Gabe felt like a slug. In the time it had taken him to do the trim for one window, Ed had finished painting the front door. Together, they’d cleaned up and painted the garage door, and now they were working side-by-side on the front of the house, ensuring everything matched. By the time they finished with the house, the curbside appeal would be much improved.
With the trim done, they stood back to survey their work.
“When do you think she’ll end up selling the place?”
Gabe didn’t want to think about that. When the for-sale sign went up, it would mean Marilyn was gone. “I’m not sure. From my understanding, it’ll probably be soon.”
“That’s too bad.” Ed kicked a rock that was lying in the driveway.
Gabe drew a deep breath. “I haven’t had a chance to look at the backyard.”
Already headed that way, Ed said, “Let’s go take a look.”
The backyard was just as untamed as the front. The lawn was overgrown, and weeds monopolized the flowerbeds.
“Wow.” Ed’s eyes were wide. “Just lawn and flower maintenance is going to take at least a couple of days.”
Ed had agreed to help out in the evenings after his workday. He’d finished at the job site around four and had met Gabe fifteen minutes later at Brooke’s place. Gabe cast an eye over the back of the house and realized they’d have to paint the trim back here to match the front—it needed touching up just as badly.
He spotted movement at the kitchen window and realized Marilyn was watching them. He gave her a little wave. Caught spying on them, she gave a small wave and rushed away from the window. Gabe had called ahead to let her know their plans. He didn’t want any noise to wake her if she was sleeping.
Apparently, Dan had taken half the day off to spend with her so Brooke could return to her office. There was a big marketing meeting that she just couldn’t miss. It was a two-hour drive, and because she’d been out of the office so long, odds were she’d be stuck at the office long after the meeting was over. It was the perfect opportunity for him to get some work done at her house.
“What do you want to do first?”
Gabe slid his hands into the front pockets of his worn, work jeans. “Well, I don’t want to lug the power washer back here again. Let’s take care of the porch today. I brought stain and brushes, too.”
“Sounds good. Tomorrow, I think I’m going to paint that living room.”
When they’d arrived, Gabe explained to Marilyn what he wanted to get done before Brooke got home. She was skeptical at first but finally warmed up to the idea of letting Gabe take care of a few things. She’d told them to help themselves to anything in the fridge. Gabe had said they’d probably just steal a few bottles of water.
Ed had taken one look at the living room and immediately drew Marilyn into a conversation about her choice of color. He’d agreed one hundred percent with her idea to use a caramel brown. He’d said it was a warm and inviting choice but not dark enough to absorb the natural light and dim the entire room. Ed had run a finger over the green painter’s tape surrounding the light switch and said, “You know, I could probably get this painting done for you in no time.”
Marilyn had brightened. While she told them she didn’t feel right about letting them fix up her home, she was thrilled by the idea of seeing the room finished and jumped on Ed’s offer.
They headed back around to the front. “While you’re doing that, I’ll cut the grass, maybe lay down some fertilizer, although it’s pretty late in the year for that. Then I’ll start on the gardens.”
Together, they unloaded the power washer from the back of Gabe’s truck.
“You know I don’t normally like to get involved in people’s personal lives…”
Gabe tensed, knowing exactly where Ed was going with that thought.
“But you’ve got me curious. What’s going on with you and Brooke?”
With the power washer hooked up, Gabe considered turning it on to avoid the question.
“Come on, man, seriously. When you picked her, you had to know people were going to question it.”
Gabe’s shoulders bowed in defeat. “What do you want to know?”
Ed considered it. “Why now?”
“You guys were right, she was over me, and I guess that took some of the pressure off. I no longer felt tense and on guard whenever she was around. I relaxed and realized what a great girl she is.”
“That’s it, eh? That’s all it took?”
Gabe’s mouth lifted into a smile. “I sure surprised a lot of people.”
Ed let it go at that. After finishing the power washing, they scrubbed a few spots and started to stain the boards. It made a huge difference. About halfway through the project, Ed started the conversation again. “You know what surprised me the most about the whole thing?”
“About me and Brooke?”
“I’m shocked at how Kevin’s handling it.”
Gabe’s paintbrush stilled. He’d seen Kevin a few times in the past weeks. “He seems fine with it.”
“Yeah, but that’s the weird part, isn’t it? They were together for years. I’m surprised he’s okay with you shagging his ex.”
“They were together in high school but haven’t really been together in years.”
Ed shook his head. “They were still kind of together. And don’t you remember how he was in high school? He was worse than a chick. He had their wedding planned out, for Christ’s sake.”
That made Gabe pause. Kevin had been head-over-heels with Brooke. It was something that distracted him often. What if Brooke and Kevin decided to get back together? Gabe had no claim on her.
“High school was a long time ago. People change,” Gabe pointed out.
Kevin had certainly proven that this summer.
“You’re right. We’re all a little different than we were in high school.”
Gabe watched Ed dip his brush and work the wood, bringing new life to the old boards.
They all had changed. Maybe not at the same time, and each to a different degree, but they had evolved.
Nick was a world-class flirt, and that might never change. He was charismatic and easily drew women to him, but he had set aside the single life in favor of a future with Amelia.
Kevin was in the process of changing now, something long overdue. He’d probably always be a bit of a goofball, but now he was starting to take life a little more seriously—a new job, routine, and bright future.
For his part, Gabe had never thought he’d be seen dating Brooke Holter, much less starting to want the things Nick did: a commitment to a woman—a future.
It was a new thought for Gabe and one he was entertaining more and more every day. He was beginning to wonder if it was time to walk away from the motel.
He considered Ed. He’d been the first to change after high school, but it wasn’t necessarily for the better. Ed had been the school all-star. He’d been the points leader for their high school basketball team. His only real competition for the position had been Nick. Ed had been voted in as class president their graduating year and had given the valedictorian speech. He’d even been dating Jenny, one of the hottest girls in the school. He had the whole world at his fingertips. After being offered a partial scholarship to three different universities, he’d chosen instead to serve his country. When he returned from overseas, he and Jenny moved in together.
Two months later, she’d moved out, and none of them had seen her since. To this day, Ed had never explained what had happened, but he certainly wasn’t the same carefree, fun-loving hero everyone had worshiped.
Ed must have felt his scrutiny—he looked up and frowned. Gabe expected him to ask what was on his mind, but he should have known better.
Typical Ed, all he said was, “Are we working here, or what?”
Of course, Ed hadn’t stopped at all while they chatted, and now Gabe was left to catch up.
The evening grew later, the sun beginning its descent. Gabe was starting to wonder if Brooke would return home before they left. He was looking forward to seeing her reaction to all they had accomplished today. Gabe left Ed to finish up the porch steps while he grabbed them some water. Coming back out the side door, he heard a car door close.
Brooke was finally home.
* * *
Puzzled by Gabe’s truck in her driveway, Brooke left the bag of groceries behind and rushed toward the house. She skidded to a halt when she saw Ed kneeling on the porch, stroking a paintbrush across the boards.
“What are you doing here?”
“What’s it look like?” Focused on his task, he didn’t even look up.
She glanced around at the porch. It looked clean, fresh, and almost darker in color. Gabe came around the side of the house with two water bottles. He tossed one to Ed. That’s when she noticed they both looked a little sweaty from working in the afternoon sun.
“You guys cleaned the porch?”
Ed put the water bottle on the grass and continued staining the wood. Now, he was working his way down the front steps. The rest of the porch was already covered in a fine, glossy sheen.
“I called ahead and spoke to your mom,” Gabe said, drawing her attention. “We would have just started working, but the power washer is loud, and I didn’t want to wake her.”
That’s when Brooke noticed the heavy looking piece of machinery loaded in the bed of Gabe’s truck. “You didn’t have to do this.”
As if she hadn’t spoken, Gabe continued. “We cleaned the garage door and gave it a new coat of paint. And, of course, had to do the front door to match, along with all the trim.” Amazed, she looked over at the garage. “Then we hosed down the porch, scrubbed away the more resilient mold, and now Ed’s just finishing up the stain.”
“And done,” Ed exclaimed proudly. After putting away the paintbrush, he took a swig from the water bottle. “Sorry, but you won’t be able to use the front door or garage door until tomorrow. You’ll have to go in and out the side.”
“This is incredible.”
Taking the cans and brushes from Ed, Gabe went around to the far side of the truck and set them in the bed close to the cab.
“Tomorrow, Gabe’s going to do the flowerbeds and the lawn. I’m going to paint the living room, then give him a hand finishing up.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Brooke insisted, still stunned by this weird turn of events.
From across the drive, Gabe said, “He’s a Jack-of-all-trades. We might as well make use of him. Otherwise, what good is he?”
Ed smiled down at her. “It’ll take me no time at all. Your mom already has everything primed and ready. And she’s even got the paint. All the hard work is done. The rest will be a breeze.”
“But why would you do all this?”
Ed was taken aback by the question. “Because we’re friends.”
“We are?”
His eyes widened, lifting his eyebrows so high they nearly got lost in his hairline. “If you have to ask that, I must be a lousy friend.”
Afraid she’d offended him, Brooke waved her hands. “No. No! Not at all. I just didn’t realize… I mean, you’ve always been nice… you know, friendly…”
Ed grinned. “You know, that’s generally the first sign of friendship.”
She studied his eyes, searching for sincerity, and then, despite his being a little sweaty, she reached up and hugged him. Even on tiptoes, it was a long way up. She was so happy and flattered she sobbed a bit before releasing him.
“If you’re going to cry about it, I just might retract my offer,” he teased.
Brooke brushed away a stray tear. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“How about showing a little of that love over here?”
Brooke rushed around the truck’s front end and gathered Gabe into a big hug. “I don’t know about love,” she said against his ear, “but I’m definitely grateful. You didn’t have to do all this.”
Gabe frowned at her. “This is what boyfriends do. They help out. Solve problems.”
He’d done that. Now, when she went to sell the house, she wouldn’t be as embarrassed, and she’d be able to raise her asking price. A little polish went a long way in the housing market.
While Ed was busy pulling weeds—the man must be a workaholic. Brooke leaned in and whispered, “This is above and beyond the duties of a boyfriend and certainly well above that of a fake one.”
“Why do we have to keep pointing that out?”
Brooke pulled back a bit. He seemed irritated. She wondered if she’d ever understand him.
He rushed on. “Look, you’re doing me a big favor right now, covering with me for my family’s sake. Maybe I wanted to do a little something to return the favor.”
Brooke laughed. “You’ve been taking me out for free dinners and romantic evenings. And honestly, it’s been a wonderful distraction. But painting my house is so above that, I don’t know what to say.”
“If you feel that strongly about it, then sure, we can say you owe me.” His grin was lopsided. “In fact, I can think of a lot of different ways you could make it up to me.”
Playfully, Brooke smacked him. “But what about Ed? He’s done a lot of work, too.”
“He’s a friend, that’s what we do.”
“Yeah, but if I owe you, shouldn’t I owe him?”
Glaring at her, Gabe gathered her close. She was pretty sure he knew she was joking, but just to be sure, she teased him some more. “You know, maybe we could organize another ménage? This time with three.”
He pinched her ass cheek. She yelped and rubbed at the spot.
Ed called, “If you two are about done sucking face, Gabe promised me dinner. And I don’t know about him, but I’m starved.”
“Ed came straight from work,” Gabe explained. “Do you want to join us?”
“No, I brought home something for Mom and me.”
Soon, they’d loaded up the rest of their supplies, leaving whatever they’d need for tomorrow in the garage. Brooke waved goodbye as they drove away.
She took her time going in, choosing to linger so she could look at the effort they’d put into the house. Finally, she went to her car to grab the groceries. Luckily, she’d be home tomorrow and could work side-by-side with Gabe in the garden. She didn’t feel right about letting them do all the work, but they’d certainly given her a new sense of hope.
She wondered how her mother had reacted when Gabe showed up to do house and lawn maintenance. For her part, she knew exactly how she’d behave at dinner tonight, as though Gabe’s actions today hadn’t meant a thing.
No way would she let her mom know how Gabe’s gesture had affected her.