Page 46 of Mr. Infuriating (Mister #1)

Gretchen

I had to blink twice when I opened the door.

There was no denying the man on my front porch was Gabe’s brother. There was a resemblance with Derrick, but this guy was the younger version of Gabe.

“You must be Beau,” I said with a bright smile.

He smiled back, revealing a dimple just like Derrick’s, and I wondered if he was a player like his younger brother.

“I am. And you must be Gretchen. Nice to finally meet you.”

I stepped to the side and told him, “Please come in,” then pointed toward the kitchen after he walked inside. “Gabe’s in the kitchen. He brought pizza.”

Gabe yelled, “And cheesecake!”

I snickered as I gripped the bag tighter.

Of course I was going to share. Not only were these guys giving up their Friday night to help me, but I couldn’t afford to eat five slices of cheesecake in one week and expect to fit into my jeans.

My empty plate was still on the counter, and I returned to the refrigerator, put the bag inside, and asked, “What can I get you guys to drink? I have Diet Coke, water, lemonade, milk, apple juice, or beer.”

“Lemonade, please.”

Beau nodded. “Yeah, lemonade sounds good.”

We sat around the kitchen island as we ate, and Gabe laid out his plan for the evening, although he seemed to be talking more to Beau than to me .

“Let’s get her refrigerator moved into the formal dining room, along with the microwave, so she at least has a clean place to make food. Then we can put up plastic in the doorways to minimize the dust to the rest of the house.”

I appreciated that he was thoughtful about mitigating the mess to the rest of the house. I had already been feeling twitchy with all the boxes of my kitchen contents stacked along the walls.

“That sounds like a plan. Which cabinets did you want to start with?” Beau broke out into a grin. “I brought my own sledgehammer. It’s in the truck.”

“I don’t want to demolish them. They’re in good enough condition that they can be donated to the Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore.” He turned to face me. “If that’s okay with you?”

“I love that idea.”

Not only were we recycling, we’d be donating to a great cause.

Damn him.

We’d almost kissed earlier. I took Beau showing up when he did as the Universe’s way of telling me that was a bad idea. But now Gabe had to go be thoughtful and make me wish I could kiss him.

And maybe more.

Beau wiped his mouth with his napkin and tilted his head as he looked at Gabe.

“I thought it was your weekend with the kids?”

“It is, sort of. The older they get, the more complicated it becomes. They’re both at a friend’s tonight, so they’re only staying Saturday night with me.”

“It’s good they have friends though.”

“I know. I’m not complaining; but it does kind of suck when they make plans with their friends during my weekend. My time with them is limited as it is.”

I guess Troy not wanting time with Jake might be a blessing in the future. I kept quiet as the brothers continued their exchange.

“You still planning on coming to Brayden’s game tomorrow?”

Beau’s grin was devilish.

“Of course. I can’t let Derrick be the favorite uncle.”

I loved how close their family was and how they all seemed to support each other. It was a lot like my family. I could always count on Carrie and Andrew to have my back. I wanted that for Jake. I wanted him to have siblings he’d be close with, even when he was older.

Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought of my son growing up without siblings.

I needed to start dating. I was thirty-one; my fertility window would be closing before I knew it. I didn’t have time to mess around with Gabe or any man who wasn’t interested in a future with me that included children.

Was there a dating app specifically for that purpose? All the ones my girlfriends were on seemed to be more for hooking up than finding the one , which was why I hadn’t joined.

With renewed resolve, I dabbed my eyes. And, of course, Gabe noticed.

“You okay?”

I lied. “Just feeling a little nostalgic. The kitchen was the reason I wanted this house. ”

“You’re going to love your new one even more. I guarantee it.”

“I hope so.”

For the amount of money I was paying—even without installation, it’d really suck if I didn’t.

****

Gabe

We made quick work of cleaning up after dinner, then Gretchen showed me where she wanted her makeshift kitchen, and Beau and I set it up.

Before long, the first cabinet came out of the wall.

“That was easier than I thought,” my brother remarked as we set it a few feet from the wall it’d previously been attached to.

Gretchen seemed fascinated as she stood by and watched. I’d tasked her with removing the cupboard doors, but she was more interested in what Beau and I were doing.

I wiped my brow with the back of my gloved hand and told her, “I was thinking I’d bring the store’s box truck tomorrow and leave it here until everything’s out. Would your homeowner’s association have a problem with it being parked in your driveway overnight?”

“I don’t think so. They’re not like some of the HOAs I’ve read about.”

Beau snorted. “I dated a girl whose HOA measured how long her neighbor’s grass was. I’d never been more thankful for my little five acres outside of town.”

I shuddered at the thought .

“That was one of the requirements for my realtor. No HOA.”

She shrugged. “Mine’s not bad, and I like knowing that my neighbors can’t paint their house purple.”

“But you probably can’t build a treehouse for Jake in your backyard either.”

Her smile was sad when she replied, “Even if it were allowed, I don’t see that happening. That’s not exactly my skillset.”

Maybe Jake’s dad would build one at his house. I hoped so. Or maybe her new husband would be handy.

I didn’t like the idea of that one bit and decided I was glad her HOA probably didn’t allow treehouses.