Page 56 of A Little Luck
“We’ll haveto replace this line all the way to the tie in down there.” Chuck Claus shoves a thick pencil behind his ear. “With the new toilet, replacing the floor and repairing the ceiling… You’re looking at about four thousand.”
“Dollars?” Piper’s voice breaks, and her wide green eyes turn to me. “I can’t afford that.”
She’s so adorable in a black tank top and jeans, with her thick red hair piled on her head in a messy bun. Her full lips are a rosy pink shade, and I’d really like to kiss her, tell her I’ll take care of the repairs.
And her.
And Ryan.
Instead, I put my hand on her shoulder. “I’ll loan you the money, and you can pay me back.”
Her slim brow furrows, and she shakes her head. “I can’t let you do that. It’s too much.”
“It’s what I do, Piper.” I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile. “Remember? Community outreach?”
“Still, those programs have paperwork and applications…”
“That are simply for record keeping.” I can’t believe she’s arguing with me about this. “Everybody gets the help they need, and you need your house fixed.”
Although, I’d be happy for her to continue staying at my place indefinitely.
Chuck waits, looking down and around awkwardly.
Finally, I let him off the hook. “How soon do you think you can get it done?”
He hops to attention. “We’re not too busy at this time of year. I could fit her in towards the end of the week. Would that work?”
“No!” Piper’s voice goes high. “Cass’s wedding is this weekend. It’s a crazy week. I can’t possibly—”
“I could also get started next week if that works better?” Chuck is a quick study.
I pat him on the shoulder, signing off on the work order. “Next week is great. Thanks for coming out.”
He steps out of the mess of broken beams and damp floor. Piper is across the room picking up scattered items from the shattered bureau. It looks like papers and a few keepsake items.
“Was anything ruined?” I make my way over to where she’s squatting beside what looks like a box of old pictures.
“I don’t think so…” All at once I see a group of photos of what looks like her in only underwear.
“What’s this? Boudoir shots?”
“Oh!” She grabs them so fast, I can’t really make out anything.
I’m about to tease her, but she seems genuinely upset. She’s blinking fast like she might cry, and I reach for her arm.
“Hey, are you okay?” Why would she cry about pictures of her in her underwear? “What were those?”
“It’s nothing… something old.” Her fingers tremble as she shoves the photographs into her notebook.
It’s the third time she’s acted this way, and although we said no questions, I can’t hold back this time.
“It can’t be nothingandsomething.” Her eyes don’t meet mine, so I touch her chin, lifting it. “Are you ashamed of your body?”
Strain lines her expression, and she’s tense, almost like she’s trapped. It makes me feel like an ass. I want her to feel safe, not threatened, so I release her at once.
Gentling my tone, I don’t pressure her. “I know having a baby changes things, but not to me. I meant what I said last night. Nothing can change how beautiful you are in my eyes.”
“Adam…” She exhales a sigh, stepping closer and placing her hand on mine.