“You do?”
He nodded. “I do. Mainly because I know you and I know you’re going to push him when most people don’t. You’re going to call him out when he goes into big brother or parent mode and remind him that he doesn’t have to do that anymore. We’re all grown up and he can stop hovering.”
She laughed because it was true. “I don’t think he even realizes he’s doing it most of the time, but yeah. I want him to start doing more for himself. Is that wrong? Like…is it mean to ask him to let other people work their own problems out?”
“Not at all. He’s going to ultimately do what he wants to do. Like this house. I think it’s great how he’s helping Scarlett out, but let’s be honest. She and Mason have enough money that they could have hired someone or they could have just sold the place as-is. I’m sure some DIY couple would’ve had a field day with it.”
“Actually, I’ve been having fun being one of those DIY couples with Dean. Crazy, right?”
Shaking his head, Hunter looked around the room. “I kind of like the fact that he’s not here doing it alone. That maybe he’s not looking at this only as a favor he’s doing to help his sister out.” He paused. “For all you know, he’s having fun being part of a DIY couple with you too.”
She thought of some of the things they’d done together in the midst of this mess and started to blush.
Hunter groaned. “Ugh…the look on your face tells me you’re both enjoying it in ways that I don’t even want to think about!”
“What? You said you didn’t have a problem with me and Dean dating!”
“And I don’t. I just don’t want to think about what the two of you do when you’re alone and I certainly don’t want to witness any excessive PDA.” He shuddered dramatically. “Keep that shit to yourselves.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” she said solemnly, even though she was smirking. After a minute she said, “Come on, I’ll show you how the bathroom came out and then you can help me figure out how to paint a room.”
“Paint a room? What room?”
“The bedroom. It was next on my list.”
“Wait, why? Why do you want to do that by yourself?”
“Like I said, I’m bored and I’m on a roll today. If I can get the bedroom painted and cleaned up, I’ll feel like I’ve really accomplished something.” She paused and smiled at him. “Will you help me? Please?”
“Fine,” he drawled. “It’s my day off, but whatever.”
That immediately made her stop. “Oh, my gosh, Hunter, I’m sorry! You probably need to go get Eli or something, right? Don’t mind me. I can totally get this painting thing going on my own. Go on!”
With a chuckle, he walked past her to the bedroom. “What color are you painting it?”
“We’re going with the same soft gray we’re using on the rest of the house. Dean mentioned possibly doing a feature wall with shiplap, but the whole room needs to be painted first.”
Hunter looked around the room. “You got painter’s tape?”
She nodded.
“You got drop cloths?”
She nodded again.
“Brushes and rollers?”
“Trust me. We’ve got it all. But you really don’t need to do this. Your son is way more important than painting this room. If I can’t do it today, there’s plenty of cleaning that still has to get done.”
“Melissa has Eli today and I would have told you if I had to go. Why don’t you go tackle some of the cleaning while I prep the room?” He looked around again. “When I’m ready to start painting, I’ll let you know, and if you want to, I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
With a little squeal of excitement, she all but tackled him in a bear hug. “Thanks, Hunter! You’re the best!”
He laughed when she released him. “Don’t tell my brother that!” Then he just laughed harder. “On second thought, do tell him that and let’s watch as his head explodes!”
12
“I can’t believe you did so much without me.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. And Hunter helped.”
“Still, I thought we were only going to work on this on the weekends.”
She shrugged. “I needed something to do. With both Scarlett and my parents out of town, I’m kind of feeling a little lost. Besides, we both know the place really needed to be cleaned up before we could go any further. And you’re already so busy at the garage that I didn’t think it was a big deal for me to put in a little extra work here.”
It was Saturday morning and they were having their bagels and coffee on the floor of Scarlett’s house. “I just don’t expect you to do it all by yourself, Court.”
“Like I said, Hunter was here on Wednesday and helped out with painting the bedroom. He showed me what to do, so I felt fairly confident doing the hallway and the rest of the living area. It wasn’t a big deal. You’ve done all the rest–the floors, the drywall, and most of the heavy demolition. I told you, we’re a team with this.”
He really liked the sound of that.
“I wish the cabinets were in already,” she continued.
“How come?”
“Then we could have brought Scarlett and Mason over after dinner to show them. I mean, the cat will be out of the bag so they’ll know I haven’t been living here. Why not show them how much we’ve accomplished?”
“We still can. I think if we spend today doing the rest of the cleanup and paint the new wall one more time, it will be in good shape. I do want to be home by three so we have time to shower and get cleaned up before they come over.”
“I don’t think we’ll need three hours for that.”
He gave her a lecherous grin. “You know how we both enjoy a good shower.” Hell, just thinking about it was enough to make him want to rush to get home.
“Mmm…” she hummed. “You do have a point. Everything else is good to go there. I did all the shopping yesterday, the steaks are marinating, and the house is spotless. They are going to be very impressed with all the work you’ve done there too. You sure you don’t want to do more of this? You’ve clearly got a knack for flipping houses!”
“Nah, too much pressure. As much as I’m enjoying this, I’ll be glad when we’re done so I can have my weekends back.”
“Oh.”
“Why? You thinking of changing careers and becoming one of those home designers?” he teased.
Another shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s not like I can find a job doing anything else.”
And there was something in her tone that stopped him. She’d been a little…off…for a few days and whenever he asked her about it, she just changed the subject.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sighing, she tossed the rest of her bagel down and looked at him. “It means I can’t find a job, Dean! I’ve tried to be optimistic but…it’s just not happening! And what’s worse is that I even got turned down to be a cashier in the grocery store! What am I supposed to do?”
Throwing his own breakfast down, he crawled over to her and pulled her into his lap and held her while she cried. His hands gently rubbed up and down her back and it killed him to hear her cry like this. He knew things weren’t going well for her with the job hunt, but she hadn’t let on that it was bothering her until now.
“Hey,” he said softly. “It’s going to be okay, Court. I swear. We’ll get through this.”
Lifting her head, there was a look of utter devastation on her face. “You don’t get it, Dean. There’s nothing you can do to fix this. There’s nothing here for me.”
“I’m here,” he said, his voice a bit harsher than he intended.
She kissed him softly on the lips. “I know that, but…I have to work. I can’t keep going like this. My savings is going to run out. In a million years, I never thought I’d be in this position! My car isn’t fixed, I have no place to live, I mean…how much more can I possibly take?”
Okay, she was spira
ling and he needed to calm her down. “Listen to me,” he began, giving her a gentle shake. “I get that you’re freaking out and no one’s telling you that you’re wrong for feeling like this. But you need to know that you’re not alone. You’re going to find a job. We both know that. So what if it’s taking a little longer than you thought? Who cares?”
“I do!”
Rolling his eyes, he kept his grip on her. “Courtney, your car is going to be fixed and you already have a place to live. With me,” he said, his voice going gruff. “I love having you there and no one’s pushing you out the door! If you’re that upset about not working, hell, we can give you a job at the shop! We’ve got a ton of billing that needs to get done on the computer and there’s always the need for someone to answer the phones…it’s not glamorous and it certainly isn’t your dream job, but if working means that much to you, it’s yours!”
Her eyes went wide but she didn’t say a word.
“Or if that’s not something you want to do, we’ll ask around at every business in town if that’s what it takes. We’ll go door to door! Just…don’t cry. Please.” He caressed her cheek. “I hate to see you this upset. It kills me.”
“Dean…”
“I mean it.” Resting his forehead against hers, he let out a long breath. “We’ll make it work. I promise.”
She let out a shuddery breath. “You don’t get it. And maybe I’m being stubborn but…I want a job in my field. That’s what I went to school for and I love it! The thought of giving up and never doing it again isn’t an option.”
“No one’s saying you’ll never do it again. I’m just suggesting finding something short-term, that’s all.” He stood with her in his arms and helped her stand on her own two feet. Reaching up, he cupped her face in his hands. “You’re going to get through this, I promise.”
“But what if the only option is to move?” she asked sadly and just the thought of it gutted him.
Hell, he didn’t want to even think about it. How could she even still be considering it after the last several weeks?
“One day at a time,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Come on, we’ve got some work to do here so we can brag to Mason and Scarlett about what an awesome job we’re doing and how we should totally have our own HGTV show.”
As he hoped, that made her smile.
It wasn’t a great deflection, but he seriously didn’t know what else to do or say. Come Monday, he was going to bring her to work with him and give her something to do before calling in every favor to every person he knew in hopes of finding her a job. Then he was going to get on his brother-in-law to try to speed up the process of bringing a new dental practice to town. One way or another, Dean was determined to help her.
“I think I’m going to throw up.”
Dean’s eyes went wide. “Seriously? Do you think the sandwiches we got were bad? I feel fine, but…”
“No, no, no…it’s not lunch that’s making me sick; it’s nerves. I am so nervous about seeing Scarlett tonight. I mean…you’re going to answer the door and invite them in, and I’m going to be standing here in the middle of the living room shaking like an idiot.”
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. “First, nothing you do makes you an idiot. And it’s perfectly normal to be nervous. My sister has been our biggest obstacle and we have no idea how she’s going to react.”
Courtney took several deep, cleansing breaths before she moved out of his arms. “What if she freaks out?” she demanded, feeling the first waves of an anxiety attack come on.
“Well, I think we should expect a little bit of a freak-out, but once we talk to her and remind her how we didn’t freak out on her when she started dating Mason…”
“You kind of freaked out on her. I didn’t.”
He sighed loudly. “I only freaked out because I heard she was pregnant and never even knew they were dating.”
“Still, I think you need to prepare that she’ll throw that back at you.”
“I don’t know…we talked a little about that the other day and…”
“Wait. You talked about what?”
“About what it was like when she and Mason started dating and how other people reacted to them.”
“Why would you bring that up?”
The smile he gave her was all charm and confidence. “Just laying the groundwork, sweetheart.”
She had to give him credit; it was a brilliant idea.
“And what did she have to say?”
“Basically, she said the only one who really gave her grief was Mason’s mother. She also said that if any of us had had a problem, it wouldn’t have fazed her because the only one in the relationship with Mason was her.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded.
“Wow.”
“I know. She pretty much just handed us our response, so even if she freaks out, we’re good.”
“Well, let’s hope she doesn’t freak out too much. These steaks look like they’re going to be fantastic and I made all her favorite sides–loaded twice-baked potatoes, green bean casserole, and a Caesar salad. Plus, we’ve got an antipasto platter for an appetizer and cupcakes for dessert.”
“Jeez, that’s a lot of food.”
“Trust me, it’s the best way to distract your sister at this point.” With a laugh, Courtney turned to grab herself something to drink when Dean’s cellphone rang. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as he looked down at the screen and frowned. “If that’s Scarlett calling to cancel, tell her I’m eating all the cupcakes!”
Again, she knew food was not only a good distraction, but also a good motivator.
Dean answered the phone and took a couple of steps away from her.
“What?” he cried. “Are you kidding me?” Silence. “Do you want us to come or…” He nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll call them and we’ll be there soon.” With his back to her, she noticed him take several deep breaths even as he hung his head.
“Dean? Is everything okay?”
“You’re not going to believe this,” he said wearily as he turned to face her. “Scarlett’s in labor.”
“What?” she cried, mimicking his reaction from just moments ago. “How is that even possible? It’s too early! Are they sure it’s really labor?”
He nodded and walked into the kitchen and began putting all the food away. “Mason said her water broke two hours ago. They’re at the hospital and she’s already dilated to six centimeters.” He stopped what he was doing and looked at her. “That’s a thing, right? Like that’s supposed to happen?”
Unable to help herself, she laughed. “Yes, that’s a thing.” Then it hit her. “Oh my God! She’s having the baby!”
Dean looked at her funny. “Um, yeah. That’s what I’ve been saying. I need to call my dad and everyone and let them know and then we’ll head to the hospital.”
“Okay, you go make the calls and I’ll finish putting the food away,” she told him, shouldering him out of the way. “I’ve got this.”
He gave her a quick kiss. “Thanks.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were getting ready to walk out the door. “Should we eat something first? I mean, I know we don’t have time to grill the steaks or anything, but maybe just a snack?”
“How about we pack up the antipasto and bring it with us? We can share it with everyone.”
She made a face. “I don’t think there’s enough for everyone. I made it to feed four–well, four extremely hungry people so maybe it will feed more if we don’t overdo it. Or if your brothers keep their hands to themselves,” she added with a laugh.
“Hunter’s on call at the firehouse so he won’t be there and Kyle’s out on a date so…”
“We’re wasting time here,” she murmured and turned back to the kitchen and began pulling out containers to put the assortment of meats and cheeses in. “Grab the box of crackers and I’ll add some of that cheese spread we were saving and maybe some of the grapes and strawberries.”
<
br /> “Court, how many people do you think are going to be there?”
“I don’t know! Us, your dad, your grandfather, Mason’s family…”
“That doesn’t mean we need enough food for everyone,” he reasoned.
With a patient smile, she continued to package up the food. “Look, we were getting ready to have dinner and chances are so was everyone else. I’m not saying we have to feed them all, but this can be our contribution to the festivities.”
“Festivities? We’re going to be sitting around waiting for a baby to be born.”
“Maybe we should stop for cake…”
“Courtney!” His voice was full of exasperation but she didn’t take offense. He was clueless as to why this was all such a big deal and it was okay. By the end of the night she knew he’d be just as excited as she was.
Placing all the containers in one of the reusable shopping bags he had in the pantry, she took the box of crackers from him and walked toward the front door. “You want to bring anything else with us? Drinks? A board game? Our Kindles?”
“How long do you think we’re going to be there?” he asked, frowning.
“You poor, sweet, clueless man,” she said, patting his cheek. “You really have no idea about these things, do you?”
“Court…”
“Weren’t you there when Eli was born? There’s no timetable!” she said with a laugh. “Babies come when they’re ready.”
“Clearly this baby is ready considering it’s like seven weeks early.” Then he paused. “Is this a safe amount of time? Are there going to be complications? Is there a chance…”
She could see it was all hitting him and he was starting to freak out. Reaching out, she took one of his hands in hers. “Hey,” she said softly. “It’s going to be okay. It’s definitely early but Scarlett’s pregnancy has been really good.”
And Then One Day (Magnolia Sound Book 4) Page 16