She was still wearing the giant hat proudly as Mitch loaded her into her car seat and they got ready to go. Rico waited by his giant car so he could find out when Mitch would need him at the house.
"So you got your grandmother to give Sammy a hat," Mitch told him as they stood next to the car.
"She's got a million of them," Rico said.
"Thank you. It's was nice of your grandmother to invite some kids over for Sammy to play with," Mitch said.
"And you might get some work out of it. What did you think of Sam and Wyatt? They're cute together, aren't they?" Rico needled him.
"Are you jealous of them?" Mitch needled him right back.
"No. I don't go for that shmoopy stuff," Rico told him, but Mitch kept pushing.
"So you don't want Sam for yourself? Cute young guys don't tempt you?"
"Do they tempt you?" Rico shot back.
Mitch scoffed and averted his eyes, and Rico found himself wondering why he got such a weird vibe from Mitch if he was straight like he said.
Chapter 5
Next morning, when Rico arrived in front of the Dunbar house, Mitch was setting up tools on the porch and unrolling a hefty extension cord. Sammy was playing in the yard. As Rico rolled Grandma's car to a stop and got out, Sammy came over to greet him.
"You're here!" She then ran to her dad to announce his arrival. "Look, Daddy. Rico is here."
"Good morning. You're here bright and early," Mitch said. It looked like he was starting on the back porch.
"I came in grandma's boat and brought breakfast," Rico said and held up a takeout bag.
"A boat?" Sammy said and looked all around.
"That thing," Rico said pointing out the Chrysler Imperial.
"Rico, that's not a boat. That's a car," she informed him then she looked over at her dad like she wanted him to second that. Mitch only grinned.
"But it's big like a boat. Now let's eat some scary bear claws," Rico told her, and he growled.
Sammy's eyes were wide as Rico came closer and opened the takeout bag slowly. He growled again, and she jumped then laughed.
"They smell nice," she said.
"They taste good too and no bears were harmed in making them," Rico told her and went to sit on the porch steps behind the kitchen.
"No bears," Sammy said just to make it clear and she came over to sit next to him.
"They're just pastries," Mitch told her.
Rico looked over at him where he was still busy setting up. "Your dad will have one first to show you they're safe."
"You didn't have to bring us breakfast," Mitch said as he took a bear claw and sat down. "We have breakfast bars."
"That impresses no one. Bear claws win," Rico said then he high-fived Sammy. "And I brought you coffee, and juice for Sammy." He handed out those and had a coffee as well.
They ate sitting on the porch steps, and Rico tried not to admire how Mitch's biceps flexed every time he raised the coffee cup to his mouth. He also tried not to watch his throat work when he swallowed. OK, there was too much to that man to tempt him.
Once they were done eating, Rico needed to know what he would be doing to help out, so he asked Mitch about that.
"What are your skills?" Mitch asked.
