Chapter 11

Sam warred with himself what to do. Should he continue to stand there and watch? Should he leave quietly and then approach noisily, to warn the guys? Deciding on a compromise, he stepped back, so he could still watch, but from a less obvious vantage point. Unfortunately, as he did this, his right foot caught the side of an empty paint can, which toppled over noisily.

“What the fuck!” Billy said, turning to face a blushing Sam.

“Uh, fuck is about right, bud,” Sam said, trying to recover.

Billy pulled out, giving Sam a full frontal view. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

Then Sam remembered why he was there. “Got a call from Zack. Beth’s gone into labor.”

“She isn’t due for two more weeks,” Pete said.

“Apparently the baby doesn’t agree,” Sam replied.

“Turn your back,” Billy grumped.

Sam did so, but couldn’t help pointing out, “You’ve already shown me the goods.”