Page 12 of Dad Next Door
Nick gave Zane another, then tossed me the last bottle. “No snacks until you’re done and can wash your hands. You’ve been playing in the dirt for hours. Did you learn nothing in kindergarten?” He pushed his white hard hat back from where it had fallen over his forehead and covered his eyes. “I think my hat is broken.”
“Gimme.” River put his water down and made grabby hands at Nick. “You can’t supervise if you can’t see.”
Nick passed it over. “Thanks, babes.”
River fiddled with the suspension harness, tightening the inner straps to make the fit tighter.
I cracked my bottle open and took a long drink as Noah, Zane, and Gray did the same. The six of us had spent the last few hours tearing up my walkway and were nearly done laying the new stones.
The house was in great shape, but the yards, decks, and landscaping had been badly neglected over the years, and I had a laundry list of things that needed to be fixed or replaced to bring the outside up to par.
The only reason I’d taken on such a big project was because of my background in construction and contracting—and the fact that I had a crew of friends in the same business.
Noah, Gray, River, and Zane had put in hours of work with me since I moved in, and Nick was usually around to entertain and supervise us. We’d already built a new deck around my hot tub in the back, fixed the outdoor fireplace, and replaced my shed.
They’d saved me a ton of time and money by helping, but that’s just who they were. Gray, Nick, Zane, River, and I had met about a year and a half ago when they’d been hired as dancers at the strip club I sometimes headlined at. It had taken some time, but we’d become friends, and now I considered each of them my family, including Noah, who worked with the guys and was Zane’s boyfriend.
“Here. Give this a try.” River held out the hard hat to Nick.
Nick plopped it onto his head and beamed a smile at River. “Thanks!”
“I’m still salty over the lack of snacks.” River shot Nick a pointed look.
“Same.” Noah patted his belly.
“You’ll get your snacks when you’re done with all the icky stuff.” Nick wrinkled his nose. “It smells like outside.”
“Imagine that.” Gray hip checked Nick.
“Yikes!” Nick stumbled but caught himself and did a pirouette-type spin, ending it with a sweeping bow. “Oh yeah. Now that’s how you do it!” He struck a pose, his hip out and one arm above his head. “You may applaud now.”
Dutifully, we all clapped, and River whistled.
“Thank you.” Nick bowed. His hard hat fell off his head. “This thing is definitely broken.” He straightened and glared at the fallen headpiece.
“I think the problem is gravity, not the hat.” Zane scooped the hard hat up and tucked it under his arm.
“So, how much longer are you guys going to be working?” Nick asked as we guzzled the last of our waters. “It looks like you’re almost done. Are you almost done?”
“Nearly done.” I surveyed the walkway. “I’d say an hour, tops?”
The guys mumbled their assent.
“Yeah, I totally see that.” Nick gathered our empty bottles. “Right on schedule, Mr. Reynolds.”
River snickered and flicked Nick on the butt. Nick jumped and let out a high-pitched squeal, the bottles flying from his hands.
We laughed as Nick whirled on River and put his hands on his hips in mock indignation. “Remember who’s in charge here, mister,” he admonished.
“That would be Quinn.” Zane slung his arm over Nick’s shoulders and pulled him in to smack a kiss against his cheek.
A flash of white and yellow in the corner of my eye drew my attention to the end of my driveway and the couple standing there staring at us like we were in the middle of a human sacrifice and not just clowning around and taking a break from working.
“Hi,” I said loudly when they just stood there. “Can I help you?”
The guys followed my gaze, their good moods melting away.
“Does the owner know what you’re doing?” the man asked.