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“Two weeks, I think. Two weeks,” he repeated, looking back at Agatha’s house.
Cliff patted him on the shoulder. “She won’t come back until you’re gone, no matter how long it takes.”
“I know. I just miss her,” he admitted to this virtual stranger.
“It’s the claws; they dig in deep. But it doesn’t hurt as bad when they’re around,” Cliff said.
Both their eyes followed a white Jeep that pulled to a stop in front of Agatha’s house. Both watched with interest as a brunette climbed from the driver’s seat and waved at them.
“Your wife?” Chris asked, because it was either her or her twin.
“Nope, that’s Lucy,” he replied, walking toward the woman.
Cliff gave Lucy a hug when they reached her. “Did you bring the babies or kids?”
“Nope, Leo’s home with the boys, and the girls are all with their mothers,” Lucy explained as she opened the back end of the Jeep.
“And you?” Cliff asked.
“I’m making desserts for tomorrow night. My kitchen—for now—only has one oven. This one has two. Harper is coming to help.” She started handing the men things to carry into the house.
“Just like old times,” Cliff said as his arms were filled with baking supplies.
“Except no one’s here.” Lucy rushed to open the door for them, her arms empty.
“I know, it’s creepy. It’s never this empty. I remember one morning waking up in your room, and everyone had someone over. Well, not my Maby, but everyone else did. It was a fucking madhouse.” Cliff set his load on the counter, and Chris followed suit.
“I know, and now it’s empty. Agatha and the baby will be back one day,” she said, looking right at Chris with a glare. “What are you doing in the neighborhood, Clifton?”
“I am going to buy my lady love a house.” Cliff grinned at her.
“You’ve already bought her a house,” Lucy pointed out, ignoring Chris.
“She doesn’t really like it, so I’m going to buy Chris’s. She’ll love living next to Agatha and having Mom Lovely right down the street. And I know she loves older houses rather than new ones.”
Chris stared at Cliff. He had said nothing about wanting to buy the house, just that he wanted to see it. His heart sank. He had a buyer, but he still wanted to live there so that he knew when Agatha came home.
“You didn’t say anything about buying it,” Chris stated.
“Soon, I will buy it. You should get one on this street too,” Cliff said to Lucy.
“No way, this house is tiny compared to Leo’s. With six kids, we need all the room we can get. Maybe when the two big ones are gone, but maybe not then either. I kind of like where we’re at,” Lucy said.
“Your loss, Luce,” Cliff said. “I have to get to work before my lady love realizes I’m not there.”
With a hug to his sister-in-law, he was off, leaving the room in a vacuum of silence between Chris and Lucy.
“Have you seen Agatha?”
“Not today.”
“You have the twins?” he asked, even though he knew she did. There were two car seats in the back of her vehicle. He just wanted to make conversation.
“Yes, that’s me.” She didn’t elaborate.
“I love Agatha. Everything about her.” He decided to lay it out there for her sister.
For days he has just wanted to talk to Agatha, but if he had to go through her sister, he would. If pouring his heart out to this woman would get his Agatha to come back, he would do it.
