Del stepped aside, and she dashed down the path to the driveway, almost colliding with the door of Del’s old Beemer. “Back seat!” he called after her, and watched as she opened the door with incredible tenacity and then wrestled the covered plate out.
“I won’t drop it!” she yelled back, before Del or Justin had time to give her any obviously unsolicited advice.
Del glanced at Justin, who looked from her to him right at the same exact moment. Del couldn’t read Justin’s expression, but the boy blushed lightly, or maybe it was a trick of the light. Either way, it was…charming.
“Go on, take that inside and pop it in the oven for five minutes. It should be still warm on the inside,” Del said, nodding to the lasagna.
Justin vanished inside, and Del watched as Harper made her way ever so carefully to the house. Her little tongue was peeking through her lips, and she’d even managed to close the car door. It seemed like it took everything she had to get to Del, but when she did, she beamed up a huge, gap-toothed smile at him.
“Well done!” Del praised her, and she preened for all of two seconds before her gaze turned into suspicious and jaded again. “Can you carry it to the kitchen, or should I take over?”
“I’ll do it,” she announced, and did just so as Del stepped inside after her and closed the door behind them. 5
Justin cleared off the rickety kitchen table while the lasagna heated up in the oven. The table was overflowing with paperwork and Harper’s schoolwork, and most of everything had been scrawled over in crayon by Wyatt. It was a mess. Justin felt a flush rise on his face. The whole house was a mess. Holes in the walls and water stains on the ceiling, and he hoped to hell that the neighbor didn’t want to use the bathroom at any point because Justin was pretty sure that was mold growing on the walls in there. He’d meant to clean, but somehow he’d fallen behind on everything and just getting the kids dressed and fed and in Harper’s case off to school each day felt like climbing Everest. And Emily the social worker would be visiting sometime next week, so it wasn’t like Justin could put off the cleaning for much longer anyway. He needed to get his shit together ASAP, or he’d lose the kids.
Harper bustled around him, setting the plate of lemon squares on the counter. Wyatt was at her side, like always, and Scarlett tottered after them, her face screwed up with fierce determination.
Justin swallowed down the lump in his throat as he shoved a stack of papers onto the counter. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to face the neighbor, who was leaning in the kitchen doorway watching him quietly. “Sorry. For the mess, and for…” He swallowed, his face burning. “You told me your name last night, but I forgot it, sorry.”
The neighbor didn’t seem to take any offense. His expression softened when he smiled. “It’s Del,” he said. “And it’s okay. You had a lot going on last night.”
“Yeah.” Justin exhaled heavily. “It’s been…” He gestured around the kitchen as though that could explain everything. “It’s been crazy.”
Right on cue Scarlett began to yell, and Del leaned down and scooped her up. He held her on his hip easily, and she reached up to grab a tendril of his hair that had escaped his bun. He didn’t even seem to care when she tugged on it. “Are you coping okay?”
Justin felt a jolt of panic. “Um, yeah.” He winced at the obvious lie. “I mean, no, not really. I don’t know.”
Del moved farther into the kitchen. “How about you take Scarlett, and I’ll serve?”
Justin stepped forward as Del bundled Scarlett over, and then held her still while Del carefully uncurled her fingers from his hair. Del had nice hair. It was casual and a little messy, and Justin wondered what it would feel like to unfasten and run his fingers through. He thought again of the dream he’d had last night and swallowed when he realized how close Del was leaning while he gently extracted himself from Scarlett’s grasp. He was close enough to kiss, and Justin was sure the thought was written all over his face when Del met his gaze.
Justin wheeled away with Scarlett as soon as Del was free, his heart pounding.
If Del noticed his sudden awkwardness, he didn’t comment on it. “Okay, Miss Harper, how about you help me figure out where the plates are?”
Harper wrinkled her nose. “Justin knows where they are!”
“Justin’s got his hands full,” Del said, and there was nothing disapproving in his tone. He sounded as patient and kind as always. “And Wyatt, kiddo, do you know where the knives and forks are?”
Wyatt nodded solemnly and tugged the right drawer open. He pulled out a handful of cutlery and dumped it on the counter. He’d caught a few spoons as well, and Justin saw that the bottoms of them were burned black.