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I enjoyed watching the three guys interact with Laurie. She and Tom had the whole loving but annoying sibling thing going, while Jim made a real effort to pay attention to her as well as me. The funniest part for me was seeing how Laurie reacted to Chance. If he spoke to her, she turned into a giggling school girl. I was betting that her reaction was what he got from most women. He knew he could fluster her just be complementing her or casually touching her when she handed him something.
When Chance brought some papers over to where I was sitting on the couch, I tugged his arm and pulled him down to my level. "Go easy on her, would you?"
"Jealous?"
"Hardly, just looking out for a friend."
We managed to get everything cleared out and have a ton of laughs in the process. I was left with boxes of cryptid books and Harry's personal papers and journals I needed to go through. "I think we're finished, y'all. Thanks for helping. I can't believe we got it all done?"
"What's next?" Tom asked, looking around.
"Next is cleaning and painting the living room and kitchen. I'm not sure when I'll get to that," I explained.
"I'm guessing none of us have plans for tonight," Chance said, looking at the group. "Let's take a break for dinner and then get to it."
"I appreciate the offer guys, but I didn't think we'd get this far. I don't have the paint, and it's about time for Ralph's to close."
"Grab your coat," Tom said. "I'll call Ralph. He owes me a favor." He pulled out his phone while I grabbed my jacket and purse.
XXX
When Tom and I got back, the apartment was deserted. “They must have gone on to the café," I said. The furniture had been moved into the bedroom and hallway leaving only enough space to get to the bathroom. The stuff left in the living room had been pushed into a pile in the center of the room and covered with a tarp.
"After we eat, Jim can tape off the ceiling, and I’ll go behind him and paint," Tom said. "You'll be able to do the walls up close to the ceiling. That'll leave you with just a few inches to finish tomorrow."
"Great. Let's go get dinner."
"Not so fast," he said, reaching out for me. "We should take advantage of having a moment alone. He kissed me lightly then pulled back. "Will you have dinner with me Monday night?"
"Sounds great. You know if we stay up here too long, they'll start wondering what we're doing."
"Let's hope so," he said, bending to cover my lips with his again. Then I heard the toilet flush.
"I'm not interrupting anything am I," Chance asked as he squeezed past the pile of furniture in the hallway. "They left me up here to tell you they went ahead to get a table. Are you guys ready to eat?"
He put his arm around Tom's shoulder and herded him toward the door.
"You guys go ahead. I'll be down in a minute."
"You OK?" Tom and Chance asked in unison. Tom looked irritated, and Chance smirked.
"I'm fine. I just need to check something. I'll be right down. Order me a sweet tea." As soon as they left, I collapsed on my bed. What the heck was I doing with these three men. I didn't have the best record handling a relationship with one man, how could I possibly think I could juggle three in a small town like Wilkins’ Gap. I knew if I didn't show up in the cafe soon, someone would come to check on me. I forced myself up off the bed, threw some cold water in my face, and walked downstairs to join my friends.
Dinner was fun. Laurie, seated between Jim and Chance, didn't stop smiling the whole time. We decided to skip dessert and get back to work upstairs. I was still eating, but everyone else was finished. "We'll get started on the ceiling," Tom said, as he and Jim headed for the door. "I'd better go supervise," Laurie said, leaving me alone with Chance.
"I appreciate your help today, but we can finish up. Why don't you head home?" I asked.
"Trying to get rid of me?"
"Of course not."
"It wouldn't be right to leave you alone with those guys."
"I wouldn't be alone. Laurie's here. I thought you trusted Jim and Tom."
"I do."
"So, it's me you don't trust?"
"Well, you did push me off a cliff."
"Will that ever get old?"
"I'm sure the legend will live on until the next news-worthy episode of Everly Mason, City Girl."
"Let's get back to work," I said.
Chance stopped at the bottom of the stairs. I assumed he was catching his breath before climbing the stairs. I knew he was being extra cautious. He didn't want anything to add to his recovery time. He turned to face me.
"Before we rejoin the crowd, do you have plans for dinner tomorrow?"
"No. What did you have in mind?"
His look said I should know exactly what he had in mind. "Come to my place for dinner. I’ll cook. You seemed to like my elk stew."
"Great. I'll bring dessert." That earned me another look that sent my mind to all sorts of places it should not be going.
"There are some things I need to discuss with you before the convention."
"OK, but I don't think I need a packing list for a weekend at a hotel."
When Chance and I walked into my apartment, Jim was almost finished taping the ceiling, and Tom had a good start on painting the kitchen ceiling. It only took another couple of hours to finish everything. "I owe all of you. Thanks for all your help. I can't tell you how good it feels to have a home that feels like mine. I don't think any of you know this, but when I got divorced, I moved back home with my mom. I'm really excited to have my own space again."
It was obvious that none of the guys wanted to be the first to leave. I looked at Laurie hoping she'd know how to help.
"This has been fun, guys, but I'm wiped out," Laurie said. She came over and hugged me. "Call me tomorrow."
"I will. Thanks for all your help," I said.
Jim grabbed his coat. "Wait up, Laurie. I'll walk you out," he said. "I'm going to head home too Em, unless you need me to do something for you."
"I'm good. Thanks for all your help. He hugged me and whispered in my ear. "I'll call you tomorrow." He kissed my cheek and held the door for Laurie.
Chance took his time cleaning up the painting supplies. When he finished, he looked around. "I'm sure you'll want to add some special touches, City Girl, but it looks good."
"Thanks for helping, Chance." I walked him to the door. He gave me a brief kiss. "See you tomorrow night."
I was embarrassed, but Tom and Chance were supposed to be friends. I had the distinct feeling they were using me to tease each other.
"Do you want to hang out for a while, or do you want me to go?" Tom asked.
"I'm pretty tired, but I need to relax before I try to sleep. Want to put on a movie?"
"Sure."
We put on a movie, but I couldn't tell you what. I just enjoyed sitting with my head on Tom's shoulder and his arms around me. Tom made me feel safe. I was starting think maybe that was important.
I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remember is Tom waking me up. "Everly, you're tired. We should call it a night."
Stretching, I said, "Thanks for your help today, Tom. Sorry I fell asleep."
"Anything you need help with before I go?"
His look indicated he was open to helping me in lots of ways that had nothing to do with home maintenance. "I'm good. I'm just going to crash. I'll clean up the rest in the morning."
He left me at the door with a kiss that made me realize I was going to have to make a difficult choice if I was going to have a serious relationship with any of these guys.