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Liam frowned, and his eyes followed the eave trough across the roof and down the side of the house. He seemed to be considering the situation. “That would be bad for the basement. The water would collect there if it just came ov
er the top.”
Surprised, Hudson smiled. “You catch on quick, kid.”
“My uncle is an architect, and I helped him this summer at one of his job sites. I want to be one when I grow up.” He shoved the rest of his toast in his mouth, and Hudson could barely understand him when he spoke. “But why are you cleaning my mom’s eave trough? Did she ask you to?”
“No.” Hudson climbed up another few rungs until he was level with the eave. “I’m just helping her out.”
“Why?”
Jesus, the kid asked a lot of questions.
“Because your mom and I are friends. And that’s what friends do for each other. They help out.”
Liam scratched his head and frowned. “Are you her boyfriend?”
Shit. He was going there?
Just then, the door opened, and he was saved from answering. “Liam! Who are you talking to? Your hockey stuff is in the garage, and you need to get it into the car right now, or we’re going to be late. And the last time you were late, Mackenzie gave me an earful.” Her voice trailed off, and damn if meeting her eyes wasn’t like a clobber over the head.
Unlike him, she looked as if she’d slept just fine. Her eyes were round and shiny, those cheeks of hers a soft pink. And her mouth, well, hell, she’d taken the time to put on some pale gloss, which emphasized the generous, round curve to the bottom lip. Dressed in a baby-blue turtleneck, faded jeans tucked into aged brown leather boots, and her hair falling in soft waves halfway down her back, she was a sight for sore eyes.
And his eyes were sore. On account of the no-sleeping thing.
“Hey, Becs,” he said slowly, not wanting to spook her. Because she looked more than a little spooked. In fact, if he were to guess, he’d say she was more than a little pissed, something he hadn’t considered. “You’re wondering what I’m doing up here.”
“I…” She pursed her lips in that way that told him he was in for it, and then turned to her son. “Liam, get your hockey stuff into the car. We need to leave.”
“See ya.” Liam waved to Hudson and finished his milk. He put the glass on the small table by the door, hopped down the steps, and headed to the garage. That was pretty much when all pretense of being polite vanished from her face. “Hudson, you can’t just show up here.”
“Why not?” He leaned on the ladder.
“Because it makes no sense.” She blew a strand of hair off her face. “I don’t need a man to clean my eaves. I don’t need a man to shovel my driveway or salt it when it freezes. I don’t need a man to take out my garbage or tell me when the water bill is due or rake the lawn or change the fuses in the fuse box. I’ve got all of that covered, thank you very much.”
“But the eaves—”
“I planned on doing them tomorrow.” She was lying, he could tell. That little tic near her right temple started to throb.
“Becca.”
“Seriously, Hudson. People are going to talk, and I don’t need that either.”
“There’s nothing for them to talk about,” he said, smiling widely and winking. “We’re just friends.”
“I don’t know what we are, but it’s not even eight in the morning, Hudson. I can’t deal with this right now.”
“Don’t worry about me. Liam’s gonna be late for his game if you don’t get your ass moving.”
She swore under her breath, but his hearing was spot-on, and he knew she’d just come up with a new way to tell him to go screw himself. “You better not be here when I get back.”
“Well, that depends now, doesn’t it?”
“On what?” she snapped, stomping down the steps. She paused on the last one and glared up at him.
“On how long it takes me to rake your lawn when I’m done with your eaves.” He hid a grin, because he was pretty damn sure Rebecca was going to lose it on him.
“Hey,” he said as she clenched her purse in her hands, those baby blues of hers narrowed on him like lasers. “I don’t know why your panties are in such a knot. Seems to me this whole friends thing is a little tougher on me than it is on you.”
