He paused.He’d thought this was Annie’s house, but maybe it was the other way around.
Why had Annie had to move in here?Was it to help take care of her mom?The woman might be a saint.He felt an unfamiliar swell in his chest.
“Well, then,” he said, willing the feeling to go away.“I’ve made up my mind.I can’t leave the job unfinished.”
Annie studied him, her expression unreadable.
Maybe he’d gone too far.He wasn’t sure what had gotten into him.He’d spent the morning anxiously standing outside, sure Bella would need his help.She clearly had done just fine on her own.The twins were healthy and happy, and Bella didn’t seem the least bit frazzled.
It wasn’t that Bella didn’t need him anymore.She just didn’t need him inthisinstance.She still needed her dad, even if it was in different ways.
That’s what he told himself, at least.And what was this new offer he’d come up with?Was it a need to feel needed?Was he transferring his unwanted help onto Annie and her mom?
Or was it something else?Something to do with the way his heart pounded a little faster when Annie smiled at him.Something with the urge to look away when she flashed those sea-colored eyes at him...
“If you’ll have me,” he added.
“Of course we’ll have you,” Clara said.“Maybe you can figure out why our ice maker stopped working, too.”
“Mom!”Annie whispered.“You can’t just make people fix random things in your house.”
“He’s not random.He’s our neighbor.”Clara smiled at him, hands placidly resting on her lap.
“That’s right,” Miles said with a nod.“Not random at all.”
Annie stared at them.“We can’t solicit help forever.”
“Speak for yourself!”Clara said.
Annie sighed and shook her head.“I’m going to set the table.”
Miles smiled to himself.There was nothing better than helping a neighbor.
If it happened to be a pretty neighbor with kind eyes and gentle hands – well, all the better.
Ten
While Annie had warned her mom not to ask about the firefighter dating ads, she had failed to anticipate her mom seeing Miles as a free handyman to use at her will.
The glares Annie shot at her had no effect.She would have a talk with her later.There was absolutely no way she’d allow Miles to fix anything else in their house.
Annie was enough of a charity case.It was embarrassing.She didn’t want Miles to know all the broken things they lived with— the doors that didn’t close all the way, the ancient appliances that didn’t work.
She still had some pride.There was a dash of vanity in her, and she wouldn’t let the handsome firefighter from down the street think less of her, if that was even possible.
Annie and Bella wrangled the twins into their highchairs for dinner.Her mom moved steadily to the table and took a seat, but it was obvious she couldn’t have lifted Leon or Noel, or done the task of strapping them in.It would be weeks, if not months, before she could safely pick up the twins, or be left alone to watch them.
The realization sat heavily on Annie’s chest.It would be hard to keep her mom from getting involved, too, hurting herself further.The whole thing was a mess of her own creation.If only she’d –
“So, Bella,” Clara said, sitting back in her seat, “I saw those pictures you put up of your dad.How’d you get his head onto that body?”
Annie nearly dropped a plate of buns.
“Mom!” Annie hissed.
Clara put up her hands, palms out, as she shrugged.“What?It looked very real.”
“It was real, ” Bella said, a devilish smile on her face.“Those are actual pictures of my dad.”
