Chapter Two #2
“Fine. Add in a coffee on Friday morning, and I’ll do your bidding.” I shake my head. Not happy with the deal.
“You got it.” He winks. “I’ll just ask Tiff your favorite order.”
“Okay, I’m done here. I’ve got a new tenant coming in.” I push my chair back just a couple inches to stand.
“You run a background check on ‘em?” Chief gave me permission to run them because he said it’s best to know who’s moving into our town rather than be in the dark until something happens. Like when Aubrey’s ex came back from the dead and stalked her right under our noses for months.
“Nah. It’s a friend of Aubrey and Cooper. I trust them.”
“Okay. Just let me know if you change your mind. What does the guy do?” He returns back to his paperwork, still keeping me engaged in conversation.
“It’s a woman. And to be honest, I’m not sure. I think she’s in college. Education maybe?”
His head snaps up, looking at me. “A woman? In college? She’s a little young then?”
“Twenty-four.” I shrug.
“Still seven years your junior there, playboy. You better mind your manners or Aubrey will have your tail.”
“Don’t I know it. She’s strictly off limits.” I turn to grab the door knob. “Besides, she’s staying in town, you know I don’t do townies.”
He gives me a pointed look.
“Anymore.”
“Okay then. You have fun, let me know if the girl needs anything.” He looks back down at his desk, effectively dismissing me.
“Will do.” Pushing his door open, I’m finally free to leave.
The drive home is blissfully quiet. No rookie sitting next to me making stupid comments. No one in the backseat making noises or talking incessantly. Just me and my music.
I can’t wait for a quiet night, grilling some steak and eating in front of the television with the Red Sox game.
Pulling into the driveway, I let my head lull back against the headrest, taking in a deep breath and exhaling the day away before I walk inside to my sanctuary.
Peeking in my rearview, my thoughts wander back where they shouldn’t be.
Stop that, Wyatt. Get yourself under control. She’s just another beautiful woman. You can ignore her.
Except that sass.
A hot shower feels like heaven, but my mind won’t stop racing with thoughts of my new tenant. If Chief thinks I have the most patience for Adam, it’ll be tested trying to stay away from her.
We’ll see how many chores I can do to keep my mind off her.
At least I’ll be productive.
A couple hours later, I’ve tried everything at this point. Made dinner, watched the game, worked out, showered. I still can’t stop thinking about what Sophia is doing. Or how she’s settling in. If she’s lonely.
So I do the only thing I can.
I pack up a welcome basket full of supplies from my own house and use it as a guise to go talk to her. Pulling the door behind me, the basket balances precariously on the palm of my hand. I’m lucky I even remembered the one Ma left here, full of cleaning supplies, when I first moved in.
In hindsight, a much better welcome basket than mine.
The road between our houses is dark besides the flood light in my own driveway and the small outdoor light on her porch.
It suddenly hits me that I’ve become Tiff. Finding bullshit reasons to visit someone. Looking at the basket in my hands, I shake my head at myself. Even took a play from her book. Oh well, too late to go back now.
I turn toward her door, raising my hand to knock when there’s a sharp, cold edge pressed against my arm.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Her high pitched whisper comes from behind me.
“What are you doing?” I spin, singlehandedly disarming her of the garden shovel she wields. “Trying to take me out with a shovel?”
“It’s all I could find! I thought you were a murderer!” She throws her hands in the air and heads over to the small set of chairs on the porch. “Hell, I don’t know you really. You still could be.”
“Darling, this is Balsam Cliffs. There isn’t a murderer in sight unless you’re a deer or a moose.” I set the basket down on the table between the chairs and take my seat next to her, laying the shovel on the floor.
“What is this?” She raises a brow and slowly leans over to peek in.
I laugh at her untrusting assessment of the situation. “This is called a welcome basket. You know, a polite gesture to newcomers, especially neighbors.”
“With protein powder? And bananas? And,”—she moves the protein powder aside—“beef jerky?”
Shrugging, I pull it back in my lap. “If you’re not going to appreciate the gift then I’ll just bring it home.”
“The protein powder is open.”
“I don’t have a lot of time. I’m busy at work.”
“With the moose murderers?” She cocks her head to the side, taking me in.
Why the fuck did I come here?
“No. I also have to pull over sassy, raven-haired beauties who think the speed limits in my town are suggestions and the hands-free law is just an opinion.”
“We are a lot of work.” She holds her hands out. “Can I please have my welcome basket back? I would actually enjoy the bananas for breakfast since I haven’t made it to the store yet and Aubrey fed me dinner tonight.”
“I don’t know. You were pretty ungrateful.”
She pouts. “You were also uninvited.”
Staring at her, I know I won’t win. “Fine. But you better say thank you.”
Happily taking out the bunch of bananas, she hops up off the chair and runs inside to drop them on the counter before coming back out.
“You can keep the rest. I really just wanted the bananas. And I suggest you buy some more protein. You’re pretty low for someone who has that many muscles to maintain.” Her eyes wander down my biceps on display in the tank top I’m wearing.
“You checking out my muscles?” I wink.
“I mean. I’m not blind. Just wary of red flags flying.” She shrugs.
“Right. Well, glad you can appreciate my body despite all the red flags in your face.” What the hell are you doing? This is dangerous territory.
I reach out to flex my muscles, and in the movement, I knock over a potted plant to my left.
She smiles before tucking her chin and looking away to hide her laughter. “Are you always like this?”
“Like what?”
“Smooth, but at the same time, completely inept?”
My eyes widen. “I am not inept!”
“You kind of are. You have that whole golden retriever, small town guy thing going, but also, like, you have no idea what talking to a woman is like unless your dick is inside her.”
She’s not wrong.
“I’ve not heard any complaints, thank you very much. Plenty of women would be happy to have my dick inside them.”
“Right. I’ve heard. I can see how this,”—she motions toward my body—“would entice them. But you have to keep them, right? Is this how you do it? By bringing bananas and protein and scaring the shit out of them.”
“I don’t keep them past one night. So I wouldn’t have an answer for you.” I cross my arms over my chest like I’ve won, but when I think about it for a second after speaking, I don’t think I have.
“Ah. Right. That makes a lot of sense actually.” She nods.
“Okay, this was so much fun. But I’m going to head home. I just wanted to say welcome to Balsam Cliffs.” I stand.
“Are you sure? Or was this an attempt to get in my pants again? If it was, the beef jerky was a nice touch. It almost got me to agree.”
I’d think she was mad if the porch light didn’t shine a spotlight on the smile playing at the corner of her lips.
Rolling my eyes, I walk down the porch steps and start down the road back to my house. “Goodnight, Sophia. Make sure to sleep with your shovel to get all the murderers.”
“Goodnight, Officer Keaton!” She yells after me, waving from her porch.
What the hell have I gotten into letting her stay here? Shit, she’s a knock to a man’s ego. That woman is going to give me a run for my money, and the only way I see to make it out alive is to avoid her.
Forever.