Small Town, Big Hope

Chapter12

Jackson left not long after their conversation.

He had work Monday morning, and the drive back to Little Rock wasn’t exactly one he wanted to make late at night. Christian had sleepily hugged him goodbye from the couch, while Luke came out of his room long enough to tell him he’d had a good day.

That seemed to mean more to Jackson than Luke probably realized.

Emma stood in the doorway as Jackson walked toward his truck.

“I’ll call the boys tomorrow.”

“They’ll like that.”

Jackson stopped beside the driver’s door and looked back at her.

“And, Emma?”

“Yeah?”

He hesitated.

“I meant what I said.”

She knew exactly what he was referring to.

Friends.

Or at least trying to find their way back to something that resembled friendship.

“So did I.”

Jackson gave her a small nod before climbing into his truck.

Emma watched his taillights disappear down the road before closing the door.

For the first time in a long time, watching him leave didn’t leave her angry.

It didn’t leave her relieved either.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to do with that.

Monday morning arrived far too quickly.

Emma was standing barefoot in the kitchen, attempting to convince herself that coffee counted as breakfast, when someone knocked on the front door.

She glanced toward the clock.

Eight seventeen.

“Who comes to someone’s house at eight seventeen in the morning?”

Luke looked up from the kitchen table.

“Someone who needs something.”

Emma stared at him.

“Well, thank you for solving that mystery.”

Luke returned his attention to his tablet.

Emma tightened the belt on her robe before opening the front door.

Wade stood on the porch holding a travel mug in one hand and a small cardboard box in the other.

He took one look at her.

“Bad time?”

Emma glanced down at herself.

Her hair was piled on top of her head in something that could generously be called a bun, she hadn’t bothered putting on makeup, and her oversized robe had probably seen better days.

“Depends. Are you here to judge me?”

“Hadn’t planned on it.”

“Then come in.”

Wade smiled as he stepped through the doorway.

Emma pointed toward the box.

“What’s that?”

“The shutoff valve for your sink.”

She stared at him.

“You remembered that?”

“I told you I’d come back and replace it.”

“You said eventually.”

“This is eventually.”

Emma shook her head.

“I’m beginning to realize people in Hickory Ridge take things very literally.”

“Mostly just promises.”

Something about the way he said it made her pause.

Wade, apparently unaware of the effect of his own words, walked toward the kitchen.

Luke looked up as he entered.

“You fixed the sink.”

“I did.”

“It doesn’t drip anymore.”

Wade nodded seriously. “That was the goal.”

Luke looked at the box.

“What’s that?”

“A new shutoff valve.”

“What does it do?”

Wade glanced at Emma.

She lifted her coffee mug.

“You’re on your own now.”

A smile tugged at Wade’s mouth before he pulled out the chair beside Luke.

“This controls whether water can get through the pipe.”

Luke leaned closer.

“How?”

And just like that, Wade was trapped.

Emma stood on the other side of the kitchen island drinking her coffee as Luke fired question after question at him.

What happened if the valve broke?

Why did metal corrode?

How long did pipes last?

Could water pressure break them?

Wade answered every question.

Not quickly.

Not impatiently.

He actually explained things.

When Luke didn’t understand one of his answers, Wade tried again using different words.

Emma found herself watching him.

Most adults meant well with Luke.

They tried.

But there was often a point when their patience began to show cracks. A glance toward Emma for help. A shorter answer. A subtle change in tone that told her they were ready for the conversation to be over.

Wade never did that.

He just kept talking to him.

Eventually, Luke seemed satisfied.

“I’m going to watch you change it.”

Wade looked at Emma again.

She shrugged.

“Congratulations. You have an apprentice.”

“I’ve had worse.”

Luke followed him beneath the kitchen sink.

Emma smiled into her coffee.

Yesterday, she had watched Christian find his place on a baseball field.

She had watched Luke find the beginning of a friendship with Blake.

She had even managed to have a conversation with Jackson that didn’t end in an argument.

And now Wade Sutton was lying underneath her kitchen sink while Luke sat cross-legged beside him asking questions about plumbing.

Hickory Ridge was beginning to feel less like the place she had escaped to.

It was starting to feel like home.

And she wasn’t sure exactly when that had happened.

Emma had just taken another sip of coffee when the front door opened without so much as a knock.

“Kinsley, one day I’m going to start locking that door.”

“You say that every time,” Kinsley called from the entryway.

Josie came around the corner first, already smiling.

“Good morning!”

“Morning, sweetheart.”

Kinsley appeared behind her carrying her purse and a pair of sunglasses she had apparently decided belonged on top of her head rather than over her eyes.

“We were coming to see if you and the boys wanted to—”

She stopped.

Her eyes moved past Emma.

Then toward the kitchen sink.

Then back to Emma.

Emma immediately knew that look.

“No.”

Kinsley’s eyebrows lifted innocently. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Josie peeked around her mother.

“Mr. Wade!”

Wade slid partially out from beneath the sink.

“Hey, Josie.”

Luke sat cross-legged beside him, watching intently as Wade worked.

“He’s changing the shutoff valve,” Luke explained.

Josie looked at the collection of tools scattered across the floor.

“Why?”

“Because the old one is corroded.”

Josie stared at him.

“What does that mean?”

Luke immediately launched into an explanation involving metal, water, oxygen, and something Emma was fairly certain he had learned approximately six minutes earlier.

Wade glanced up at her from beneath the cabinet.

Emma shrugged.

“You created this.”

“I’m starting to regret teaching him things.”

“You should.”

Luke stopped talking long enough to look offended.

“I can hear you.”

Wade laughed.

“Sorry, buddy.”

Kinsley was still standing beside Emma.

Still staring.

Emma refused to look at her.

Finally, Kinsley leaned closer.

“So.”

Emma closed her eyes.

“Don’t.”

“I was only going to ask how your weekend went.”

“No, you weren’t.”

Kinsley smiled.

“You don’t know that.”

“I know you.”

“That is true.”

Emma took another drink of coffee.

Kinsley glanced back toward Wade.

“So Wade Sutton just happens to be under your kitchen sink on a Monday morning.”

“He’s fixing something.”

“Obviously.”

Emma gave her a warning look.

“He fixed the leak last week and needed to come back with a part.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“That sound you’re making is irritating.”

“I’m processing.”

“There is nothing to process.”

Wade’s voice came from beneath the sink.

“I feel like I should probably mention I can hear both of you.”

Emma froze.

Kinsley’s smile widened.

“Good morning, Wade.”

“Morning, Kinsley.”

“Working hard?”

“I was.”

Emma covered her face with one hand.

“I hate this town.”

“No, you don’t,” Kinsley said cheerfully.

Wade laughed from underneath the cabinet.

Emma pointed toward him.

“You stay out of this.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

That only made Kinsley look more pleased.

Josie had moved to sit beside Luke now, though she clearly had far less interest in plumbing than he did.

“Mom,” she said, “weren’t we going somewhere?”

Kinsley blinked.

“Oh. Right.”

Emma looked at her. “You actually did come here for a reason?”

“I told you I did.”

“You got distracted.”

Kinsley glanced toward Wade.

“Something came up.”

Emma stared at her.

Kinsley cleared her throat.

“Anyway, Josie and I were thinking about going into town. There’s a little place off Main Street that does sandwiches and ice cream, and then we thought we might go down by the creek for a while. It’s supposed to be nice today.”

Josie nodded enthusiastically.

“There are ducks.”

That caught Luke’s attention.

“What kind?”

“I don’t know.”

Luke looked genuinely troubled by the lack of information.

Josie shrugged. “Duck kind.”

Emma laughed.

From the living room, Christian’s voice carried toward them.

“Can we go?”

Apparently he had been awake the entire time.

Emma turned.

Christian appeared around the corner, hair sticking up in every direction and yesterday’s championship T-shirt hanging crookedly from one shoulder.

“You were supposed to be asleep.”

“I was.”

“For approximately eleven minutes.”

“I’m awake now.”

Kinsley looked at him.

“Congratulations, champ.”

Christian instantly smiled.

“Thanks.”

“Josie told me all about it.”

Christian glanced at Josie.

“You weren’t even there.”

“I know. Your mom told my mom.”

Christian seemed satisfied with that explanation.

Emma looked back at Kinsley.

“What time were you thinking?”

“Whenever you people become presentable.”

Emma glanced down at her robe.

“You came to my house unannounced at eight in the morning.”

“It is almost nine.”

“That does not make this better.”

Wade slid out from underneath the sink and sat up.

“All done.”

Luke immediately leaned forward.

“Can I see?”

Wade shifted so Luke could look beneath the cabinet.

“New valve. No leaks.”

Luke inspected it with the seriousness of a building inspector.

“You should turn the water on again.”

“I already did.”

“But we need to check it.”

Wade glanced at Emma.

“He’s thorough.”

“He gets that from me.”

Kinsley made a sound beside her.

Emma turned slowly.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You disagree?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You keep doing that.”

Wade stood and began gathering his tools.

Emma watched him for a moment before looking toward Kinsley.

“We’ll go.”

Kinsley smiled.

“Good.”

Josie grabbed Luke’s hand.

“Come on. We can look up the ducks before we go.”

Luke allowed himself to be pulled toward the kitchen table.

Christian followed them, already asking whether there was somewhere they could throw a baseball.

Within seconds, the three kids had disappeared into their own conversation.

Wade closed his toolbox.

Emma walked over to him.

“How much do I owe you?”

He shook his head.

“Nothing.”

“Wade.”

“It took ten minutes.”

“And you bought the part.”

“It was a six-dollar valve.”

“That’s still money.”

He picked up his coffee.

“Buy me a coffee sometime.”

The words were casual.

So casual Emma almost missed them.

Kinsley did not.

Emma could practically feel her staring at the side of her face.

Emma looked at Wade.

“A coffee?”

“Seems like a fair trade.”

There was the faintest hint of a smile in his expression.

Emma returned it.

“I think I can afford that.”

“Then we’re even.”

He headed toward the door.

“See you around, Luke.”

“Bye,” Luke called from the table.

“Later, champ.”

Christian grinned.

Wade nodded toward Emma.

“Have fun with the ducks.”

“Apparently that’s my life now.”

“Could be worse.”

Then he was gone.

Emma closed the door behind him.

She stood there for approximately two seconds before Kinsley spoke.

“Buy me a coffee sometime.”

Emma turned.

“No.”

Kinsley pressed a hand against her chest.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You literally just did.”

Josie giggled from the kitchen.

Emma pointed at Kinsley.

“Not. One. Word.”

Kinsley zipped her lips.

Then waited three seconds.

“He likes you.”

Emma groaned.

And for the first time that morning, Hickory Ridge felt entirely too small.

A few minutes later, Wade tightened the last connection and slid out from beneath the sink.

“That should do it.”

Luke immediately moved into the space Wade had just vacated.

Wade barely had time to sit up before Luke was on his hands and knees, leaning beneath the cabinet with the seriousness of someone conducting a final inspection on a major construction project.

Emma looked down at him.

“Luke.”

“I’m checking it.”

“I can see that.”

Wade rested one arm over his bent knee, clearly amused.

Luke reached toward the new valve but stopped just before touching it.

“Did you turn the water back on?”

“Sure did.”

“Did you check for leaks?”

“Twice.”

Luke leaned closer.

“There’s water right there.”

Wade immediately bent down beside him.

Emma’s stomach dropped.

“Is it leaking again?”

Luke pointed.

Wade looked for a second before wiping the spot with his thumb.

“Old water from when I took the valve off.”

Luke watched the area closely.

“How do you know?”

“Because if the new valve was leaking, it would come back.”

Luke waited.

Everyone else waited with him.

Ten seconds passed.

Then twenty.

Luke finally leaned back.

“It didn’t come back.”

“Nope.”

“So it’s not leaking.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

Luke nodded once, apparently satisfied.

“But you should check it again later.”

Wade looked toward Emma.

“I’m starting to think I should hire him.”

Emma laughed. “You couldn’t afford him.”

Luke ignored both of them and reached beneath the sink again, inspecting the connection from another angle.

Josie crouched beside him.

“Does it look different?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“The valve is new.”

Josie stared at him.

“I know that.”

“Then why did you ask?”

Emma covered her mouth with her coffee mug.

Kinsley leaned closer.

“Those two are going to have an interesting friendship.”

“Oh, absolutely.”

Wade began packing his tools back into the box.

Emma set her mug down and reached for her purse on the counter.

“All right. How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing.”

She stopped.

“Wade.”

He kept putting tools away.

“Emma.”

“You bought the part.”

“It was six bucks.”

“And you drove over here and installed it.”

“Took me ten minutes.”

“That is still your time.”

Wade closed the toolbox.

“You don’t owe me anything.”

Emma pulled a twenty from her wallet anyway and held it toward him.

“Take it.”

“No.”

“Wade.”

“No.”

“You cannot keep fixing things in my house for free.”

He stood and picked up the toolbox.

“I fixed two things.”

“That is already two more things than you should have fixed for free.”

Wade smiled.

“Then I guess you’re ahead.”

Emma held the money out again.

He looked at it.

Then at her.

“Put it away.”

“I don’t like owing people.”

“You don’t owe me.”

Something about the way he said it made her hesitate.

Not playful.

Not flirtatious.

Just certain.

Emma slowly lowered her hand.

“Well, at least let me pay you back for the valve.”

Wade shook his head.

“Keep your twenty.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

Behind her, Kinsley made a quiet sound.

Emma turned.

Kinsley was pretending to examine something on her phone.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“That was not nothing.”

“I cleared my throat.”

“You made a sound.”

“People make sounds.”

Wade picked up his coffee.

“I should probably get going before I get dragged into whatever this is.”

“You’re already in it,” Emma muttered.

He grinned.

Luke came out from beneath the sink.

“It’s still not leaking.”

Wade nodded approvingly.

“Good inspection.”

“You should come back tomorrow and check it again.”

Emma looked at Wade.

“Please don’t encourage him.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

Luke frowned.

“But you should.”

Wade crouched slightly so he was closer to Luke’s eye level.

“If it starts dripping, you tell your mom and she can call me. Deal?”

Luke considered it.

“Deal.”

Wade stood again.

“See you around.”

“Thank you,” Emma said.

“You’re welcome.”

She lifted the twenty.

“I’m going to pay you eventually.”

Wade started toward the door.

“Good luck with that.”

Emma stared after him.

“Stubborn man.”

“Mm-hmm,” Kinsley said.

Emma slowly turned around.

Kinsley was smiling.

“No.”

“I haven't said anything.”

“You’re about to.”

Kinsley slipped her phone back into her purse.

“All I’m saying is that Wade Sutton does not normally spend his Monday mornings doing free plumbing repairs.”

Emma rolled her eyes.

“He was already here last week.”

“And also didn’t charge you.”

“He was helping.”

“Exactly.”

Emma folded the twenty and shoved it back into her wallet.

“People can help people without there being some hidden meaning behind it.”

“Of course they can.”

Emma narrowed her eyes.

“You don’t believe that.”

“I absolutely believe that.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

Kinsley smiled.

“Because Wade likes you.”

Emma let out a laugh.

“You got that from him replacing a six-dollar valve?”

“No.” Kinsley glanced toward the front door Wade had just disappeared through. “I got that from the way that man keeps finding reasons not to let you pay him.”

“He’s being nice.”

“He is nice.”

“Thank you.”

Kinsley held up a finger.

“But Wade is nice to everybody.”

Emma waited.

Kinsley’s smile grew.

“He’s not usually free-plumbing-fixtures-before-nine-in-the-morning nice.”

“Kinsley.”

“I’m just saying.”

“You are always just saying.”

“And I’m usually right.”

Emma picked up her coffee.

“There is nothing going on between Wade and me.”

“I didn’t say there was.”

“You literally just said he likes me.”

“That is not the same thing.”

Emma opened her mouth, then stopped.

Kinsley looked entirely too pleased with herself.

“I’m not discussing this with you.”

“Fine.”

“Good.”

Kinsley waited approximately three seconds.

“He has a sweet spot for you.”

Emma groaned.

“Kinsley.”

“What?”

Emma walked out of the kitchen before she said something she would regret.

Behind her, she heard Josie whisper to Luke.

“What’s a sweet spot?”

Luke answered without hesitation.

“I think it’s part of a baseball bat.”

Emma stopped walking.

Kinsley burst out laughing.

And despite herself, Emma did too.