Page 54 of Rooster

“It will be when we kick their as—” Nathan grimaced as he corrected himself. “Butt.”

“Yeah, they have it coming,” Samantha added. “Especially Brayden. He was a total tool the last time we played.”

“Why? What did he do?”

Samantha went on to tell her mother all about Brayden and how he’d sabotaged their last game when he quit the game without telling them. That story led to another. And another. And before I knew it, we’d all cleared our plates, and dinner was over. The kids disappeared into their rooms, and I helped Maggie get dinner cleaned up.

I was gathering the trash when Maggie said, “Thanks for saying what you said to Samantha. It was really great advice.”

“Glad I could help.”

“And thanks for picking up dinner and helping me clean up.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” I gave her a wink as I cinched up the garbage bag and placed it outside the door. “It’s what I do.”

“Well, sinceit’s what you do, would you mind helping me replace the lights in my bedroom fan? Several of them have gone out.”

“Sure thing.”

“Great.”

Maggie grabbed some fresh light bulbs from the cabinet, and then I followed her down the hall. There was an echo of shrills and shouts as we passed the kids’ rooms. I chuckled as I said, “Sounds like they’re having a good time.”

“You think?” She shook her head. “I bet the neighbors can hear them three blocks away.”

When we got to her room, I looked around and asked, “You got a step ladder?”

“Sure. Let me get it.”

She stepped over and grabbed it from the closet. I took it and got to work. I climbed up the ladder, and a few minutes later, I had the new bulbs in and was remounting the globe. Once I had it secure, I climbed down and folded it up. I put it back in the closet, and as I closed the door, I couldn’t help but notice the emotion in Maggie’s eyes.

Worried that something was wrong, I asked, “You okay?”

“It’s been a while.”

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t had anyone around to help me with stuff like this. I’ve gotten used to just doing it myself, even before my divorce, and then, you come along. You fixed my heater and now my fan. It’s just really nice. I appreciate it.”

It was hard to believe that such a mundane chore would get to her the way it did, but that was Maggie. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and I liked it. I liked it a lot. “Come here.”

“Why?”

“Come here.”

“The kids are in the next room.”

“And they are playing their game. Listen. You can still hear them screaming. Trust me, they could care less what we’re doing.” I dropped my hands to her waist, pulling her closer as I leaned down and began trailing kisses down her neck. “Besides, I can be quiet if you can.”

“That’s just it. I don’t know if I can.” She placed her palms flat against my chest, giving me a slight push. “Not with you.”

“Oh, and why’s that?”

“Because you keep doing that thing.” She drew her shoulder up to her ear, trying in vain to prevent me from teasing her any further. “There’s no way I can keep quiet when you do that.”

“You like that, huh?”

I continued to kiss her along the neck, causing her to moan, “Maybe just a little.”

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