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Clark turned a horrified expression on me, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. We’d had sex in that room multiple times. We had hooked up in other rooms too, of course, but that was our go-to when we didn’t want to worry about being too noisy since it was farther removed from Toby’s room. I’d even moved the living room sofa in there while we were sanding the floors, so we were fairly comfortable.
“You’re very interested in their windows,” Wes joked. “Should we be worried?”
Tucker reddened. “No, no. My aunt lives on that block. She mentioned the windows. Said she wished you’d take down those curtains because it’s a beautiful room.”
I snorted, wondering if she wanted the curtains removed for another reason. I made a mental note to add heavy drapes.
“Good to know you haven’t taken up peeping in windows,” Beckett said.
Tucker added, sounding awkward, “She, uh, also said she’s seen you working on the place, and she’s super happy someone’s finally taking better care of it.”
“Yeah, there’s still so much to do.”
Just thinking about it made me tired. Clark was so excited about the idea of using it during the Live History Tour that I would make it happen, even if it killed me, but it really might kill me.
“Do you need some help?” Wes asked.
“There is still some landscaping work to do,” Clark said, perking up. “I was hoping you two might be able to help us figure out a plan.”
The two brothers ran Potter Landscaping, but I couldn’t afford to pay for their services. “I’m on a tight budget,” I warned. “That’s why I’m doing so much of the work myself.”
“Friend discount,” Beckett said. “We’ll just have a look and see what’s what. If you can pay for any plants or bushes needed, we can donate the labor and tools.”
The generous offer surprised me. Aside from seeing them at trivia every couple of weeks, I didn’t know them well. “Are you sure? That’d really help.”
“Of course,” Wes said, holding out his fist for a bump. “We’ve got your back.”
Augustus spoke up. “Joe just recently painted a room at our place. He’s a pro now, so I’m sure he’d be happy to help. I can guilt Darren Rafferty into helping out too.”
Darren was Garrett’s son, so we’d met and joked about our family members canoodling. He was one of Kevin’s friends, but I’d been gone from Granville too long to ever get to know him well.
Bobbi raised her hand. “I’m no pro, but I can help paint too.”
Tucker cleared his throat. “Me too, and I’ll bring the pizza and beer.”
Bobbi grinned. “Yes! We’ll make it a party.”
Clark’s friends continued to make plans to help finish the house renovation, but I was too stunned to properly thank them all.
“Are they always this helpful?” I asked Clark quietly.
He snorted, sounding amused. “No. They’re usually very unhelpful.” When he saw I was serious, he added, “I’m kidding. When you really need something, they’ll all step up for you.” He smiled, and it seemed genuine this time rather than the halfhearted attempt he’d made when he first arrived. “That’s what friends do, right?”
Maybe his friends. Mine had pretty much bailed when I wasn’t the fun guy anymore.
“Right, sure…”
My skepticism must have come through because he cocked his head.
“You haven’t mentioned any friends, but you were a popular guy in high school. What happened?”
I cleared my throat, shrugging uncomfortably as the table’s attention landed on me. “I don’t know. I was gone for a long time. Guess we grew apart.”
The trivia game started, and the subject changed, but as we left the pub it was still on my mind. Clark’s too, apparently.
“You seemed pretty surprised our friends would offer to help at the house.”
“Ah, yeah,” I said with an awkward chuckle as we stopped by his car. Sadly, we wouldn’t be going home together tonight. “I guess I’m not used to the type of friends that jump to help you out like that. I should have known your friends would be awesome though.”
