Chapter 5

 

Next morning, when Rico arrived in front of the Dunbar house, Mitch was setting up tools on the porch and unrolling a hefty extension cord. Sammy was playing in the yard. As Rico rolled Grandma's car to a stop and got out, Sammy came over to greet him.

"You're here!" She then ran to her dad to announce his arrival. "Look, Daddy. Rico is here."

"Good morning. You're here bright and early," Mitch said. It looked like he was starting on the back porch.

"I came in grandma's boat and brought breakfast," Rico said and held up a takeout bag.

"A boat?" Sammy said and looked all around.

"That thing," Rico said pointing out the Chrysler Imperial.

"Rico, that's not a boat. That's a car," she informed him then she looked over at her dad like she wanted him to second that. Mitch only grinned.

"But it's big like a boat. Now let's eat some scary bear claws," Rico told her, and he growled.

Sammy's eyes were wide as Rico came closer and opened the takeout bag slowly. He growled again, and she jumped then laughed.

"They smell nice," she said.

"They taste good too and no bears were harmed in making them," Rico told her and went to sit on the porch steps behind the kitchen.

"No bears," Sammy said just to make it clear and she came over to sit next to him.

"They're just pastries," Mitch told her.

Rico looked over at him where he was still busy setting up. "Your dad will have one first to show you they're safe."

"You didn't have to bring us breakfast," Mitch said as he took a bear claw and sat down. "We have breakfast bars."

"That impresses no one. Bear claws win," Rico said then he high-fived Sammy. "And I brought you coffee, and juice for Sammy." He handed out those and had a coffee as well.

They ate sitting on the porch steps, and Rico tried not to admire how Mitch's biceps flexed every time he raised the coffee cup to his mouth. He also tried not to watch his throat work when he swallowed. OK, there was too much to that man to tempt him.

Once they were done eating, Rico needed to know what he would be doing to help out, so he asked Mitch about that.

"What are your skills?" Mitch asked.

Rico thought about it for a minute. "Hmm. I can come up with really cool band names, and I super-glued my fingers together once."

Mitch nodded. "OK. Just try to stay out of the way."

"Oh, come on. I'm more useful than that," Rico said with a laugh.

"I'll find stuff for you to do, don't worry. An extra pair of hands is always useful," Mitch told him. "For now, could you watch Sammy while I fix the porch."

At the moment, Sammy was inside washing her hands, but Rico had plans for her.

"We'll explore the yard and she can model that crazy new hat of hers." Seeing her through the kitchen door, Rico called out to her. "Hey, missy, I'm supposed to keep you out of trouble."

"OK," she called back.

"Make sure to wear your new hat," Rico told her and she ran off to get it.

While Rico waited for her, he noticed that some branches had broken off the trees in the yard and were just hanging there, dry and sad-looking. After Rico jumped up to pull them down, he figured he might as well clean up any other yard debris, make it a little nicer since Sammy would be playing there.

"I see you found a way to keep busy," Mitch said.

Rico could tell he approved. "Sammy is helping too." He pointed her out as she was modeling her oversized, floppy hat all over the yard. She did eventually pick up a twig and then danced it over to the pile of yard debris Rico had made.

"I guess she's just taking her sweet time about it," Mitch said and smiled at his kid.

A smile sure had a way of lighting up his face and making him look even more gorgeous. That's when Rico noticed what Mitch was wearing other than an orange t-shirt that stretched over his chest enticingly and a pair of old jeans. "A tool belt? Now you're just flaunting yourself," Rico told him.

"I'm working," Mitch said like he had no idea that a tool belt kicked up his hotness level right through the roof.

"What a tease," Rico grumbled and got drowned out by the hand saw Mitch turned on just then.

 

Finally Rico had some real work to do. He was clearing out the pieces of board Mitch cut from the porch. He was doing that and also dividing his attention between watching Sammy and ogling Mitch. Sammy was still puttering around the yard.

Then Rico noticed that she stopped and was peering under the porch. "You see something?" he asked her and went over to check it out.

"Rico, something is moving under there," Sammy said alarmingly as she pointed at the narrow space.

"Oh God, don't let it be rats," he said under his breath.

"What did you say?" Sammy asked as he crouched down next to her, but he wasn't about to tell her.

"Oh, nothing. You just stay back and I'll check it out. Or maybe go tell your dad about it, OK." Rico wanted her where she would be safe, just in case there was a dangerous critter under there.

Sammy ran off, but what Rico found under the porch wasn't anything bad. Two sets of amber eyes were peering out from tiny, cat faces.

The two orange kittens were probably scared by all the noise Mitch was making. But they came out readily enough as soon as Mitch stopped his sawing and banging.

Now Sammy had her dad by the hand, and she was bringing him over.

"Look who was hiding under there," Rico said as one of the kittens swatted at his fingers. The other kitten was scratching at his jeans as he knelt in the grass.

"Rico, you found kitties," Sammy squealed excitedly as she ran over ahead of Mitch.

"You found them," Rico pointed out as both Sammy and Mitch got down to sit in the grass with him. "Should we give them some milk? They sound hungry."

"Chocolate milk!" Sammy said. "Chocolate milk is better."

"Not for kittens, and we don't have either kind of milk anyway," Mitch said as he reached over to pet the other kitten. If Rico leaned forward just a little, he could have buried his face in the crook of his neck. But of course he couldn't do anything like that.

Shaking himself out of it, Rico realized what Mitch just said. "I can go get some milk," he volunteered.

"Chocolate milk?" Sammy said.

"I can get that too," Rico said as he turned to Mitch. "I'll go shopping, buy a few things for lunch too. How does that sound?"

"If you don't mind," Mitch said and their eyes met for too long. At close range, his eyes were such a bottomless blue. Rico had a lot of trouble turning away from them and remembering what he just said he would do.

"It's no problem," Rico said as he got up and brushed himself off. "You're in charge of the kittens, missy."

"OK, Rico," Sammy said, happy with that chore.

 

When Rico got back from shopping, Mitch had gone back to work while Sammy was playing with the kittens and talking to them.

"You got a lot," Mitch said seeing all the grocery bags Rico was bringing from the car.

"There was a slight change of plans. Look what I got for you guys," Rico said and held up the bag of cat food.

"What about milk?" Sammy asked.

"I got some milk but not for the kittens. Jasmine at the register set me straight. Kittens shouldn't have cow's milk," Rico told her.

"Chocolate milk?" Sammy said still convinced that it was the best choice.

"No. That's why I got them the cat food," Rico said. "I told Jasmine how big they were and she said to get them this, but they really need kitten food. Monty's Grocery doesn't have it." He also got two dishes for their food and water, and he got those out and set them up right in the grass.

Rico let Sammy help fill the dishes with water and cat food then they watched the kittens while they munched on it.

"No milk for you," Sammy said to the kittens.

"You can have some milk with your lunch if you want," Mitch told Sammy, but she wasn't very interested in her own lunch.

"Their food is stinky, but they like it. Now they're licking water," Sammy said as she lay in the grass and watched them.

"Do you want to drink like that too?" Rico asked her.

"No. I drink from a glass," she told him.

"I'll keep that in mind. You want to help me make lunch?" Rico asked. Sammy didn't look eager to leave the kittens, so he let her off the hook. "OK. Then you stay here and think of some names for those kittens."

That she was glad to do. Sammy peered at the kittens while they ate and drank like she was expecting them to tell her their names.

As he went into the kitchen, Rico thought he would be making lunch alone, but Mitch came in after him.

"Those kittens might belong to someone, you know," Mitch said.

"I doubt it. There are quite a few stray cats around here and some outdoor cats too. Sometimes it's hard to tell which is which. You are keeping the kittens, right?" Rico said only now realizing that he should have checked with Mitch before assuming. In his mind, they already belonged to Sammy.

"Do I have a choice?" Mitch said while he helped Rico with the groceries. "How much do I owe you for all this?"

"It's on me. You didn't ask me to buy all this stuff," Rico told him.

"I can't let you pay," Mitch said. "And I should pay you for breakfast too."

"No way. That was my treat. As for all this, I'm planning to eat when I get hungry, grab myself a drink or ten. I should pay my share." Rico then turned to eye Mitch suspiciously. "Or are you afraid to owe me?"

"I'm not. But I don't think you got chocolate milk and Goldfish crackers for yourself," Mitch said.

Rico shook his head. "You don't know me, man. I love that stuff."

 

When they called Sammy in for lunch, she had news for them. "I know the kitties' names. Natalie and Veronica."

"Those are... good names," Rico said. They were perfectly fine names, just not for kittens. Plus were they even girls?

"Natalie and Veronica are my friends from daycare where Daddy and I used to live before," Sammy explained as she washed her hands. "Can the kitties come in?"

"We'll leave the door open, and if they want to come in, they can come in," Mitch decided.

He propped open the door, and Sammy stayed turned around to watch the kittens instead of eating her sandwich.

To get her to face forward, Rico asked her, "So how was it sleeping up there last night?"

"Daddy was sleeping on the floor in my room because a branch scared me," Sammy told him.

Rico looked over at Mitch who gave a small shrug as if to say, "What can I do? I'm a dad."

"What did the branch do?" Rico asked Sammy.

"It was waving," she said.

"Why didn't you wave back?" Rico asked and Sammy tilted her head at him.

"That reminds me. I need to take care of that branch, or it will be hitting her window again tonight," Mitch said.

"Let me know what I can do to help," Rico told him.

"There's a ladder in the basement. You can get it for me," Mitch said.

"Not a chainsaw?" Rico asked. "You're not going to go all lumberjack on that tree?"

"No," Mitch said. "I'm only cutting one branch."

"Oh, when we were clearing yard debris, Sammy and I discovered there used to be a swing in that tree over there. Can you put up another one, Mr. Handyman?" Rico asked him.

"I could, but your grandmother would have to approve it. This house belongs to her," Mitch reminded him. He was such a stickler.

"Like she's going to say no," Rico said.

 

Done with cleaning up after their lunch, Rico brought up the ladder from the basement. Taking it over to the tree outside Sammy's bedroom window, he noticed vines climbing up the side of the house.

"Do we have to tear those down?" Rico wondered as he helped Mitch lean the ladder against the tree. "They look kind of cool."

"Maybe not, we'll see. Could you make sure Sammy stands back and hold the ladder for me while I go up and cut that branch," Mitch said while Sammy came over to watch.

"The scary branch is gonna get cut?" Sammy asked as she looked up at it.

"Yes, it is," Mitch told her.

"Will it hurt?" she wondered.

"Hurt the tree? No, trees need to be trimmed," Mitch told her with an amused look.

"It's like a haircut for the tree," Rico added and Sammy seemed to find that reassuring.

"OK," she said and watched closely as her dad climbed up and started sawing at the branch.

 

As soon as Mitch was done and down from the ladder, Sammy was ready to run off to see what the kittens were up to. But first she came over and grabbed the end of the branch. "I'm gonna help and take it away," she said and they let her pull it behind her.

Now that Mitch was standing next to him, tall and imposing, Rico breathed a sigh of relief. "OK. I feel better with you on solid ground," he confessed. "And Sammy does too." They both looked at her as she was laboriously dragging the cut branch over to the pile of yard debris Rico had made.

"She worries about me, but I have to climb all the time for work. I'm used to it," Mitch said. Obviously it was no big deal to him.

"I'm not. It's nerve wracking. So what can I do now? Put the ladder back?"

"No. I'll need it again when I do the curtains. Don't you need to go to work at the café?" Mitch asked.

"In a little bit," Rico said and found that he wasn't looking forward to leaving.

He and Mitch walked around to the other side of the house. Sammy was there with the kittens, but then she announced she was going to the bathroom and ran inside and told them, "Don't let the kitties get in trouble."

Rico went over to the kittens and looked down at them as they rolled in the grass. "Natalie and Veronica, can you believe it?"

"You're dying to rename them," Mitch said and he was right.

"Of course I am. I wasn't sure before, but I think they're girls. Maybe Sammy will sell me the naming rights," Rico said and got down to pet them.

"And what would you name them?" Mitch asked.

Rico made a quick decision. "Fifi and Puddin'."

Mitch made a quick decision of his own. "No. Their names are fine the way they are. But we can't keep them here without asking your grandmother."

"They were already living here. She'll be fine with it," Rico predicted. "I'll let her know about them when I report for my shift at the café."

"Are you sure you don't mind working here on top of your work at the café," Mitch asked him.

"What work? I spent all day playing with Sammy. So yeah, I put in a hard day's work all right," Rico said, but then he saw Mitch turn to him with a grateful expression.

"I appreciate you looking after her. That was a big help."

"We just hung out together since you didn't let me do any real work," Rico said with a shrug. Mitch's gratitude made him feel embarrassed.

"I'll probably have more for you to do tomorrow," Mitch told him and walked him to Grandma's car.

"I'll look forward to getting my hands dirty and callused." Rico waved to Sammy as she came out and then he was gone. He just wished he didn't hate leaving so much. What the hell was so addictive about that guy? Sure he was hot, but he was also straight. There couldn't be anything between them.