Page 19 of Beautiful Crazy
“You could never put me out.” Smiling at her, I walk into her house, noting how fucking good she smells as I pass by her. Tropical and fresh. I’m suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to bury my face in the crook of her neck and breathe her in. I have no doubt it would be intoxicating.
Gemma leads me into the kitchen, letting me walk in as she stands in the entrance. “It’s not draining,” she explains. “And I’m not sure why. I tried looking online for easy fixes, and a lot of people suggested a clogged drain or garbage disposal, but neither of those seem to be the issue.”
I open the dishwasher and set down my toolbox. “Okay. I’ll take a look. Should be easy enough.”
“Do you need anything from me? I can help.”
“Oh, no, I got it. You can get back to whatever you weredoing before I got here if you want. It shouldn’t take me too long.”
She nods, resting her arm against the entryway to the kitchen. “Do you want any coffee or anything before you get started?”
“I’ll take some coffee after.” Glancing over, I meet her gaze, holding it as a smile curls my lips. Face clear of any makeup, her freckles really stand out this morning. They even appear darker than the first time I saw them. Smiling back at me, her eyes squint as she nods.
“Okay. I’ll be on the back porch working, but holler if you need anything.”
Flashing her one last smile, I crouch down and open the toolbox. “You got it.”
After she disappears outside and I get started, it only takes me about ten minutes to figure out the issue, and just like I assumed, it’s an easy one to fix. The drain hose was kinked. I’m not sure how that happened, but once I unhook the dishwasher from the power, it’s a simple fix.
I wash my hands in the sink before heading out back to find her. She’s curled up on one of those huge egg chairs, a pink, fuzzy blanket draped over her as her laptop sits on her lap. She’s typing away, concentration furrowing her brow, but as soon as I step onto the porch, her eyes lift from her screen, meeting mine.
“You need something?” she asks, moving to stand up.
“Oh, no. I’m all done,” I tell her. “It’s fixed.”
“Really?” Her brows pinch together. “Wow, that was fast.”
Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I smirk. “Yeah, what can I say? I’m a whiz with the appliances.”
Gemma snorts. “And so modest,” she teases as she brushes past me into the house. “I’ll make us some coffee. I’ve got a couple muffins if you want one?”
“Sure, that sounds great.”
“Banana nut or blueberry?” she asks, tossing me a look over her shoulder as I follow behind her.
“Surprise me.”
As if they have a mind of their own, my eyes dip down to her ass. And fuck, is it a nice ass. Nice and round, bubbly, and paired with the thick set of hips she’s got on her, it almost pains me to peel my eyes away.
God, if she could hear me, she’d probably slap me.
“Where’s Sutton?” I ask as I glance around the house, realizing I haven’t seen him at all since I got here.
“He’s out with my sister,” she calls out. “They’re picking up the baseball gear he and Beau need to start practice next week.”
“Nice! Bet he’s excited about that.”
“Oh, you have no idea.” She chuckles as she opens one of the cabinets and grabs a couple plates out. “He can’t stop talking about it. I haven’t seen him this excited about something in a long time.”
“That’s awesome. I used to play baseball when I was a kid, and I loved it.”
Her eyes flit over to me, and she smiles, making my stomach twist. “Here.” Handing me two small plates topped with a blueberry muffin each, she says, “If you want to take these out to the porch, I’ll bring our coffees.”
“Is it nice having a kid the same age as your sister’s kids?”
“It’ssonice. It’s like built-in best friends. Beau andSutton’s birthdays are only a couple months apart too, and even Blakely, she’s only a little over a year younger than the boys. So, they’ve all always been close.”
“Did you two plan that?” I ask. “Being pregnant at the same time.”