“Good girl.”
They hung up and Teagan went back to work. When Bobby knocked on her door twenty minutes later, she’d cleared out under the sink, put a couple of towels down by the open cabinet, and made sure the water to the house was shut off. And he was carrying a lot more material than she was expecting.
“What’s all this?” she asked as he walked in.
“If I’m going to replace the pipes underneath, it just makes sense to replace the faucet too. It’s kind of old and the sink was looking a bit rough, and they had them on sale, so…”
“Bobby,” she began, walking behind him through the house, “it’s too much! It was just a small leak. You don’t need to do all of his!”
He looked at her and grinned. “Don’t worry. I’m billing Quinn for all of it.” Then he winked and set himself up in front of the sink. As he lowered himself to the floor and slid under the sink, he called out, “And I’ll skip the banana on my sundae, but lots of chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles, please!”
Laughing, she walked out of the kitchen to check on the kids—she could easily see them from the kitchen but figured Bobby might appreciate it if she wasn’t hovering while he worked.
Lucas and Kaitlyn were thoroughly engrossed in their movie and after a few minutes, Teagan knew she needed to find something to do with herself. She started picking up the toys the kids had scattered across the house. Off in the distance she heard several muttered curses coming from under the sink and cringed each time. She was always careful to watch her language in front of her son and she was sure Quinn and Anna were the same way, but she hated the idea of going out there and scolding Bobby, however gently. Especially when he was doing something to help her.
The next sound she heard was filled with pain, and that was when she went running.
“Bobby? Are you okay?” He was holding his shoulder and grimacing in pain. He hissed out a breath and she knew he must have strained himself too hard. Dropping to her knees beside him, she gently said, “Come on, come out of there and sit up.”
He was already on the move, but he glared at her. When he was sitting up, he was still holding his shoulder. “I’m fine.”
If he hadn’t been gritting his teeth, she might have believed him.
“What can I do?” she asked, more than a little concerned. “Ibuprofen? Ice?”
Bobby blinked at her and seemed to take a moment to compose himself. Then he let out a long breath and lowered his hand. “I’m sorry,” he said gruffly. “I twisted when I shouldn’t have. I wasn’t thinking. Then I lost the grip on the wrench and—” he hissed out a curse and Teagan instantly looked over her shoulder to make sure the kids didn’t hear him. When he realized what she was doing, he hung his head. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. They didn’t hear you,” she said softly. Unable to help herself, she reached out and placed a hand on his forearm. “I’m serious, Bobby, what can I get you?”
He scanned her face. His eyes were a gorgeous shade of gray, and his look was intense, and Teagan felt it like a caress. It was wrong, but she felt a strong pull to lean into him. It was something she hadn’t experienced in a long time, for years, and she started to freak.
“I just need a minute. I may have bitten off more than I could chew on this project,” he admitted sheepishly. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to finish with the pipes and I’ll come back tomorrow to replace the sink and faucet.”
“You really don’t have to,” she told him. “I’m sure Quinn can come and finish it for you.”
It was clearly the wrong thing to say. The look on his face turned fierce and she knew she had offended him. “What I mean is—”
He held up a hand to stop her. “It’s fine. I get it. You don’t think I can handle it.” Carefully, he lay back down and slid under the sink. “I’ll be out of your way as soon as possible.”
“Bobby,” she pleaded, but he wasn’t listening. “That’s not what I meant.”
She watched him finish changing out the pipe with impressive efficiency, especially since he was in pain. In that moment, Teagan knew she had two choices. She could sit here and wait him out and try to explain herself again, or she could be a woman of action.
Climbing to her feet, she stepped away and grabbed her phone, dialing Anna’s number.
“Hey! Are they on their way?” Anna asked when she answered the phone.
“No, not yet. The kids are finishing a movie and your brother’s not quite done.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Listen, the reason I’m calling is because Bobby bought some extra stuff for the job—new faucet, new sink, the whole nine yards.”
“Oh no.”
“No, no, no. It’s not a problem, but I just wanted you to let Quinn know it’s all under control. You guys should plan to do something fun as a family this weekend. We’ve got this all under control here.”
For a minute, Anna didn’t seem able to form a response. Then she cleared her throat. “Well then…okay. Wow. Thanks. Tell my brother I said—you know what? I’ll tell him myself when he brings Kaitlyn home. I’m sorry it turned into a bigger job for you. Is it a mess?”
“Not even a little bit,” Teagan replied, noticing Bobby coming to his feet and looking at her curiously. “So yeah, tell Quinn to take you and the kids someplace this weekend and enjoy yourselves. There’s nothing for him to do here.”
When she hung up a minute later, she gave Bobby a very satisfied grin. And before he could say a word, she strode over to the freezer and pulled out the ice cream. Looking at him over her shoulder, she said, “Chocolate ice cream, no bananas, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles, right?”
He nodded.
“And since you worked so hard, I’ll even let you have a cherry on top,” she said saucily and was extremely pleased when he burst out laughing.
Chapter 3
Two days later, Quinn knocked on Teagan’s door.
“Oh—hey!” she said, somewhat confused. “What are you doing here?” She noted the toolbox in his hands and sighed.
Bobby wasn’t coming back.
Smiling, she stepped aside and motioned for her cousin to come in. “There really wasn’t any rush on this.”
Quinn waved her off as he walked over to the kitchen. “It’s not a big deal. This will be quick, especially since Bobby already bought everything. I just need to switch it all out. I’ll be here an hour, tops.”
The curiosity was killing her. Why had Quinn come over instead of Bobby? When he had left the other day, he told her he’d be back and had sworn his shoulder felt fine. Had he lied? Was he embarrassed or upset because she’d seen how badly he was still hurting?
She glanced over and saw Quinn was already setting up and getting started. Would it seem odd that she was asking?
Only one way to find out.
“So, um… I thought your brother-in-law was coming back to do this? That’s what he said, anyway,” she continued, hoping she sounded casual and not overly curious.
With a shrug, Quinn began cutting the caulk around the sink. “He went back home yesterday.”
“Back?”
“Yeah, he lives in Myrtle Beach now. Since he got his clearance to drive, it seemed crazy for him to stay. My in-laws drove him home.”
She shouldn’t be disappointed, but she was. Bobby Hannigan was the first guy in a long time that Teagan had enjoyed hanging out with. The fact that he was also incredibly handsome was just a perk.
She hadn’t even considered dating after Logan had died. Going back to school to get her master’s degree and raising Lucas had kept her extremely busy, and she didn’t even miss dating.
Until now.
And now she was missing it more than she thought she would.
It wasn’t as if Bobby had asked her out. He hadn’t even given a hint that he
wanted to. But if he did, he would be the first man Teagan even considered saying yes to.
You know, should he ask.
And now he was gone.
With a small sigh, she turned toward the refrigerator. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Nah, I’m good.” He was crouching down to get under the sink. “Where’s Lucas at?”
“Oh, my folks took him to Wilmington today. They were going to tour the USS North Carolina. He was very excited about it.”
Quinn chuckled from under the sink. “I want to take Brian there when he gets a little bit older. I mentioned it to Kaitlyn once and she looked at me like I was crazy. She wasn’t the least bit interested.”
“It’s probably more of a boy thing,” she replied. “Plus Lucas has grown up near the army base, and he loves anything military related.”
“I bet.” He paused. “So how are you settling in?”
He couldn’t see her, so she didn’t even try to hide her mild disappointment. She was settling in all right overall, but at that moment she was restless and didn’t know why.
“It’s all going okay,” she said. “We’ve had fun exploring and I’m enjoying having the beach so close by.”
“It is definitely a perk.”
“I hadn’t been to one since the last time we came to visit your family when we were kids,” she said with a small laugh. “I had forgotten how great it felt to have the sand between my toes.”
“You know what’s weird? I think we take it for granted since we live here. I mean, we go to the beach, but not nearly as often as you’d imagine. We have the pool in the yard and we tend to hang out there more.”
“That must be nice.”
“You and Lucas need to come over and swim. I think it’s great that he and Kaitlyn have hit it off, and Anna can’t stop talking about how much she likes you.”
“I like her too,” she said, leaning on the counter to watch him.
He crawled out from under the cabinet and stood to lift the old sink out. “I’ll be right back.” He took the sink and the old faucet out to the trash and came back a minute later. “Come over tomorrow, bring Lucas. We’ll barbecue and swim and it will just be us—no big family hoopla, you know?”
“Sounds great. But shouldn’t you run it by Anna first?”
He grinned. “Probably, but she’s not going to mind. So let’s plan on it, okay?”
Just then her dryer beeped, letting her know the cycle was done. Teagan excused herself and left Quinn to finish installing the sink while she folded laundry. And that’s really when it hit her—she led a very boring life.
When her parents had offered to take Lucas for the day, she’d thought Bobby was coming over to finish with the sink. So she’d put a little extra care into her appearance and cleaned the house until it sparkled, and what did she have to show for it?
She was standing alone in her hallway folding towels.
Awesome.
When she was done, she put the laundry away and made herself busy doing…nothing. There was nothing to do but walk in aimless circles.
Whole lot of good that did me.
Back in the kitchen, she saw Quinn tightening the new faucet. “Wow, it looks great!”
“Yeah, Bobby has good taste when he’s spending my money,” he replied with a deep laugh. “But it’s definitely an improvement.”
“There wasn’t anything wrong with the old one, Quinn. It was really just the leak under the sink. I hate that you had to do all this.”
He shrugged. “Anna and I have been talking about doing work on the house for a while. If you hadn’t rented it, we probably would have let the place stay vacant for a while so we could get it all done. I know she feels bad that things aren’t in better shape for you.”
“Please, I grew up in military housing. This is way better than some of the places we’ve lived. And I have to admit, the fact that it’s just me and Lucas living here makes it even better.”
He studied her for a minute. “You lived with your folks all this time?”
She nodded. “Except when I was away at college for undergrad. I did my master’s closer to home, since I’d just had Lucas. It was easier to live with them so they could help with him.”
Quinn leaned against the counter, his arms folded over his chest. “Damn, Teagan. I had no idea.”
It wasn’t as if her life was a secret or that she was ashamed. If things had been different—if Logan had lived—maybe people wouldn’t feel so sorry for her. And after all this time, she had gotten used to the pity and knew how to handle it graciously.
“I’m lucky my folks were so willing to take us on. It had been a long time since they’d had a newborn in the house and they really spent more time with him than the average grandparent would have. But they were amazing, and with the way it all happened…well. I’m just very thankful for them.”
“I always thought your folks were great,” he said, picking up the trash from the installation as he talked. “And I think it’s awesome how they’ve been there for you.” He paused. “I guess that’s why you all decided to make this move together, huh? It would have been hard to live so far apart.”
“Honestly I didn’t realize how serious they were about moving here. They mentioned it a time or two, but after we came to visit, it was like they couldn’t leave Colorado fast enough!” She laughed at the memory. “I think Lucas and I could have stayed behind and been okay, but I felt like I was ready for a change. Plus, the job opportunity here was better than anything I was finding back home.”
He nodded. “I get that. You have to go where the work is.”
Even though she didn’t say anything, her mind immediately went to Bobby. He had to go back to Myrtle Beach because that’s where his home and his job were. Part of her wished he worked locally. Maybe then she’d get to see him again.
“I thought for a while there that you were sort of working all over the country.” She changed the subject. “What made you settle here?”
Quinn picked up the last of the trash and placed it in a bag. “I always knew I’d open a shop here, but originally I figured I’d set it up and work here for a while and then move on and leave a crew in charge.” He shrugged. “But once everything was underway it seemed like everyone else was moving back home and settling down.” He grinned. “And then things got started between me and Anna, and I knew I couldn’t leave.”
It wasn’t hard to tell how much the man loved his wife. “You two were friends forever as kids. It’s amazing how you transitioned.”
“Ask anyone and they’ll tell you how blind I was to the fact that the perfect woman was right there in front of me and I didn’t realize it.”
With a knowing glance, she asked, “Do people remind you of it?”
He seemed amused. “All the time. Particularly her brother.”
Well…if Quinn was the one to bring him up, then she guessed it was okay. “Really? He didn’t approve?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Quinn said, grimacing. “Although we’ve come a long way in the last several years. For the longest time—particularly when Anna and I started dating—Bobby was not happy about it at all.”
“But you won him over?”
He chuckled. “I don’t know if I’d go that far, but…we understand each other better now.”
“I’m sure it makes things easier since you’re family.” There were dozens of questions swirling in her head that she wanted to ask, but she wasn’t sure how. “You two seem like you have a…I don’t know, respect for one another.”
Shrugging, he said, “I know he was just looking out for his sister and I can respect that. I know I was harsh on guys Darcy dated when she was younger, and believe me when I say we all gave her husband hell when he first came around.”
That sounded about right, she thought.
“Anyway,
having Bobby living further away has certainly helped, but he comes back and visits often enough. He’s even stayed with us a couple of times rather than at his parents’ place, so I guess that’s progress.”
“Did he always work in Myrtle Beach?”
This time Quinn looked at her funny and she braced herself for him to catch on that she was fishing for information, but luckily, he didn’t push the question. “Nah. He moved down there a few years ago. He’d been on the local police force here in town. There were some changes, he got a new partner—a woman—and…well, it didn’t go well.”
“He was against working with a woman?”
Now her cousin looked uncomfortable. “Not exactly.”
“Then what?”
Rolling his eyes, Quinn picked up the bag of trash. “Let’s just say he liked working with her a little…too much. Lines got blurred and he decided it would be best if he moved away.”
“Wow. That’s a bit drastic.”
“That’s Bobby. It’s all black or white with him. There’s no middle ground.” Then he chuckled. “Plus, I think it was time for a change.”
“How come?”
“He’s dated every woman in town and never got serious with any of them. I think he was ready to move on to something new. New dating pool, new conquests, whatever. Either way, it was a good move for him.” Without another word, Quinn walked out with the last of the trash. Two minutes later he was back. He turned the water on, tested the faucet, and checked under the sink to make sure everything was working properly. When he was satisfied, he faced Teagan. “All done!”
“Thanks again, Quinn. I appreciate you coming over to finish up.”
“No problem. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear Bobby did this just to mess with me—letting me believe I’d have a day off and then taking it away from me.” It was said lightly, like he was joking, but suddenly Teagan had to wonder if that had truly been Bobby’s motive.
And that thought annoyed her. The last thing she wanted was to be some sort of pawn in a childish game.
“You sure I can’t get you something to drink?”
Tangled Up in You Page 7