Page 99 of Wild Mistake
He and Parker love the new house. There’s tons of space, including an unfinished basement which we’ve converted into the ultimate hangout spot. Gabe and his new band practice down there a couple nights each week. Parker’s crew has taken over one side of the room for their gaming tournaments. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t have at least one extra teenager over.
Sarah fills in at the diner from time to time when Marnie is short help, but most days managing the house and two teens keeps her busy. I can provide for us, and Sarah has struggled enough for a lifetime. If she wants to pursue a new career or interest, I’ll be her biggest supporter. But value isn’t determined by money, at least not to me. The way this woman loves me, the way she loves her family and mine, it’s priceless.
What’s not priceless, however, is the roof on our home. It needed replacing when we bought it, but we wanted to wait until June to have the work done. This week the forecast is clear, and my brother Tim is in town, so I guilt my brothers into helping. Yesterday we stripped the old roofing materials and prepped. Today we got started at dawn to beat the heat of the sun.
It’s good to work beside my brothers, even if it’s only for a few days.
“I’m starting to think getting me back to Wilder Valley was a ploy for free labor.” Tim stands upright to stretch his back.
“Too bad you’re not any good at it,” Ryan teases. He taps a nail into the last shingle on the current row before taking a seat. He lifts his hat off his head and wipes his forehead with a handkerchief.
I walk over to the ledge and assess the materials Jackson and I hauled onto the roof earlier. We should have plenty of shingles, but we don’t have enough nails to finish the job. “We’re short a few boxes of nails.”
“On it.” Tim practically races toward the ladder. He looks ridiculous in that outfit. When he showed up this morning in all black, his skinny jeans barely holding on to his narrow hips, I wasn’t the only one giving him shit.
“Hey”—I place my hands on my hips as he makes his descent down the ladder—“I didn’t ask you to go.”
“Look, we both know I’m better running errands.”
I can’t argue with that. “Make sure you get the right size!” I call after his retreating form. I turn to Ryan and Jackson. “He’s not gonna be back for hours, is he?”
“Nope,” Ryan says, nailing another shingle to the roof. “I say we wrap up one more row and call it a day. I’ve got to get back to the ranch soon. We can knock the rest out tomorrow morning.”
“I like the sound of that.” Jackson whistles. “I’ve got a hot date tonight and I need time to get ready.”
“You need to get ready now?” I frown. It’s just after noon. “I thought you were Mr. Casanova? Don’t tell me you finally found a woman to hold you down?”
“Hell, no.” He laughs. “But come on. I’ve got a reputation to uphold. I need a solid nap so my performance isn’t off. Besides, the nut region is due for its regular manscaping.” He stops working to gesture to his crotch. “The women who are lucky enough to sleep with this expect a level of quality, you know? I can’t let them down. Besides, people in this town talk.”
“I pray I never happen upon a conversation where your ball hair is a topic of discussion,” Ryan says dryly.
Jackson grins. “You say that, but I bet if you did, you’d be a little jealous.”
“You see the shit I deal with?” Ryan turns to me. “Be honest. He’s the reason you joined the fire department instead of working the ranch with me, isn’t he?”
“Oh, definitely.” I nod.
“Haters.” Jackson flings an empty box our way and shakes his head.
Ryan and I bust out laughing. Doesn’t matter we’re in our forties, giving our baby bro a hard time will never get old.
We finish the row and cover the rest of the roof with tarps, weighing it down with boxes of shingles on the chance we get an afternoon shower. My brothers head out and I spend a few minutes tidying the area before heading inside. I’m filthy and sweaty, but I always feel a sense of pride after putting in work on the house.
“You finished up early?” Sarah glances up from her book when I step inside the kitchen.
“Yeah, we ran out of nails and everyone had plans.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I know you wanted to finish it up before the weekend.”
“It’s okay. We’ll get it done tomorrow.” Even if my brothers are busy, I could coerce Parker and Gabe to help. It might take a little bribery, but it’d probably be good for them. “I’m gonna shower.” I lift my shirt over my body, open the door to the laundry and drop it in the basket. There’s no way I’m tracking this dirt through the house.
“Oh.” Sarah closes her book and sets it down. Her eyes are hungry as they travel down my body. “You know, the boys don’t get home for another hour.”
“Yeah?” I like where her mind is. Biting back my smile, I ditch my pants.
“Yeah. Maybe we could test out that new toy you bought me for my birthday?”
“Sarah, do you wanna get dirty with me in the shower?” I really hope she’s talking about the dildo with the suction cup and not the face masks. Though, when it comes to her, there’s not much I wouldn’t do.
