We loosen the bolts together.
The chain comes free, and I show Penny how to set it back on the sprockets. “Want to help me with this part?” I ask, guiding her hands to hold the links in position. “We need to line it up with these teeth here, both in the front and back.”
Her small fingers work alongside mine, placing the chain on the gears and tightening the rear wheel again. “Now, let’s test it.”
I gesture for Penny to spin the pedals. The chain moves smoothly over the gears, each link falling into place. When everything looks good, I give Penny a quick nod. “Nice job.”
“We did it!” Penny exclaims, throwing her arms around me in an unexpected hug. Her small body collides with mine, and I freeze, surprised by the easy affection. I hug her back, careful not to smear her clothes with grease.
Lily is watching us, her expression hard to decipher. Is it pain? Longing? Gratitude? Shadows obscure her eyes, like clouds drifting across the sun. Is she thinking about her husband? Wishing he were doing this with his daughter instead of me? Or is she glad someone’s stepping in? I can’t tell, and I don’t dare ask.
“We got pretty greasy,” I say, gently disengaging from Penny’s hug and showing her my stained hands. “Let’s go wash up.”
Penny inspects her own blackened fingertips with fascination rather than disgust. “Cool,” she says, which makes me like her even more.
We head inside to the half bath, and I’m acutely aware of Lily following behind us. The space is compact, and my generic bachelor bathroom feels inadequate with its single towel and basic soap.
We wash our hands side by side, Penny chattering about the evils of gym class and the absolute injustice of bedtime.
Lily rolls her eyes from where she’s leaning against the doorframe.
Penny fluffs the extra water off her hands and dries them on the towel I offer. “Can I ride the bike around, Mom?”
Lily nods. “Stay within the complex walkways, okay? Don’t go near the parking lot.”
“I won’t,” Penny promises, already dashing toward the door. “Thanks, Josh!”
And just like that, she’s gone, leaving Lily and me alone.
Don’t stare like a smitten idiot; think of something cool and manly to say.
“Since I’m here.” Lily saves me from myself, reaching into her oversized purse for a med kit. “I can check your wound.”
I hold out my arm, like a good, totally non-horny patient.
“How was your day at the hospital?” I ask, pretending my entire focus isn’t on the spot where she’s touching me.
“The usual chaos,” she replies, examining the healing gash on my forearm. “Had a guy come in with garlic cloves stuck in his ears. Said he was curing an ear infection.”
I chuckle. “Creative. Did it work?”
“Shockingly, no.” She smiles. “How about you? Did you laze by the pool all day?”
“No, I’ve been very productive.” I gesture toward the rest of the house. “Finished unpacking and everything.”
“Here’s your gold star,” she says, pressing an imaginary sticker to my chest.
Her palm rests flat against my T-shirt, the contact electric even through the fabric. She lingers, testing the feel of me?Please stay forever, I want to beg. But she must remember who we are and drops her hand, reverting to her nurse mode.
“The wound looks good,” she says, wrapping fresh gauze around my arm. “I can remove the stitches tomorrow night.”
“I have a twenty-four-hour shift tomorrow. Today was my last day off in the rotation.”
“Oh.” She frowns. “Wednesday, then. But please man up and have someone at the station change the wrapping for you tomorrow.”
“Promise.”
We head back outside to the patio, where Penny is pedaling along the complex’s pathways. She looks up and waves before making another loop back to us, her cheeks flushed. “It works perfectly!” she announces. “Even better than before!”
