Maddie wasn't sure what to expect when she met Chimney, but this wasn't quite it. All of Buck's stories made him sound more dramatic, more flamboyant. But no. The mild mannered Asian man standing before her was quietly amused, staring at the tablet in his hand.
"The ladder is still in the kitchen, but I can grab it so you can start," she began.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "We've still got a long way to go just on the digital side of this. But I'll have it set up in no time." His eyes twinkled at her, briefly flashing up from the tablet to meet hers.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I wish I wasn't so clueless about this stuff."
"No apology necessary," he said. "Besides, now I have an excuse for not helping Diaz and Buck with the heavy lifting."
Maddie laughed, feeling herself relax around him. That was definitely something she hadn't expected. Buck loved and respected Chimney, as he did all of the crew, but he was always lacking, for lack of a better word, reverence when he talked about Chimney. His stories were always tinged with a little mocking, all in fun though. She'd almost expected a drama queen, but the Chimney standing in front of her couldn't be more easygoing and respectful. And his smile...
Maddie bit her lip, knowing she was staring, and forcing herself to look away. "Thank you," she said. "You really didn't have to waste your day off with me."
He glanced up again. "Making sure you feel safe, and more importantly, are safe, isn't a waste of time at all. Besides. You're part of the family now. Buck's sister is our...sister."
She noticed the pause between words and ducked her head. "I need to go upstairs," she said. "So much unpacking."
"Go for it," he said, turning back to the tablet.
"Let me know if you need anything," she offered, hurrying to the stairs.
"I will," he said, and she could feel his eyes briefly alight on her.
She spent the next hour upstairs, her cheeks still warming when she thought about Chimney. He was so cute. And so...calming to be around. She felt safe, oddly. She knew from Buck's stories that he was a gentleman and so very nice, and he was gun shy when it came to relationships too.
She wondered how his past girlfriends hadn't been able to see what a great guy he was.
She shoved the thoughts down, knowing that she couldn't afford to be thinking about him like that. Not right now. It was too soon...wasn't it?
The twinkle in Chimney's eyes and the way she couldn't seem to stop thinking about him suggested that even if her brain wasn't ready for this, her heart was.
She was hanging up clothes, and remembered one more box downstairs, sighing as she got up, hurrying down the stairs and locating it. Chimney was up the ladder, and when he saw her struggling to lift the box, he was down in an instant. "I can do that," he said, at her side in just a moment, deftly taking the box from her.
"I got it," she said.
"I know, but I'm bored," he replied. "Upstairs?"
"Yes," she affirmed, ducking her head and following him when he started for the stairs, going up quickly and not wasting time.
"All done," he said. "This is a really nice apartment."
"It is," she said softly. "I'm really glad it's not out of my price range."
"You've got a gorgeous view," he said, stepping forward to look out of the windows that, as of yet, still didn't have curtains.
"It was a big reason I jumped on this one," she said. "I can see actual trees. It's been a long time."
He smiled at her, before heading back to the top of the stairs. "I'll let you get back to work," he said. "Moving is a bitch and the sooner you finish, the sooner you're done."
And then there was the couch. Maddie heard Buck swear in the courtyard outside and stood up, her legs sore from the crouching.
"Okay," Chimney said from downstairs and Maddie moved to the top of the stairs, hovering there to look down at him as he jumped off the ladder. "You've officially reached Fort Knox level security."
"You think it's too much?" She asked anxiously, knowing it must have been a pain to set up.
"Three motion sensors in the living room? I mean, maybe if you're trying to keep Tom Cruise from getting his hands on your NOC list…" Chimney cracked.
She paused on the stairs, thinking, and he raised an eyebrow. "Mission:Impossible. No?"
"Sorry, haven't seen it," she admitted, smiling at him.
"Travesty," he said, glancing up at her again, looking perhaps a beat too long. Maddie felt it, but moved to the door, meeting Buck there.
Pizza, on her new couch? After all the care she'd taken to find the perfect one?
She rolled her eyes at her brother, feeling the love burst in her heart all the same. She was so grateful. Beyond grateful. She'd forgotten what it was like to have family around, to be able to depend on others, to lean on someone else. She blinked back a momentary misty eye and turned back to Chimney, pizza in her hands, pausing by his side.
"I'm sorry," she apologized again, missing the way Chimney's gaze shot to her at the words, his brow creasing. "You were showing me the security app."
"Okay, so, basically, you can check everything on here," Chimney began, pausing to look at Eddie and Buck struggling in the doorway. "Lift with your legs!" He turned back to the tablet, shaking his head. "And you can also check it on your phone if you're not at home."
"Well, that's great, because now if I hear a noise in the middle of the night, I don't have to get out of bed to know it's just the ice maker." Maddie's tone was light, but she was dead serious, and knew she'd get out of bed anyway. Probably multiple times.
Eddie and Buck had finished in the doorway, plopping the couch down. That was enough for now. "Hey, thank you guys for helping me on your day off," she said, for what was approximately the five millionth time.
"Don't worry about it," Eddie assured, coming over to grab the pizza. "Plates?"
"Countertop, kitchen," she said, following his path with her eyes.
Chimney looked back down at the tablet, before handing it to her. "Beer?"
"Also kitchen," she smiled. "Fridge."
"Clever," Chimney said, his grin contagious.
Buck walked forward and the words burst from her mouth. She'd learned that honesty was the best policy, and she'd kind of lost her filter around Buck since they'd been spending time together again. "He is so cute," she said.
"Yeah, he gets that a lot. You should meet his kid, though," Buck smiled.
"Wait, Chimney has a kid?" She quipped, knowing he'd misunderstood. Eddie wasn't her type. Not anymore.
"No, I thought you meant…"
Maddie didn't even wait for the end of the sentence. She hurried to the kitchen, eager to spend more time with Chimney.
It was a very sleepless night. All of her fears returned and, though she'd never admit this to Buck, she wasn't fully ready to be on her own again. It terrified her, honestly. Lying here alone, knowing Doug could show up at any given moment…
She rolled over again, her heart pounding, mouth dry. It was another long night ahead of her. The few minutes of sleep she had gotten had ended quickly, with her gasping awake, terrified to her core and breathing hard.
It was the end of the next day, and Chimney was there. At her house. Her heart had jumped when she'd seen him on her phone, waving up at her.
Now they were on the couch, at opposite ends, each with their own bowl of popcorn. Tom Cruise was doing something on screen and she was...nodding off…
When she woke, Chimney was draping a blanket over her. "Let me guess, you haven't been sleeping well," he said, voice soft.
"You aren't mad I missed the movie? God, I am so sorry I fell asleep."
"Don't worry about it," he stressed, sitting on the edge of the couch next to her. "We can finish another night."
She blinked up at him. "How long was I out?"
"About an hour," he said. "It took me a minute to find the blanket. Sorry, I went up to your bedroom."
"It's fine," she replied, snuggling into it. "Thank you. Um."
"I should get going," he said. "Let you ease back into more sleep. You need it, Maddie. Otherwise no way you could have dozed off. This movie is incredible."
She smiled up at him, and he stood up. "I'll see you later," he said. "And I'll show myself out."
"Okay," she agreed. "Thank you. I really had a good time."
"For all the time you were even awake," he joked. "Don't worry about it. I put most girls to sleep."
He brushed his hand on the blanket, patting her knee. "Good night, Maddie Buckley."
"Good night," she whispered, and in her imagination, he leaned down to kiss her cheek. In reality, he left without another word.
She wasn't disappointed. She was at peace. She'd spent a whole evening with him without pressure or ever feeling uncomfortable. He hadn't been handsy, or angry she'd missed most of the movie, or tried to move closer on the couch. If she'd been younger, she might have thought it meant he wasn't interested. But now...now she cherished him even more, for taking it slow, for not having sex be his endgoal, for actually befriending her…
She breathed in, smelling popcorn and the lightest trace of his cologne. She could get used to being friends with Chimney.