refused to think he might love her.
Idiot! He already admitted he did love her. As a friend, he’d quickly clarified.
She breathed deep. Frien ds. That’s all she could do. It was all her heart could handle. Because, come on, he didn’t see her as anything more than the pathetic next-door neighbor in need of a man to hang the portrait of her dead husband on the wall.
“Hey, Kay, where exactly do you want this?”
Speaking of which…
“I’m coming.”
In the living room, the couch h ad been moved out and Ian’s ladder stood a few inches from the wall. He wore a leather tool belt low on his hips. She wondered if the workout shorts he also wore could stand the weight. She hoped so. She really…did.
“Kay?”
She blinked, focusing her thoughts before letting her gaze flash to his. “Yeah.”
His brows jerked, flirted. Her heart stuttered. He really shouldn’t flirt with her. “Whatcha hanging and where do you want it?”
She moved over to the television cabinet and pulled the enormous frame from beside it. He met her halfway, taking the wood encasing the eleven-by-seventeen.
“It’s heavy, so we’re going to have to find the stud.” He looked at Chase. “You know how to find the stud, bud?”
Chase thumped his chest. “Found one.”
Ian’s deep laughter resonated through the room. “That’s not the stud I meant.”
“Oh.” Chase played innocent, although his grin gave the faked naiveté away.
Ian chuckled and went to the wall. “Where do you want it, babe?”
“About there.” She pointed to a spot on the wall. “As close to the middle as you can get it.”
“Got it.” He took a pencil from his tool bag and stuck it behind his ear. “ Check this out, bud, I’m going to teach you the two ways to find a stud.”
Chase’s expression we nt serious.
Ian curled his fingers in, forming a loose fist. C hase followed his lead.
“T ake your knuckles and knock on the wall.”
Knock. Knock. Knock. “Like this?”
“Kinda.” Ian knocked in a line horizontally across the wall. “Now, listen.” More knock, knock, knock ing. “Did you hear the difference?”
“Yeah, like it wasn’t hollow anymore.”
Ian grinned. “Exactly. That’s the stud. And in a pinch you could take the chance. But we don’t want to take a chance with your dad’s portrait.”
“Why does it matter?”
Ian picked up the portrait and handed it to Chase, who grunted. Ian took the frame back, setting it back on the couch. “If you try to hang that in the drywall, it’ll stay put for a while, but eventually the weight will rip the nail out and it’ll fall.”
“And break.”
“Yep. And we don’t want that.”
Kayla loved the way Ian interacted with Chase. With all of her kids. But Chase especially. Her son idolized their neighbor, and Ian didn’t seem to mind in the least.
He pulled a tool which kinda looked like a warped putty knife from his belt and handed it over for Chase to inspect. “That is a stud finder.”
Chase turned it over in his hands. “How does it work?”
“Lay the flat part against the wall and push the button while sliding it over the surface. Whoa, not so fast. Yeah, like that.”
It beeped and Chase jumped. “What’d I do?”
Ian laughed. “That’s the stud. Now, go real slow. We want to find both sides.” He took the pencil from behind his ear and turned to Kayla. “How far up to do you want it, lo- ah Kay?”
She grabbed the picture and held it up to the wall. “About there.”
Ian, all business, looked at Chase. “Why don’t you climb the ladder so you can reach.”
They moved the ladder closer to the wall and Chase climbed up two steps. He ran the stud finder over the wall, pausing when it beeped. Ian made a mark. Chase moved the tool, stopping when it beeped again. Ian made the other mark. He dug in a pocket of his tool belt and pulled out a nail.
“Where’s your hammer?”
“In the garage.”
“Don’t you think we should use your dad’s
Idiot! He already admitted he did love her. As a friend, he’d quickly clarified.
She breathed deep. Frien ds. That’s all she could do. It was all her heart could handle. Because, come on, he didn’t see her as anything more than the pathetic next-door neighbor in need of a man to hang the portrait of her dead husband on the wall.
“Hey, Kay, where exactly do you want this?”
Speaking of which…
“I’m coming.”
In the living room, the couch h ad been moved out and Ian’s ladder stood a few inches from the wall. He wore a leather tool belt low on his hips. She wondered if the workout shorts he also wore could stand the weight. She hoped so. She really…did.
“Kay?”
She blinked, focusing her thoughts before letting her gaze flash to his. “Yeah.”
His brows jerked, flirted. Her heart stuttered. He really shouldn’t flirt with her. “Whatcha hanging and where do you want it?”
She moved over to the television cabinet and pulled the enormous frame from beside it. He met her halfway, taking the wood encasing the eleven-by-seventeen.
“It’s heavy, so we’re going to have to find the stud.” He looked at Chase. “You know how to find the stud, bud?”
Chase thumped his chest. “Found one.”
Ian’s deep laughter resonated through the room. “That’s not the stud I meant.”
“Oh.” Chase played innocent, although his grin gave the faked naiveté away.
Ian chuckled and went to the wall. “Where do you want it, babe?”
“About there.” She pointed to a spot on the wall. “As close to the middle as you can get it.”
“Got it.” He took a pencil from his tool bag and stuck it behind his ear. “ Check this out, bud, I’m going to teach you the two ways to find a stud.”
Chase’s expression we nt serious.
Ian curled his fingers in, forming a loose fist. C hase followed his lead.
“T ake your knuckles and knock on the wall.”
Knock. Knock. Knock. “Like this?”
“Kinda.” Ian knocked in a line horizontally across the wall. “Now, listen.” More knock, knock, knock ing. “Did you hear the difference?”
“Yeah, like it wasn’t hollow anymore.”
Ian grinned. “Exactly. That’s the stud. And in a pinch you could take the chance. But we don’t want to take a chance with your dad’s portrait.”
“Why does it matter?”
Ian picked up the portrait and handed it to Chase, who grunted. Ian took the frame back, setting it back on the couch. “If you try to hang that in the drywall, it’ll stay put for a while, but eventually the weight will rip the nail out and it’ll fall.”
“And break.”
“Yep. And we don’t want that.”
Kayla loved the way Ian interacted with Chase. With all of her kids. But Chase especially. Her son idolized their neighbor, and Ian didn’t seem to mind in the least.
He pulled a tool which kinda looked like a warped putty knife from his belt and handed it over for Chase to inspect. “That is a stud finder.”
Chase turned it over in his hands. “How does it work?”
“Lay the flat part against the wall and push the button while sliding it over the surface. Whoa, not so fast. Yeah, like that.”
It beeped and Chase jumped. “What’d I do?”
Ian laughed. “That’s the stud. Now, go real slow. We want to find both sides.” He took the pencil from behind his ear and turned to Kayla. “How far up to do you want it, lo- ah Kay?”
She grabbed the picture and held it up to the wall. “About there.”
Ian, all business, looked at Chase. “Why don’t you climb the ladder so you can reach.”
They moved the ladder closer to the wall and Chase climbed up two steps. He ran the stud finder over the wall, pausing when it beeped. Ian made a mark. Chase moved the tool, stopping when it beeped again. Ian made the other mark. He dug in a pocket of his tool belt and pulled out a nail.
“Where’s your hammer?”
“In the garage.”
“Don’t you think we should use your dad’s
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