4. Chapter Four
Chapter four
B rennan
Ryder had been so patient and kind as we shopped.
He explained what all the different parts were, and I never would’ve come home with the right stuff if he hadn’t been with me.
I didn’t even know plumber’s tape was a thing, much less how to use it.
He bought various fittings because I hadn’t thought to get measurements and didn’t know what size I needed, but he assured me it was no big deal, and he could use whatever we didn’t need in his job.
I didn’t know if that was true or not, but it made me feel better, at least until we got up to the checkout and he insisted on paying.
He said because he’d keep the fittings we didn’t use, and we’d only use a tiny bit of the glue and the tape, that it only made sense for him to pay.
I argued that the stuff he’d get to keep was a small price for me to pay to get the pipes fixed, but he refused to budge, instead insisting that dinner would be his payment.
I could’ve insisted, and I was pretty sure he would’ve let me pay, but he seemed to take some kind of pleasure out of doing it, so I let him.
That meant this needed to be the best darn dinner I ever made.
I tried to fix dinner as often as possible to thank Keegan for letting me stay with him, so I knew I’d have the ingredients to put something together.
I gave him the address, and he assured me he knew where the neighborhood was. He wanted to swing by his place and get some tools first, and then he’d meet me there. I hopped in the car and did a quick google search for Davis Remodeling. Then I called Keegan.
“I have someone coming to fix the sink,” I said as soon as he answered.
“Okay, I feel like I missed something here. Like ten minutes ago, you were having a meltdown in the home improvement store because you didn’t know what to buy, and now someone is coming. Did you give up and call a plumber?”
“I wasn’t having a meltdown. I was just confused.
” Okay, that wasn’t a lie. I wasn’t having a meltdown when I was talking to Keegan.
My meltdown happened a few minutes later when Ryder looked at me with his warm, caring brown eyes—eyes that said tell me everything, Brennan.
“Anyway, there was a guy in there who offered to help, and we got to talking, and he’s going to come and fix the pipe. ”
“Okay, does he know what he’s doing?”
“Keegan, think about the alternative, which was for me to fix it. He’s bound to know more than I do.”
“It just seems odd for some random guy to offer to come fix the plumbing. Unless he thinks you’re cute. Brennan, does he think you're cute?” he teased.
“I doubt he thinks I’m cute,” I lied cause I was pretty sure he did.
Heaven only knows why after I spewed all my baggage all over him in the store.
“He probably just felt sorry for me. He gave me his card, Davis Construction and Remodeling, and I checked out his website once I got in the car. The website is kinda sad, but he’s done some really nice kitchen remodels. ”
“Okay, well, call me when he’s done and let me know you're okay.”
“I will.”
I got to the house and did a quick run-through to make sure things were picked up.
This was one instance where Keegan being out of town was to my benefit.
It wasn’t that he was a slob, so much as a living, breathing tornado who left a disaster in his wake, but since he wasn’t home, it didn’t take me long.
When everything was tidied up, I went into the kitchen to see what I could cook for dinner.
I pulled out a chicken and put it on the counter.
I could roast it and serve it with some mashed potatoes and fresh green beans, and we should be good.
I preheated the oven and got to work on the chicken.
By the time he knocked on the front door, there was a pot of water going on the stove for the potatoes, and I was sliding the chicken into the oven.
I opened the door, and there he stood. All six feet of hotness right there on my porch. For just a second, I forgot what I was doing, but then he said, “I have my tools, if you’re going to let me in.”
He held them up, showing me his big tool bag, and that was enough to bring me back to my senses.
“Of course, sorry. Follow me, and I’ll show you where the problem is.
” I led him to the kitchen and opened up the cabinet door.
“It’s a mess under there, but I figured I’d wait until everything was fixed before I cleaned it up and dried it out. ”
He walked to the sink and held on to the cabinet for balance while he squatted down to take a look.
I tried to look at anything except his ass in those jeans, but it was a losing battle because that ass was perfect.
As he leaned forward to get a better look, the muscles in his back tightened, and all the blood in my body ran south.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then gave myself a stern talking to.
He was here to fix the sink, as a favor, not here to be ogled and drooled over.
He stood up quickly, turning towards me, and I jumped, looking away, hoping he didn’t catch me checking him out, but the smirk on his face told me I’d been busted.
“Okay, so first thing is, I’ll need to find the water shut-off.
The easiest might be at the street, but you need to find out where the shut-off is to the house itself. That’s something you need to know.”
“Yeah, as soon as Keegan gets home from his trip, we’ll find out where it’s located.”
“Okay, I’m going to run and shut it off out there, and I’ll be right back.”
It didn’t take him but a second, and he was back. Then he went to work on my leak while I finished getting dinner ready. The timing worked out really well, and just as he was finishing up under the sink as I finished up dinner.
“I don’t know what you made, but it smells amazing.”
I felt my face flush and knew I was blushing again, dammit. Something about this guy really got to me. “It’s roasted chicken, with garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans, and some gravy. It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal? It sounds like heaven if you ask me. I pretty much live on takeout and sandwiches.”
“You don’t cook dinner for yourself?” I asked.
“No, it’s too much trouble for one. The only meal I cook is breakfast. I make a mean omelet.”
“Yeah, I don’t usually cook if it’s just me either.
The bathroom’s right down that hall if you want to get cleaned up, and I’ll get the food on the table so we can eat when you’re done.
” He flashed me a quick smile and went down the hallway.
I set the table and put the food in the center.
It looked like the kind of meal I’d want to make every night for the man I loved, but for now, it would make a nice thank you to Ryder for helping me out.
Once we were seated, he looked around at the food. “Wow, Brennan, this looks amazing.”
“Thanks, I really enjoy cooking.”
“I can see that.”
We hadn’t talked much while he worked. It was hard to do with his head under the cabinet, but the conversation flowed easily as we ate. He told me about his supplier sending the wrong windows, and I told him about my interview for another job I was sure I wouldn’t get.
He was kind and encouraging, telling me he was sure I’d find something soon. I didn’t know if I believed it, but it was nice to hear, anyway.
When we finished our meal, he pushed back from the table and smiled. “Brennan, that was the best meal I’ve had in ages.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“I did.” His phone started to ring, and he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. “Crap, sorry, I need to take this. It’s the customer I told you about with the wrong windows.”
He stood from the table and stepped out the double doors onto the patio. I watched him through the glass doors as he pace while he talked, and I could tell the conversation wasn’t going well. And while I hated that for him, watching him move was fascinating. Even the way he walked was powerful.
I went over to the counter and grabbed my phone. I quickly snapped a picture of Ryder and shot a message to Keegan. He wasn’t gay, but he’s spent years listening to me talk about guys. He knew my type and would get it.
Me: Just wanted to let you know everything is fine here.
Me: I mean really FINE.
Then I sent the picture.
Keegan: That’s the guy you found at the hardware store?
Me: Yep
Keegan: So what are you going to do with him?
Me: I don’t know. I barely know him.
Keegan: You don’t need to know him to fuck him, right?
Me: It’s just weird because he was so nice and fixed the sink. It isn’t like I’m at a club or a party and can just be like , hey, let’s find a dark corner and go for a quickie.
Keegan: Nope , but where you are is even better. You have an empty house and a bed. You could do better than a quickie if you wanted.
Me: True enough.
Keegan: I say go for it. What’s the worst thing that can happen?
Me: He could laugh at me. Did you see how hot he is?
Keegan: Don’t be stupid . A ll the guys think you’re adorable .
Me: Alright looks like he’s about to come back in will let you know what happens.
Ryder came back in the door with a grim look on his face. “Sorry about that, but when I told him to call me when he got home from work, I didn’t know we’d be having dinner.”
“It’s fine, really. Did you work things out?”
“I hope so, but I don’t want to bore you with my work problems.”
“You’re not, honest.” I knew he was getting ready to leave, we were done with dinner, and there was no reason for him to stay, but I also knew I didn’t want him to leave.
I’d been in a relationship with Patrick for two years, but before that, I’d had plenty of one-night stands and hook-ups.
It was probably time I got back in the saddle so to speak, and Ryder checked all my boxes. The question was would he be up for it.