Britt’s a mess, and when Jack is pissed, we all suffer.” She gives a soft chuckle, like she needs the comedic relief. “I haven’t been up to see Riley. I didn’t really think it was my place since we don’t really know each other that well. I mean, I know he comes into the gym all the time, but he doesn’t do classes or anything. He just does his thing, then leaves again. Do you think we should go up to see him?”

  “No. Definitely not.” In fact, I think it would do more harm than good. “No, he’s got Oz and Alex up there around the clock, but I just flew in and realized he’d be home in a few days…” I pause. “Kit, his home isn’t handicap accessible, and I don’t think anyone is thinking clearly enough to consider it. I was thinking I could get some ramps put in. Just the temporary kind, something we can pull down later when he’s up and walking again.”

  “Shit.” She blows out a breath. “You’re totally right. And I can’t believe no one thought of it. I’ll send Jimmy as soon as he’s done with his current client. What’s the time now?” I know she’s speaking to herself, so I remain silent. “A little after noon. Alright, how about I say he’ll be there at one?”

  “You’re not going to wait and ask him? He might have other plans for today, and I don’t really have money to pay for this.” Dropping down beside Nacho, I run a hand through my hair. “I know how entitled I sound. I call you up out of the blue, I want service now, and I won’t even pay for it. But I just think… this is really important.”

  “Andi, it’s fine. Relax. He’ll want to do this. Jimmy will want to help. We’ll all help.”

  “I’ll pay you guys for your time and materials, I promise. I just can’t pay you today, and this can’t wait.”

  “It’s fine, it’s already done. We’ll be there at one. What are you doing right now?”

  “Ah…” Lifting my leg when something kind of sharp pokes my thigh, I yank a bottle of ibuprofen from between the couch cushions. “I’m sitting in his house looking at piles of cat shit and a rug that needs to go in the trash.”

  “You–” She blows out a breath. “What happened to his rug?”

  “Riley has a cat, but no one has checked on her in three weeks.”

  “Oh my God! I didn’t know that. Jesus, we’re all over here self-absorbed with our shit, and no one is feeding his poor cat.”

  “She’s okay. There’s a bag of food on the kitchen floor, so she’s been eating that. And I think she’s been drinking out of the toilet. The litter box is the only issue here, so I’ll clean it up, fix this place up, mop the floors, then get groceries delivered.” I stop, picture the grocery stores back home, and still come up empty. “Umm… what do cats want for regular dinner? Like, she doesn’t want the dry stuff all the time, right?”

  “Ah… I think you can get her some cans of tuna or something. I think they even have fancy meat and gravy meals in the pet food aisle.”

  “Okay, I’ll get some of those. She deserves a feast tonight. Does the store here deliver groceries? Back home, I order online and they bring it to my door.”

  “Nope.” Snickering, she flicks a pen so the click, click, click echoes through the phone and draws Nacho’s attention. “We don’t have anything like that here, sorry. Whatever technology we have here is two decades behind the city; no grocery delivery, no fast internet. Most of us still use dial up.”

  I groan and flop back against the couch. “Okay. It’s fine. I’ll take care of it. Please text me if Jimmy can’t make it. I won’t get mad, but I need to know as soon as possible so I can make other arrangements.”

  “He’ll be there at one, I promise. This is what family is for; Lindsi is our family, and you’re Lindsi’s. That makes you ours, too. See you soon.”

  She hangs up and gives me no room to argue, and forty-five minutes later, arrives at Riley’s door with arms overflowing with heaped grocery bags. “Knock knock!” She kicks the wire front door, then uses he
r hip to turn the handle and let herself in. “Andi?”

  I lean around from the kitchen with a small pan and brush in my hands. Dropping a mix of kitty litter and cat food into the trash, I stand when Kit walks in, then take a step back when three other women follow her in.

  Her best friend – five feet nothing and a match for me in the sass department, the woman I know as Tink – stops with her own bags of groceries and takes a look around the room. “Jesus, Andi. This place reeks.”

  I scoff. “I actually forgot. I’ve become immune.”

  “Ew.” She steps around me and pushes her bags to the counter with a grunt.

  “Hey, Andi.” Izzy, Kit’s sister-in-law and Jimmy’s wife, steps forward and drops a kiss on my cheek. I don’t hug her, I don’t even touch her – because… cat shit – but I accept her kiss, then step out of the way when she moves past me with a box full of cleaning products.

  “Hey, Tina.” I shouldn’t be surprised when the next Roller wife steps up with a mop and cordless vacuum. She rests them against the wall, then copies Iz with the kiss to the cheek. “It feels weird that I haven’t seen you guys in forever, and now you’re all here like it’s okay I called.”

  “It is okay you called. We’ve come to help.” Tina takes my forearms and smiles. “The guys are coming, too. Jimmy’s out the front already, unloading the wood. Bobby and Jack went to the homeware store. They said they wanted to buy some stuff, then they’ll be here. Aiden’s picking the kids up from school in a bit, then they’ll be by.”

  “You’ve got a pig?” Tink’s squeal sets Nacho into a frenzy of excitement. She was sleeping in my pouch, smooshed in the corner of the kitchen between cabinets while I clean, but now she honks and wiggles her butt. “She’s itty bitty. Is she a baby?”

  “She’s a few months old, I think. But she and I are only new, so don’t scare her.”

  “I won’t scare her.” She picks Nacho up and hugs her close. “I’ve never in my life seen a mini pig. Like, not where I could hug her. She’s cute as shit.” Tink’s eyes come back to Kit’s. “I should ask for one.”

  “No!” Laughing, Kit walks toward the fridge with a gallon of milk. “Don’t you dare. Jon won’t say no, so then we’ll all have to live with a pig.” She swings the fridge open, then slams it shut again with a squeak. “Jesus.” Heaving, she brings a hand up to cover her mouth. “I think maybe Riley made egg salad three weeks ago.”

  Five sets of lips curl back.

  “Gotta clean the fridge out before we restock it. Shit. Okay.” She points to Tina. “I’ll do the fridge. You guys do something else. The guys will start out front as soon as they’re set up.” As if on cue, Jimmy drops a massive pile of timber out the front and makes me jump. “The guys will deal with the outside. Girls inside. We’ll be done before dinnertime.”

  Setting the milk on the counter, Kit reopens the fridge and drops the egg salad – bowl and all – into a plastic bag and ties the handles into a knot. “Holy hell. Three week old eggs are rancid, guys.”

  “I can’t smell it over the cat shit,” Izzy grumbles. “This place stinks more than the gym.” Tying long mahogany hair back into a ponytail, she grabs the broom and begins sweeping the crap on the floor into piles so I can scoop it into the trash.

  Placing Nacho back in her pouch, Tink blows kisses and walks into the living room. “Andi? The cat painted the rug with shit. Wash it or toss it?”

  Snickering, Kit digs her cell out of her back pocket and drops it onto the kitchen counter with the music turned up. The beat helps us move, it keeps our spirits high when favorite songs come on. With their help, Riley’s home starts to transform back into the show space it was last time I was here.

  He can’t come back to this, I can’t break his heart like that, so I scrub alongside the girls and keep my emotions locked up tight as I pass things that remind me of him; which is basically everything. The couch he fucked me against, the hat rack and the handcuffs he keeps as though they’re supposed to be a part of the décor, the kitchen stool I sat on and drank coffee from when I should’ve been running away. Instead, I hugged him and fell in love.

  So foolish.

  I end up hanging the rug over Riley’s back fence and using the high pressure hose I found in his garage to clean it. Standing in the barely-there sun and trying not to catch the cold mist off the hose, I spray the rug for ten minutes straight until the water running off the bottom transforms from dirt brown back to clear.

  Cat shit or not, that rug needed a wash.

  I decide I won’t bring it back inside any time soon. I’ll leave it outside to dry, then roll it up and put it away in the garage, because soon, Riley will be moving around on crutches, then a prosthetic leg, perhaps a cane. Rugs are a tripping hazard, so it can stay away until he notices its absence, then he can make his own decision.

  Winding the hose back around the pressure washer, I lift the forty pound machine with a grunt and waddle from the backyard through the gate. Stepping toward the garage and turning through the small side door, I slam into a solid chest and skitter back like this is a slasher movie and I’m the dumb blonde about to bite the dust. Broad hands grab my arms, then bright green eyes lock onto mine and turn my screeching to embarrassment.

  I clutch at my chest and laugh. “Jesus, Marc. You scared the shit out of me.”

  More than six feet of tall, dark, and handsome, Marcus Macchio watches me with sparkling emerald eyes and releases my arms when I’m steady on my feet. He towers over me with his woodsy scent and hair that’s grown longer since I last saw him. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he takes a step back and draws my eyes down to a tool belt slung casually around his hips. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I frown at the flicker of light that reflects off a steel hammer on his belt. “Are you here working? I didn’t know you were coming.”

  He shrugs. “Kit called me earlier, said to drop whatever I was doing and move my ass because we had shit to build.”

  “You’ve been here the whole time?”

  “Yeah.” He jabs a thumb over his shoulder. “Jimmy picked me up on the way through. So, listen…” He lets out a weary sigh and steps in closer. “Are you okay? This is a small town, and my sister just so happens to be a nurse. Rumor has it you went to see Cruz today… and it didn’t go so well. I didn’t even know you guys were together. I mean, I think it’s cute as hell, he’s a good guy, and you need someone that’ll keep you outta trouble, but I didn’t hear that rumor yet.”

  “Not together.” I clear my throat. “We… had some fun. A few times.”

  His lips pull up into a grin. “I’m not surprised. I saw him watching us at Oz’s that time. If looks could kill, I’d have been a dead man, especially after we started discussing wedding venues.”

  Marcus is kinda funny; I’d forgotten that about him. I spent less than an hour with him; it was just one time, forever ago, and we only talked, laughed, jokingly discussed china patterns and six-slice toasters. But a woman knows when a man is in love, when he’s talking to you to be polite, but he’s actually scouring the party and hoping his real love would walk through.

  Lindsi, drunk and silly, tried to set us up, but our wedding plans came crashing down within three minutes once I saw the longing in his eyes – the same kind of longing Riley had in his sometimes.

  Then I ruined it.

  “Andi?”

  “Huh?”

  He grins. “You and Cruz?”

  “Yeah…” I clear my throat. “We’re not together, but we hung out for a little bit. We had fun.” I shrug. “We had a fight a few weeks back, which was super shitty timing, because the next night, he got hurt. I didn’t find out until yesterday, and now…” I shrug and pretend the quiver in my voice is normal. “Now, he kinda hates me.”

  His smiling eyes dim. “He doesn’t hate you.”

  I scrunch my nose like this is a joke. It’s not a joke to me, but if I don’t laugh, then I might cry. And if I cry any more,
I might kick my own ass. I’ve had my minute to feel sorry for myself – it was during the drive over – but now it’s time to take care of business. It’s time to think of the practicalities, so Riley can transition back into his home as seamlessly as possible. “He kinda does, the kind where the cops had to pull me out of his room, and the last thing he said to me was to fuck right off and never come back.” My voice cracks. “There’s no room for miscommunication there.”

  “I said something horribly similar to Meg at one point. I was in a lot of pain, so I lashed out at her and got really mean, but I swear, I didn’t mean it. I was saying one thing out loud, but in my head, I was screaming for her to come back. Just because he said that out loud doesn’t–”

  “It’s fine.” I rest my hand on his forearm for a brief moment. Long enough to stop him in his tracks, but short enough to not disrespect Meg – the woman that gave birth to his son not so long ago. “The thing is; I don’t even blame him. I was a jerk. Like, a super douche that deserves to be called mean names. But… I never was any good at listening, so I broke into his house and called in the troops to clean it up.” His lips twitch. “I’ll make sure everything is clean and safe, then I’ll figure out my next move once he’s out of the hospital. It’ll work out in the end,” I murmur. “Always does.”

  He chews his bottom lip in thought. “You’re staying with Lindsi and Oz, right? When do you fly home?”

  I shrug. “I only got here today, so I’m not staying anywhere right now. But Benny gave me direct orders to be at his place at seven for dinner, so… I guess I’m staying there. I don’t know when I’m flying home yet. I bought a one-way plane ticket last night on impulse, slept at the airport, brought a couple pairs of jeans, a stick of deodorant, and Nacho’s leash. The rest will come as soon as we get Riley’s house clean again.”

  He tilts his head to the side. “Nacho?”

  “My pet pig.” Strangely, emotion surges through my blood and materializes as a nervous giggle. Speaking of home, of flights, and living out of bags makes my stomach jump. But thinking of Riley and the horrible journey he has ahead of him; healing, accepting his new reality, learning crutches, then a walker, then a new leg; that makes my stomach drop, because through it all, he’s going to fight it. He’s not going to gracefully accept this new life, because I just know this wasn’t the reality he ever expected for himself. He was going to climb mountains, run races, and swim oceans. Riley wants to be outside, he wants to be active, and he wants to be unrestricted.