Chapter Eight
Wyatt
It was dusk when I pulled into Vera’s driveway. We both jumped down and started unloading the supplies, working together as if we’d been doing it for years. There wasn’t much, but I was dawdling, eager to spend just a few more minutes with her.
It was rare to find someone who enjoyed my stupid sense of humor enough to give as good as they get.
We stood in front of her open garage door, light pouring out into the driveway. “Well, thanks for today,” she said, shoving her hands into her back pockets.
“Yeah, I had fun,” I said, looking down at my scuffed boots.
“I did too.”
“You sound like the fun was unexpected,” I teased.
She laughed. “I was just stressed about getting this design done.”
“You’re a good mom,” I told her. “Doing all this to help Ben with his tuition.”
She cocked her eyebrow. “How did you know that was why I was doing this?”
“I put two and two together from my conversation with him. You raised a good kid.”
She shrugged. “I try. Doesn’t leave much time for other things, though.”
“Other things, like what?” I asked, shuffling a little closer, eager to rekindle the conversation we’d started at the restaurant.
She chewed her lower lip for a second, something that seemed out of character.
“Like spending time with a handsome man?” I asked. I was teasing. Sort of, I was also really curious about how she would answer.
She smiled. “You could say I’ve been deprived of handsome men.”
She shuffled closer this time.
“Thank goodness I came along then. Otherwise, you’d have to supersize that toy box design.”
“You haven’t replaced them yet. They can do more than look good.” Her eyes swept over me as she spoke.
“So you think I look good?”
“I do.” Her eyes raked over me in a way I could almost feel.
My breath caught. The banter had taken a turn, and it was one I was very interested in continuing. “I can do more than look good. You don’t even have to charge my battery.” She smiled at my lame joke.
We were inches away now, sharing the same air. Her hands were still in her back pockets, pushing her breasts out until they almost touched my chest. I briefly forgot every word in the English language.
“Oh yeah? What’s your first move?”
“A kiss is a nice place to start, a piece of rubber can’t do that.”
She smiled, her eyes dropping to my lips. “You’re right,” her voice was lower now. More intimate.
I brought my hand up to cup her jaw, running my thumb along her lower lip. Her skin was warm and soft under my palm. I moved forward to claim her lips, but just before contact, the door between the house and the garage flew open. “Mom, do we have any more of those energy drinks?”
Well. That was some Olympic-level bad timing.
She scratched her eyebrow and took a step away from me. My hand fell to my side. My dick gave an unhappy twitch. “Hello to you too, and you shouldn’t drink those; you’re eighteen.”
“But—oh, hey Wyatt,” his eyebrows dropped. “What are you guys doing together?” He walked a few paces closer and folded his arms across his chest. It reminded me of being caught with a girl by her dad when I was in high school.
Vera gestured to the pile of supplies. “I’m going to build custom nightstands, and sell them.”
He glanced towards the stuff, then back at his mom. I felt like I shouldn’t be here for this, but wasn’t sure how to gracefully back away.
“For fun, or because you think I can’t pay my own tuition?” Ben’s face was solemn.
“Both. I have faith in you, kiddo, but life’s expensive.”
“I’m not a kid, Mom, I—”
They both seemed to remember I was there at the same time, and Vera turned back to face me. “I should head out,” I said awkwardly.
She nodded. “Thanks again for today.”
“No problem.” And it wasn’t, even if the evening didn’t end the way I wanted it to. A parent’s work was never done; this interruption reminded me of why I had told myself to keep my distance. She didn’t need one more person vying for her attention.
I got back behind the wheel of the truck, vibrating from how much fun I’d had with Vera and the fact that I knew if I had kissed her she would have kissed me back.
And I was absolutely going to think about that the entire drive home.
Probably longer.
******
The next day was Monday, and I had an entire week ahead of me working on the Beast. The client, Marin, had made change after change, and I was the only one with the patience to update the software. Which was less a compliment the more times I had to redo the plan.
The Wild Timber yard was a massive piece of property with lumber and machinery everywhere, not to mention workshops. I started my morning in the portable building that served as our main office.
“Morning, trouble,” Layne called from behind her computer as I stepped through the door.
“I resent that nickname,” I called back as I hung up my stuff.
“Then stop calling me boss lady.”
“Never!” I called over my shoulder.
“How is your project going by the way?” I glanced in her direction. She had a cat that caught the canary look on her face, and I narrowed my eyes.
“You knew the details of what she wanted when you gave me her number, didn’t you?”
She cackled. “I may have.”
“Well, jokes on you, she thinks I’m a delight, and it was not at all awkward when I walked into her house to see a pile of dildos on her kitchen table.”
Layne doubled over laughing. I couldn’t be mad, not when her joke had led me to meeting Vera.
“Alright, alright, it was a good one. I’ll give you that.”
Layne gave a little bow and got back to work.
Zane walked into the office a moment later, lunch kit in one hand and a file of papers in the other. “Morning, I talked to Marin about the Beast last night. She has more changes, but they are just tweaks.”
I sighed. I had been mocking him about his communications with Marin, hinting that he had a crush, but after what happened yesterday, the jokes didn’t feel as funny. Hard to tease a guy about flirting when I’d face-planted into my own almost-kiss situation.
“Alright, I’ll get them added to the design.”
Zane raised an eyebrow at my lack of a smart-ass response, but didn’t comment.
I booted up the software and got to work. We were still dealing with material delays, but there were some things we could do and this was going to be a busy week.
I just had to keep my mind off Vera and get things done.