Page 21 of A Family Affair: The Vow
“No problem there. This guy knows how to fix anything.” He paused, hesitated before adding, “I like to hang around his shop and help out. You just leave the keys and your credit card and I’ll take care of everything else.”
“I really appreciate it, Josh.”
“Yup. Now I’ve got to make a quick phone call and I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared into the other room leaving Rae to think about his generous offer and how he’d shown real maturity. He seemed to know a lot of people, so maybe she could convince him to stop in at O’Reilly’s and see if Tommy the locksmith would make an emergency call tonight. But when Josh returned, he had another solution.
“I figured out a way to get your door fixed tonight. I have to run to the hardware store and pick up a new lock, but I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Want me to take your car for a quick spin so I can listen to it and see how it runs?”
“Sure.” Rae dug in her handbag, pulled out the key fob. “Thank you. So, did you get in touch with the locksmith?”
“Nope. But I found somebody to take care of it. I’ve got to get to the hardware store before it closes.” A wave of his hand, a quick smile and then “Be back soon.”
* * *
Vic pulled into the Darlingtons’driveway, hopped out.
“Vic? What are you doing here?”
Good question. “I hear your door doesn’t lock.”
“Josh called you?”
She didnotsound happy to see him. Well, he wasn’t exactly delighted to get a call during the middle of a ball game. He lifted his toolbox from the back of his truck, made his way toward the front steps where Rae sat bundled in some fancy jacket that looked like it wouldn’t withstand temperatures below sixty. And the single-layer knitted hat and gloves were definitely not cold weather gear.
“It’s too cold out here for you.” He stared at the hat with the big ball on the end, held back a sigh. “Why don’t you go wait inside?”
The pinched brows and the frown said she didn’t like his question. “Iwasinside, but I couldn’t settle down. This whole door thing has me worked up.” Her gaze narrowed on him. “Doyoulock your doors? Or do you just leave them open too because this is a small town and nothing ever happens here?”
“I’m not sure if the ‘this is a small town and nothing ever happens here’ is sarcasm or if you’re serious, but an unlocked door is a crime of opportunity and I prefer to prevent those when I can. So, I lock my doors.”
The sigh spoke of relief. “Finally, common sense. Would you please talk to Josh about this? Apparently, he and maybe even my sister, on occasion, don’t bother to lock the door. He told me he would from now on if I’m here or his mother is but I don’t think he gets it.”
Vic set down his toolbox, shoved his hands in his jacket pockets to keep them warm. “I thought you didn’t want me talking to him about anything but business. You know, don’t persuade him, don’t guide him. Don’t instill your beliefs on him? Remember that conversation?”
The eye roll said she remembered it, but her next words indicated a shift in those comments. “Maybe I should have realized there are occasions when you can sway him in the right direction.”
That remark made Vic laugh. “Sway him in the right direction… You meanyourdirection?”
A shrug, a twitch of her lips. “Maybe. If we’re both on the same side, there’s no way he can fight that.”
“Are you saying we make a good team?” He should just shut up but, of course, he wouldn’t. It wasn’t that he was trying to annoy her, but he was curious about her reaction. Rachel Darlington was the first woman whose actions and reactions he couldn’t figure out. The woman was the ultimate puzzle and that challenged and intrigued him.
“I’d say that’s stretching it a bit, but there could be times when we’re both on the same side and Josh is sitting in another universe.Thatcould prove helpful.”
Figures she would never straight-out compliment him, so he’d settle for this one. “I’ll talk to him about caution and not becoming a victim.” He slid her a look, asked the question he knew she’d been thinking about. “Should I extend that talk to other things, like how not to get caught up in a baby-daddy situation?”
She bit her bottom lip, made a face. And was that the slightest blush creeping along her cheeks? Yup, that was a blush, turning darker by the second. “I don’t think he’s going to listen to that sort of conversation with me and honestly, I don’t want to have it.”
“Good call. I’ll talk to him about how a guy can get sidelined and how to avoid it.” Yeah, there were a lot of guys who’d ignored common sense and logic, especially the ones on the outs with the woman they’d been sleeping with… And then they get theSurprise, I’m pregnant. It never saved the relationship, though some of these women really thought it would and were shocked and ticked when it didn’t. Vic knew guys who’d been caught in that trap and while they loved their kid, they still resented the trap.
“I’m sure you’re well qualified to have that conversation.” The look she gave him said no doubt more than one woman had tried to snag him.
“By qualified you mean I’ve heard the ‘I’m on the pill, don’t worry about it, the doctor said I probably could never get pregnant’ conversation? Yup, I’ve heard those but the thing is, I still don’t 100% rely on them. The only way to avoid the unwanted consequence is to take care of it yourself.”
“You mean use protection.”
He could not resist the smile. “Lots of protection.”
