Page 36 of Three Not-So-Little Words (The Lawson’s #3)

thirty-six

Knitting Grannies

Ronnie

“ T ermites? What the fuck do you mean I have termites?” I cry.

The pest guy stands stone-faced staring at me. “They’re not all that uncommon.”

“Okay. I just need you to hang out here for a second. My sister is on the way. She’s the one who owns the house, and she will know what to do.”

This whole thing came about because this morning, I was walking around, minding my own business when my foot went through the floor in my kitchen. My immediate thought was not termites, but when I called the town handyman business and told them what happened, they called in this guy instead.

I let out an involuntary shiver at the thought of termites munching on all of the wood that constructs the house. I somehow feel violated.

Moments later, Liz comes walking through the front door with Jack behind her, holding Beth.

They introduce themselves, and then, the pest guy begins explaining what’s going on. Not wanting to hear all the details over again, I take Beth and head into the living room.

I sit on the floor and set her across from me. I’m thrilled she’s now old enough to sit up on her own.

I look at her and see her head of dark hair is now starting to spring into ringlet curls just like her mom’s.

She’s cute. I’ll give her that.

Chewing on her fingers, she stares up at me.

“Fingers taste good?” I ask.

All I get is a coo in response.

Suddenly, all I can think about is Beth falling through the floor due to the fat little termites. What if she falls through a giant hole and can’t get out?

I’m aware it sounds illogical…and maybe a little insane. But it’s still giving me anxiety, so I grab her and set her in my lap.

At least now, if we fall through the floor, I’ll fall first. My ass is too big to really go anywhere.

Trying to keep Beth occupied, I grab the remote and turn on Finding Nemo. Beth watches the screen and takes the remote to gnaw on the end. We both get so engrossed in the movie that I actually jump when Liz starts talking to me.

Looking up at her, I say, “Jesus, Liz! Announce yourself!”

“I’ve been standing here for about five minutes.” She leans down to pick up Beth and hand me my slimy remote.

“So, what’s the verdict?” I ask.

“He said the damage isn’t too bad.”

“Liz, there’s a hole in my kitchen floor that would disagree.”

“I made that same excellent point.” She smiles, but it quickly fades. “They’re going to have to tent and then come in to do the repairs on some of the framework.”

“Get to the point, Liz,” I urge.

“You're not going to be able to stay here for about a week.”

“As much as that sucks, I don’t know if I could stay here knowing the termites are having a feeding frenzy.”

“Do you want to come stay with us? It’s not great, but our couch is comfortable.”

“Couldn’t I stay in a room at the inn?” I ask.

Her face scrunches up. “The inn is full.”

“What? How?”

She looks offended.

“I didn’t mean it like that. But seriously, what? How?”

She sighs. “There’s a knitting convention one town over.”

“Come again?”

“You heard me. There’s a knitting convention, so the inn has been taken over by sweet old ladies.”

“Great,” I mumble.

“You could probably stay with Dylan or with Mom and Dad.”

“I’ll figure something out,” I tell her. “I always do.”

Later that evening, I’m knocking on Drew’s door with a large pizza in hand. I didn’t text him that I was coming until about twenty minutes ago, and I’m sure it didn’t make much sense.

He opens the door with his classic smile. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Hi.”

As he lets me come in, he asks, “Everything okay? Did you say something about termites?”

I set the pizza on his kitchen counter and start pacing.

“Yeah, you heard me correctly. Termites. Apparently, they’re using their little teeth to dismantle my home one board at a time.”

“Jesus.”

“Uh, yeah. And they have to put one of those giant circus tents up to get rid of them before they can fix things.”

“I take it you can’t stay in the house for that?” He asks.

“Nope. And I can’t stay at my parents’ because my dad has his friends in town. I can’t stay with Dylan because Leah has strep throat. And I can’t stay at the inn because of all the knitting grannies.”

The look on his face is half confused and half scared. “Ronnie, baby, I need you to calm down a little.”

“I can’t! I’ve had three Red Bulls! I’ll be lucky if my heart doesn’t bust right out of my chest!” I shout way louder than I mean to.

Colton comes running out to see what all the commotion is. When he sees me, he says, “Hey, Ronnie.”

I point at him. “Sup, kid?”

“Did you get pizza?”

“You bet your ass I did!”

Drew says, “Hey, buddy. Give Ronnie and I just a minute, and we will eat pizza, okay?”

When Colton is gone, Drew turns his attention back to me. “Okay, let me see if I’ve got this right. Your house has termites, and you can’t stay there. And your housing options are limited?”

I snap my fingers. “Bingo! I think I found a motel over in Harrington that I can stay at.”

“Harrington? Isn’t that over by the airport?”

I nod. “I guess the knitting convention has put holds on all the good hotels. It’ll be fine.”

“Ronnie, why didn’t you come to me? I could’ve helped.”

“How? Do you want to beat up an old lady for me?”

“I thought of something a little different and not quite so violent. Why don’t you just stay here?”

I stop my pacing. “Say what?”

He gets up and walks over to me. “Hear me out before you freak out and start swinging.”

“You have about ten seconds, and then, all bets are off.”

“You could stay here. It’ll only be for a week. Colton and I are gone through the day, so you’ll have the place to yourself. Then, after Colton goes to bed, I’ll have you all to myself.” He wiggles his eyebrows up and down.

While I appreciate the sexual innuendo, I’m still trying to process the first part of what he said. He is offering me a place to stay?

I’ve never stayed with a man more than a few hours after we fucked. And even that is rare.

Then again, I’m doing a lot of things with Drew that I’ve never done before.

But I still don’t know.

“Do you think it would be weird for Colton?” I ask.

“I don't think so. I’ll tell him you’re staying here because we are doing you a favor. And it’s only for a few days.”

Usually, I would never consider something like this. I like having my own space and not having to share with anyone. But I really don’t want to stay in a motel that’s close to an hour away.

Am I crazy for actually considering this?

Probably.

We haven’t even known each other for very long, and I don’t want to disturb the dynamic between him and his son.

When I’ve been silent for a while, Drew says, “Tell me what you’re thinking, beautiful?”

“I just don't want to come in and screw things up between you and Colton.”

“Why do you think you would screw something up?”

“Because I suck with kids.”

“He seems to like you so far,” he says.

“But it’s because I’m the fun lady who stops by with pizza and then leaves. How will he feel having me around for an entire week?”

“I think it’ll be fine. Maybe it’ll be a good thing that Colton gets to see you as more than the fun lady who brings pizza.” He pulls me toward him. “I’m sure he’ll be as crazy about you as I am.”

“Hopefully, not in the same way,” I joke.

“So, what do you say? Try it for a day or two. If it doesn’t work, I’ll pay for your motel myself.”

There’s no way I’d make him do that, but it’s nice of him to offer.

One of the many reasons I’m crazy about him.

“I can’t believe what I’m about to say,” I tell him. “But okay. Let’s give it a day or two.”