Page 11 of Over and Above (Mount Hope #4)
Chapter Eleven
Magnus
I must have drifted off at some point before dawn. I woke in Eric’s guest bed with my phone buzzing against my face, but I certainly didn’t feel like I’d slept a wink. The incoming phone messages were all from insurance and fire inspector people wanting to know when I might be at the scene.
The scene . There was that word again, underscoring my lack of choice to face the day and the reality of the house fire. Luckily, I wouldn’t have to go in my ruined clothes from the day before because I had the pair of jeans I’d purchased last night. Still no clean shirt. Resigned to asking Eric for something to borrow, I opened the door after pulling on the jeans and my shoes, only to find a T-shirt on the handle. A subtle sign to not parade around shirtless again?
Probably, but I gratefully shrugged into the faded shirt advertising the annual firefighter pancake breakfast. And if I was more temptation than Eric wanted to deal with, at least the feeling was mutual. Further, now that I was dressed, I could deal with the dogs and possibly leave a note for Eric to avoid any awkward residue from falling asleep on the guy last night.
However, before I could so much as whistle for Ben and Jerry, Eric greeted me from his seat at the kitchen island with a cup of coffee in front of him. The dogs were asleep near his feet, full bowls of water and chow nearby.
“You fed and watered them? Thanks.” The leftover kibble told me Eric had been extra generous, but I wasn’t about to quibble over minor details.
“Told you they liked me.” Eric offered a tentative smile. “And I figured you’d be in a rush to get to your house this morning.”
My gut tugged at the way Eric’s voice softened on house, an unwelcome reminder of what I’d lost. Maybe the impersonal labels everyone else kept using were better.
“Yeah, I need to get to the scene. If the boys have been out, I’ll just head there now.” I gestured at the backdoor that led to the small deck.
“I’ll go with you.” Eric placed his empty cup in the dishwasher and joined me at the door in a series of efficient movements that left me more frustrated than impressed. As much as I was attracted to the guy and his confident way of carrying himself, the last thing I wanted was to be some sort of rescue project for him.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“The fire inspector and insurance people will have all sorts of questions for you. That alone is a reason to bring a friend, but you also don’t know yet how bad the scene is. You shouldn’t be alone.”
“I’m not sure I like your martyr complex.” I stamped down the little giddyup in my pulse at him calling us friends. Under other circumstances, that could be seen as an improvement, but my back stiffened from his reasonable tone and too-kind eyes.
“Perhaps, at a certain point, you’ll simply have to accept that I like you, Magnus.” Now Eric sounded maddeningly like I had the other week, and I groaned at his use of my own logic. “And if there’s one thing I’m good at in this world, it’s being a friend.”
I know. I bit back the retort. Eric had a strong friend group, and he was well-liked by pretty much the entire town from what I could tell from my time in Mount Hope. The problem wasn’t that I didn’t want to be friends with him, but rather that I wanted to be the kind who stuck our tongues down each other’s throats.
Since I wasn’t about to remind either of us how close we’d come to kissing the night before, I sighed instead. “Fine. You can come.”
“Good. I made you coffee for the road.” Eric produced a travel mug out of seemingly thin air. He must have grabbed it when he put his cup in the dishwasher, but I’d been distracted by my own frustrations, his lean muscles, and his rather perfect ass yet again.
“Thanks.” It was likely for the best that we didn’t discuss last night. Especially since a lot of my ire and confusion was at myself. If I hadn’t stopped things, we likely would have hooked up, which was the outcome I’d sought for months. But I’d had to open my mouth, and not in a fun way. After the night I’d experienced, I would have thought I’d jump at the chance for stress relief via Eric, but apparently, my body had another agenda I couldn’t quite figure out yet.
And that made me cranky. We ended up leaving the dogs snoozing in Eric’s kitchen and taking his far-better-smelling SUV. Rather than subject either of us to small talk, I flipped on the radio for the short drive.
True local boy, Eric had it tuned to one of the Gorge’s own stations rather than a streaming service or a Portland-area station. Of course, this meant suffering through Mount Hope’s ode to the oldies before getting a chipper DJ warning about an incoming July heat wave.
Cranky. Hot. It was barely eight a.m., and I was already in a terrible mood by the time the fire inspector, a younger brunette with a stoic demeanor, started in on her lengthy list of questions.
“I already know what caused the fire.” I swiped at the sweat gathering on my forehead. We stood in what had been my driveway. When Diesel and I left yesterday, the driveway had ended in the carport, which led to the kitchen’s side door. All that was left of the carport and kitchen area was twisted metal and piles of burned debris, which I preferred not to look too hard at. Instead, I directed my gaze to the relatively intact portions of the house, not that there were many standing walls. “The iron?—”
“Was found unplugged.” The inspector gave me an arch look not unlike that perfected by several of the teachers I’d had to deal with over the years for Diesel. “Old faulty wiring is the likely culprit, but I’ll also check any window AC units, stoves, wiring, and signs of arson. I prefer to rule everything out rather than reach for the first conclusion.”
“Point taken. And I guess it’s a relief that it might not have been my fault.” I exhaled hard, swinging my arms to circulate the oxygen through. “And that we have insurance.”
“Insurance is huge,” Eric added in a supportive tone. Like mine, his gaze kept flitting away from the house. He wasn’t kidding about fires leaving invisible scars. I’d assumed the worst had been the night before, but it was here, in the light of day, that I truly felt the burn and scrape of what had been lost. I felt raw and exposed, and no amount of deep breathing or stretching was helping me regain my equilibrium.
“In my experience, the insurance will take a while to pay out.” The inspector had no problems staring at the wreckage of the house, going as far as to gesture at where the roof had been. “You’ll want a place to stay for more than a night or two because the insurance payout, the decision to rebuild, and all the associated permits can take months, if not longer.”
“Months.” I squished my eyes shut like that might change the reality. “Fuck. Sorry. Excuse my language.”
“I’ve heard worse,” the inspector said mildly. “Curse away if it helps.”
“Thanks. Like my son recently discovered, the rental market around here is tight. And I have two large breed pit mix dogs.”
“You can rent the carriage house at my place.” Eric was only too quick with the solution. “Dogs welcome.”
“What? No, I can’t do that.” I waved away the idea before giving him a harsh stare. “You’ve done far too much already, and you’re going to have your hands full with Maren and Diesel as renters already.”
“Exactly. What’s one more?” Eric shrugged. “And you can help with the newlyweds. You’ll be around more for baby help while being close to The Heist and your house if you decide to rebuild.”
“I’m not sure,” I hedged. Eric made sense from a practical standpoint. But from the perspective of my frustrated, fickle libido, this was a terrible idea. Seeing each other on the regular could only mean more temptation and awkwardness.
“This isn’t a handout.” Eric used an even more reasonable tone than the fire inspector. “You’d be replacing Sean’s rent, which would help me financially and save me the trouble of advertising the space.”
“You sure you want me around that much more?” I leveled him with another pointed look, forcing him to meet my gaze until dusky heat darkened his cheeks. But in his eyes was the most surprising thing of all: want .
“Yeah.” Perhaps he hadn’t been ready to own up to wanting me last night, but here, in the light of the morning, his desire was plainly evident.
“Well, okay then,” I agreed, keeping an amicable tone even as I celebrated this latest victory in the battle to get Eric in my bed. The inspector finished her series of questions, and while we awaited the arrival of the insurance person, Diesel pulled up behind Eric’s car.
“Dad! Why didn’t you call?” He sprinted out of the car, coming to stand in front of me with a thunderous look and a matching tone. He’d grown slightly taller than me, and he used that to full effect now, looming into my personal space.
“And interrupt your wedding night?” I stepped back, matching his agitation with a more calming vibe. I didn’t feel very centered, but I could pretend for Diesel’s sake. “There was nothing anyone could do last night. The fire department did their best, but the fire was already out of control when Shelby discovered it.”
“Shelby!” Diesel glanced over at our neighbor’s house. “Is she okay?”
“Yep. And the dogs.” I jerked my head in Eric’s direction. To his credit, he’d hung back, letting Diesel have center stage. “We spent the night at Eric’s. We’re all okay.”
“I suppose that’s good.” Diesel’s face wrinkled like he was thinking too hard. “You guys need to get along.”
“Agreed.” As usual, my kid was delightfully dense. Getting along wasn’t my problem as much as keeping my hands to myself, but I certainly wasn’t confessing that to Diesel. “And the important thing is not to upset Maren or the baby.”
“I’m all right.” Maren approached us. She wore shorts and a T-shirt, and for the first time, I could tell she was pregnant due to the barest hint of a growing belly. “Breakfast was a no-go, but I’m here.” She took a deep breath as she studied the ruined house before us. “Where will you go?”
“Uh…” I struggled to explain my new arrangement, but Eric took over, clapping me on the shoulder like we were old buddies.
“Not far.” He even added a wide smile. “He’s nicely agreed to rent the carriage house.”
“That’s wonderful.” Maren echoed Eric’s warm smile as she gestured at the four of us. “We’ll all be roommates. And family.”
There was absolutely nothing familial about how I wanted Eric. And roommates? I hadn’t had one of those in years. But I didn’t have a ton of options, so I nodded, working hard to summon some enthusiasm.
“It’ll be great.”