“I know, man. Believe me, I know.” I thanked the Huttons and Wests for their help, then stood in the driveway and waved as the caravan drove off. Not ten seconds after the last vehicle disappeared around the corner, Kennedy’s Honda careened onto the street. She jerked to a stop in front of me and hopped out, a greasy fast food bag clutched in her hand.
“I am so sorry I’m late.” She frowned, taking in my sweat covered face. “Did you start without me? It’s too soon for you to go back to doing things yourself. How many times have I told you that?”
“I didn’t do them myself. I had help.” Unable to contain my glee, I waved her toward the backyard. “Come see. It’s another surprise for Maxine.”
Kennedy followed me around the corner. When she came face to face with the transformation, she dropped her bag to the ground with a heavy thwack. “This had to cost a fortune.”
“It cost less than you think.” I retrieved her dinner, shaking my head at her choice. The woman lived on fast food. I’d have to cook her a real meal sometime…
The thought had me laughing to myself. If Collin and Lucas heard me say anything like that when it came to her, I’d never live it down.
“Why do you keep doing these things for my Nan? Not that I’m complaining, but you’re going above and beyond what you agreed to, and on your own dime, too. I used to think you were working some kind of angle.” Her eyes bounced to mine, then shame dropped them to her feet. “Now I’m not so sure.”
“I have a giant gap in my employment that’s difficult to explain. Maxine could have assumed I was a criminal like some other people I know.” I arched an eyebrow to punctuate the point. “She didn’t. She took a chance on me anyway. True kindness is rare. I want to repay that.”
Kennedy nodded like she was agreeing with part of the conversation I couldn’t hear. “She’s gonna love it. I wish I’d been there to help.”
“You mean keep an eye on me.” I bumped my good shoulder against hers.
Over the last week, she had proved true to her word, pouring herself into assisting me while I healed. She was attentive and worked hard, even though her two jobs demanded more energy than she had to give. She was also a task master when it came to any movement that involved both my arms. Seeing as I was a terrible patient who thought I could ignore the injury back to health, Kennedy basically barked at me all day every day.
She hit me with a look that said we were thinking similar thoughts. “You need me to keep an eye on you, thank you very much. You push that shoulder too hard and you’re gonna tear something.”
“You told me pain is the sign to stop, right?”
Kennedy slowly nodded her agreement, sensing the trap I’d laid for her but unable to see where it was. “I did.”
“Then you’re gonna need to stop pestering me about my shoulder because you’re being a pain in my ass.”
Her jaw dropped with a rush of laughter. “Very funny, Channing. Very funny.” Dark circles stood out under her eyes, while the setting sun caught the copper highlights in her hair.
I averted my gaze so she wouldn’t catch me staring. “When was the last time you slept?”
“Last night.” Kennedy sat back on her heel, studying me like she thought I’d laid another trap.
I hadn’t. She pushed too hard and I was worried, though I’d lie through my teeth if she called me on it.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Her eyebrows hit her hairline. “I actually did sleep last night, thank you very much.”
“Okay, fine. But for how long?”
Her gaze skated away from mine. “Long enough.”
“When was the last time you ate something that wasn’t fast food?”
She blinked, then narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on here?”
“I don’t want you to kill yourself out of guilt for treating me so very badly for so very long.” I placed a hand over my heart and painted on a wounded look while she let out a rush of laughter.
“Very subtle. You should be proud of yourself.” Lifting the greasy bag, she gestured toward the house. “You hungry? I brought enough for both of us.”
With Maxine out for dinner with Carl, we had the house to ourselves. Kennedy pulled burgers and fries out of the bag, plonking one of each in front