Page 60 of Fast and Dirty
I make a few more notes, feeling both enthused and nervous. The festival is only a few days away, and I need to figure out how to round up some chili competitors and make sure there’s enough local craft beer on order.
Hattie and Agnes wrap up their game while I alternate between madly typing and scribbling on my notepad until the doorbell signals the halting of all activity.
“I’ll get it,” I volunteer. I’m already quite sure that it’s West with his sister Mackenzie and her four-year-old daughter. I swing the door open with a smile and find a sex-on-a-stick mechanic with a little girl in the crook of his arm. Her little arms are wrapped around his neck, and she’s sporting a shy smile that lights up her little brown eyes. “Awww,” I can’t help the word being my greeting before ushering everyone inside.
“Is it a hot guy?” Agnes calls from the kitchen.
“Eww.” West’s sister shakes her head. “Sorry, I don’t mean the house. I mean the whole brother being hot thing.” She hooks a thumb at West before extending her hand out to me. “Hi. Mackenzie Bradford. Down-on-her-luck single mother of a threenager, interior designer who talks way too much seeking solace in a stranger’s house,” she rattles off as we enthusiastically shake hands.
“Oh my God, other than the mom thing, we have a lot in common!” I feel excitement gleefully lighting up my bloodstream. “Did you say interior designer?”
“And did you say stranger?” Agnes leans in the doorway to the kitchen with a hand parked on her hip. “Because I recall speaking to you on the phone three times in the last few weeks for a minimum of forty minutes each.”
“Agnes,” my new roomie gives our elderly landlord a thankful smile and rushes over to hug her. Agnes sports a smug smile over her shoulder and gives her back a gentle pat before Mack pulls away. “I can’t thank you enough. And yes, we certainly got to know each other on the phone didn’t we?”
Agnes moves past Mack towards West who is still hoisting his niece on his lap and immediately starts gushing over her.
“Sorry,” Mackenzie turns back to me. “Yes, I did say interior designer. Out of work, in case you didn’t catch the down on my luck part,” she gives an awkward smile.
“Hey,” I raise my hand as if to identify myself. “Runaway spoiled brat bride here, cut off by daddy dearest,” I sympathize and I realized we’re gripping each other’s hands like we’ve just found a new bestie and we’re latching on before the other one can get away. “But this town is awesome, you’re going to love it here.”
“She’s planning an Apple Bottom festival,” Agnes adds, not looking up.
“Apple Blossom,” I correct her. I named it for the beautiful, flowery trees that are sprinkled throughout the town.
“Whatever. LittleMiss Ambition Reborn has turned this place upside down - in a good way,” she’s quick to point out. “You’ll find your niche too, I’m sure.”
We go back and forth while West’s eyes seem to roll around in different directions as he takes in the estrogen-fueled endorphins permeating the room.
“The preschool is so cute,” I think to tell her. “And oh! Do you like beer? Because this town knows what it’s doing in that department.”
“Wonderful idea!” Agnes pipes up from where Mackenzie’s little blonde daughter was showing her a plush snake that she seems very fond of. “You two scoot! Kira, show her the town, and I’ll show little girl here where I keep the world’s best chocolate chunk cookies.”
Agnes leads the cute little girl to the kitchen, while West lets out a breath that seems to say he can finally hear himself think.
“I should probably haul my things in.”
West holds up a hand. “Nah, I got it. Go with your new friend and burn off all this excess energy.”
“Really?” We both retort like creepy twins.
“Really. I’ll get you settled,” he starts when we hear Hattie’s alarmed voice from the kitchen.
“No gramma! Notthosecookies! WRONG COOKIES!”
Mack’s eyes widen as she draws in a gasp and I make a move to intervene when again, my hot, manly boyfriend holds up his hand. “I got it.Go…”
West
I’m prettysure Kira and Mack broke some kind of record with how fast they hit it off. But it was sweet of her to send me a textfrom a few blocks away assuring me that she wasn’t going to develop some kind of bi-curiosity and cheat on me.
As for me, I stuck around with Hattie and Agnes while I hauled both my niece’s and sister’s things into the house before being talked into hauling them all the way up the stairs to the bedroom Agnes had designated for them. Then I patrolled the house for hidden explosives and contraband hash that Aria could stumble onto and thankfully only came upon one questionable stash of brownies dating back to the late nineties.
When all that was done, the girls still hadn’t returned, and so I offered to show my little niece my place of business. Really, I just kind of wanted to show her off and watch big, bad Razor go all sappy over her, but no… Hattie had a better offer. Aria much preferred going with her to check in on the salon and see all the puppies getting buffed and fluffed. Fine.
The last of the lady horde abandon me and I take off for the auto shop and to log some hours with the Rolls. With the festival only a few days away, it’s looking brand new off the assembly line. Hell, better than that. It looks newly minted. And somewhere in the middle of all the nonstop work, Ryan seemed to dislodge his head from his ass - at least mostly. It seems the less people around, the better his attitude, especially when it’s paired with some kind of purpose.
We’re just buffing out a final wax coat when Razor strolls in, heading right for his work station. He’s still been dependable as fuck since his daughter showed up but he hasn’t brought her by and he seems more driven than usual.
