He grinned at Debbie. “Right, you’re the impulsive one. Your brother…what was his name again?”
“Scott.”
“Scott the mechanic is your voice of reason. Your sister Sheila is the uptight one.”
Debbie laughed. “Oh, Sheila would smack you for calling her uptight. But yes, she can get pretty competitive and intense, especially at sporting events. She runs the reading program at the school, and she’s great at motivating the kids.”
Austin pulled the old lock from the door and used his knife to cut open the plastic on the new one. “Okay, we’ll call Sheila the competitive one. Do you have any other siblings?”
“There’s another sister between me and Sheila named Joy. Now she’s uptight! She is the ultimate organizer and planner. She runs the meals on wheels program for the senior citizens here in Providence.”
Austin nodded. “Joy the organizer. Any more siblings?”
“Rudy is the youngest.” Debbie pursed her lips. “He’s a sheriff’s deputy. He’s the most talkative one in the family.”
Austin reached out his hand for the screws Debbie held. When her hand touched his, a zing of warmth shot up his arm. It was all he could do not to jerk away. He’d cursed himself earlier when he held Debbie’s hand to comfort her. The contact sizzled with electricity. He’d half expected her to pull away, instead she’d sighed and almost melted against him. When she finally pulled her hand from his, disappointment had rushed through him.
“Okay, let’s see if I’ve got it down. Debbie the impulsive one—”
Debbie punched his arm.
“Ouch. What did you do that for?”
“Just because I’m impulsive once in a while does not mean you…” She jabbed his chest with her finger nail. “Get to call me that. I’m a lot of other things too.”
Austin grinned. Who knew Debbie was so feisty?
“Okay. So what other attributes define you?”
“Well, I…” Debbie frowned and looked at her Porsche for a second before studying her fingernails.
“Never mind. I stopped explaining my life choices to others a long time ago.”
Austin straightened. He’d hit a sensitive spot.
He met her gaze. “Hey, I’m sorry. I’m just joking around, trying to get to know you and your family better.” He changed the subject. “If I was you, I’d have kept the Porsche too.” If money wasn’t an issue, that is. “I’ll bet it’s fun to drive.”
Debbie smiled the first real smile he’d seen all evening. “It is fun.”
“You’ll have to give me a ride in it sometime.”
“Or I could just let you drive it. Driving is more fun than riding.”
Yeah, but it would make him that much more envious of what Debbie had.
When Austin finally had the new key-pad lock secured, they spent a few minutes setting the code and installing the app that would alert Debbie’s phone if the door was opened.
As he followed her back into the house, Austin found he didn’t want to leave yet.
“Um, could I have a drink of water?”
“Sure.” Debbie grabbed a glass from the cupboard and handed it to him.
As he filled his glass with cold water at the fridge, he racked his brain for something to say. Something that might prolong his departure. His gaze landed on a thick booklet sitting on the corner of the counter. A picture of an elaborate gazebo filled the cover.
Before he could ask about it, ice cold water hit his fingers then splattered on the floor. “Oops. Sorry.”
Laughing, Debbie grabbed a handful of paper towels. “I think someone is trying to tell me it’s time to invest in Bounty.”
