She gestured toward the chandelier. “The light keeps flickering, and it’s driving me insane.”
“I don’t care if it’s strobing like a damn nightclub,” I said. “Get. Down.”
She hesitated, clearly weighing her options, as my heart continued to beat rapidly.
“Molly, please.”
She contemplated my orders for another second before squatting on the kitchen island and carefully sliding off the side of the countertop with both bare feet landing safely on the ground.
“Happy?” she asked the camera.
“Just peachy.”
“The kitchen light, the one in my bathroom, and the one on the front porch are all flickering,” she explained in an annoyed tone.
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes to fix them all,” I said. “Keep both feet planted firmly on the ground until I get there. Do you understand?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, drill sergeant.”
I grabbed a couple packages of light bulbs off the kitchen counter, leftovers from when I’d replaced the fixtures last week. Painting would have to wait until tomorrow. Getting to Molly’s and changing her light bulbs before she landed herself in the ER took priority.
It was summer in Silver Creek, which meant the weather was nice enough to take the top off my Jeep. This was my favorite time of year.
Before heading out, I pushed the button to roll the top back. I enjoyed the warm wind moving through my hair as I cruised down the road in the summer heat.
In the rearview mirror, I glanced at the empty back seat, thinking about how one day I could have someone to ride with me. Something as simple as driving around with the top off was one of the small things I was excited to do with my son—things my dad had never done with me but meant so much.
In the beginning, I’d been scared of becoming a father. Eventually, I realized that in order to be a goodone, all I needed to do was think about all the things my dad had never done with me and make sure I gave those memories to my son.
Playing baseball in the front yard, teaching him how to ride a bike, having him hold the flashlight while we worked on something in the garage, those were all things I wanted to check off my list someday.
When I rolled into Molly’s driveway, I immediately noticed the flickering front porch light she’d mentioned. I grabbed the light bulbs and tool kit from my Jeep and headed toward the front steps.
As I walked up her driveway, her chickens meandered through her yard, pecking at the grass. Molly probably had close to twenty chickens. As I made my way up the steps, I came face-to-face with one walking along her front porch. I hoped it wouldn’t get feisty and attack me. I stepped around it slowly, like two men on the battlefield calling a silent truce.
Through the front window, I spotted Molly curled up on the couch reading a book. I knocked gently on the door, looking down at the chicken for any signs of aggression.
“Handyman Liam has arrived,” Molly said as she opened the door, a teasing smile tugging at her lips. “Come in. Make yourself at home. Not like you don’t already have security cameras on every inch of the place.”
She caught me side-eyeing the chicken.
“Is big, bad Liam Carson debating whether he needs to tuck tail and run from a little ol’ chicken?” she said sarcastically. She was clearly enjoying my discomfort, like she always had given the opportunity—and there were many.
She bent down and scooped it up, tucking it against her hip like she’d just rescued a lost puppy from the side of the road—not a wild animal with feathers and zero regard for personal space.
“It’s just a chicken,” she said.
“It’s a wild animal,” I pointed out.
She rolled her eyes at me. “It can’t kill you.”
“Says you.”
She walked down the porch steps and gently set the chicken in the grass, completely unbothered, while I stayed put. The more distance between me and the chicken, the better.
As Molly set the chicken down, I couldn’t help but notice the gentle curve of her baby bump. She was far enough along that there was no mistaking it—clearly pregnant—but not so far that it looked uncomfortable.
She wore a fitted shirt that hugged her belly perfectly with jean shorts that showed off skin more sun-kissed than the last time I’d seen her. The tan made her honey-blonde hair glow even more.
