Mr. Fixit Next Door: A Brother’s Best Friend Romance Read online

  Mr. Fixit Next Door

  A Brother’s Best Friend Romance

  Nicole Casey

  Copyright © 2019 by Nicole Casey. All Rights Reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronically, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the proper written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  1. Joe

  2. Terri

  3. Joe

  4. Terri

  5. Joe

  6. Terri

  7. Joe

  8. Terri

  9. Joe

  10. Terri

  11. Joe

  12. Terri

  13. Joe

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Also By Nicole Casey

  About the Author

  1

  Joe

  I honestly couldn’t remember how I got roped into this. There’d been some discussion about Max buying me a pizza in exchange for my help, and I sort of stopped paying attention after that. It wasn’t like I was opposed to helping his little sister move into the building next to mine. Quite the opposite, in fact. I was kind of known in the area as the go-to guy if you ever needed access to good moving vans for cheap. It was one of the many perks of owning a garage.

  Need to buy a set of winter tires? Interested in buying a second-hand car at a reasonable price? Need an oil change? Come see me, Joe Mantaglio, car mechanic extraordinaire by day and used car salesman by later day. I was always happy to help out where I could, and the promise of free food was something I’d never pass up. The real issue that I took with the whole thing wasn’t the fact that I’d set aside a whole day to move heavy furniture when I could have been working, but who I was helping.

  I hadn’t seen Terri Cato in almost five years. I used to always think of her as Max’s annoying little sister who followed him around everywhere he went. We grew up in the same neighborhood, so I’d occasionally see little Terri hanging out with friends at the playground or just boarding the school bus. There was no denying she was a cute kid, but she was far too energetic for my liking. You know, the shrieky loud kind that could run their mouths at a million miles a minute.

  If it weren’t for the fact that Max and I were in a lot of the same classes in high school, I probably wouldn’t have paid Terri much thought. The last time I saw her was the day of graduation, where she sheepishly gave me a kiss on the cheek to congratulate me. A couple of months after that, I moved out of my parents’ and started up my garage, never to return to that corner of suburbia ever again.

  “Heads up,” said Max as he tossed the little box into the air for me to catch. I caught it against my chest, something ceramic clinking loudly inside. Across the top, huge bold letters read: FRAGILE.

  “Can’t you read?” I snorted.

  “It’s fine. It’s full of glassware.”

  “All the more reason not to throw it, dumbass. I don’t want your sister getting mad at me if all her shit’s broken.”

  Max chuckled as he shrugged nonchalantly. “We have to keep the pace up. I want her to get settled as soon as possible. If stuff breaks, it was all in the name of progress.”

  I groaned. “You better give me a five-star review on Yelp.”

  “And a free pizza? I had no idea you were so cheap.”

  “Man, fuck off,” I scoffed, but there was no heat behind my words. Max and I liked to pick on each other, but we always knew where to draw the line. It was one of the things I liked about him. Max had a gruff exterior and suffered from an unfortunate case of resting bitchface, but he was surprisingly easy going once you got to know him.

  We spent the next few minutes unloading the back of the white moving van, stacking cardboard boxes up five-high along the sidewalk. It was a hot summer day in the middle of June, so it wasn’t very long before I started to break into a sweat. He’d borrowed the van from me early yesterday evening and drove it home, returning first thing the next day with all of his sister’s belongings. With the van now empty, I turned to Max, unsure why we were waiting around. I wanted to get the job done quickly, anxious to get back to the garage to get started on my latest project.

  “When’s Terri supposed to get here?”

  “I texted her a few minutes ago. She’s just grabbing the last little bit and putting it in her car.”

  “Do you think she’s excited to be back?” I asked, making polite conversation.

  Max set his jaw as he leaned against the back doors of the van, crossing his arms over his chest. The dude was pretty jacked –something to be expected of a firefighter– so the subtle shift in his posture came off more intimidating than I think he intended. He cast his eyes to the ground and kicked a pebble near the tip of his shoe. “Maybe,” he muttered. “I don’t really know.”

  “Wasn’t she off at college?”

  “Yeah. Studying journalism. Didn’t get to finish, though.”

  I was about to ask him why this was, but a white Honda Civic pulled up to the curb a yard or so behind the moving van. Time seemed to slow as I set eyes on the woman exiting the vehicle. She was probably the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. She was incredibly curvaceous, with large breasts hidden away beneath a form-fitting crop top with a flora design. She also had an incredibly round ass, accented by the low-cut of her light blue jean shorts. Worst of all, she had legs for days, smooth tanned skin practically bronze beneath the hot summer rays. Over top of her ensemble she wore a light pink windbreaker, and she wore an adorable pair of white sneakers. Her long blonde hair had an elegant curl to them, streaming past her shoulders like streamers of liquid gold. I wasn’t able to get a good look at her face because she had on a pair of dark sunglasses that obstructed most of my view.

  “Joe, I swear to God if you don’t stop drooling over my sister, I’m going to deck you,” Max hissed in my ear.

  “Terri?” I gawked.

  Terri gave me a small smile and a nervous little wave. “Hey,” she greeted weakly.

  Something was wrong. I could just tell. This wasn’t the Terri I remembered. The woman standing before me seemed tired, exhausted. I’d even go so far as to describe her as beaten down. She’d only uttered a single word, but her voice sounded thin enough to break. This wasn’t the same bright, optimistic, carefree Terri who liked to deliberately throw her toys over our shared fence to have an excuse to come over. This wasn’t the same chipper, energetic, fun-loving girl who’d waved wildly at me through her bedroom window as I moved out all those years ago. This was someone bitter, someone vulnerable. And it didn’t sit right with me at all.

  “Thank you for finding me this apartment,” she said quietly to Max. “I know it must have been really last minute.”

  “Not a problem, kiddo,” he replied. Max slapped me across the back of the shoulder. “Joe here happened to know the old man moving out.”

  “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” I grimaced, rubbing my shoulder where the skin now stung. “Do you have the key to let us in?”

  “Yes,” she mumbled as she reached into the back pocket of her shorts. Terri pulled out a small silver key and placed it in the center of Max’s outstretched palm. “I need to go tell the landlord I’m
here.”

  “We’ll start moving things upstairs for you,” I offered.

  The smallest, weakest smile ghosted across her lips. “Thanks, Joe. I really appreciate it.” She turned on her heel and started toward the front door of the apartment building, texting while walking.

  Max nudged me hard in the ribs with the tip of his elbow. “Hands off, Mantaglio.”

  “What?” I scoffed. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

  My friend rolled his eyes. “I know you better than anyone, Joe. You’ll try to sleep with anything with a pulse.”

  “I would never,” I huffed. “But on a completely separate note, since when did your sister turn into an absolute babe?”

  “Dude, gross.”

  “Do you know if she’s single?”

  “Seriously, Joe. Drop it. If you care about our friendship at all, you’ll leave her alone.”

  I clicked my tongue. “Do I have to return the friendship bracelet you made me?”

  “I hate you.”

  “I know,” I chuckled.

  “I’m not joking, man. Quit drooling. You’re freaking me out.”

  The rest of the day was spent in relative silence, save for the occasional order Max barked at me with regards to which boxes went where. Terri didn’t have a whole lot to move to start with, and most of the boxes were lighter than they looked. After what must have been the fiftieth trip up and down the six flights of stairs, all of her belongings had been successfully delivered. I clapped my hands together once I’d placed the last box in the kitchen, patting myself on the back mentally for a job well done.

  “Thank you,” whispered Terri from where she stood in the hall. She reached into her pocket to pull out a few bills. “How much do I owe you?”

  I shook my head. “No, no. Put that away. It’s cool.”

  She lifted her sunglasses off of her face and settled the frames atop her head. I was right before when I suspected her of being weary. Not only did she sound exhausted, but she looked exhausted. Her big blue eyes didn’t seem to have the same spark, the same light quality to them, though they were astounding all the same. They used to remind me of bright skies on a spring morning, but now they were more like a quiet stream flowing over a rock bed.

  Terri raised a curious eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Think of it as a neighbor helping out a neighbor.”

  “You live around here?”

  “In the next building, actually.”

  “Oh, you were being literal. That’s, um… That’s cool.” The faintest dusting of pink colored her cheeks. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

  “Mantaglio!” exclaimed Max from the hallway. “Get your ass down here and tell me what you want on your pizza. And don’t you dare say pineapples.”

  “I want nothing but pineapples,” I shouted back.

  “You’re a freak.”

  “Fuck you.”

  The lightest, softest giggle escaped Terri’s lips. I looked to her, partially stunned and mostly amazed. It was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard, but it left an uncomfortable feeling in the base of my throat. How could such a wonderful laugh belong to someone who appeared so sad?

  “Do you want in on the pizza?” I asked her. “Between you and me, I think your brother needs to cut back on the calories.”

  Terri shook her head, once again returning to her quiet state. “No, thank you. I’ve had a long day. I think I’m just going to relax and try and put a few things away.”

  “Right. Yeah, that makes sense.”

  “Maybe next time.”

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah. Maybe next time.”

  2

  Terri

  If only my abuela were still alive, she’d probably be beating me over the head with her chancla and telling me I was estupida for getting myself knocked-up. But at the same time, she’d probably be swooning over the baby, spoiling it rotten with treats and toys and all the love she could provide. I sometimes have to pinch myself to be reminded that this isn’t a bad dream.

  I’d always been the good girl, the never-wear-my-skirt-too-short girl. I followed all the rules, helped out in the community when I could, always put my family first, and I strived to be at the top of my classes in college. Heck, I didn’t even jaywalk out of fear of getting a ticket. Never in a million years did I think I’d drop out of college to take care of an incoming baby. Never in a million years did I think Chris Lansbury, the love of my life and high school sweetheart, would haul ass the second her found out I was pregnant.

  It was all such a blur, really. I could remember bits and pieces of our fight. Throughout the week, I’d been feeling increasingly sick, spewing my guts first thing in the morning and craving the weirdest combinations of food. My newfound favorite pairing? Pickles and peanut butter. It sounded gross, but it was oddly delicious. We always used protection and I was on the pill, so the possibility of being with child honestly hadn’t crossed my mind until the last minute. I walked into the doctor’s office believing I was battling a serious case of the stomach flu. Thirty minutes later, I walked out having learned that I was expecting.

  I couldn’t remember the ride home, I couldn’t remember texting Chris that we needed to talk. But what I did remember was that Chris wanted nothing to do with the baby and how heartbroken I was when he turned on his heel to leave. He said he had to focus on his football career. He’d gotten into college on a full-ride athletic scholarship and was the quarterback for the varsity team. Chris’ face had drained of all color when I gave him the news, eyes glossed over like he was looking at a stranger. I’d tried calling and texting him several times since arriving back home, but it was very obvious that he was ghosting me.

  My parents and my older brother took the news surprisingly well. Papa seemed genuinely delighted that he was going to be a grandfather, and Mom was always supportive of me. Max’s reaction was the one I was worried about the most. I loved my big brother to death, but sometimes he could be overprotective to the point of smothering. I’d taken him out to lunch at his favorite Italian restaurant, thoroughly believing that it wasn’t right to tell him via text or phone. I wanted to tell him in person and in a public place, mostly because I didn’t want him to misunderstand or make a big scene.

  Max got really quiet after I told him. Scary quiet. If I hadn’t known better, I could have sworn something in his brain had fried. He stared at me blankly for a good ten minutes before he finally stood up, walked around the table, and gave me a big hug. The only time he got truly upset was when I told him that Chris wouldn’t be sticking around. He’d cursed him out, swore that if he ever lay eyes on him that Max would beat the guy to death. Max was almost double Chris’ size, so his threat was more than just empty words. It took me almost an hour and three appetizers before he finally calmed down enough to think logically.

  The decision to drop out of college was my own. I’d just completed my first year of journalism, but I knew I couldn’t have a child and go to school at the exact same time. It’d be too much work, and I’d be far too distracted to be effective as both a student and a mother. The option of giving the child up had come up in conversation on several occasions, but it didn’t sit right with me. This was my baby, growing a little bigger every day. I’d grown surprisingly attached in just a matter of weeks, and the thought of abandoning my child either through adoption or other means left a bitter taste in my mouth. Don’t get me wrong, I would never judge a woman for the decision she chose to make. It was just that in this instance, I believed keeping the baby was right for me. It was my body, my life, my choice.

  The last-minute scramble to find an apartment had been a hectic one. I’d been living with Chris off-campus, and the fact that we’d left our relationship dangling on a fight had me feeling less than welcome. I packed up my things and immediately called Max for help. Ever my hero, he managed to get me in contact with a landlord who was renting a one-bedroom apartment downtown at a very reasonable price. Max even told me not to worry about hiring
movers, as he’d recruited the help of an old friend. What I didn’t expect was that old friend to be Joseph Mantaglio, the man who was arguably my first love.

  I used to have the stupidest, fattest crush on Joe when we were younger. He was over all the time to hang out with Max, and by extension, me. I remember thinking Joe was probably the most handsome boy to every breathe, but I was too shy to ever act on my feelings. He was three years older than me, and I worried that he saw me more as his best friend’s annoying little sister than anything else. The day of his high school graduation, I’d dared to give him a kiss on the cheek to congratulate him. My face turned bright red when Joe looked at me, entirely surprised. I remembered my legs feeling like jelly and my heart was racing a mile a minute in my chest. He was moving on to big and better things, so I always assumed that was the last I’d ever see him.

  That is, until he helped me move in.

  I got out of the car and felt the air leave my lungs. Joe looked ridiculously amazing. It was kind of unfair, to be honest. He’d seriously beefed up since the last time I saw him, and the years had left his facial features harder and more defined. It was almost ridiculous how fantastic he looked, what with his tanned skin rippling over hard muscles. He was practically bursting out of his t-shirt, fabric clinging to the shape of his round biceps, large chest, broad shoulders, and tapering down toward his hips. A lot of his boyish charm had been replaced with the confidence of a young man in his prime, now sporting a faded undercut and five-o-clock shadow that seemed to add to the smolder of his dark brown eyes. The mere sight of him made me forget my entire vocabulary set, and I only managed to squeak out a tiny little ‘hey’ like some starstruck teenager. But my God, I’d be lying if I said watching Joe move my things into the apartment wasn’t an absolute treat.