Which reminded him, he hadn’t told Amy about the puppy thing.
He carried a bottle of water over to where she stood by the pile of lumber. After unscrewing the top, he held it out. “There’s one thing I forgot to tell you.”
She tipped her head a little to one side, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Besides the fact my puppy might arrive sooner than expected?”
Well, crap. He’d deal with the fallout somehow. “No, that’s pretty much it.”
“Good thing I told Ricky how excited I was about the little guy moving in with me. I did say there was only a small chance I could pick him up earlier than the breeder first told me. I even sounded really grateful that the three of them had given up their day to make the place safe for him.”
“Thanks for not ratting me out to Tino. He would never let me forget it, and Ricky would tell Jack just so they could all gang up on me.” He grinned at her. “I could kiss you for saving me all that grief and misery, woman.”
She arched one eyebrow. “Well, as nice as that would be, I think that’s what put us in this position in the first place.”
Oh, right.
“Guess I should get to work. With luck, we’ll finish up today. Once we get the boards up, Tino and I can install the gates.”
“I can’t wait to see it all finished.”
She started to walk away, but then she turned back. “Ricky mentioned something about pizza. Let me know when everyone starts getting hungry, and I’ll place the order.”
He started to protest. After all, he’d been the one to call in the troops. But one look at the stubborn tilt to her chin, he surrendered without firing a single shot. “Fair enough.”
With a quick nod, she walked away, her ponytail swinging in counterpoint to the sway of her hips. Damn. Suddenly, he sensed someone moving up behind him. Without hesitating, Mikhail spun to face the threat, ready to fight with his bare hands if necessary. Where the fuck was his weapon?
“Steady there, big guy.”
Gradually he realized it was Jay Tobin standing there, his hands held palms forward to show he was no threat. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up behind you like that. I sure as hell know better. We okay?”
Mikhail jerked his head to acknowledge the peace offering. Right now he couldn’t draw enough breath to speak. He finally managed to force out his own apology. “My bad. Sorry.”
“No problem.” Jay looked past Mikhail to where Amy was busy talking to Ricky and Tino. “I was just going to say you shouldn’t be looking at her like that if you don’t want Tino and Ricky picking up on how interested you are in your neighbor lady.”
Well, damn, he was right. “Thanks. I didn’t realize it was so obvious.”
“It probably wouldn’t be to people who didn’t know you well. Tino, though, will be all over it in a heartbeat.”
Okay, now Mikhail was curious. He liked Jay just fine, but the man was actually more Tino’s friend than his. “And you know me that well?”
The other man grinned. “No, but I know that look. It’s the same one Tino used to get on his face whenever he was thinking about Natalie, especially when they were on the outs.”
There was more to the story than that. Mikhail studied the former Seal. “And what would you say if I asked if you’d ever sported the same expression yourself?”
Jay’s gaze shifted to stare out toward the east as if he was seeing someplace—or someone—only he could sense. Then he shook his head and offered Mikhail a rueful smile. “I’d say that experience is the best teacher. Now, might I suggest we get back to work? We’re drawing unwanted attention from your nephew.”
“Good answer. Remind me to buy you a beer the next time we end up in a bar together.”
“I will.”
Mikhail headed to the far corner where someone, most likely Amy, had piled a stack of lumber for him. He picked up the first board, lined it up with the fence post, and pounded in the first nail.
One down, a shitload more to go. Just like all the endless days stretching out in front of him. Even if he’d thought there was a chance for him and Amy to be something more than neighbors, his overreaction to Jay’s approach only proved that he was right to be cautious. The ex-Seal could have handled himself if Mikhail hadn’t been able to pull himself back from the brink of violence.
But Amy, with her pretty eyes and sweet nature, wouldn’t have stood a chance. He positioned another nail and sank it deep into the wood. Gradually, he fell into a steady rhythm, and if the pounding silently echoed inside his head to the rhythm of “friends with no benefits,” well, that was his business and no one else’s.
