the pump box, something guys invariably forgot to do. And when I finally got to work, things went pretty well. Erik stood by, watching in obvious amazement and helping when needed as I removed the front cover of the machine, removed the old pump, and then installed the new one.
Though there were guys who just didn't get stuff like that, Erik really wasn't one. He handed me every tool before I requested it, revealing common sense that would've enabled him to do the repair himself. I decided he just hadn't wanted to mess with it before now. I couldn't blame him. The woods outside were a lovely distraction, especially to a photographer.
"You rock!" He high-fived my dirty right hand once I tightened the last screw on the washing machine cover a couple of hours later. I started to grab a mop to get rid of the water that had leaked out of the tub. Erik beat me to it. "I'll do it. You get cleaned up so we can go into town."
Since both hands and my forearms were a greasy mess, I left him and washed them. I also reapplied makeup the snowball fight had washed away and finger combed my hair, which I then twisted into a messy knot. When I was presentable once more, I went back into the living room to find Erik once again at his computer. I saw that he was watching a slideshow of some outdoor shots. When he spotted me, he closed everything out. "I put all our dirty stuff in the washer. It's actually working."
"Your surprise is a little insulting." Hiding my grin, I bent to dig some money from the outside zippered pouch of the sports bag and stuck it in my pocket, sorely missing my purse.
Erik led the way out the door. It took several minutes for us to clear off the car's windshield, but it wasn't hard to do. The snow was quite dry. Getting to a decent road proved to be a much harder challenge. His drive was little more than a dirt path now covered in snow. The car lurched its way through the woods for a good quarter mile before we got to a gravel road. After a mile or three on it, we reached asphalt and then, finally, the highway.
Neither of us said much on the drive into Branson. We got to the grocery store around 5:30. I let Erik push the cart while I filled it with food I thought he wouldn't buy for himself under normal circumstances--a couple of kinds of meat, fruit and vegetables, some sweets and snacks, and a few frozen items.
Though he didn't say anything, I could see he was surprised by my choices, which were admittedly a little extravagant. But I was really saving money by staying with him, and I wanted to sweeten our deal to increase its long-term chances.
For some reason, I felt safe living in a cabin in the woods. It could've been a wolf thing, but I honestly thought it had something to do with Erik. His quick moves during our snowball fight had been a surprise. Clearly he wasn't as geeky as I'd assumed. Not that I had a problem with geeks. I didn't. I was one, after all, except under a full moon. I guessed his wiry build had deceived me. The boy clearly had solid muscles as opposed to bulk, and he was much stronger than I could've guessed. That explained him being able to carry wolfy me so far, once I thought about it.
I paid for the groceries with some of my stolen cash, being careful to hide how much I had in my pocket since I didn't want to explain it. We loaded the groceries in the back of the Jeep. As Erik shut the door, he caught my eye. "Let's grab a bite to eat before we go home."
Of course I laughed. We'd just grabbed several if memory served. But I knew what he meant. "Will the frozen stuff be okay?"
"Yeah. We'll go to Head for the Hills. They're fast, and I get a discount there." He grinned. "Never hurts, right?"
"Right. Where is it?"
"Close enough to walk to. Come on." Erik motioned for me to join him.
We walked down the sidewalk together, me with my hands in my pockets. I really needed a coat, which is why I braked in front of a department store I'd never heard of. I guessed it was locally owned and
Though there were guys who just didn't get stuff like that, Erik really wasn't one. He handed me every tool before I requested it, revealing common sense that would've enabled him to do the repair himself. I decided he just hadn't wanted to mess with it before now. I couldn't blame him. The woods outside were a lovely distraction, especially to a photographer.
"You rock!" He high-fived my dirty right hand once I tightened the last screw on the washing machine cover a couple of hours later. I started to grab a mop to get rid of the water that had leaked out of the tub. Erik beat me to it. "I'll do it. You get cleaned up so we can go into town."
Since both hands and my forearms were a greasy mess, I left him and washed them. I also reapplied makeup the snowball fight had washed away and finger combed my hair, which I then twisted into a messy knot. When I was presentable once more, I went back into the living room to find Erik once again at his computer. I saw that he was watching a slideshow of some outdoor shots. When he spotted me, he closed everything out. "I put all our dirty stuff in the washer. It's actually working."
"Your surprise is a little insulting." Hiding my grin, I bent to dig some money from the outside zippered pouch of the sports bag and stuck it in my pocket, sorely missing my purse.
Erik led the way out the door. It took several minutes for us to clear off the car's windshield, but it wasn't hard to do. The snow was quite dry. Getting to a decent road proved to be a much harder challenge. His drive was little more than a dirt path now covered in snow. The car lurched its way through the woods for a good quarter mile before we got to a gravel road. After a mile or three on it, we reached asphalt and then, finally, the highway.
Neither of us said much on the drive into Branson. We got to the grocery store around 5:30. I let Erik push the cart while I filled it with food I thought he wouldn't buy for himself under normal circumstances--a couple of kinds of meat, fruit and vegetables, some sweets and snacks, and a few frozen items.
Though he didn't say anything, I could see he was surprised by my choices, which were admittedly a little extravagant. But I was really saving money by staying with him, and I wanted to sweeten our deal to increase its long-term chances.
For some reason, I felt safe living in a cabin in the woods. It could've been a wolf thing, but I honestly thought it had something to do with Erik. His quick moves during our snowball fight had been a surprise. Clearly he wasn't as geeky as I'd assumed. Not that I had a problem with geeks. I didn't. I was one, after all, except under a full moon. I guessed his wiry build had deceived me. The boy clearly had solid muscles as opposed to bulk, and he was much stronger than I could've guessed. That explained him being able to carry wolfy me so far, once I thought about it.
I paid for the groceries with some of my stolen cash, being careful to hide how much I had in my pocket since I didn't want to explain it. We loaded the groceries in the back of the Jeep. As Erik shut the door, he caught my eye. "Let's grab a bite to eat before we go home."
Of course I laughed. We'd just grabbed several if memory served. But I knew what he meant. "Will the frozen stuff be okay?"
"Yeah. We'll go to Head for the Hills. They're fast, and I get a discount there." He grinned. "Never hurts, right?"
"Right. Where is it?"
"Close enough to walk to. Come on." Erik motioned for me to join him.
We walked down the sidewalk together, me with my hands in my pockets. I really needed a coat, which is why I braked in front of a department store I'd never heard of. I guessed it was locally owned and
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