Chapter 19 #2
Looking absolutely adorable with a big sledgehammer resting on her shoulder, she shook her head, seeming as gutted as her kitchen soon would be. “I knew you were too good to be true.”
“You’ll have to educate me.”
“Oh, I will, and before long, you’ll know all about Demo Day and shiplap and everything you ever wanted to know about Waco, Texas.”
“Can’t wait. In the meantime, are you going to use that sledgehammer or just stand there looking fierce and pretty all day?”
She struck a playful pose. “Do I look fierce and pretty?”
He replied with a low growl that had her taking a step back.
“We said no touching during demo.” She sent him a coy look over her shoulder as she turned to face the wall that was coming down. “We have rules.”
Crossing the small distance between them, he wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled her back against him and nibbled the ticklish spot on her neck. “Rules were made to be broken.”
She screamed with laughter and tried to break free of him.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” Finn said as he came in bearing a tray of coffees and a bag of what looked like Aunt Linda’s doughnuts.
Riley released Nikki and lunged for the doughnuts.
“I see where I rate,” Nikki said. “Second to a bag of doughnuts.”
“These aren’t just any doughnuts,” Riley said, dead serious.
Finn held them out of his brother’s reach. “I’ll trade you doughnuts for assurances that I’m not going to see or hear anything that can’t be unseen or unheard in this house of ill repute.”
“Deal,” Riley said. “Gimme.”
Finn handed over the bag. “Don’t be a pig. Offer one to Nicholas.”
“Thank you, Finnbar,” she said, helping herself to a doughnut.
“Welcome.”
“Where’d you get these?” Riley asked over a mouthful.
“Auntie Linda made them for Uncle Mac, Ned, Dad and Uncle Frank, and I happened to stop by to see what they were up to. I told her what we were doing, so she made some for us.”
“She’s the best,” Riley said, reaching for a second.
Taking in the sledgehammer on Nikki’s shoulder, Finn said, “You ought to put that down before you hurt yourself.”
She scowled at him, turned toward the wall Riley had spray-painted an X onto and let it rip into the drywall, taking a huge chunk of it out in the first hit.
“Not bad,” Finn said. “You’ve got real potential.”
“Shut it, or I’ll pretend this wall is your head,” she replied.
Riley snorted with laughter. “That’s my girl. You tell him.”
“I thought you people wanted my help,” Finn said, pretending to be offended.
“We do,” Riley said. “Help me get the old cabinets out.”
The two of them took crowbars to the cabinets, pried them off the wall and walked them to the dumpster.
They were too old to save, which they did whenever they could.
Donating outdated but still working items was something Clint had advocated when they had worked for him, and Mac practiced as well.
Recycle and reuse was a central theme of the renovation game.
By four o’clock, the kitchen had been taken down to studs. The old appliances were picked up and hauled away by Joshua Banks, the pastor at one of the island churches, who was going to find a good home for them.
Nikki opened three beers and sat next to Riley on the sofa while Finn flopped into one of the easy chairs. “Thank you both for giving up a weekend day to help me.”
“It was our pleasure,” Riley said.
“It’ll be your pleasure, I’m sure,” Finn said, adding a teasing grin. “Happy to help, but I’m going to need food, and I’m going to need it soon.”
“Me, too,” Riley said.
“I’d offer to cook for you boys,” Nikki said, “but I seem to be out a kitchen.”
“Let’s go to Mario’s,” Finn said.
“Yum,” Nikki said. “My treat.”
“You bet your ass it’s your treat,” Finn said. “The pizza is on you for the indefinite future.”
“Good to know,” Nikki said, laughing.
A loud knock sounded at the unlocked door, followed by Kevin McCarthy calling out, “Anyone home?”
“Come in, Dad,” Riley said, giving the others a quizzical look. What was he doing here?
“Finn told me you guys were working over here, so we thought you might be hungry.” Kevin and Chelsea came in bearing pizza boxes and bags along with a twelve-pack of beer.
“Is he telepathic?” Finn asked.
“I think he might be,” Riley said. “But I’ve never loved him more than I do right now.”
“What’s that about?” Kevin asked.
“We were just talking about going to Mario’s, and they were going to make me pay,” Nikki said, standing to take Kevin’s and Chelsea’s coats. “So we’re all happy to see you.”
“Judging by the dumpster, you got a lot done today,” Kevin said as he sat on a love seat with Chelsea and served up pizza onto paper plates that Mario’s had provided.
“We’ve got the kitchen ready to rock and roll,” Riley said.
“And we found out that Nicholas wields one hell of a sledgehammer,” Finn said, gesturing behind him. “Used to be a wall there until she showed it who’s boss.”
“I put a serious hurt on it,” she said, proud of how hard she’d worked, even if every muscle in her body ached as a result.
Riley smiled at her, and she could tell he wanted to kiss her.
He lit the fire, and they passed an entertaining couple of hours in which Nikki heard stories from Riley and Finn’s childhood, including their extremely profitable lemonade stand as well as their lawn-mowing, snow-shoveling and car-detailing businesses.
“How old were they when they started all these businesses?” Nikki asked in amazement.
“Like twelve and fourteen, I think,” Kevin said.
“We were younger,” Finn said around another mouthful of pizza. “Ten and twelve. We like money, and the doc kept us on a short leash.”
“Didn’t want them to grow up to be useless,” Kevin said.
“It worked with me,” Riley said, tending to the fire. “Not so much with Finn. He’s completely useless.”
“I believe I proved otherwise today, didn’t I, Nicholas?”
“Yes, Finnbar. You were very useful today.”
Finn smiled victoriously at his brother. “Your girl digs me.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Riley said, scowling at his brother as he rejoined Nikki on the sofa.
Chelsea laughed at their antics. “I’m a little concerned for our baby, Kev, and the things these two will teach him or her.”
“We won’t let them near the baby until he or she is at least eighteen.”
“Good plan,” Chelsea said.
“The first time they need babysitters, it’ll be like Riley, Finn, help us,” Finn said in a high-pitched voice.
“God forbid we’re ever that desperate,” Kevin said.
Chelsea covered her mouth to hold back laughter.
“You guys won’t be surprised to hear that your uncle Mac has us fully organized to go to Courtney’s funeral on Thursday,” Kevin said. “Right down to ferry reservations for enough cars to get us all there.”
“I’m sure Joe had more to do with that than Uncle Mac did,” Riley said.
“Joe was apparently a big help with the ferry part of the program. Chels and I are staying on the mainland for a few days so she can pick up her wedding dress and I can get a new suit. We’ve got a few other details to tend to.”
“Oh crap,” Finn said. “We need suits, too.”
“Give us sizes and measurements, and we’ll hook you up with something new,” Kevin said.
In one of the boxes from the kitchen, Nikki found an unopened bag of marshmallows that they toasted in the fireplace and used to make s’mores for dessert.
Chelsea began to yawn around nine. “I’m a good time had by all lately.”
“First trimester is exhausting,” Kevin said. “Let’s get you home to bed.”
“I’m out, too,” Finn said. “Thanks for a fun night, Nicholas.”
“All the thanks go to Kevin and Chelsea for bringing the pizza and beer.”
“It was a pleasure,” Kevin said. “I can’t wait to see the renovations finished.”
“It’s going to be beautiful,” Riley said, slipping an arm around Nikki.
“I hope so,” she said, nervous but excited to see her choices come together in the new kitchen. “There’s no way I could do it without your help.”
“And mine,” Finn called on his way out the door.
“You’re the one making it all happen,” Nikki replied.
“Hey!” Riley’s outrage made her laugh. While the others dashed through the cold to their cars, he said, “Do you want to go to my place?”
“Since we’ve been well fed, let’s stay here where we can be alone.”
“I won’t argue with that.”