AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ryan donned the protective gear and grabbed one of the long rectangles, holding it in place while Erin welded. They did the second one, the stationary bench and the folding bed frame, then Erin welded some large bolts to the floor of the van. After lifting her helmet, Erin filled him in. "The floor bolts are for a cassette toilet. Those don't need a waste storage tank. Wiz will have a curtain or an enclosure built around this. No shower, but with a big enough potable water tank," she pointed at the stationary bench, "and a small on-demand water heater, she could drill a hole for an external spigot and have an outside shower."
"Wow, this is really cool. Nice setup." Maybe he'd rather have one of these than a muscle car. He could park at trailheads and get some great hikes in or tour the state. Or the country, even. Erin could travel with him...
"Computer security must pay well. This is not a cheap van." Erin coiled up her welding rig.
"It does." Wiz leaned around the back door.
They both jumped. Wiz bounded out of sight. "Geez, you startled me, Wiz!" Ryan put a hand over his racing heart.
"Yeah. Sorry." She leaned inside again.
"No worries. This is a sweet setup. I'm jealous." Wiz's smile flickered. Ryan's heart smiled in return, but he tried to keep his face impassive. He didn't want to scare her off.
Erin pulled her welding rig to the back. "I hope you don't mind Ryan helping me. I needed it to get these in place."
"No, it's fine. Your house is all done. I put a full security system in along with the surveillance, but it won't go to your alarm company unless you set that up later. I can route it to alert your phone, if you’ll give it to me."
"That's perfect. Thanks so much." Erin unlocked and handed her phone to Wiz. "I can't believe you've done all this for what little I'm doing for you."
Wiz tilted her head down, looking up at Erin. She seemed puzzled. "Make sure you don't have your phone on vibrate at night."
"Good point. Thanks again, Wiz. You're amazing." Erin beamed and Wiz looked away. "I think I've got everything you want done. I'll get all my gear out of here and you can check it out. Inspect everything and bang stuff around. If there's anything at all loose, I want to fix it now. I changed the oil and air filters, greased what I could, and checked everything else out, but it looks good. Bring it back when you get enough miles or time for me to change the transmission fluid, or the oil again, and I'll do that for you too." Erin put a hand on the doorframe, and Wiz handed Erin her phone and backed away. Ryan followed Erin out. Wiz had disappeared.
Ryan sighed. Maybe someday Wiz would trust him, but not today. Still, progress was good. He wondered how she'd gotten this far but didn't feel comfortable asking in person. Maybe when they were back in their online relationship. One of the van doors closed with a click. Ryan turned. Wiz must have gone around to get in the front. Inside the van, Wiz swung from the right-hand top shelf. He laughed. Wiz dropped and jumped back. "Sorry, Wiz. Didn't mean to startle you. But that's a great test."
"What did she do?" Erin called from the far end of the garage.
"She was hanging from the shelf." Wiz was tiny; if she’d smiled, she’d look like a mischievous kid. Unfortunately, Wiz would probably never be child-like again.
As she walked back to them, Erin laughed. "That is an excellent test. I didn't plan on that kind of load for those, but you're light. If Ryan did that, they might have come down."
Wiz shook her head. "I don't think so. They seem very solid. Thanks."
"No problem. This was fun and gave me some good ideas. I'd like something like this someday." Erin smiled at Wiz, then tossed her chin. "Ryan, help me put this back?"
Ryan wheeled the welder back to the wall while Erin gathered the remaining gear. Erin didn't need the help, but she wanted him away from the van. Which was smart. Erin would have made an outstanding leader if she'd stayed in the Air Force. Metal rattled inside the van—Wiz testing everything, as Erin asked.
Erin motioned for him to stay put, while she returned to the van, a clear face shield with ear protectors strapped on her head. "Do you see any rough spots? I took the grinder to the shelves already, but if any of the welds I put in are rough, point them out, and I'll smooth them down."
"There's a couple."
Erin, grinder in hand, jumped into the van. A screech of abrasive on metal made him wince. He plugged his ears, but pressing the grasper against his left ear wasn't very effective. He grabbed the welding helmet.
Erin jumped out before he put it on. "Ryan, Wiz says she'll stay one more night to test the systems and leave first thing tomorrow. If you want to go back over to the house, feel free."
"Okay, see you there." Ryan jogged to the house; he was starving. He made himself a couple of PBJs, grabbed a glass of iced tea, and plopped down in front of the TV. But his mind wasn't on the show. He had one more night at Erin's, then he'd be back in the apartment. Alone again. How depressing.
Ryan put his head back. Living in her house was a short-term deal; he'd known that from the start. He shouldn't be so bummed about moving back into his own space. But until he'd overheard Sam, he'd had hope. He hadn't even consciously realized it, but yeah, he'd definitely planned to make a move at bedtime.
Yep, he could see the scene. They'd get ready for bed, just like last night. When Erin passed the bed to go upstairs, he'd snag her around the waist and pull her in tight. He'd kiss that sexy mouth then... He looked at the brand-new alarm panel near the door and snorted.
With the alarm system finished, Erin could sleep in her own bed tonight. Without him. So much for his grand plans. Ryan laughed and winced at the despairing sound. Sam ruined those plans anyway. Nah, he shouldn't blame Sam—she simply made the situation clear. Besides, Erin wouldn't want him. There were plenty of guys out there with two hands, careers, money, all the things he didn't have. Ryan was a damaged loser. She might think his body was sexy, but only at a distance. He sighed. He had to keep that distance.
He put his plate in the dishwasher and entered her bedroom to strip the sheets. Ryan liked her scent, but she wouldn't feel the same about his sweaty tossing and turning. He smiled ruefully. In his fantasies, she didn't pull back and slap him. And she would if he'd executed his mission according to plan. And then she'd fire him. Even if she'd kissed him back, which was highly unlikely, she wasn't going to fall into bed with him. Erin wasn't easy. And she deserved more than he could give her, anyway. Like two hands and a whole mind.
He sighed and carried her sheets to the laundry. He'd run the washer tomorrow morning with the guest bed linens. Wonder if she'd miss a pillowcase? Ryan shook his head. He had it so bad. He grabbed a clean set of sheets and put them on her bed
"You didn't have to do that, Ryan."
