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She’d moved to Montana for some independence, not to develop an unsubstantiated crush on a neighbor.
CHAPTER FIVE
LEVI GATHERED THE materials while Mina moved her car out of her driveway. Together they moved everything to the flat surface.
“You’re right,” she said as he tightened the clamps on the boards. “This does make everything easier.”
“The driveway or another person to help?” Levi held his hand out for the drill.
“Both,” she said, though she was shaking her head. “But you’ve only promised to stick around to build the thing. I neglected to ask you to help me move it in place.”
“That’ll cost you a beer.” He gestured for the drill and grunted when she shook her head again. “What, I don’t get beer for my labors?”
She laughed. “I’m not shaking my head at the beer. I’m shaking my head at giving you the drill.” She crab-walked around the driveway, the weight of the drill obviously pulling down at her hand, until she was next to him. Then she bumped him with her shoulder. “Move over. This is my raised bed and my drill. I get to use the power tools.”
“I’ll give up my beer in exchange for power-tool responsibility.”
The way her nose wrinkled as she pretended to consider his request made him want to laugh. “No dice,” she said, with another nudge. “I’ll pay you two beers for a lesson in power tools.”
He gave up with a bark that didn’t quite cover up his laugh and scooted to where he could hold the wood steady while she drilled.
It took Mina a few times with the drill to figure out how to control the power. Levi was pretty sure she was muttering and swearing under her breath each time the drill slipped and she had to release her fingers, but she managed to control any cursing by the time the whirl of the tool stopped. And each time she wrinkled her nose in frustration, took a deep breath and leaned forward with renewed concentration. When she had finally gotten all the holes predrilled and the screws in to attach the first short side of the bed to the post, she looked up at him in triumph.
“You didn’t give me any instruction, so I’m not sure I owe you the beers. But I got it done anyway, and I’m feeling generous. One beer, not two.”
He smiled at her continued reevaluation of their bargain. If he didn’t pay attention, he’d end the day having built a raised bed and offering to make dinner, too. “Your first lesson in power tools is that it would have been faster if you’d let me do it.”
“Does that mean you’d rather not have any beers?” She took the clamps off the board, then slid down and started clamping that end to the post.
“No,” he said, slipping into his role as assistant. To his surprise, he was having fun. “Just being honest. I have experience with this. You don’t.”
“But I’ll never get experience if I don’t do it. And if I mess it up, the store has more boards I can buy.”
“But you can’t pick up another helper.”
“Like I said, Ivan can help me next weekend.” She said the man’s name again, as if he should know who Ivan was. Her boyfriend? He hadn’t seen anyone regularly coming to the house—or noticed her spending nights away. Not that it mattered to him if his cute neighbor had a boyfriend. He was over here to be neighborly—trying something new like the horoscopes always suggested—not because he was interested in anything else.
Liar, liar, pants on fire, as his nephew Skylar would say.
“Besides, I don’t see you leaving in a huff because I won’t let you hold the power tools.” Her smile had turned into an impish smirk, and Levi knew he was staying, beer or no beer, power tools or no power tools.
“I said I’d help you build this bed, and I will,” he said with conviction that surprised even himself. “I’m a man of my word.” He paused. “Around household projects, at least.”
“A caveat of household projects? Is that a promise or a warning?” Figuring out how to put her whole body into the push of the drill didn’t seem to change her ability to keep that playful smile on her face.
