“I don’t want you to put your career on the line,” she continued, “and a fussy baby could interfere with that.”
“Bean wouldn’t do such a thing.”
She smiled and tucked her arm through mine. “I’m going to tell you a secret.” I tipped my head closer to her even though I heard her just fine. “I love my nieces and nephews, but sometimes I’m really glad I can leave them with their parents.”
Grinning, I patted her hand, and we started our route again as Auggie excitedly showed his parents the toy car he got to pick out with his treat. “Your secret is safe with me, but if a kid can derail all the work I’ve done to start consulting, then I haven’t done a very good job.”
She looked up at me, her hood shadowing her eyes. “So does that mean you’ll be close by?”
“Yes.” I would move into an apartment right here in Coal Haven. I would be closer to Bean. And her. There was no reason to be anywhere else. The thought of staying in town didn’t make my stomach acid go wild like it did when I pondered other places to live.
“Good.” She kept her arm in mine as we walked.
Chapter Seventeen
Clover
* * *
I popped a Tootsie Roll into my mouth and sifted through the documents at my makeshift desk. It was officially November. I had one month to find another place to live. Van had scribbled some notes on a few of the sheets with info from when he had called the landlords—availability, deposit, monthly payment.
The front door opened. Van had been outside going through the shop. The lawn didn’t need to be mowed, and the flower beds were ready for winter. He’d cleaned up the garden, and he’d even repaired a portion of the wooden fence along the drive. Today, he’d cleaned some of the junk out of the shop so he could make a trip to the dump in the morning.
“Look at this.” He appeared at the doorway. A wave of fresh air, old dirt, and linen scent rolled over me. A memory surfaced of when I’d helped my mom in the kitchen, and my dad would come in from working outside. He’d wrap his arms around her waist, she’d laugh, they’d kiss, and then they’d break. It had been a normal day, and I hadn’t realized at the time how much I wanted that.
I pushed the apartment information out of my way. I still wanted it, but I wasn’t going to be dependent on someone for it again. I’d do my own research. “What do you have?”
He took the chair next to me and sat with the tub between us, removing the lid.
The container was half full of little plastic bricks of all shapes, sizes, and colors. “Are those Legos?”
The way he smiled when he nodded melted my heart. He was like a kid who’d found a giant bowl of candy, like what sat in the middle of the table, and it was just for him.
“Lookit.” He dug his hand into the stash, and a loud, clattering whoosh filled the air. “They’re not even dirty, but I’ll still clean them. You gonna use the bathtub tonight?”
“I can wait. Need help?”
His gaze flicked to the apartment information. “You’re not busy?”
“I’ll call them tomorrow and set up some tours. Wanna go together? If I don’t like a place, you might.”
His expression stayed neutral. “Yeah, let’s do it.”
Now I was excited to look at apartments. I could be independent but not alone. He had gathered information, and I would set up the visits. Apartment hunting just got a little more bearable. But first, Legos. “Let’s get to cleaning. I’ll get the dish soap.”
A few minutes later, we were on our knees, and the faucet was running full blast. He dumped the whole container inside, and we swished them around.
“Why is this so satisfying?” I asked above the sloshing noise we were making. I might not mind doing this on my own, but everything was more fun with Van. Hanging out with my family achieved a new level when I could come and go with him. When I had my own person to chat with at big gatherings, even if he wasn’t my person.
His eyes brightened. “Because we work at a desk all day, every day, and we don’t get to play.”
We played most nights, but that was with clothes off, and it ended in orgasms. This was different. Lighthearted. It wasn’t killing time watching movies—which was also fun. It meant that we enjoyed yet another thing together. We were cleaning toys, and it was a great time.
He dug out a few towels and laid them between us. We took handfuls of bricks out of the water, shook them, and spread them out. I was returning for another batch after dumping an especially satisfying load out when Van flicked his fingers lightly. Water droplets hit my face, and I jumped.
Laughter burst out of me. I did the same to him. He swished his hands through the water and tried to do it again. I dunked my fingers faster than him and sprayed him. His grin promised retribution, but when he lifted his arm, his hand dripping, I grabbed his wrist.
There was no way I could overpower him, but we wrestled over our pile of Legos. Him managing to wiggle his fingers. More water sprinkled onto me.
