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I swung my gaze to the right.
Dishes overflowed from the kitchen sink. Every stove eye had a pot on it. There were boxes with the Dog Love logo on it stacked on the floor.
Colorful dresses and tops and bow ties hung over the barstools.
A bike leaned against the wall.
A laundry basket stuffed with towels sat to the side of the hallway that I assumed led to their bedrooms.
The apartment was a disaster. A far cry from the two put-together individuals.
But something about it felt like a home.
I was torn between wanting to escape and stepping deeper into the room.
“Would you believe we had a hectic morning?” A hint of red crept up Lexie’s neck.
“It’s always like this,” Eric volunteered. “We barely have time to breathe.”
She looked like she wanted to disappear as her brother spoke the truth and undoubtedly parroted her words.
“What exactly are you so busy doing?”
“Are you going to shut the door?” Lexie snapped.
I twisted to find that I had in fact hardly moved into their space. If I shut that door, I’d be secured in their world. I wasn’t sure that was where I wanted to be. And I definitely wasn’t sure I wanted to eat ice cream. Do they have any clean bowls and spoons?
I’d always kept my place tidy despite having a housekeeper. I resisted the urge to clean the clutter. This was their lives. I had no right to judge their mess.
I shoved the door closed and locked it.
“We have the dog food business. Plus, we volunteer at the old folks’ home, clean the parks once a month, take a Bob Ross painting class on Thursdays, and help Mrs. Brooks with anything she needs.” Eric looked at Lexie. “What did I forget?”
“We work on the van.”
I jerked my gaze to her, and she nodded.
“It took us four years to save the money and figure out how to do stuff,” Eric said proudly.
For some reason, I thought she’d purchased the van in that condition. Knowing she and Eric had restored it . . . was impressive.
“That’s . . .” I searched for an adequate word.
“Amazing,” he said helpfully.
“Absolutely.” These two were so unexpected. Quite the pair.
“Hey! Let me show you my toolbox.” He raced off before I could respond.
“He’s really proud,” Lexie said, pulling down a few bowls from the cabinet.
“As he should be.”
She didn’t need to defend his excitement to me. If I’d restored a car or done half the things Eric rattled off, I’d be proud too.
I had one activity.
Work.
