Chapter Six

 

 

Baxter nailed the last fence picket in place the following Thursday evening. He tossed the hammer into the open toolbox and stood back to admire his work with satisfaction. It’d taken a little longer than he’d anticipated, but he still had one week before Christmas and at least two weeks before his grandparents returned to accomplish the rest of his to-do list.

Besides, taking longer only meant more time at the house which, in turn, meant more time with Savannah. She’d come out one other time to help with the fencing. He hadn’t asked her to dinner again, although he had every intention of doing so. He just had to wait for the right time.

A high-pitched scream from the house made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He grabbed the hammer again on instinct and sprinted toward the sliding glass door.

With no idea what to expect, he didn’t bother wiping his shoes off before opening the door and going inside. “Savannah?”

“In here!”

He followed the sound of her voice to the kitchen where she was holding several towels against the kitchen faucet. Water sprayed everywhere from the base of the faucet. Baxter wasn’t sure which was wetter: the counters, the wall, or Savannah.

“What happened?”

“I was washing dishes, and the faucet exploded. I’m not sure how to turn it off.” She still held the towels in place. She leaned forward and brushed her forehead against her arm to get wet tendrils of hair out of her eyes.

“Here, watch out.” He knelt in front of the cabinet under the sink, and she shifted over to give him more room. Baxter found the shut-off valve and within seconds the water had stopped flowing.

“Thank you.” Savannah dropped the soaked towels into the sink and sagged against the counter. “If you hadn’t come in, the Potters may have come home to an indoor swimming pool.”

The image had Baxter laughing. Both of the dogs wandered into the room. Nessie lapped up water while Nellie followed the muddy footprints Baxter had tracked in from the back door.

He pointed them out. “I’m afraid I only contributed to the mess.”

She nodded toward the hammer on the kitchen counter. He must have set it down there when he first saw her wrestling with the faucet. “What were you going to do with that?”

Baxter exaggerated his posture by straightening his spine. “I had no idea why you screamed, and I suspect these dogs don’t have a lot of bite to go with their bark.”

There was humor in her eyes but also appreciation. “I’m just glad you knew how to turn that stupid faucet off. I guess I should call a plumber.”

“Probably a good idea. I’d offer to help, but my skills are severely limited in that area. You call, and I’ll get some towels and a mop and see if I can get a start on cleaning this up.”

She nodded. After drying her hands and arms on another towel, she disappeared into the living room with both dogs on her heels.

By the time she’d returned ten minutes later, Baxter had dried off the counter and mopped up most of the floor. Savannah’s quick response with the towels probably redirected most of the water back into the sink. It could’ve been worse.

“Okay, they can’t get anyone here until Monday. But it’s really not that big of a deal. I can manage for a few days without the kitchen sink.” Savannah looked up from her phone. “Wow, you made fast progress. I put the dogs in the other room for now.”

Baxter rested his arm on the handle of the mop. “That’s good. It’ll be a pain without water, though.”

She shrugged. “I’m mostly using paper plates and things like that anyway. It’ll be fine. And I can get water for the dogs from the bathroom.”

It sounded like she had everything lined up. Baxter straightened and went to mop up the remaining water when Savannah came around the corner. She was just about to step in one of the last puddles. “Watch out—”

His caution came too late. The moment her shoe hit the water, it slid right out from under her. Baxter grabbed one of her flailing arms before she fell completely and kept her upright. “Whoa. You okay?”

Savannah’s foot slipped again. She wrapped her arms around his to keep herself steady. “That sink is out to get me one way or another, isn’t it?” Her long eyelashes lifted until her gaze tangled with his. Her sweet scent enveloped him, and it took everything in his power to not draw her closer. He was just now getting her to let him into her world. As much as he wanted to kiss her, it wouldn’t be worth it if it caused their newfound friendship to crash down around them.

 

~*~

 

Savannah’s breath caught in her throat. Baxter’s strong arms kept her from falling. She ought to let go and create some space between them, but the intensity in his gaze kept her rooted. His breath fanned across her cheek. For just a moment, she thought he might kiss her. In that same moment, she could hardly believe she actually wanted him to.

The realization came only a heartbeat before he loosened his grip and took a step away. The intense disappointment made no sense. After all, this was the guy she couldn’t stand a couple short weeks ago. Just how pathetic was she?

She cleared her throat, crossed her arms in front of her, and took a steadying breath. “Thanks. Again. I owe you one.”

His eyebrows lifted. She already knew what he would say before he spoke the words. “Go out with me. One date.”

He’d just saved her twice in the span of thirty minutes. How was she supposed to say no now? “What do you have in mind?”

Baxter grinned and gave her a wink. “It’s a surprise, but I promise it’ll be fun. Do you have to get up early on Saturday?”

“No, I’m not working for a change.”

“Great. Then how does six o’clock sound? Assuming, of course, that you can handle a later night.” There was a friendly challenge in his words.

“Tomorrow, huh? Why are you in such a hurry?”

“Because I’m not about to give you time to change your mind.”

Savannah tried to act nonchalant while her heart ping-ponged around in her chest. “Tomorrow night is fine.” She held up a single finger. “One date.”

The happy look on his face had her smiling in return. They went to work again and finished wiping up the rest of the water. The whole kitchen floor shined. Savannah had a feeling Mrs. Potter would be impressed if she could see it now.

“I got a call from the Potters last night. Little Sarah was taken off the ventilator yesterday. That’s a huge step. She’s still on extra oxygen, but they’re hoping that might be decreased over the next few days as well.”

“That’s great news,” Baxter said as he tossed the last of the wet towels into the washing machine. “Hopefully I’ll get to meet that tiny cousin of mine this year. It’s sad that I don’t see all of them very often.”

“It seems like that’s the way families are anymore. Everyone’s so spread out.”

Baxter hesitated as though there were something he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure whether he should. “So what’s kept you here in Romance?”

She thought about that a moment. “A large part of it is because of my family. It’d take a lot to make me leave my parents or Katrina and Kyle. I also haven’t had a reason to. Everything I’ve needed is here.” It sounded simple, but it was also true. She knew a lot of kids in high school whose main goal in life was to get out of Romance. Some of them did. But the thought of leaving the place where she grew up always made Savannah sad. “I’ve got a family that supports me, a job I’ve worked toward, and a great community. At some point, I’d like to get a better apartment.” She laughed. “But overall, I can’t complain.”

“That’s great. I think it’s important to have a sense of belonging.” Baxter slid his hands into his pockets. He seemed to search for something to say. “You know, it’s a shame that my grandparents didn’t decorate this place. Would you normally have a tree in your apartment?”

Savannah nodded. “I would. But I’m just considering it a break from having to unpack and pack up all the decorations.” Their conversation lulled. “Do you need more help outside tonight?”

He blinked as though he’d forgotten about working out there at all. “No, thank you. I finished the fence. I think I may take off early tonight. Formulate my plan of attack for the rest of my list.” He picked up the hammer. “I hope you have an uneventful rest of your day.”

“Yeah, me, too.” She walked him back to the door. “Thanks again for your help.”

“Anytime.” He tipped an imaginary hat. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

She watched him walk out, gather the rest of his tools, and disappear through one of the side gates before she closed the door and hanging blinds.

Her head spun with all that had happened in the last couple of weeks. She’d gone from dreading that Baxter was back in town to having a date with him tomorrow night.

She could only imagine how much Katrina would tease her once she found out. Savannah might avoid telling her entirely except that, in this small town, word would spread like wildfire anyway.