Three days after going to the arcade, Tim woke up with a backache. As a matter of fact, his back had been bothering him every morning since he had arrived in Connecticut. Sleeping on Genny's couch was not doing him any favors.

As Tim slowly sat up, letting his back stretch out, he ran his hands over his weary face. He glanced down at his watch. It was 6:30. But Tim didn't focus in on the time. He looked at the date. His first thought was that it had been one week since he had first gone by Lucy's house to return her sweatshirt and he had agreed to help her fix up her house. His second thought was that it had been two weeks since Grey had told him he was going to be on a six month leave. He was surprised at the order of his thoughts. For days after his meeting with Grey the only thing he could think about was the fact that he wasn't going to work and he had started a countdown in his head of when he could go back. But Tim's thoughts were being replaced by a certain beautiful brunette and her adorable son.

Reflecting back on the last week, Tim smiled to himself. He liked the routine of his days. He would go to Lucy's house in the morning and work around the house on some project while she met with her clients online. Occasionally she was right beside him while they worked on a project together. A few times they sat together at the kitchen table and talked. He found her to be incredibly easy to talk to.

They talked about their favorite movies, books, pizza toppings, and more. Lucy tried to wrap her head around how much Tim loved sports while Tim tried to convince her that the LAPD was better than the NYPD. Through their conversations, Tim was impressed by her intelligence, energized by her wit, and entranced by her beauty. And getting to spend some time with Alex was the cherry on top. Although he was at school most of the day and Tim was sure to go home in the evenings to hang out with Genny and Tyler, Tim had found himself hanging out with Alex after school. One day Alex asked Tim how to use the tools Tim was using to fix a lopsided shelf. Tim happily showed him and Alex proudly showed his mother how he had fixed the shelf. Another day Tim found Alex in the backyard, throwing a baseball into the air and catching it by himself. That turned into a rousing game of catch between the two of them. Tim loved his time with the young boy almost as much as he loved spending time with Lucy.

"So, what project are you and Lucy working on today?" Genny asked, pulling Tim from his thoughts. She was busy in the kitchen putting a lunch together for Tyler. Tim had been so deep in his own thoughts that he hadn't even heard her enter the kitchen.

"The window Alex broke finally came in for the guest house so I'm going to swing by the hardware store to pick it up and then we're going to install it," Tim explained.

"Together?" Genny questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, together," Tim answered. "It's easier with two people."

"Uh-huh."

"What does that mean?"

Genny pointed the butter knife she was holding that was full of mustard in Tim's direction.

"You like her."

"Sure, she's nice," Tim said as nonchalantly as he could.

"Oh, no. You like like her."

"What are we in seventh grade?"

"I saw you two with your hands all over her at the arcade the other night."

"My hands were not all over her. I was teaching her how to play skee ball."

"It looked to me like she could play just fine. Admit that you like her."

Tim sighed. There was no use denying it. "Ok, so I like her. What's the big deal?"

"You haven't been interested in anyone since Isabel left," Genny pointed out. "Why aren't you making the next move? Ask her out on a real date."

"I'm only here temporarily, Genny. Sooner rather than later I'm going back to LA. I don't want to lead her on. I don't want to make promises I can't keep. And she's got a kid. I'm not going to do that to Alex."

"I heard Alex talking at the baseball game this past weekend about how much he loves playing catch with you in the backyard. Sounds to me like you're already involved. And I really like Lucy. Tyler and Alex get along great and…"

"I don't have to date her for you two to be friends," Tim said.

"But wouldn't it be better if she was dating my brother?"

"Actually, no. That sounds messy."

"Tim, she's perfect for you!" Genny exclaimed, ignoring her brother's comment.

Tim shook his head. "It can't go anywhere, so why start something?"

He paused, waiting for Genny to have a comeback, but she said nothing. Tim had thought about asking Lucy out dozens of times. He thought about what it would be like to have her in his arms, to kiss her, and to have her next to him naked in bed. But he wasn't a one night stand kind of guy and she deserved far better than that. Getting involved with Lucy wouldn't be good for either of them. Tim had a little over five more months before his leave was over and then he would be going back home.

"Have you thought any more about that gun safety class?" Genny asked.

"I have."

"And…"

"And I don't know, Genny. I'm supposed to be out here to get my head on straight. I'm not sure if diving back into the world of policing is what I need right now. And working on a small town precinct? I don't know if it's for me."

"Well, I support you no matter what you decide. And hey, be careful this afternoon. The weather is supposed to get bad. Lots of heavy rain and gusting wind."

"Thanks," Tim replied. "Have a good day at work."

As Genny finished in the kitchen and went to Tyler's room to make sure he was actually getting ready for school, Tim finally willed himself to stand up. His back screamed at him, but he forced himself to keep moving. After taking a quick, very hot shower, which helped ease some of the tension in his back, he got dressed, and headed out the door.

Driving to the hardware store, Tim thought about what Genny said. Of course he had thought about asking Lucy out. He wanted desperately to take her out on a date, but he knew getting romantically involved with her would just lead to heartbreak.

As Tim pulled into the hardware store parking lot he saw a familiar face walking out of the store. It was Ashley, the friend of Genny's whom Tim had met during the first little league practice. Then again, Genny had said she wasn't so much of a friend but an acquaintance she was forced to work with as part of the PTO group. Ashley was wearing high heels, a black skirt, and a white blouse. She looked very professional and a little out of her element wheeling a carriage with large pieces of lumber inside. Tim watched as Ashley made her way to her minivan and popped the back open. She attempted to lift one of the pieces of wood, but was having a hard time maneuvering it. Tim hopped out of his truck.

"Can I give you a hand?" Tim asked as he jogged over.

"Yes, please," Ashley exclaimed, clearly grateful for the help. "Your Genny's brother, right? Jim?"

"Tim," he corrected. "And yeah, I'm visiting from LA."

"How nice. I wish all men were as thoughtful as you. My cheating ex-husband certainly wasn't."

Tim helped put the pieces of wood into the bag of her immaculate minivan, ignoring her comment about her cheating ex-husband.

"Are you building something?" Tim asked, desperately trying to change the topic of conversation.

"Me? Goodness no. This is for the school. For that family event we have going on next month. It's an under the sea theme and I stupidly volunteered to pick up the wood so we can paint murals."

"That was nice of you."

"That's what happens when you're head of the PTO. Say, you're not good with a paintbrush, are you?"

"I'm sure I could help," Tim answered.

"Wonderful. Maybe we could discuss it over dinner sometime?"

"Ah…I'm sure Genny can fill me in on what I need to know."

Although Ashley was, on paper, Tim's type, he had absolutely no interest in going out to dinner with her. Sure, she was good looking and clearly knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to ask for it, but Tim only had eyes for someone else.

"Well, if you change your mind, Genny has my number."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

After Tim closed the back of the minivan, Ashley made her way to the driver's side, her heels clicking against the pavement. She put on a pair of designer sunglasses and got in behind the wheel. Tim walked towards the store, not bothering to give her so much as another glance.

When Tim arrived at Lucy's, he spotted her sitting on the front porch, sipping on coffee. She was bundled up in the sweatshirt he had returned to her. Her hair was down, blowing slightly in the breeze. She looked comfortable and as beautiful as ever.

"Good morning," Tim called as he got out of the truck.

"Good morning," Lucy replied. She stood. "I made you a coffee."

Lucy held up a travel mug. Carrying her mug in one hand and Tim's coffee in the other, she walked down the steps of the porch to meet him.

"Thanks," Tim replied, taking the cup from her. He loved the fact that after such a short time together, she knew how he liked his coffee.

"So, it looks like we're in for some weather this afternoon," Lucy said. "We better get this window in."

"Yeah, I have it in the back here. You don't have any clients this morning?"

"I don't take clients on Tuesdays so I'm yours for the day," Lucy said and then immediately regretted the words she chose. The words were more suggestive than she meant them to be. "I mean, I can help. We can…work on projects together. Or…"

"Let's get the window in," Tim said with a smile.

As he went to the back of the truck to unload the window, Lucy couldn't help but stare at him. He was a very good looking man and after getting to know him, she found him to be even more attractive. He was smart, funny, and even though she could tell he had a hard cop exterior, she felt like she was getting a glimpse of what was happening underneath his outer shell. He was amazing with Alex and clearly very good with his hands. She had found herself thinking about what other amazing things he could do with his hands quite often. But then she would force herself to shake the thoughts from her mind. She had just had a pretty major breakup, had legally adopted her son, and had moved to a new state in a pretty short amount of time. Adding a new relationship to the mix didn't seem like a good idea. Plus there was the fact that he would be going back home across the country.

"You coming?" Tim asked, holding the window with two hands. He was already halfway to the backyard while Lucy was still standing by the truck.

"Yeah," she called. "I'll grab the tools."

She grabbed the toolbox that was in the truck and followed Tim into the backyard. They worked together on taking down the temporary boards that they had put up when Alex had broken the window. Then, while Lucy held the new window in place, Tim began installing it. At some point they both realized just how close their bodies were to each other while Tim reached over Lucy's head to hammer in a nail. He had to remind himself of all the reasons why starting something beyond friendship with her was a bad idea. Lucy had to do the same.

By the time the window was installed, the skies had turned grayer and the wind had picked up. Lucy and Tim were standing inside of the guest house. Unlike the main house, the guest house looked completely normal. The walls were all painted white. The couch was a plain blue. The tiles on the floor were a marbled gray pattern. Although it was more like a studio apartment with no walls separating the bedroom, living space, and kitchen, the guest house was spacious.

"I see your aunt's decorative talents didn't make its way out here," Tim remarked.

"No. She used to use this space just for storage, but a few months before she died she had it renovated so that she could potentially rent it out. Everything in here is pretty new."

Tim absentmindedly put a hand to his back and began to rub the muscle that seemed to constantly bother him.

"Your back is bothering you again," Lucy commented.

"It's Genny's horrible couch," Tim replied, trying to laugh it off.

"You decided not to get a hotel?"

"Come to find out, hotels by the week are pretty pricey and I think it would hurt Genny's feelings."

"So you're going to suffer instead?"

"I'll be fine."

"You could stay with me," Lucy offered.

Tim raised an eyebrow. "Ah…"

"Here, in the guesthouse," Lucy continued quickly. "Like I said, it's all brand new. It's a little dusty, but we can take care of that."

"I wouldn't want to put you out," Tim replied.

"Put me out? Tim, you're basically renovating my whole house for free. You won't even take money for the supplies you're using. The least I can do is give you a comfortable bed to sleep in that won't hurt your back."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Tim nodded. "Ok. Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'll go get some cleaning supplies and we'll have this place ready for you in no time."

Tim watched her head into the house. He wondered how he was going to be able to keep his feelings in check with her sleeping twenty yards away.