Simple and Clean

"Most guys can't cook, most women these days won't cook, so that leaves us with some really crappy options," I pointed out helpfully. "Speaking of which, don't think I've forgotten about the dishes."

"Ugh, seriously Brent, crack the whip." Kaila shook her head before taking another bite of her own food.

"Give the past a slip..." Charlotte cheered in with a slight uptick to her voice.

"Oh no, damn it, you mentioned her favorite band. Time to Run." Helen remarked. "If I dive behind you, Brent, I'm not cowering, just using the biggest piece of cover."

"Oh yah, Maria wants him to get to de gym, so... you know use it, while it's dere." Nikki sipped at her bottle delicately, leaning back in her chair with one jean clad leg crossed over the other.

"Break your momma's back...." Charlotte's eyes were closed as she bobbed her head along to a song that I was certain nobody else in the cabin could hear.

"You're just lucky she's not back at the apartment. Always wants to break out her collection when this song gets going." Helen smirked.

"Oh shit, We've got a crazy whip lady? You didn't warn me you were a crazy whip lady, Charlotte!"

"Women are like loot crates. When you're trying for something rare, you're gonna get a lot of what's common." Charlotte paused her recitation to fire off the bon mot before continuing "When the good times come around..."

"Ok, well she's on laundry detail to make up for the terrible singing." I pointed to the scattered clothes.

"Ugh, such a man, makin' tha women do all the menial tahsks..." Chalotte grabbed at a bra that was near her foot, and rolled it between her palms, forming it into a small ball. She lobbed it with a quick flip of her wrist towards a small half full net bag which lay near her backpack, missing only by a few inches The bra lost its shape as it landed, draping itself over the bag and hanging there defiantly.

"Well, I don't have need of any car repairs, you already did the tech thing, so don't need any help there, Helen's already got the manly grunting chore. I remember you said that you HATE dishes, so not going to **** you to do something you really hate." I listed off the things on my hand. "I mean, really if the movies have taught me anything it's never piss off people who handle your food. If I'm going to be eating your fluids, I'd like to be knowing about it when I do it."

Charlotte laughed loudly in response, before her face took on a suspicious tone

"Ok, now THAT one's been rehearsed." She looked at Kaila for confirmation, who closed her eyes, screwed up her face and nodded rapidly up and down several times. "Yeah, way too polished."

The remainder of the small repast was quite pleasant, with a few quips tossed back and forth, but the general air one of pleasant repartee. Nikki didn't feel like a stranger at all, and her constant stories about her relatives were far more interesting to Kaila and Charlotte than they were to me. It seemed almost like Nikki was delighting in having a new audience for her encyclopedic genealogy.

I escorted Helen to the woodpile again, after the two of us drafted Nikki to carry logs. While a bit miffed about being interrupted in the middle of third story about her second cousin's husband, she had a much better idea than I did about how not to get the wood into the house, and appropriated two of our used towels from the hamper prior to our exit. The wood fell and split quickly and easily, and I actually enjoyed spending the time with Helen again. Actually I just liked watching her work. Helen's arms were a work of beauty, especially with a little sweat on them.

"You never lived through a winter, did ya?" Nikki piled the split logs on one of the towels in Helen's arms. "My mother would have killed me if I'd dragged snow and sap and wood chips through de house."

"I could get used to this." Helen looked at me with a wistful gaze. "Nice eye candy while I work that is actually useful."

She inclined her head towards Nikki.

"What am I, chopped liver?" I asked, gesturing to myself.

"No, chopped liver has an interesting and appealing personality." Helen taunted lightly.

"Oh we're back to that, are we?" I laughed. "En garde, my little Sarah Conner rip off, or are you going for a Sonya rip off? Either way it's a look that died in the nineties."

"So speaketh a guy who apparently gets his fashion tips from Alan Hale Jr." Helen tossed back. OUCH. That one had a lot of spin on it. She soothed it with a quick air kiss, which almost felt sarcastic.

"Fashion? You two are going after each other for your clothes? Please. Amateur hour." Nikki laughed. "You want a roast, stand de fuck back."