Page 30 of Fighting For You

"There they are." Barb was on the porch when we pulled up. "My handymen."

Andy got Birdie out of the back seat. The second her feet hit the ground, she ran straight for the porch.

"Barb!"

Barb caught her and lifted her onto one hip like she'd done it a thousand times.

Andy followed with Birdie's bag. "She said she wanted to come see 'Barb's other house.' I couldn't say no."

Inside, the house smelled like coffee and something floral. Three of Barb's tenants were spread across the living room. One with a laptop at the dining table, one reading on the couch, one on her phone in the armchair.

"Ladies, I've got some friends here to fix the leaky faucet and the window upstairs. I hope you don't mind the noise."

The girl on the couch looked up from her book. "No, please. Go ahead."

"Who can take the sink and who can take the window?" Barb looked between us.

"I'll take the sink." Wyatt was already walking toward the kitchen with his toolbox.

"So Knox, you've got the window. The new tenant just moved in today. She's upstairs unpacking right now. Come with me, I'll let her know you're here."

I followed Barb up the stairs. The house had clearly been furnished for women. The walls were lined with floral wallpaper, the hallway hung with small paintings in mismatched frames. The carpet was a soft beige that ran the length of the floor, clean and deliberate.

Barb stopped at the door at the end of the hall. Inside, I could hear women laughing.

"Girls? Someone's here to fix the window."

"Come in!"

Barb opened the door. Two women were in the room. One was fixing the bed sheets. The other was crouched on the floor unpacking a duffel bag, and she looked very much like⁠—

"Knox?"

"Nora?"

Barb looked at the two of us. "Oh. You know each other?"

Nora stood up. "Um. Yes. We're... friends."

Lori was standing by the bed with a pillowcase in her hands, looking amused. I recognized her from the hospital.

"Well, isn't that nice?" Barb smiled. "Small world. How do you two know each other?"

"He's the firefighter who pulled me out of the fire," Nora said.

Barb put a hand on her chest and looked at me like I'd just grown six inches. "Well then. I'd say you're in very good hands with this one." She patted the doorframe. "I'm going to go check on Wyatt and that faucet. Make sure he doesn't flood my kitchen."

"I think I'm pretty much done here anyway." Lori set the pillowcase down and looked at Nora. "You good?"

"I'm good. Thank you, Lori."

Lori followed Barb out, but not before winking at Nora from the doorway. Nora gave her a look that could only mean one thing. Lori grinned and closed the door behind her.

"So is it this window?" I pointed at the window overlooking the backyard.

"Yes, it's this one." Nora walked over and pressed both hands against the frame to show me. It didn't budge. I tried not to watch her hair fall across her shoulder, or let my eyes drop to her bare legs in shorts that were definitely too short to be worn around someone who was supposed to be just a handyman.

I moved past her and checked the frame. Painted shut. Layers of it built up along the seam. I pulled a utility knife from the toolbox and started scoring along the edge.