“Whatever you have is perfect,” Annie said quickly.
He nodded.Margie had already told Annie they had supplies at the fire station, as well as a fund to do these sorts of improvements.
There was no fund at the fire department for this stuff.Margie was paying for all of it.She had made Miles swear he wouldn’t say a word.
“What if someone else hears about it and wants the same service?”he asked her.
Margie stared him in the eyes.“Then I will pay for theirs, too.I am not joking around here, Miles.If you let a word of this slip, it will be the end of you.”
Her intensity had forced a laugh out of him.“You have my utmost discretion.”
He was looking at the stairs when Bella arrived.
“Hey Dad!Are you here to supervise my first babysitting job?”
He smiled at her.“Pretend like I’m not here.Act like I’m maintenance.”
She gave a curt nod.“Hurry it up, would ya?”
He laughed and she walked past him, nose high in the air.
How had she managed to get her mom’s sense of humor without ever having met her?
That wasn’t technically true; they’d met, of course.He just didn’t like to think about the circumstances.
When he came back inside, the house smelled of garlic and butter.Was he really going to turn down a Margie meal out of stubbornness?
Of course not.Instead, he posted himself at the dining table and searched the online home improvement stores for the right sized handrail.
He had a perfect view of Annie, Bella, and the twins from where he sat, but he had to pretend he wasn’t watching.
“Up until they start walking it’s generally pretty easy to entertain them,” Annie said.
Bella shook her head.“They’re so cute, but babies scare me the most.They’re so floppy and small.”
“That’s understandable,” Annie said, “but I have a friend at daycare who has a six-month-old.Nice and sturdy, holds her head up by herself.I’m sure she’d be happy to teach you about babies.”
Her eyes brightened.“Really?”
Annie pulled out her phone.“It doesn’t hurt that she’s the cutest baby in the world.”
They both leaned in, looking at a picture on Annie’s phone.Bella let out a loud, “Aww!”
Miles smiled and cast his eyes down.He really shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but it was impossible.
“With two-year-olds, you’ve got to keep your wits about you,” Annie said.
At that moment, Leon climbed onto the couch and threw himself back, falling to the ground while letting out a primal scream.The muscles in Mile’s chest tensed.
Bella gasped.“I should have caught him.I’m so sorry.”
Annie shook her head, gathering him in her arms and planting a kiss on his head.“Are you okay, honey?”
The crying stopped and he batted his eyes at her.She kissed him again.He got up and ran off.
“Not your fault at all.They’re always doing things like that; falls happen a couple of times a day.Stay calm, and if they stop crying, you’re generally good.”
Bella’s eyes widened.“A couple of times a day?”
