A/N: Just a short one. Hopefully the next one will be full length.

The weather turned that next week. It was starting to feel more like the early months of June as it was supposed to be, and day by day the degrees crept higher. Andy hoped for thirty by Thursday, but had to settle for twenty-eight.

She found herself hearing what Cecelia had said the week before about the temperature climbing and layers of Sam's clothing being shed in order to keep cool. Honestly, she thought someone needed to hose her down.

He pulled up to the house that morning wearing a red t-shirt and jeans, same as always, and Andy felt a little naked in her camisole and cut offs. But it was too late to run inside and change.

She'd just have to avoid the accusatory look she'd been getting from her grandmother. But she could neither hope that he notice, or not. Because one made her feel guilty of feelings she didn't want to confront, and the other, unwanted.

So she did her best to stop thinking about the mass amounts of exposed skin and hoped that maybe sometime in the afternoon, they'd be even.

He had stopped on his way over to buy her an iced coffee, knowing she'd likely skip a hot beverage this morning. She took it from him and couldn't keep a smile off of her face.

He thought of her. It made her feel better about how much she thought about him too. She handed over his usual hot coffee, because he apparently, had secret powers.

"Is there a reason you look so cool when it's so hot?" She joked as she greeted Boo, and they walked side by side toward the house.

"My people come from a warm climate."

"You're from Toronto!"

"Scarborough, specifically."

She tried to focus when he showed up that morning and simply get to the tasks on the list, but she found herself peeking over his way as it got closer to noon to see if he'd shed his wife beater yet.

That had been a heart stopping sight - watching him peel off the t-shirt. He'd stretched up after being hunched over his work bench for some time, and cleared his throat before he reached one hand up to the back of his shirt, behind his neck and pulled.

"Andy?"

"Yup?" She asked, doing her best to look him in the eye as though she hadn't been fantasizing about what was underneath...

"Can you go in and ask Ruth which of these two panelling samples she likes best." Sam said, standing right in front of Andy, holding the sheets between them.

She reached for them slowly and her hand grazes his and after everything she'd been thinking, she flinched away at contact. He looked at her, amused and she backed up a couple of steps, trying not to get drawn in.

"Yup. Yup." She squeaked, hurrying up the porch steps.

Creaking, the screen door opened and Andy stepped into the kitchen to see Ruth at her desk with the fan going nearby.

"Hey." Andy said, rushed, with a forced smile on her face.

She loomed there awkwardly holding the samples in her hands, but eyes never met Ruth's. She was still thinking about Sam.

"Andy? What is it?"

"Hmm?" Andy finally looked at her grandmother, and stood there silent for a moment before the question registered. "Oh! Samples, which of these do you like better? For the panelling on the greenhouse."

Ruth's face relaxed and she stood from her desk, and took off her glasses, letting them hang around her neck.

"Sam needs to know?" Ruth asked, wondering what the mention of his name would do to her.

"Mhm." She muttered quickly, handing them over with a little too much force. "I'm just going to get a glass of water."

"Andy..." Ruth started, watching her flustered granddaughter open all the wrong cupboards before finally getting to the one she knew was right all along. "Everything alright?"

Ruth hoped to catch her up like she did Sam. She hoped that if she said the right thing Andy wouldn't bother with denial. But Andy was a different case. She was stubborn and unruly and Ruth wasn't positive that saying something would have a good impact. Andy would swing either way. Rush to him, or away from him... and by consequence, mending their relationship would be out of the question.

Andy took a breath, shoulders sinking a little while she regrouped and when she turned back to Ruth with her full glass of water, she appeared collected.

"Peachy." She chimed, a little sarcastically, turning to walk out of the kitchen.

"Andy..." Ruth sang, trying to catch her attention one last time.

Andy wheeled around to see Ruth holding the preferred panel and she took the steps back to retrieve it.

"I'll have lunch ready in an hour." Ruth called as Andy finally walked out the door.

True to Ruth's word there was lunch not long after, and Andy was able to regroup and actually be a helping hand. But after a quick lunch, Ruth moved her work outside since a cool wind had picked up, and had a bit more observation to do. Andy however, was not really in the mood to get back to work. She watched Boo splay out in the sun on the grass and she thought that nothing sounded better at the moment.

As Sam took to the work area, Andy made her way over to Boo and took a spot next to him, laying on her back and soaking up the rays.

She was uninterrupted for some time which surprised her. Sam was often trying to wave her out of some day dream, but she was down and resting for about twenty minutes when Boo left her.

When he came back, he had a drool soaked tennis ball between his teeth and dropped it on Andy's exposed mid-drift.

"So, you wanna play buddy?" She asked, sitting up, and winding her back. Boo took a couple of steps back, wigging his tail and a big grin on his mouth. "Yeah? You want this?"

Boo barked a couple of times and Andy wound her arm back and sent the ball soaring.

"Do you plan on being a help to me today McNally?" Sam asked, finally calling her out.

"Eventually."

Sam chuckled as he watched her fall back onto the grass then checked on Boo who was retrieving it from the brook.

"You know this was all your grand design, your idea to help out."

Andy let her head fall to the side and she watched as he removed his tool belt. The bench looked cleaned off, the way he did at the end of every day, and he was sitting on the tailgate, finishing his glass of water.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a great partner. But you work me too hard." She whined, turning over and burying her face in her folded arms.

"And you whine too much."

Just as he spoke, Boo returned and dropped the ball on the small of Andy's back. When she didn't budge he barked again.

Sam pushed himself off of the truck and decided to put him out of his misery but when he reached to retrieve the ball, Andy was just rolling over, and the back of his hand grazed the smooth skin of her hip. And she smiled at him

He felt stunted by it for a moment, before reaching his arm down to get the ball that had rolled off.

"I don't whine that much." She insisted as Sam stood to his full height again. "Do I?"

"Well McNally, you're lying around telling me I work you too hard, when all you did was paint for a couple of hours." Sam smirked.

She shot him back a mocking face and proceeded to stick her tongue out at him. Sam threw the ball and Boo eagerly threw himself into a run to retrieve it, and Andy put herself in motion too.

"Oh please."

She walks up behind him and pokes him in the rib, and then scampers past to help load the rest of the scrap wood into his truck but he retaliated. While she was organizing the things that had already piled up he pulled her ponytail back just a bit, and she turned around and feigned a kick to his thigh. But he caught her by the ankle.

"No. Oh no no no no." She said insistently when she saw mischief creep over his face.

He was getting ready to drop her leg and make a move towards her when she wriggled away and started to head around the truck, gain some distance.

"Sam!" She warned again, trying to look serious, but knew she looked more squeamish than anything. "Don't."

She'd done a couple laps around the truck now, and her speed was quickening with his, every time it looked like he was closer.

They stopped though, her at the hood, and him by the tailgate. And then he made a move to climb into the back, but Andy turned and took off for house. Sam hopped off and followed as she ran up the front porch steps, only to run past Ruth, around its side and descend the stairs from the kitchen door just as he was catching up. He was so close to catching her but he missed her by inches. And it was enough for her to get to the hose that was to the left of his bench.

"Wow. McNally, think about this. You don't-"

His words were cut off by the hard spray of cold water and he listened as she laughed. His entire body went rigid as his skin cooled and a shock went down his spine to his toes. He did his best to turn away from her but she'd already gotten him.

He peaked over his shoulder to see a big smile on her mouth while she laughed, and the glint in her eye really got him in the gut. While she watched him finally look back at her, he took the opportunity to grab the hose further down, and wrap his hand around hers and try to turn it in her hand.

Boo had caught up with the excitement too and was barking and jumping by their feet, occasionally opening his mouth to catch the water in his mouth. Just as Sam overpowered her and turned the hose back at her she was curling her front away from him too, and faced Ruth who watched on, eyebrow arched.

"No! Stop please!" She begged, still laughing, and shrieking a little. She managed to get around him to the tap again and twist it off, and they were still both laughing and panting.

"See, karma." He laughed, using his hand to wipe the water from his face.

She laughed again, unable to pretend she was at all mad for what she had started.

"Whatever. Beats a shower."

Sam raked his eyes over her - dripping from head to toe and breathing heavily, giving him a million dollar smile. He couldn't agree more.