Evan pulled off a piece of his sandwich. “Trade?”
“Are you sure it’s okay with you, Dad?” Gia asked, looping her arms around his neck. “You’ll actually have to stay with Rora. That’s ten screaming five-year-olds hopped up on sugar and crowd mentality. And Phoebe, I don’t know if Beckett explained just how serious my ‘situation’ is.”
“I’d be happy to spend some time with my grandkids,” Franklin announced. “Phoebe and I were talking about how we’re hoping to spend an evening a week with the kids. Plus, Walter’s moms are going to be there and I’m hoping to pin them down on a catering gig.”
“We both miss having little ones around,” Phoebe said wistfully. “Not that Evan isn’t practically an adult,” she said, winking at the boy.
Jax chose that moment to shove Beckett out of his squat on the kitchen floor. Beckett’s foot lashed out to catch his brother in the gut. They grunted and wrestled, slamming into the cabinets.
“Or that my boys are remotely grown-up,” Phoebe amended. She stood up, turned on the sink faucet, and calmly hosed her sons down with the dish sprayer. “Just in case you ever need to know how to break this up.” She winked at Gia as Jax and Beckett sputtered under the stream of water.
“Now clean up that mess and pretend to act like adults,” she ordered them.
Gia felt a tickle in her throat. Family. Help. A few hours a week all to herself. It was a Blue Moon miracle.
“Would you guys like to hang out with Grampa and Phoebe?” she asked Evan and Aurora.
“Can we go back to the farm?” Evan asked.
“Definitely,” Phoebe said. “Carter wants you to come out for a riding lesson soon.”
“With Joey?” Evan was trying to sound nonchalant.
“Probably,” Phoebe nodded.
“Sounds okay,” Evan said with a shrug.
“I can ride a pony?” Aurora gasped. “Do you have any pink ones? Bucket likes pink ponies, right Bucket?”
Beckett’s head popped up over the kitchen island. “Sure do, shortcake.”
“We don’t have any pink ponies, but we do have a little white one named Princess,” Phoebe said.
“Princess?” Aurora’s little mouth formed a perfect “o.”
“I think you just made her day,” Gia laughed.
17
With the kids packed off to birthday parties and Beckett and Jax systematically ripping apart her kitchen cabinets, Gia led Phoebe into the battlefield that was her bedroom.
“I know it looks bad, but it’s actually probably worse than it seems,” Gia confessed.
“That’s very comforting,” Phoebe said, taking stock.
“You really don’t have to do this,” Gia reminded her. I think with three free hours I can make some headway on my own. I’m sure you have better things to do than go through mislabeled boxes and piles of things that should have been thrown out or recycled years ago.”
Phoebe smiled. “Not only do I enjoy digging into projects like this, it’ll give me the chance to spend a little time with my handsome boyfriend’s daughter. And —” she glanced over her shoulder at the kitchen. “The woman who makes my son’s face light up.”
Gia blushed. “I don’t know what to say to that. Beckett and I aren’t … pursuing a relationship. We’re not exactly a good match on paper and prefer to keep our relationship professional.”
“I see Facebook and I see the way you two look at each other,” Phoebe said knowingly. “Just because you don’t like the way it looks on paper doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a worthwhile adventure.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but right now I’ve got a lot on my plate … and my dresser and my bed. A boyfriend is pretty low on my To Do list. And even if it wasn’t, a man who takes over and makes decisions for me wouldn’t make my list.”
Phoebe patted Gia’s arm. “Well, maybe we can take care of a few of those higher priority items and then you can spend some time figuring out what kind of a man does belong on your list.”
While his mother and Gianna dug into the debris in the bedroom, Beckett measured, cut, and ripped his way through the dishwasher installation.
“You must really like this girl,” Jax puffed as he shoved the dishwasher back so it was flush with the cabinets.
“It’s a kitchen. It needs a dishwasher,” he said mildly.
“Bullshit.” Jax opened a bottle of water and drank deeply. “You like her.”
“Of course, I do,” Beckett said, annoyed. “What’s not to like? She’s the perfect tenant.”
Jax grinned. “I bet you spend a lot of time looking out your kitchen window, don’t you?”
“Shut up, Jax,” Beckett warned his brother.
“What? I’ve got eyes, don’t I? I see the way you look at her. You’re like the big bad wolf just waiting to get the jump on Little Red. Hey!” His brother’s gray eyes lit up. “Have you two picked out your couples Halloween costume yet? Because that would be perfect.”