“He’s right,” I replied simply, and Harlow laughed at me.
“Come on in. I have brunch ready. I’ve been watching the Food Network while giving Lila Kate her bottle in the middle of the night, so I’ve been into cooking lately. It started an itch.”
I followed Harlow inside as she chatted happily. Hearing the joy in her voice and seeing the love shining in her eyes made me really like Grant Carter. I wasn’t sure at first, but the dude had won me over. He made my little sister happy. He adored her the way she needed to be adored.
“I’m back inside, Reese. You don’t have to keep an eye on Lila Kate. I have the monitor with me. Thank you!” Harlow called up the stairs.
Just as the name “Reese” was sinking in, I looked upstairs to see those baby-blues staring down at me, all wide and surprised. Well, shit. So much for not seeing her again.
“Reese, this is Mase, my brother. Mase, this is Reese. She’s the best housecleaner in the world. I have Jimmy to thank for pointing her my way.”
I saw her cover her bandaged hand with her good one as she forced a tight, nervous smile. She was working with her hand like that. Dammit. Did she not listen to anything I had said? She was so fucking stubborn. Her stitches had to be burning like a motherfucker.
“She’s pretty dedicated, too, since she’s cleaning your house with five fresh stitches in her palm. Your pain tolerance is really impressive, Reese,” I said.
“What?” Harlow gasped. “Oh! Reese cleans Nan’s, too?” Harlow swung her gaze up to Reese. “You’re cleaning after slicing your hand open yesterday? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have never expected you to come in today. You need to rest your hand. You could tear it back open,” Harlow scolded her.
I watched as Reese straightened her shoulders and stuck her bandaged hand behind her back, as if that would make it go away. “I’m fine. Really, I am. I woke up this morning, and it didn’t hurt at all. Well, maybe a little, but I took my medicine, and it was better. I’m almost done with the upstairs. I won’t be but another three hours.”
Harlow shook her head. “Absolutely not. You come eat brunch with us, and then Mase can drive you home. I don’t want you back here until next week at the earliest. You can’t work with your hand like that.”
I could see the frustration in Reese’s face, but she wasn’t going to argue with Harlow. “OK. Let me just put the folded towels in your bathroom, and then I’ll be down.”
Damn, woman. “The towels are fine wherever they are. Harlow can put her towels away. Come downstairs.” It sounded like an order. But she was pushing my patience.
She nodded stiffly and came down the stairs slowly. She wasn’t wearing shorts today. Instead, she had on leggings that ended just below her knee. They hugged her like a glove. I wished her damn shirt wasn’t so big so I could see her ass in those things.
“I’m sorry he sounds so bossy. He’s always been bossy. It’s this alpha-male thing he has going on,” Harlow said, as Reese stopped in front of us. “Come on, let’s go eat. I’m serving some things I just tried for the first time. I can’t wait to hear what y’all think about them.”
I watched as Harlow walked to the kitchen and waited until she was far enough ahead before looking at Reese. “Let me see your hand,” I said softly, trying to ease her tension. It was clear I made her nervous when I was frustrated.
She started to argue. I could see it in her eyes, but she relented and held out her hand to me. I unwrapped it gently and took in the pink, puckered skin. It wasn’t infected, but it was abused from cleaning. She needed to put some ice and salve on it.
“I’m getting you some ice. Come on,” I told her, holding her wrist and pulling her to walk in front of me.
“I really wish you wouldn’t. Harlow will feel bad that I cleaned her house today.”
She was worried about Harlow. Why did this not surprise me? “It’s fine. Harlow will want you to take care of yourself.”
She walked into the kitchen and over to the table, where Harlow was motioning for her to sit.
My relaxing visit with Harlow had just become something different altogether. I walked to the freezer and fixed a bag of ice. Harlow had sat down at the table across from Reese, but I could feel her eyes on me. My sister was reading more into this than there was.
Reese
This was so awkward.
Harlow was the “sweetheart” he had talked to yesterday. That much I had figured out. She’d mentioned him not being able to make it to see her last night. Which I felt terrible about. And now, here I was again, interrupting their visit. Mase obviously adored his sister, and she felt the same way about him. I had no siblings and no clue what that must feel like.
“Kiro called you?” Mase asked, looking at his sister before taking a bite of the sandwich on his plate.
She smiled tightly and nodded. “Yeah. He’s having a hard time being away.”
“I’m surprised he made it this long. You going to visit your mom?”
Harlow frowned and stared down at her plate. Something was definitely wrong. Did she have mom issues like I did? And he had said “your mom.” Did they have different mothers? “He’s worried that I could upset her without him there. He thinks it’s best for me to wait until he’s back.”
Mase let out an aggravated grunt. He didn’t seem pleased with her answer. He swung his gaze over to me. “You good? The ice helping?”