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“Can you imagine if we had a place like this when we were kids?” she asked. “We would have played out here all day.”
I smirked. “And drank all night when we were teens.”
“Fair,” she replied with a chuckle. “Maybe you’ll lock it up when Maya’s older.”
I hadn’t even thought that far ahead, but she was right. Having an eight-year-old was one thing... I was terrified of being a dad to a teenage girl, especially if Regina stayed as checked out as she was now.
“I guess I’ll start bringing my stuff inside, if that’s okay,” Liv offered.
“I’ll help you.”
We made quick work of unloading her bags, getting them all inside the guesthouse within half an hour. I offered to help her unpack, but she shook her head. “It will be better if I know where everything is.”
I nodded, feeling like I should say something, but not knowing what. She may have been the girl I crushed on in high school, but now we were two adults who hadn’t spoken in years.
“What time should I come over tomorrow morning?” she asked.
“I need to leave the house at seven thirty, so if you could come at seven so you and Maya can get settled in before I leave, that would be great.”
She nodded with a smile. “I’m looking forward to it. I make the best Mickey Mouse pancakes.”
“Maya will love that,” I said. “And thank you, really. You’re doing us both a big favor here.”
“Fletch?” Liv put her hand on my shoulder, the warm sensation quickly spreading.
“Yeah?”
She met my eyes, hers all blue and open. “You don’t need to thank me so much. You and Maya deserve someone you can depend on.”
I shook my head at this ray of sunshine. She was like a life raft, rescuing Maya and me from the waters. I just hoped it could last. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
She smiled, echoing my words. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I turned and left Liv in the cottage, and for some reason, I felt better knowing that Maya and I weren’t alone out here. Probably because it was hard to be a single parent. Even though my dad and brothers were around, they had their own lives going on. It would be nice to have someone here as dedicated to caring for Maya as I was.
I got inside and was about to start getting Maya ready for bed when my phone went off with a call. The name on the screen?Rhett.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself. I’d completely forgotten to call him and let him know I was back in town. Luckily, Maya was too focused on the TV to hear the cuss word slip.
“Hey, bud,” I answered.
“Don’t ‘hey bud’ me! You’re back in town and you don’t call to let your best friend know about it? And now mysister’sworking for you? My mom knew you were back in town before me! What gives?”
Okay, he was mad. But also joking a little bit? Maybe? It was hard to tell with him sometimes.
I scrubbed my hand over my face and went to the fridge for a beer. I definitely needed one. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to call you. I’ve just been so busy trying to find a nanny for Maya and getting settled in at the practice. It was a dick move. I’m sorry.”
“It was a dick move,” Rhett said. “But at least I got out of carrying your couch this time.”
I laughed. “If you want to come over this weekend, there are plenty of boxes left.”
“Boxes? My favorite subject.” There was a smirk in his voice that had me shaking my head. We were such opposites—him, the fun-loving, girl-crazy one. Me, the responsible one trying to keep us both out of trouble, for the most part.
“I’ll bring a case of beer,” he continued. “Between you, me, and Liv, we should be able to get it finished up.”
I smiled at the idea. It had been a long time since I had enough space in my life for friends. Regina and Maya had required so much. “Just bring the beer, but don’t worry about unpacking. We’ll grill some food and catch up.”
“Sounds good. And be good to my sister, you hear?”