“Everyone in this town needs a hobby,” Owen muttered, rubbing at his forehead. He gave them an unimpressed stare and left them to their game.
Harry and Pete chuckled as he walked away.
Owen drove his truck a few blocks down the road to the hardware store, keeping his promise to fix the wobbly table at the café. Their complaints were bullshit, but he had the time with Avery away to take care of it. He walked down the aisles to the adhesive section to grab some wood glue before continuing to the lumber section. He scanned the options, looking for what he needed when someone rounded the corner of the aisle.
Ava walked toward him, her eyes glued to her phone. In one hand, she held a mallet and a pair of gloves. The sound of a video playing on her phone filled the aisle.
“Use a stair gauge to measure the step tread by—”
The sound cut off when Ava looked up and saw him standing there.
“Working on a project?” Owen asked. She was more relaxed today in a pair of leggings and another oversized t-shirt he assumed came from her dad’s closet. The way she tied the shirt off to the side emphasized the curve of her hips. His fingers itched to sink into their softness, the way he wanted to the night he picked up Avery from the cabin.
Ava lowered her phone and gestured at the wall of wood in front of them. “Thought I’d try to fix the broken step today.” She paused. “Hey, you’re handy with stuff, right? What kind of wood should I get? I just need enough to replace the stair tread, I think.”
Owen tried not to smile. Unless Ava had taken up woodworking in the last decade, there was no way she knew what she was doing.
“Do you know how to fix a stair step?”
Ava frowned. “Not really, but I’ve been watching some videos, and I think I can figure it out. It’s not like it can be that hard,” she said.
A snort slipped out of Owen, and she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Don’t laugh at me. Not all of us grew up learning how to saw and hammer crap,” she said. “And Dad wasn’t handy. His toolbox has like five tools. The hammer still has the price tag on it.”
Her brown eyes crinkled as she spoke, and the familiar expression made his chest ache. He had an uncontrollable urge to want to fix all her problems, even though he no longer had that right. His brain and his heart had differing opinions on the matter.
“Okay, put that stuff back, and I’ll meet you at the checkout,” he said.
Owen sized up the lumber and reached for the pine. He could use it for both the cabin step and the table at the café.
“Wait, what? Don’t I need this stuff to fix it?”
“Youdon’t. I already have everything. We just need lumber. Lucky for you, I came here to buy some, anyway.”
Ava let out a laugh. “I see where Avery gets it from now. You both have a habit of inviting yourselves places.” She paused. “I guess Summer does that too. Must be a Fowler family trait I never noticed.”
Owen removed a plank from the wall and rested it on the floor beside him. He rubbed the back of his neck as embarrassment flooded him. “Is Avery bothering you? I can tell him to leave you alone.”
Ava waved him off. “No, no, Avery’s fine. He’s not a bother at all. I think it’s cute how excited he gets when he sees me. It’s so sweet.”
A slight blush took over her face, as if his embarrassment had transferred to her. The phone still in her hand vibrated with a phone call. She looked down at the screen and gave him a grimace. “Need to take this. It’s work,” she said. “I’ll meet you up front?”
At Owen’s nod, she accepted the call and turned to walk back the way she came, leaving Owen to stare after her. His gaze was drawn to her hips, and he remembered the softness of her curves in his grip. He shook himself of the thought and hefted up the plank of wood to carry it to checkout. He bought the materials and loaded them into the bed of his truck, this time spotting the Subaru he’d missed in the parking lot.
Owen walked back to the store, opening the door just in time for Ava to step out. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun. When her eyes adjusted, she shot him a look. “You didn’t wait for me. I was going to pay,” she said.
Owen shrugged and let the door swing shut. “Needed the materials anyway. It’s not a big deal.”
“I really do think I could fix it myself,” she muttered.
Ava started for her car and Owen trailed behind, walking her to her door.
“But now you don’t have to. I need to grab my tools and then I’ll be at the cabin in twenty.”
Ava unlocked the car and opened the door. Owen caught the frame and held it open for her to get inside. She peered up at him once she settled in the seat.
“I’ll see you then,” she said.
