Page 11 of Beating Heart
He wore a pair of jeans, a white tee, and the brown leather tool belt that I’d gotten him for Christmas strapped around his waist. He had on gold aviators, and his hair was slicked back with enough gel to make the top of his head look like a hard hat.
“I like Dr. Emerson, Pops. And Winnie is real funny.”
“Well, they aren’t staying long, so don’t get too attached. She’s just here for a little while.” I handed him a banana and a granola bar. “You can eat this while I work.”
“I’m going to help you because Dr. Emerson is my girl now.”
I chuckled as we stopped at my truck so I could grab my toolbox before walking next door. I pulled out my handsaw and made eye contact with both of the dudes who were coming out of her house and heading back to the moving truck for another load. I used two fingers and pointed them at my eyes and then back at them, all while holding the saw up for them to take notice.
I’ll be watching, assholes.
As we moved toward the backyard, I looked up to see Emerson Chadwick watching me while she stood on the side of the front porch and rolled her eyes. I’d been in this house dozens of times over the years, helping the Halls fix one thing after another.
“You’re a bit of a Neanderthal, huh?” she said, keeping her voice low so only I could hear the comment. Cutler ran out to the yard with her dog.
“I’ve been called worse.”
I moved past her and made my way to the fenced area and set my toolbox down, including the saw that wouldn’t be necessary to fix this, but I’d known it would intimidate the dickhead movers. I chuckled as I took in the portion of the fence that Winnie had easily taken apart. None of these yards were fenced because they led down to the lake, and no one wanted to disrupt the view. But a few of the homes had dog runs on their side yards, which the Halls had put in years ago. It just hadn’t been kept up.
“Thanks for doing this,” she said as she followed behind me.
“It’s the neighborly thing to do,” I said, as I reached for my hammer.
“Well, thanks, neighbor.” She chuckled. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“We’re fine. Just be sure to keep that door open, all right?”
I heard her grumble something about me being a caveman before she said something sweet to Cutler as he made his way over to me.
Emerson disappeared into her house, and her wild dog decided to lie down in between me and the fence like the giant pain in the ass she was proving to be.
Cutler dropped to sit down beside her and eat his banana. “I like having someone live next door to us, don’t you?”
“I prefer the quiet, so I was fine when this house was empty,” I said, as I hammered in some support stakes that I had in my toolbox.
“Haters gonna hate,” my smartass kid said.
“Who told you that?”
“Uncle King,” he said over his laughter.
“Hey, just because I don’t like being woken up first thing in the morning and having a dog barrel through our house does not make me a hater.”
“I think you’re pretending to like it quiet. I think you like having a new neighbor just like I do, Pops.”
I rolled my eyes and kept working.
But he was right. Maybe I liked it a little bit.
four
. . .
Emerson
“It’s so fun having your pup here,” Lana, the office manager, said. I’d liked her the minute I’d met her, but the nurse, Petra, was a different story.
“Yeah? Doc said it was fine to bring her. He thought the kids would love seeing her here. And with the yard out back, it’s really nice that she can come to work with me.” I rubbed the top of Winnie’s head as she sat next to Lana’s chair in the front office. Doc Dolby had apparently brought his chocolate lab, Sadie May, with him to work for years until she passed away a few months ago. He said the kids loved to go out back and play with her after their appointments.
