Miss Fix-It

by Hart, Emma

Lunchtime passed in peace. The crazy started when Eric showed up, armed with floorboards and anything else you could imagine. Together, we cleared Ellie’s room of all my crap and got started. The delay in my schedule meant he was by himself, and that meant I had to get my hands dirty.

  We went through the motions. One by one, we laid the boards and nailed them in, cutting them to size where we needed to. After about an hour, it started to take shape.

  I was glad we were doing this together, in the end. It took my mind of the monotony of the painting I’d spend the last forever doing, and being with Eric was always fun. His humor made the time pass a little bit quicker.

  His constant requests for a date… Not so much.

  “Gonna date me yet, Kali?”

  I looked at him as I hammered a nail into place with one swift whack. “That’s what I think of your offer.”

  “You wound me.” He shot me a lopsided grin.

  I rolled my eyes and got back to work.

  Half an hour passed before he spoke again, and when he did, it was because Brantley had shown up and poked his head through the door.

  “Hey,” he said. “Everything okay?”

  I couldn’t help my blush as I looked up and our eyes met. “Fine. We should be done in here soon, then we can get Eli’s done.”

  He held my gaze for a moment with a smile, then looked around. “It looks amazing. Ellie’s going to freak out when she gets home.”

  “Lord, I hope I’m gone by then,” Eric muttered.

  I shot my leg out and kicked him. “Only because you can probably remember the epic tantrums you threw as a kid.”

  “I did not throw epic tantrums as a kid!”

  “Oh, really?” I slid off my knees to sit properly and look at him. “When we were seven, your mom made you get out of the pool to eat at your birthday party. You tantrummed so hard you almost drowned.”

  “She’s lying,” Eric told Brantley. “It’s not true. That was her.”

  I kicked him again and grabbed my hammer.

  Brantley gave him a tight smile. “Oh, I believe it.”

  “Hey!” I pointed my hammer at him. “What does that mean?”

  He held his hands up. “The hammer is way more terrifying than the paintbrush.”

  I waved it.

  He laughed, all the tension from his smile at Eric disappearing. “All right, all right. Put it down. Do you need anything before I work?”

  I glanced at Eric. When he shook his head, I did the same. “Thanks, but we’re good. How long until the twins are home?”

  He checked his watch. “You’ve got about three hours.”

  Eric looked at me. “We’re not gonna get it all done today, Kali.”

  Aw, shit.

  “Can’t you get one of your guys in? I can’t be anymore off schedule.”

  “I can try.”

  “Please.” I shot him the sweetest smile and held my hands together. “I’ll pay you extra.”

  He paused. “I’ll waive that fee if you go out with me.”

  “I’ll pay you extra,” I repeated.

  He sighed, putting down his hammer. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “So, you’re good?” Brantley reiterated. His eyes swung from Eric to me, softening in the process.

  Hmm.

  “We’re good. Thanks.” I smiled, and he returned it, something that seemed completely at odds with the look in his eyes.

  He disappeared, and Eric stood up. He stared at the empty doorway for a moment before looking at me.

  “Somethin’ going on with you two?” he asked, eyebrows drawn together.

  “No,” I answered a little too quickly, turning away to line a nail up to bang in. “Why?”

  “Dunno. I get the feeling he doesn’t like me.”

  “That’s ‘cause you’re an asshole,” I said cheerily. I hit the nail.

  He nudged me with his foot. “Shut up.”

  I grinned at him until he’d turned and left the room. Then, I let the smile fall away and sighed.

  If Eric, the guy who was about as observant as snow in a landslide, noticed that Brantley and I had… a thing… then I really needed to sort this out.

  Soon.

  ***

  Ellie gasped, clapping her hands against her cheeks, her mouth wide open. “It’s ‘mazin’!”

  “It’s…a floor, Ellie,” I said, bringing her back down to Earth. “Just a floor.”

  “I know, but I can put my wug on it!”

  “Not quite yet. I’m not ready for you to do that.”

  “Why not?” She jutted out her bottom lip and put her hands on her hips.

  I knelt down so I was at her level. Gently, I tugged her hands from her hips and poked her lower lip, making her giggle instead. “Because I have a list of things to do. I have some shelves to put up, your curtains need to go up, plus I have to build all your furniture and hang pictures. If you put your rug in there now, it’ll get all dusty.”

  “Oh.” She tilted her head to the side. “That’s okay, I suppose. Is Eli’s fwoor done, too?”

  Eli looked at me expectantly.

  “Almost. You wanna see it so far?”

  He nodded and took hold of my hand. I led him toward the door, opened it, and let him take a look at his three-quarter-done-floor. If Eric’s employee hadn’t taken an hour to get here, it would have been done. Even with all three of us working on it, we hadn’t quite managed to get it done.

  Eric promised to show up at eight-thirty the next day to do it, and I was taking him at his word.

  “Wow,” Eli breathed, ever the child of few words.

  “You like it?” I asked him, bending down.

  He nodded enthusiastically, his default way of answering in the affirmative.

  I smiled and ruffled his hair.

  “Kids? Dinner’s ready!” Brantley called from downstairs.

  Ellie sniffed the air. “I smell pizza!”

  That was all it took. Both of them went running down the stairs at a speed that made me cringe and almost tell them to slow down. I shut both their doors with a shake of my head and followed them down—at a normal speed.

  I poked my head in the kitchen and waved. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Ellie looked at me with horror. “Don’t you want pizza?”

  I smiled. “I’m good. It’s time for me to go home now.” And at least I wasn’t covered in paint today.

  Brantley set two plates with a big slice each down in front of the twins. “You can stay. There’s plenty.”

  I’d heard that before. “And how much, exactly, is plenty?”

  “He bought one for you, too!” Ellie shouted.

  “Ellie! Hush!”

  “No, you didn’t,” I said to him. “He didn’t?” I asked Ellie.

  Eyes wide, she nodded slowly, reaching for her juice box.

  I glared at Brantley.

  “I didn’t buy it for you,” he started. “There was an offer, so I took advantage of it.”

  “Oh, am I not worth full price?”

  “Don’t even go there.” He shook his head. “I’m not falling for that.”

  I smirked.

  “So? Stay? Or do you have other plans?” His voice took on an edge I’d never heard before, and my eyebrows twitched together in a frown.

  “Other plans? No. I was going to watch Friends re-runs without pants on. I’d hardly call that a plan.”

  “Can I watch TV widdout pants, Daddy?” Eli asked.

  “You never wear pants.” Ellie rolled her eyes, poking the hot cheese on her pizza.

  “Neither do you,” Brantley pointed out. “Are you or are you both not pantsless right now?”

  On cue, they both looked down at their legs.

  “No pants,” they said at the same time.

  “Right. So, this conversation is pointless.”

  Imagine that. A pointless conversation with a four-year-old. What a novelty.

  “Pweeease had some pizza,” Ellie asked, pulling some o
f the stringy cheese off the pizza. She placed it on her tongue. “Pwease.”

  I glanced at Eli who gave me a shy smile. “Fine. But I’m going home after, and there’s nothing you can say to make me change my mind. You got that?”

  They both nodded, sipping juice at the same time.

  Seriously. So weird.

  Brantley handed me a plate and opened a pepperoni pizza with a grin.

  I side-eyed him, gave him back the plate, and grabbed the box.

  He laughed.

  My stomach flipped.

  I was an idiot. Again.

  Chapter Twenty

  “I don’t understand. How am I losing at Snap to a four-year-old?” I looked at Brantley.

  “It’s one of life’s greatest mysteries,” he said, frowning at his own pile of ‘won’ cards.

  My plans to leave after dinner had been thwarted by eyes bigger than my belly, swiftly followed up with two pairs of puppy dog eyes and a beg that if I stay to play games they’ll never ask again.

  Right. I believed that like I believed it’d snow in Rock Bay this winter. On the SoCal coast, that was about as likely as what the twins were promising me.

  “I don’t get it,” I said, staring at the cards in my hand. “How can I lose at Snap?”

  Ellie and Eli giggled.

  “You don’t shout ‘snap’ kick enough,” Ellie explained. “I faster than you.”

  Yeah, no kidding. I’d figured that much out.

  I hmphed and put another card down. Ellie slapped one on top of mine. I did another, the picture matching, and before I’d even opened my mouth, Ellie hollered, “Snap!”

  With a sly grin, she whacked her hand on top of the pile and slid the two matching cards toward her.

  I stared at Brantley with my mouth open in a “What the fuck?” look.

  He glanced at Ellie. “Are you cheating?”

  “Nope.” She jutted her chin out and up. “I just weal good at Snap.”

  No kidding. If there was such a thing as a Snap World Tournament, she had a positive future.

  Eli put a card on the pile he had between him and his dad. They exchanged cards for a moment before two matched and Eli screamed, “Snap!”

  “Oh my god!” Brantley threw his cards down. “This is ridiculous. You’re four! I’m almost thirty! How are you beating me, dude?”

  “Oh dear, Daddy. Are you hading a tantwum?” Ellie looked at him with her eyebrows raised.

  “Do you need a time out?” Eli asked, eyes wide.

  I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away.

  I was pretty sure I’d heard Brantley say that at some point during the time I’d known them, which just reaffirmed that kids really were tiny sponges in human bodies.

  “I need a beer,” Brantley muttered, sweeping all the cards into a neat pile. “Come on, you two. It’s time for bed.”

  “Awwww,” they whined in chorus. “But we not tired!”

  I glanced between them.

  “Of course, you’re not,” Brantley agreed. “But it’s still time for bed.”

  “That’s not faaaair,” they continued together.

  Well, neither was life. Better they learned that early.

  “Bedtime,” he said again, putting both sets of cards back in their boxes.

  “Aw, Daddyyyyy.”

  “No.” He got up and crooked fingers at them. “Let’s go.”

  “Is Kawi staying?”

  “No,” I said, standing up. “I have a lot of work to do tomorrow, and I already stayed and lost at Snap. I really do have to go.”

  “Ohhh, but that’s not fair,” Eli muttered.

  Brantley flapped his hands at them. “Go. Upstairs. Find your pajamas. It doesn’t matter if Kali stays or not, because you’ll be asleep.” He herded them out into the hallway, and I followed, clutching my phone and keys.

  “But, Daddy,” Ellie said, turning halfway up the stairs. “If Kawi goes, then you’ll be alone.”

  He paused. “Yes?”

  “Doesn’t dat make you sad?”

  No. I wasn’t going to do it. Not tonight. Not this time. I’d spent more than enough time with him lately, and something had to give. I was not going to be guilted into staying by her.

  Nope.

  Absolutely not.

  I pulled away from the stairs, toward the door.

  “No,” Brantley said slowly. “I’m used to it. Kali is right—she has a lot of work tomorrow, and you need to get some sleep because you’re at Summer’s again.”

  “Again?” Her eyes bugged.

  “She bakes nice cookies,” Eli said quietly. “I like it there.”

  My lips twitched up.

  Goddamn it, no, they couldn’t be doing that.

  Every time I smiled at those kids, they stole a little piece of my heart.

  “Let’s go.” Brantley waved his hands, ushering them up the stairs.

  “Night, Kawi,” Eli shouted over his shoulder.

  “Night, kids.” I smiled and edged toward the door.

  Ellie caught my eyes, a sad look in hers, and waved a tiny hand in goodbye. She dipped her head as Brantley’s hand touched her back and pushed her up.

  I took a deep breath and sighed it back out. That right there was the epitome of a guilt trip. The sadness in her eyes at the idea of me leaving—

  No.

  I wasn’t going to fall for it. I wasn’t going to let it work. I couldn’t let it. We’d already crossed too many times and if I stayed…

  I leaned against the front door and stared through the door into the kitchen. The smell of pizza still lingered, and I knew there was at least an entire pizza in the box on the side that was probably the reason for it lingering.

  I hugged my phone to my stomach, then pulled it out in front of me and texted Jayda.

  Me: At Hot Dad’s. Do I stay or do I go?

  Her response was immediate. She needed a life.

  Jayda: Stay.

  In hindsight, she wasn’t the best person to ask that question to.

  “Jesus, you scared the crap out of me.” Brantley laughed, hand on his stomach.

  I looked at him wide-eyed.

  “I thought you’d left,” he said through his laughter. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, I…” I paused, narrowing my eyes. “I think I’m falling for Ellie’s guilt trip.”

  “Oooh.” He winced. “My apologies. But, that explains why you’re still here.”

  “Yeah, I can’t decide if I feel bad for leaving and you being lonely or worse that I’m staying and I probably shouldn’t,” I said slowly.

  “You’re staying?” He quirked a brow. “You’re welcome to.”

  “I guess I am. I mean, I was only going to go home, put on Friends, and take off my pants.”

  “You don’t need to go home to do that. I’m not the biggest Friends fan in the world, but I’d watch it if it meant you weren’t wearing pants.” A wolfish grin spread across his face.

  I rolled my eyes and pushed off the door. “No. I’m not going to take off my pants.”

  “You wound me.” He laughed. “It’s a nice evening. Wanna sit outside?”

  “Sure.” As I followed him out, I realized I’d only ever looked at the yard from Ellie’s bedroom window.

  Brantley pushed open the back door onto a wooden porch. A large, rattan sofa took up one corner of the porch, and a few half-burned candles sat on the glass table in front of it. The porch looked out over a lush, green yard dotted with kids’ toys, everything from a soccer ball to a swing set with a slide.

  He took a seat on one end of the sofa, and I dropped myself into the corner, kicking off my shoes. I tucked my feet up and sighed, leaning against the squishy back cushions.

  It was basically silent. Aside from the gentle hum of the TV inside, there was nothing. It was incredible, because I’m not sure I realized how loud the twins were until right now.

  “Do you feel like this every day when they go to bed?”

  Brantley quirked a
brow. “Like what?”

  “Like, wow, shit, they’re really loud.”

  He stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. I blinked at him, watching as his shoulders shook with each deep chuckle that escaped his lips.

  “Am I funnier than I think I am?”

  He shook his head, still laughing. “No. I’m laughing because I’ve never put that feeling into words before, but you just nailed it. It really is exactly that.”

  “They are really loud,” I said again, frowning. “Are all kids like that or is it just because there’s two of them?”

  “You have no idea about kids, do you?”

  “Not really. I’m pretty ignorant about them,” I admitted with a shoulder shrug. “I’ve never been around them. The closest I’ve ever been is in the grocery store with Janie Green’s son who screamed the entire trip. I wanted to punch him in the face.” I frowned. “That makes me sound like a horrible person.”

  “Nah, I’m pretty sure we’ve all felt like that once or twice.” He winked with a smirk. “It’s pretty amazing, though. You’re so good with the twins.”

  A blush rose up my cheeks. “I’m just nice to them.”

  “You’re more than nice. You’re weirdly patient. Like, with the paint. Kali, anyone else would have lost their minds and been so fucking angry, but you just brushed it off.”

  “I was annoyed.” I tucked hair behind my ear. “But me showing them that wouldn’t have achieved anything. You handled it. I’m just the builder. My anger has no place here.”

  “Just the builder.” He smiled, meeting my eyes.

  “Are you sure I’m not being really funny today?”

  He shook his head again, rubbing his hand over his forehead. “I think it’s funny that you refer to yourself like that. I think you’re more than just the builder.”

  “You do?”

  “Do you have any idea how much fun you are to be around?”

  “No, but if you’re about to give me some compliments, I’ll happily listen.”

  He laughed. “I just…Hell. You’re just fun, Kali. I don’t even think you realize how much of an amazing person you are. Moving here was so hard, and until you showed up on my doorstep, I was sure I’d change my mind. You make me laugh more than anyone ever has.”

  “That’s because I’m an idiot,” I pointed out. “Like the paintbrush mic thing. Idiocy.”