Chapter 9

Nine

Everett

S tanding on the porch, I raise my hand to knock on the front door but pause, chickening out before I drop my arm.

“Just knock. It’s not a big deal.”

After I adjust my grip on the toolbox in my hand, I finally bring my fist down on the door, knocking once, twice, three times, hoping it’s not too early and she’s asleep. It’s after ten, but it’s also still summer, and some people like to sleep in.

Thankfully, after a few moments, the door opens, and Gemma appears in front of me, a slightly confused smile on her face.

“Everett, hi.”

She looks… wow. Dressed in a white tank top and a pair of hot pink shorts, it’s impossible not to notice what a sexy figure she has. It’s also impossible not to notice that she isn’t wearing a bra either as the outline of her hardened ni pples poke through the thin material, something my eyes would love to focus on, but I force myself not to.

My mouth dries as I stand before her, suddenly completely forgetting the entire reason I knocked on her door. It takes a minute for my brain to catch up.

“Morning, Gemma.” Holding up the toolbox, I tell her, “I had some free time this morning and thought I could take a look at your dishwasher and see if I can fix it for you.”

Surprise brightens her eyes as her lips tug into a small grin. “Oh, that’s so sweet,” she murmurs. “But I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t ask.” I breathe out a laugh. “I offered, and I’d love to help. Not having a dishwasher can be a huge pain.”

Gemma chews on the inside of her cheek for a moment before she steps to the side. “Okay, but only if you’re sure. I don’t want to put you out.”

“You could never put me out.” Smiling at her, I walk into her house, noting how fucking good she smells as I pass by her. Tropical and fresh. I’m suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to bury my face in the crook of her neck and breathe her in. I have no doubt it would be intoxicating.

Gemma leads me into the kitchen, letting me walk in as she stands in the entrance. “It’s not draining,” she explains. “And I’m not sure why. I tried looking online for easy fixes, and a lot of people suggested a clogged drain or garbage disposal, but neither of those seem to be the issue.”

I open the dishwasher and set down my toolbox. “Okay. I’ll take a look. Should be easy enough.”

“Do you need anything from me? I can help.”

“Oh, no, I got it. You can get back to whatever you were doing before I got here if you want. It shouldn’t take me too long.”

She nods, resting her arm against the entryway to the kitchen. “Do you want any coffee or anything before you get started?”

“I’ll take some coffee after.” Glancing over, I meet her gaze, holding it as a smile curls my lips. Face clear of any makeup, her freckles really stand out this morning. They even appear darker than the first time I saw them. Smiling back at me, her eyes squint as she nods.

“Okay. I’ll be on the back porch working, but holler if you need anything.”

Flashing her one last smile, I crouch down and open the toolbox. “You got it.”

After she disappears outside and I get started, it only takes me about ten minutes to figure out the issue, and just like I assumed, it’s an easy one to fix. The drain hose was kinked. I’m not sure how that happened, but once I unhook the dishwasher from the power, it’s a simple fix.

I wash my hands in the sink before heading out back to find her. She’s curled up on one of those huge egg chairs, a pink, fuzzy blanket draped over her as her laptop sits on her lap. She’s typing away, concentration furrowing her brow, but as soon as I step onto the porch, her eyes lift from her screen, meeting mine.

“You need something?” she asks, moving to stand up.

“Oh, no. I’m all done,” I tell her. “It’s fixed.”

“Really?” Her brows pinch together. “Wow, that was fast.”

Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I smirk. “Yeah, what can I say? I’m a whiz with the appliances. ”

Gemma snorts. “And so modest,” she teases as she brushes past me into the house. “I’ll make us some coffee. I’ve got a couple muffins if you want one?”

“Sure, that sounds great.”

“Banana nut or blueberry?” she asks, tossing me a look over her shoulder as I follow behind her.

“Surprise me.”

As if they have a mind of their own, my eyes dip down to her ass. And fuck, is it a nice ass. Nice and round, bubbly, and paired with the thick set of hips she’s got on her, it almost pains me to peel my eyes away.

God, if she could hear me, she’d probably slap me.

“Where’s Sutton?” I ask as I glance around the house, realizing I haven’t seen him at all since I got here.

“He’s out with my sister,” she calls out. “They’re picking up the baseball gear he and Beau need to start practice next week.”

“Nice! Bet he’s excited about that.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” She chuckles as she opens one of the cabinets and grabs a couple plates out. “He can’t stop talking about it. I haven’t seen him this excited about something in a long time.”

“That’s awesome. I used to play baseball when I was a kid, and I loved it.”

Her eyes flit over to me, and she smiles, making my stomach twist. “Here.” Handing me two small plates topped with a blueberry muffin each, she says, “If you want to take these out to the porch, I’ll bring our coffees.”

“Is it nice having a kid the same age as your sister’s kids?”

“It’s so nice. It’s like built-in best friends. Beau and Sutton’s birthdays are only a couple months apart too, and even Blakely, she’s only a little over a year younger than the boys. So, they’ve all always been close.”

“Did you two plan that?” I ask. “Being pregnant at the same time.”

“No.” Shaking her head, she breathes out a laugh. “People always ask that, though. It was a really great coincidence.”

Taking a bite from the muffin, I groan before I can stop myself. “Holy crap, this is so good.”

“Aren’t they amazing?” she asks before taking a bite too. “They’re from Grace’s bakery. She brought them over this morning.”

“You mean the bakery on Main Street?”

“Yup.” She nods. “Bake Me Happy is Grace’s pride and joy. She opened the storefront when Blakely was about one.”

“That’s awesome. I’ve passed by it a few times but haven’t had a chance to go in yet. I’ll have to check it out.”

“Prepare to become addicted.” Gemma laughs, and I can’t help but watch her. I could definitely see myself getting addicted, but not to pastries.

“You have another sister and a brother, right?” I ask. “Do they have kids too?”

“Yeah, so Georgia is my other sister. She’s the oldest out of all of us, and doesn’t have any kids, nor does she want any.” Gemma breathes out a laugh. “She’s happy being the fun aunt. Then Graham is my brother and Grace’s twin. He’s married, and his wife is pregnant with their first child. Oh, and then Fletcher is my stepbrother, but I kind of always forget about him because he doesn’t live around here. He’s pretty young, like twenty-two, if I’m not mistaken.”

She has such a big family, and the pride she wears on her face when she talks about them has me smiling. “Where does he live?”

“In Charleston,” she explains. “He works at a huge property investment business with his dad. They’re richer than they know what to do with. Pretty sure his dad comes from old money, but I’ve only met his dad, like, twice. Fletcher comes to visit our mom a couple times a year, but that’s it.”

“So, you’re not close with him like you are with your other siblings?”

She shakes her head. “No. We were all pretty much out of the house by the time they got married and we met him, so it was hard to build a relationship, especially since he never lived with our parents.”

“How old were you when your parents separated?”

Am I being too nosy? Asking too many questions? She doesn’t seem to mind, though.

“Oh, gosh.” She’s quiet for a moment, like she really has to think about it. “I think I was twelve? I could be wrong. It’s been a long time. They have a great relationship, though. They both remarried, and all four of them are friends.”

“That’s great! I know that’s not the case for a lot of people.”

Gemma’s lips curl into a small smile as she looks over at me. “What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”

“Nope, only child. I always wanted siblings, though.”

“It definitely has its perks, like somebody to play with you and confide in, but I’m sure you never had to fight for your parents’ attention the same way we did.” She chuckles softly, and as it filters through my ears, I realize it’s easily and quickly becoming my favorite sound.

Before I can respond, the front door opens, and we both turn our heads as we watch a line of kids pile inside, followed by Gemma’s sister. Her eyes flit from Gemma to me, then back to her sister, a smile splitting her face.

“Well, hi, you two.” Dropping her bag on the bench by the door, she toes out of her shoes before joining us on the patio. “Didn’t know you were having company. It’s nice to see you again, Everett.”

“Oh, it wasn’t planned,” I murmur, as Gemma says, “Everett came over and fixed the dishwasher this morning.”

Grace snorts. “It’s about dang time you got that thing fixed.” Her eyes skate over to me before she adds, “That was awfully nice of you, Everett.”

“It was no big deal.” I wave her off just as Sutton strolls outside. “Everett!” His brows pinch before he asks, “Or should I call you Mr. Windward?”

Chuckling, I say, “Everett is fine when we’re at your house, but you should probably stick with Mr. Windward when we’re at school. Deal?”

“Deal.” He grins wide, his lips blue like maybe they had Popsicles before they came home. “Do you want to play catch with me and Beau? We got our mitts today!”

“Oh, honey, I’m sure he’s got stuff to do,” Gemma says.

“No, it’s okay.” Glancing back at Sutton, I say, “I’d love to.”

“Really?” His eyes go big. “Cool! Beau! Get out here! ”

Sutton takes off for the yard, and I can’t help the grin that spreads on my face as I look back at Gemma.

“Thank you,” she murmurs. “But really, if you have stuff to do, he’ll understand.”

“I don’t, and it’ll be a lot of fun to play catch with them.”

A look I can’t quite decipher passes through her eyes before she nods, a smile creeping onto her lips. “Okay.”