She crosses her arms defiantly. “I’ll call James.”
“James? I don’t think so.” I mimic her stance; feet firmly apart, arms crossed at my chest.
“You have no say in what I do here or who I call for help, Jake.”
“No, but I’ll be damned if James is coming over to help you. I’ll stop by the hardware store on my way over and get a new fitting for the pipe.” And with that I start picking up my tools and head towards the door.
She storms after me, bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. “What if I’m not going to be here tomorrow? You can’t just boss me around and expect me to bend to your every whim.”
“Where are you going to be?” I ask as I turn back around to face her, her emerald green eyes are as dark and smoky as night.
“None of your business,” she replies, chin firmly up in the air.
I lean forward until my face is within a few inches of hers. “Well, I’ve made it my business, darlin’. And you could thank me for coming over here in the middle of the night and getting my pants all wet from crawling all over your floor, all just to help you out.”
I can see the fire extinguish a little in her eyes. Her face softens and her eyes return to their normal bright green color. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Thank you for helping me tonight, Jake.”
I give her a half smile and say, “Oh, you’re welcome, darlin’. I’ll let you make it up to me very soon.” She snaps back to attention and gives me a cold look. “I’ll see you tomorrow, darlin’.” And then I turn and walk out her door.
I hear her open the door behind me. “And quit calling me that!”
I chuckle as I throw my tools into the passenger side of my truck and hop in. Erin is standing in the window, arms crossed over her perky chest, scowl still evident on her beautiful face.
Oh yes, Erin. I will definitely see you tomorrow…and I will never quit calling her that.
*****
Saturday morning proves to be one big pain in the ass. I head over to Avery’s by seven-thirty to make sure everything is ready to go for the move. When I walk through the front door, I hear the little feet of my niece, Brooklyn.
“Uncle Jake! You here!”
“I’m here, Bean,” I exclaim as I pick her up and give her a big kiss. “How’s my favorite little lady doing today?”
“We’re moving!”
“Yes, you are. By the way, who’s your favorite uncle?” I ask with a grin.
“You,” she giggles. “Mommy says I can have a puppy!”
“Really? Well, next time you are at my house, we’ll go pick one out!”
“YAY! Daddy, Uncle Jake says I can pick a puppy when I stay wiff him!”
“Thank you very much, Jake,” Maddox says sarcastically as he walks into the room.
“Hey, that’s what friends and uncles are for.”
“I’ll remember that,” he smarts off as he turns and heads into the kitchen. He pours three cups of coffee and hands me one. I watch as he walks over to the fridge and grabs the milk, pouring just a splash in the third cup that is still sitting on the counter.
Maddox looks up at my smiling face. “What?”
“So, when did you lose your balls? Does Avery carry them around in her purse and give them back to you for special occasions?”
“Fuck you! I didn’t lose anything. My balls are still firmly attached where they’ve always been.”
“That’s right, honey. They’re very much where they’ve always been,” Avery says as she walks in and grabs a hold of Maddox’s junk. Seriously.
“What the hell was that? I thought I told you not to even touch each other when I’m around,” I thunder across the kitchen at my sister.
She smiles over her shoulder at me before placing a kiss on her fiancé’s lips.
“Don’t be a hater, my friend. Coming home every night to my smokin’ hot fiancée is the best part of my day.”
I grumble a little under my breath. “Whatever. I just don’t want you feeling each other up in front of me. I’m going to have nightmares.”
“Oh, Jake. You are not as tough as you think you are. Someday, someone is going to come along and knock you down a few pegs. I can’t wait to sit back and watch it happen.”
“Not happening.”
“Oh, speaking of not happening, whatever happened last night at Erin’s?” Maddox inquired with a smug look on his cocky face. I want to punch him.
“Oh that’s right. Did she get her leak fixed?” Avery asks while sipping her coffee.
“I need to stop by the hardware store and grab a new fitting before I run over to her place and fix her up.”