but . . .”
“Not
that much,” Will finishes, grinning.
The sunlight hits his face,
making his tan glow golden, and his messy dark hair looks threaded
with light. I feel something tighten in my chest, an inexplicable
desire to reach up and push it out of his eyes, lean into his broad
shoulders, find that nook against his chest where I already know I
fit just right.
I
grab the bubble wand instead. “I can’t believe you bought
some place without calling me first,” I say brightly, trying to
get the conversation back to safer ground. “You had my realtor
card and everything.”
Will
chuckles. “So you’re just mad you lost out on a sale?
Sorry to disappoint. The truth is, it all moved pretty fast. I looked
around online, found a spot, and bought it before I even stepped foot
in town.”
“That’s . . . impulsive,”
I say.
He
smiles. “Guess I was just ready for a change. When it’s
right, it’s right,” he adds, holding my gaze.
My
cheeks flush with heat, and I feel it again, that restless, nervous
buzz in my veins. Electric.
Dangerous.
I
scramble to my feet. “You guys need any help?” I call
over to Sawyer and Lottie, needing to put some distance between us.
“All
set,” Sawyer announces, waving his grill tongs in triumph.
“Time to eat!”
We
feast on hot dogs, burgers, and all the fixings, sitting around the
table on Sawyer’s back deck under the shade of the old oak
tree. I’m relieved to find it’s not awkward at all with
Will; he fits in easily, chatting with Lottie, and talking sports and
music with Sawyer like he’s always been here.
“We’ll
have to go to the county fair,” Lottie declares, already
planning our summer. “Ooh, and we can all rent a boat and go
out on the water, there are some great beaches you can only get to by
sea.”
“Easy
there,” I tell her. “Nobody ever tell you to play hard to
get?”
Lottie
laughs. “Please, I’m desperate, I need new friends,”
she tells Will. “My sister just up and left, and now I’m
all alone.”
Sawyer
snorts. “And what does that make us?”
“I
thought you were meeting all these cool moms?” I ask.
“Yes,
but they’re all the way over in Beachwood Bay.” Lottie
sighs. “Nobody can just hang out without making all these
plans.”
Will
leans back in his seat, giving a slow smile. “So what you’re
really saying is you need a new last-minute babysitter.”
There’s
a pause, then we all burst out laughing. “Busted,” I tell
Lottie as she tries to pout. Sawyer grins, and sends another beer
sliding down the table to Will.
“Welcome,
buddy. I can already tell you’re going to fit right in.”
We
clear the table and head inside, while Lottie takes Kit upstairs to
clean up. “So what’s the plan for the rest of the
afternoon?” I ask Sawyer, cleaning up in the kitchen.
“Lottie
roped me into doing a Costco run,” he replies, setting dishes
in the sink.
“Ha,”
I laugh. “She tried that one on me, too.”
“It’s
OK.” He shrugs. “I need some stuff. And you know how she
gets when she pulls the whole puppy-dog eyes thing.”
“You’re
a soft touch.” I smile. “Enjoy the multipacks of kitchen
towels. I’ll be sitting around at the auto shop. I need Eddie
to take a look at my car.”
“Let me guess,”
Will’s voice comes. He’s leaning in the doorway. “You
need to override the locks again.”
“Not
this time,” I protest. “The engine’s making a weird
rattling noise whenever I go too slow.”
“I
can take a look,” he offers.
“No,
it’s OK.”
Will
looks at me. “How long is this Eddie going to take? It might be
a simple fix.”
I
pause. I have showings all week, and if I can’t get the town
mechanic to skip me to the front of the line, I’ll have to
reschedule them all. “Sure,” I finally agree. “Thanks.”
I
lead him out front and start the engine, while Will lifts the hood
and peers in. “It’s your carburetor,” he says,
after listening for
“Not
that much,” Will finishes, grinning.
The sunlight hits his face,
making his tan glow golden, and his messy dark hair looks threaded
with light. I feel something tighten in my chest, an inexplicable
desire to reach up and push it out of his eyes, lean into his broad
shoulders, find that nook against his chest where I already know I
fit just right.
I
grab the bubble wand instead. “I can’t believe you bought
some place without calling me first,” I say brightly, trying to
get the conversation back to safer ground. “You had my realtor
card and everything.”
Will
chuckles. “So you’re just mad you lost out on a sale?
Sorry to disappoint. The truth is, it all moved pretty fast. I looked
around online, found a spot, and bought it before I even stepped foot
in town.”
“That’s . . . impulsive,”
I say.
He
smiles. “Guess I was just ready for a change. When it’s
right, it’s right,” he adds, holding my gaze.
My
cheeks flush with heat, and I feel it again, that restless, nervous
buzz in my veins. Electric.
Dangerous.
I
scramble to my feet. “You guys need any help?” I call
over to Sawyer and Lottie, needing to put some distance between us.
“All
set,” Sawyer announces, waving his grill tongs in triumph.
“Time to eat!”
We
feast on hot dogs, burgers, and all the fixings, sitting around the
table on Sawyer’s back deck under the shade of the old oak
tree. I’m relieved to find it’s not awkward at all with
Will; he fits in easily, chatting with Lottie, and talking sports and
music with Sawyer like he’s always been here.
“We’ll
have to go to the county fair,” Lottie declares, already
planning our summer. “Ooh, and we can all rent a boat and go
out on the water, there are some great beaches you can only get to by
sea.”
“Easy
there,” I tell her. “Nobody ever tell you to play hard to
get?”
Lottie
laughs. “Please, I’m desperate, I need new friends,”
she tells Will. “My sister just up and left, and now I’m
all alone.”
Sawyer
snorts. “And what does that make us?”
“I
thought you were meeting all these cool moms?” I ask.
“Yes,
but they’re all the way over in Beachwood Bay.” Lottie
sighs. “Nobody can just hang out without making all these
plans.”
Will
leans back in his seat, giving a slow smile. “So what you’re
really saying is you need a new last-minute babysitter.”
There’s
a pause, then we all burst out laughing. “Busted,” I tell
Lottie as she tries to pout. Sawyer grins, and sends another beer
sliding down the table to Will.
“Welcome,
buddy. I can already tell you’re going to fit right in.”
We
clear the table and head inside, while Lottie takes Kit upstairs to
clean up. “So what’s the plan for the rest of the
afternoon?” I ask Sawyer, cleaning up in the kitchen.
“Lottie
roped me into doing a Costco run,” he replies, setting dishes
in the sink.
“Ha,”
I laugh. “She tried that one on me, too.”
“It’s
OK.” He shrugs. “I need some stuff. And you know how she
gets when she pulls the whole puppy-dog eyes thing.”
“You’re
a soft touch.” I smile. “Enjoy the multipacks of kitchen
towels. I’ll be sitting around at the auto shop. I need Eddie
to take a look at my car.”
“Let me guess,”
Will’s voice comes. He’s leaning in the doorway. “You
need to override the locks again.”
“Not
this time,” I protest. “The engine’s making a weird
rattling noise whenever I go too slow.”
“I
can take a look,” he offers.
“No,
it’s OK.”
Will
looks at me. “How long is this Eddie going to take? It might be
a simple fix.”
I
pause. I have showings all week, and if I can’t get the town
mechanic to skip me to the front of the line, I’ll have to
reschedule them all. “Sure,” I finally agree. “Thanks.”
I
lead him out front and start the engine, while Will lifts the hood
and peers in. “It’s your carburetor,” he says,
after listening for
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