"If it's livable, that might work," Mitch said, still very guarded about the whole deal. He looked over at his daughter, who was pushing the basil leaf around in her bowl like it was a little boat. "For me I wouldn't care, but..."
Grandma could tell he needed to be reassured for his daughter's sake, so she told him, "The water and electricity are on. The appliances are in working order. The place is all furnished and everything. Move in ready, you could say."
The guy looked skeptical about that, but his kid was smiling up at Grandma and her big hair.
"But you don't have to take my word for it," Grandma told him. "We can all go over to the old Dunbar place and have a look. You too, Enrico."
That was a surprise. "Me?"
"I want you helping out. There's bound to be times Mitch here will need a hand," she said.
"OK," Rico said with a shrug and a glance at Mitch's chiseled features. No, those weren't the worst marching orders he ever got.
Grandma then turned to Mitch. "All right, I'll tell you what I have in mind when we see it, and we'll talk terms. Now I'll let you eat."
As they left Mitch and his daughter to their lunch, Rico could hear Sammy asking. "Daddy, are we gonna live in a big house?"
"We'll see. Eat your soup, honey," her dad told her, and Rico noticed how much softer his voice sounded when he spoke to her. It was still deep, but it had turned mellow like his rough exterior melted for that kid.
He even smiled sweetly. Maybe he wasn't as dour as he seemed at first. Maybe it was just the job situation that made him look so gloomy.
Away from their table, Rico asked his grandma, "How come I'm going with you?"
"Didn't I just tell you? You're supposed to pitch in. I have to keep you busy. Idle hands and all that," she said and waved her hand around vaguely so her gold bangles jingled.
"Is that what you're doing?" Rico asked, giving her the side-eye. She was always up to something. But Rico didn't mind helping out or getting to spend a little extra time with Mitch, listening to him talk about tools or whatever in that deep, sexy voice.
Chapter 2
Peach Tree was supposed to be just a quick stop on the way to a new job and a new place to live. It was a pretty town with a hill covered with peach trees nearby and plenty of tourists milling around. Mitch had chosen to stop and have lunch here because Sammy seemed taken with the place.
Now he was unsettled by the bad news about the job, and unsure about the offer he just received from the café owner. Hungry but too wound up to eat, Mitch offered half his grilled cheese sandwich to Sammy.
"That's your sandwich, Daddy," she told him and then watched to make sure he ate it.
Mitch was still caught between disappointment and rising hope that he might get some work and a place to live. That was a strange piece of luck if it panned out. Mitch still had to take a look at the place and give Mrs. Del Rio an estimate.
For now what worried him was that Sammy was already getting her heart set on living in this house. Kicking her feet under the table, she couldn't wait to see it. She had her mom's crazy, boundless optimism, not Mitch's more gloomy outlook on things.
If it was just him, he would live in any old hovel and take the work without a second's thought, but not with Sammy to consider. Having the grandson in the mix also made him uneasy. It would be a miracle if this Enrico turned out to be of any help to him. He seemed like a college boy more at home in a coffee shop than a construction site.
Still, Mitch was pretty sure that it was thanks to him overhearing his call with Jo that he had this job offer. Now he had to wait and see if anything came of it. He couldn't afford another disappointment.
Eager to get going and see the big house, Sammy finished her lunch fast. But as soon as her lunch dishes were cleared, Sammy ended up with a peach pie piled high with whipped cream in front of her.
"That's from my grandma," Enrico said to Sammy then he turned to Mitch. "It's on her, and yes, she is trying to butter you up."
He shot Mitch a quick smile, gave Sammy a thumbs up for the big bite of pie and whipped cream she stuffed in her mouth, and then he was off.
Enrico was very good looking and had a kind of off-handed, flirty manner. Mitch wondered if he was gay. Something told him that he was, but maybe the flash of interest in his hazel eyes was meaningless. It was meaningless to Mitch, of course, since he had no interest in guys.
Sammy was done with her pie just as Mrs. Del Rio and Enrico came by their table. As Mitch wiped Sammy's face, she thanked Mrs. Del Rio sweetly for the pie. "It was yummy," she said.
"You are more than welcome, sweetheart. You ready to go?"
With that, the four of them left the café. On the way to their cranky, old GMC Yukon, Sammy held Mitch's hand and looked up at Mrs. Del Rio. "Did you make the pie?" Sammy asked her and Enrico laughed.
"Don't laugh. I'm a darned good cook," Mrs. Del Rio claimed. "I can make a pie."
