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“The beard was the right choice.”
“But you don’t have a beard from what I can tell.” He narrowed his eyes at her face and Clover turned left and right, giving him a good look at her nonexistent beard. “Nope. No beard. No reason to pick on you for anything.”
“They’ll find a reason. They always do.”
“I have a cousin in jail for bouncing checks, my grandfather’s favorite hobby is sitting on his porch shooting his rifle at crows, and my aunt raises pygmy goats inside her house so, you know, your family should count their blessings.”
“I’m thirty. I’m not married. I’m not dating anybody. I have no kids. I could have a billion dollars and be crowned Queen of the Mountain and that still wouldn’t be enough for my family.”
“Ah...that explains Sven.” He nodded sagely.
“I’m about ready to hire him to play boyfriend for a week if it’ll shut my family up about my biological clock for one day. Which reminds me—you free this week?”
“You asking me to be your Sven?”
Clover laughed. “No, I was actually asking you if you could fix my deck.”
“Oh. Well, yeah. Sure. Big job?”
“Two loose boards and a broken slat.”
“What color stain?”
“Clear. Homewares brand.”
“I have some of that in my truck. I can come tomorrow morning, if it’s not pouring.”
“I’ll write down my address for you,” she said as she scribbled her home address on a note card and passed it to him. “I appreciate it. I have a fire pit and I know the kids will want to use it for marshmallows.”
“I can get it all done in an hour. My treat.”
“I pay people for the work they do. No freebies.”
“You gave my daughter a job when nobody else would. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me a thing. Ruthie’s great at this job.”
“I know she is, but she wouldn’t have been great at her job if you hadn’t taken a chance on her. Nobody wanted to give a sixteen-year-old girl with green hair, a horrible attitude and a criminal record a job except you. Not even McDonald’s. Please. Let me fix your deck as a thank-you for keeping my kid out of trouble.”
“Fine. Since it’s only an hour’s work. Then we’ll call it even.”
“Great. See you tomorrow morning around eight.”
“Thanks, Erick. Have a good night in your empty house.”
“You, too,” he said. He started for the door and it was then that Clover realized that Ruthie was sneakier and more evil than she’d ever given the girl credit for. She’d left her phone here on purpose so Erick would have to come back for it and they’d be alone together. Clover would be angry except for one thing—she did really like Erick. And for that reason alone she said what she said.
“Hey, Erick?”
He turned back around in the doorway, and he did it so quickly it was as if he’d been hoping she’d say something to stop him.
“Yes, Clover?” he said in a playfully husky voice.
“I have something weird to ask you.”
“You’ve met my child. You know I can handle weird. Ask it.”
“Do you...would you...maybe would you want to be my Sven this week?”
