SWNOVELS HUGE STEPS: Chapter 7
I lean back on my heels, inspecting the lineup of the piping. The last time I was here at Miranda’s place, her six-year-old, Cassie, had managed to gunk up the kitchen sink with some homemade slime concoction. This time it’s a backed-up garbage disposal.
I inspect it one more time, just to be sure, and flip the switch by the sink, turn on the faucet and let both run, listening to the loud whirring. Everything seems good now. Simple enough fix.
I didn’t have to take the extra job today but to be honest I needed the distraction. after the way everything went down with Abi a few days ago, it’s all I can do to keep my focus off of her.
The back-door creaks open, and I see a little gap-toothed smile and a pair of big blue eyes watching me.
“All right. Let’s have it.”
Cassie comes bounding in, her blonde ponytail swinging behind her. I move away from the sink and let her get a good look, unable to stop myself from cracking a smile even as she walks slowly around me with a staged serious expression on her face.
“Hmm,” she says, tapping her chin. All she needs is a pipe and a detective’s cap. “You’re wearing the same shirt as always. It’s too hard to tell. Can you say something again?”
“Something again.” I grin.
“Uh!” Cassie pretends to stomp her foot down. “It’s not fair. You sound the same, too!”
I lean down until we’re almost eye level. “But if you had to guess…”
“Jamie?” she replies half-hopefully.
“Nope, try again,” I wink at her.
“Did he stump you again?” Miranda asks, coming in from the backyard as well.
I stand back up and wipe my hands on my rag and point to the open cabinets under the sink. “All fixed.”
Cassie huffs. “I never know which one you are!”
“Don’t feel bad, Cassie. My own mom doesn’t always know which one I am, either,” I tell her, closing the cabinet doors.
“Bet my mom knows which one you are,” she mumbles back, her arms folded across her chest.
“That’s because I’m the one footing the bill,” Miranda replies, tickling under Cassie’s arm until she grins at her again.
“Thanks for coming out on such short notice. Again,” she sighs, shaking her head.
Maybe it’s just because I know what it’s like being raised by a tough single mom, but I always like coming by to work for Miranda. She’s never given me too much information about her and Cassie’s situation, and I don’t pry, but I can tell she can get frustrated, especially when me or Jamie are needed. There’s an always present strain in her eyes, and as much as I would never admit it to her, she reminds me a lot of my mom.
“What’s the damage?” she asks, putting on her reading glasses as I hand her the clipboard.
“The usual,” I reply, shrugging. Another thing I would never admit to Miranda? Both me and Jamie always give her a discount just because. And we don’t tell her because we both know she’d never allow it.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” I fish around in my bag for the lollipop I made sure to grab on the way over. “Blueberry this time.” I hand it to Cassie who immediately cheers up a thousand percent, beaming like crazy up at me. “Thank you!”
She throws her arms around me and I gently pat her head. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Miranda watching, her face softening.
“You know, you’ll make a really great dad, someday,” she says thoughtfully, adding her signature with a flourish to the bottom of the worksheet. “Jamie too, even.”
“Now you’re pushing it,” I chuckle. We both know how stubborn and well, Jamie-like, my brother can be.
“No, no, I mean it. You seem to have a way with kids. You should be proud of that. Not all men are like that.”
I pretend not to notice the sadness in her voice.
Things were the same for a while with Mom. I know that she had it rougher than she’d ever care to admit to me or Jamie, and that’s the main reason why instead of getting all way-overprotective of her, we were relieved when she found Keith.
Well, at least we were after a while, anyway; when he’d proved himself to be worthy of her.
Cassie tugs on my sleeve. “Are you going to come back the next time? Or is it going to be Jamie?”
“Are you asking me to cheat and give you the answer? I don’t think so. Besides…” I add with a laugh, “…as long as you don’t try any more experiments on the kitchen sink, your mom can take care of things pretty well on her own.”
Miranda’s face brightens a little as she hands over her credit card. “One can only hope.”
I thank her, waving bye to her and Cassie, and head out the front door, satisfied.
Maybe it was Miranda’s words about me being a good dad, or maybe it was goofing around with Cassie, but I feel good. I have to chuckle at the thought of what my mom would say, and whether she’d agree with Miranda. I can’t imagine being a dad yet, but someday it’s definitely my plan.
I’m missing one pretty fundamental factor, though; someone to have a baby with.
Just like that, Abi’s pretty face comes back in view.
I feel like a kid who got given his favorite toy for Christmas and then had it snatched away. It was hard before I knew what it felt like to be with her. Now I know, I can’t stop thinking about her. The worst thing is that I have no idea how she really feels. I thought…or hoped that she was as into us as we are into her, but then she pushed us away like we’d just made the most terrible mistake.
Jamie’s as confused about it as me. I can’t really say I know what’s going through her head. I wish I did.
I check my watch, surprised to see how much of the day has already passed by. It wouldn’t hurt to just stop by, would it?
I throw my bag over my shoulder, resolving to go over and check on Abi once I’m done. She might not want a repeat of the best night of my life, but that doesn’t mean I can be her friend. Maybe, just maybe, she might have changed my mind. I guess, one way or the other, I’ll have my answer soon enough.