I stop what I’m doing, hands still on the busted pipe. “Oh yeah, what about you and what’s his name?” I hazard a guess she has a crush on someone.
The beet-red flush creeping over her face says I’m right on the money.
“You keep your secrets, Gem. I’ll keep mine.”
She gives me a solemn nod, and I shake my head at her and chuckle. These girls are the loves of my damn life, and I can read them like a book. God help any guy who wants into their lives. They’ll have to go through me first.
Nia settles back at the kitchen table, returning to her puzzle. Mom almost has the floor dried when we hear tires over gravel outside.
“You expectin’ someone, Mom?” I ask.
“No.” She drops the wet towels to the counter and pads for the front door. “Oh!”
“What?” Nia is off the chair and at her side instantly.
Gemma scurries to her feet, dropping the tool on my foot as she sprints to the front door like the house is on fire.
“Damn, Gem!” I put the ring clamp over the pipe and nudge it back into the drainpipe before sliding the clamp down. “Who is it?” I lean back under the cupboard and tighten the clamp.
Mom holds the screen door open. “Hi, can I help you?”
I can’t hear a thing over Nia and Gemma nattering away like chipmunks over whoever is at the door. Mom walks out onto the porch for a moment with the visitor, and the girls plaster themselves to the screen.
When they turn back, Nia is whispering to Gemma. They’re practically vibrating. I finish and sit up, packing the tools back into the box. My shirt is soaked and clings to my body. I push out from under the sink as Mom opens the door. “Come in, please.”
“Oh my god, you are so pretty!” Nia squeals.
Thehell?
I stand, grabbing the toolbox in one hand and one lone crutch in the other as I face the front door. The toolbox almost slips to the floor when I see her.
Mom crosses the kitchen and takes the box from me. Nia and Gemma power walk to the living room, whispering frantically.
All I can do is stare.
Gasp for breath, and stare.
“Should I have called first?” Maggie’s bottom lip tugs through her teeth. A pale blue V-neck T-shirt and short denim shorts end with cowgirl boots. A trucker hat sits on her head, and aviators cover her face before she slides them off and they hang between her fingers.
Fuck no. This is the best surprise I’ve ever had.
Stunned, I rub my dirty, wet hand over my ripped jeans before sending it through my hair. She’s a wet man’s dream.
“Sorry, I would have text, but I didn’t want to second-guess myself,” she says quietly.
I hobble to where she stands. Her gaze travels over my body, taking in the crutch and the ripped jeans that don’t conceal thebrace well. “I couldn’t sleep knowing you were here having to do everything yourself an?—”
“We help!” Nia calls out from the next room.
Maggie laughs, glancing toward the source of the sound.
“Nia, stop eavesdropping. It’s rude,” I send back.
Giggles burst, and the smile that blooms over Maggie’s face is worth the slight embarrassment from the meddling my little sisters come factory-set with when it concerns my love life.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.” I hobble for the front door.
“Where are we going?” Maggie asks.
