Man's Best Friend (The Dogmothers #5) - Roxanne St. Claire Page 0,41
a way to say the words she deserved to hear. Over the past few days, it had been all about Judah, but now, he had to man up and take whatever fury or heartache he had coming his way.
She opened the door before he made his way up the walk, locking her hands on her hips, which accentuated the narrowness of her waist and long legs in jeans, eyeing the toolbox he carried. “Bringing a screwdriver so you can loosen up?”
Laughing, he lifted the metal toolbox in his right hand. “Friends don’t let friends’ windows stick.”
“Declan.”
“Evie,” he echoed, their old joke so natural it kind of took his breath away. “I told you I’d be your handyman.”
Her eyes flickered at that, and an expression he couldn’t quite decipher crossed her face, which looked prettier every time he saw her. “You don’t have to work today?” she asked as she let him in.
“I’m off today. I have twelve hours tomorrow and twenty-four on Thursday and Friday, but then I’m free all weekend.” He stepped past her, stealing a whiff of her feminine scent and letting their arms brush because it was nice.
“That’s not too bad.”
“Perk of being the one who makes the schedule,” he said, heading right to the newel to set the toolbox on the stairs. “How’s Judah?”
“Attached to his new best friend.”
He turned, a smile pulling. “Max?”
“They’re inseparable. They slept together last night.”
He fought the urge to let his gaze travel over her T-shirt and jeans again and crack a joke about sleeping together. Nope. Too soon. “No word from Vestal Valley on the surgery yet?”
“Not yet.” She joined him at the bottom of the steps, looking up at him with those bright blue eyes that always reminded him of a cut-glass perfume bottle Gramma Finnie owned. “But you might not have too much work to do after all.”
“How’s that?”
“A man came by here last night and made an offer on the house. As is.”
“You have it on the market?” How did he not know that?
“No. But if it ever is, he wants to buy it as a surprise wedding present for his fiancée, because they’ve been in love with the house for years. He made a starting offer that knocked my socks off.”
“Wow.” He shifted his attention to the newel, rocking the solid wood back and forth in his hands to try to figure out how the original carpenter had affixed it and why it wasn’t a solid piece of wood.
And why this news of hers sent a punch into his gut that he didn’t understand. Not that it was hard to surmise. Once her grandfather died and she sold this house, Evie Hewitt would have no reason to ever come back to Bitter Bark.
“Wow is right. I called my parents this morning, and they were pretty psyched.”
“They really don’t want to keep this house?” He flipped open the toolbox.
“They really don’t,” she confirmed. “Plus, the offer was seven digits, and the first wasn’t a one.”
He let out a low whistle. “Holy…wow. That’s a lot of cash for Bitter Bark.”
“Seriously.” She reached into the toolbox and pulled out a wrench, holding it up. “This is not a drill. Repeat. Not a drill.”
“Har-har. Nailed it.”
“Ooh, good one.” She plucked through the box, picking up a wire cutter. “Unlike this guy who tried to be punny, but he just couldn’t cut it.”
He cracked up, swamped by a sudden rush of good feeling. “So how does Max feel about this house offer?”
“I kind of avoid the subject of the house with him,” she admitted, putting the wire cutter down. “He knows my parents aren’t leaving the Caribbean, and I can’t take care of the house from three and a half hours away. Plus, who wants to talk about it when it means talking about him…” She lifted a shoulder. “Obviously, he’s not going to live forever, but I personally would like to believe that he might.”
“He thinks he’s checking out any minute,” Declan said. “But nothing is really wrong with him, right?”
“Nothing but boredom with this world and hope he’ll see Grandmama Penelope in the next,” she said wistfully.
He found the weak spot in the newel, bracing on the top step to work on it. “Well, it sure is a one-of-a-kind house.”
She studied him for a long time, and he could practically taste the question before she asked it.
“Is it hard for you to come here, Dec?” she asked gently. “I would understand if it is.”