Chapter 9
Nine
The outdoor handrail proved trickier than expected. The cement step crumbled to pieces the first time Miles drilled into it. He was more careful with the next attempts, though, and was able to install everything the day before Annie’s mom came home.
It wasn’t just a big day for Annie and Clara; it was a big day for Bella, too.
Annie had hired Bella for her first official babysitting job.
She was going to watch the twins for an hour while Annie went to pick up her mom and bring her home from the rehab facility.
Then she was to stay on for another hour so Annie could get her mom settled.
Miles wasn’t sure about the whole thing. He offered to come along and be a free second set of hands, but Bella shot him down instantly.
“Do you think I can’t handle it?” she said, arms crossed. “Because Annie thinks I can.”
Where was all this vitriol coming from? It seemed to kick up tenfold after the first time she’d walked through those high school doors.
“Of course I think you can do it,” Miles said, “I just want to be available if you need me. I’m always here if you need me.”
“I know, Dad,” she said, dragging out the “a” in “dad.”
That was the end of the discussion. He resolved to make sure he was at home, just down the street, when Bella left for the babysitting job. That way, if anything went awry, he could rush to the rescue.
He had the day off and decided he could start the process of power washing the driveway. Instead, once outside, he stood and gazed in the direction of Annie’s house. The volume on his phone was all the way up in case Bella texted him, but he kept pulling it out to check every few minutes.
What if Leon launched himself off the couch backwards again? What if one of the twins choked on something? Miles was ready to sprint down the road. He even had an EMS kit by the door.
The text never came, though, and before the first hour was up, he spotted Annie driving down the street. He waved at her and she stopped at the bottom of the driveway.
He jogged over.
“Hey!” she called out of her open window. “They let me take her home!”
Her smile was so wide and contagious he couldn’t help himself. He grinned back. “Hi there!”
Clara leaned forward, waving, “Hi, Miles! Nice to meet you. Thank you so much for all you’ve done at the house.”
“Wait until you’ve seen it,” he said gruffly. “You might be sending me a bill for drywall repair.”
She laughed and waved a hand. “At that old house? I don’t think so.”
She had a dainty, airy laugh, exactly like Annie’s. It was uncanny to see them together, like a picture of Annie in the future.
“Have you heard anything from Bella?” he asked.
Annie shook her head. “I’m sure she’s fine. I haven’t gotten to tell you, but I’m so impressed with her.”
He nodded, jaw tight.
She paused, eyeing him for a moment. “You’re welcome to tag along with us if you’d like.”
He didn’t need to be asked twice. Miles pulled open the door and took a seat next to a large suitcase. “Thanks. I’d like that.”
Annie started moving again. “I have sloppy joes in the crock pot for dinner.”
“My favorite!” Clara added.
“You’re welcome to stay.”
He hadn’t eaten anything since his omelet that morning. His stomach growled. “Are you sure?”
“Positive!” Annie said. “It’s one of our favorites, and I always make too much.”
They reached the house. Annie parked and quickly leapt out of her seat, rushing to help her mom get out of the car.
“I’m really fine, Annie. My physical therapist said I’m getting around great.”
Annie took her arm. “I won’t have you falling again, Mom.”
Miles pulled the suitcase out and followed closely behind, watching as Clara approached the front stairs.
This was the moment of truth. Clara grabbed onto the handrail, bracing her weight.
“Hey, this is really nice,” she said, turning around to smile at Miles.
“Eyes ahead!” Annie barked. “Stay focused.”
Clara laughed. “All right, all right.”
She slowly, but easily, made her way up. The front door creaked open and toddler screams filled their ears.
Miles bit his lip. Other screams might follow. Bella would not be happy to see him.
“Grandma’s home!” Annie called out.
The twins came running over, attaching themselves to Clara’s legs. Leon then threw his arms in the air.
“Up, up!” he repeated.
Clara stooped down to give him a hug. “Grandma can’t pick you up yet, but I am so happy to see you.”
Annie turned around, facing Miles. Her eyes were red.
His heart sunk. Something was wrong.
“Are you okay?” Miles asked in a low voice.
She gave a quick nod and brushed a finger under her eye. “Leon hasn’t said a word since Mom went to the hospital. The speech therapist said he might have just missed her and…” Her voice trailed off.
A speech therapist. Miles hadn’t realized Leon was having issues, or that he’d stopped speaking altogether. Come to think of it, Noel seemed to do most of the talking, but that had to be normal, right?
Annie took a deep breath and dabbed at her eye. Miles’ throat tightened and, without thinking, put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
“She’s home now,” he said. “From here on, everyone can move forward.”
He wasn’t sure exactly how to comfort her, but it seemed to do the trick. Annie flashed a smile, nodded again, and turned to walk in the house.
He followed, hiding behind Annie and Clara.
“Welcome home!” Bella said. “We’ve been having a great time. First, we put on some music and had a dance party. Leon has some great moves. Then, Noel and I played pretend kitchen while Leon knocked over some towers I’d built for him.”
Annie beamed. “That is wonderful.”
Miles cleared his throat. “Maintenance. Just here for repairs.”
Despite herself, Bella smiled when she saw him. “Dad! I told you I had it under control.”
“I know. It wasn’t my idea to come here. Annie invited me to dinner.”
“It’s true,” Annie said. “I saw him out on the road, wandering around and looking lost.”
Bella shook her head. “He tends to do that.”
Annie led her mom through the house, showing her the improvements Miles had made. The excited “oohs” and “ahhs” made him feel bad.
He had hardly done anything, but they were acting like he had built a new house for them. It was a shame he couldn’t build a new house for them; they sorely needed more space.
Clara returned to the living room and lowered herself onto the couch. “Miles, would you mind opening a window? It’s stuffy in here.”
Miles obliged, turning to pry open a large window by the couch. It resisted his efforts.
“Does this always stick like this?” he asked.
Annie appeared at his side, throwing an elbow into the frame. It popped open.
“I think something’s broken,” she said with a shrug.
Miles frowned. “I could fix it.”
She peered up at him with those calm blue grey eyes. “That’s very kind, but I think you’ve done enough.”
“I like having things to fix.” He cleared his throat. “I noticed your showerhead was also hanging down. I could replace it. While I’m in there, I can fix the bathroom vent. It doesn’t seem like it’s connected to the outside.”
Clara sighed. “There are a lot of little things I haven’t been able to fix over the years.”
He paused. He’d thought this was Annie’s house, but maybe it was the other way around.
Why had Annie had to move in here? Was it to help take care of her mom? The woman might be a saint. He felt an unfamiliar swell in his chest.
“Well, then,” he said, willing the feeling to go away. “I’ve made up my mind. I can’t leave the job unfinished.”
Annie studied him, her expression unreadable.
Maybe he’d gone too far. He wasn’t sure what had gotten into him. He’d spent the morning anxiously standing outside, sure Bella would need his help. She clearly had done just fine on her own. The twins were healthy and happy, and Bella didn’t seem the least bit frazzled.
It wasn’t that Bella didn’t need him anymore. She just didn’t need him in this instance. She still needed her dad, even if it was in different ways.
That’s what he told himself, at least. And what was this new offer he’d come up with? Was it a need to feel needed? Was he transferring his unwanted help onto Annie and her mom?
Or was it something else? Something to do with the way his heart pounded a little faster when Annie smiled at him. Something with the urge to look away when she flashed those sea-colored eyes at him...
“If you’ll have me,” he added.
“Of course we’ll have you,” Clara said. “Maybe you can figure out why our ice maker stopped working, too.”
“Mom!” Annie whispered. “You can’t just make people fix random things in your house.”
“He’s not random. He’s our neighbor.” Clara smiled at him, hands placidly resting on her lap.
“That’s right,” Miles said with a nod. “Not random at all.”
Annie stared at them. “We can’t solicit help forever.”
“Speak for yourself!” Clara said.
Annie sighed and shook her head. “I’m going to set the table.”
Miles smiled to himself. There was nothing better than helping a neighbor.
If it happened to be a pretty neighbor with kind eyes and gentle hands – well, all the better.