Short Story--Easy Peasy--Day 5

Thanks so much for joining us this week. This is the final part of my birthday gift to you, a fun short story. I hope you loved it, or that it at least made your week a bit brighter.

If you need to catch up, the first day is here, Tuesday is here, Wednesday is here, and Thursday is here. Enjoy the end!

“Okay. Just a bit more.” Chris wedged his shoulder under the microwave while Tyler screwed it in above. “There.”

“That’s it?” Chris stepped out but kept a hand underneath it, just in case. The memory of the microwave taking a nose dive earlier was still fresh in his mind.

“That’s it. Let’s see.” Tyler pushed the plug into the wall and the screen flashed four green zeros. “Ta da.”
​
“I wish I’d called you in the first place. You might have kept me from almost getting electrocuted.” Chris stepped all the way back and admired their handiwork. Jane had been right. This one looked much nicer.

“From now on, just call me before you start anything else dealing with electricity.” Tyler smacked him on the back before helping move the stove back in place.

“Especially if you’re going to bring Mandy, too. That was just the distraction Jane needed. Earlier, she was hovering, watching my every move. It definitely didn’t help things.”

“I can imagine.” Tyler set his tools back in the box he’d brought. “You know I’m always glad to help. Especially since it means I can call in favors from you down the road—like painting the rooms Mandy has her eye on ‘refreshing.’”

“I’m in. I’ll even bring Jane to distract Mandy.”

“Perfect.” Tyler pointed toward the hallway the girls had disappeared down. “Speaking of which. Think we should let them know we’re done?”

Chris thought about enjoying the quiet for a few more minutes, but then the excitement of seeing Jane’s face won out. “Jane!”

Heavy footsteps pounded the hallway and she rushed around the corner, her ponytail whipping around her face. “Is it—?”

“Voila!” He motioned to it like a host on a game show.

“Yay! And it works?” Jane gave a little skip as she moved over and opened the door to look inside. “It’s so clean.”

“Well, it’s new, so ...”

“You know what I mean. Think we can keep it this clean?”

He let out a snort.

“Well, I think we’re about done here.” Tyler hefted his toolbox and grinned at his wife. “Have a great birthday, Jane.”

“Bye, Jane.” Mandy waved as she followed Tyler out.

“What should we cook first?” Jane leaned against the oven.

“I don’t know. Can you do a cake in that thing?”

“Not a good one.” She rolled her eyes. “But I know a place that sells a great piece of cheesecake. And good dinner, too.”

“I thought we bought this thing so you could cook at home?”

“A girl doesn’t want to have to make her own birthday dinner.” She propped her hands on her hips. “Besides, you’ve been working on this all day. I’m sure you don’t want to have to cook, either.”

“I never want to have to cook.” He hooked his hands around her waist and pulled her tight. “Okay. I guess I’ll take you out to eat ... again.”

“I’m spending lots of our money today, huh?”

“You’re worth it.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Just remember all this when my birthday rolls around in a few months.”

“You want a new microwave for your birthday, too?”

“I hope I never have to install a new microwave ever again.”

She frowned. “Guess it wasn’t such an easy request after all, huh?”

“Like I said.” He smoothed out her brow. “You’re worth it. All the projects to make our house a home and try to kill me in the process. Whatever you want, Jane.”

“Thank you.” And she rewarded him with a kiss that would keep him agreeing to projects for years.

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Well, what do you think? Was it everything you hoped? As I said on Monday, part of this was based on my husband and I having a similar disaster this summer when we went to replace our microwave. But I'll let you guess which parts are true and which are made up.

Wishing you could give me something for my birthday? You can, and it only takes a few minutes. Reviews are the best gift you can give an author, so if you haven't already left a review for one of my books, go drop a few lines on amazon, goodreads, bookbub or anywhere else you find them to let others know what you thought.

And thanks to all who have already blessed me that way. I'm glad I could share this birthday week with you!