9. #2
“He did?” I asked as I sprinted out of the laundry room.
I couldn’t get any traction since I was wearing socks, so I bumped into the wall before I caught my balance and ran into the kitchen.
I stopped in front of the sink and looked out and saw Zane Duke pushing the lawnmower with his T-shirt tucked into his back pocket.
“Hot damn!” I whispered.
“I don’t care how much you’re paying him. Tell him I’ll double it if he’ll do my entire yard shirtless.”
“I’m not paying him anything.”
“Then how did you get him to mow the lawn?”
“I think we’re kind of dating.” There was complete silence on the other end of the line, so I looked out and laughed when I saw Leticia peeking over the fence with her mouth wide open. “Can you get a mosquito bite on your tongue?”
“How long have I been gone? Did I come back to an alternate universe? Celibate Sally is dating ?”
“Girl, it’s been a really fucked-up few days.”
“I’d say they were worth it if it ended up with you dating a gorgeous guy who does chores.”
I thought about it for a few seconds and realized Leticia had a good point but then shook my head before I said, “As great as the view may be, I’m not sure you’d feel the same if you knew what has been going on.”
“Lunch tomorrow?”
“Possibly. Is there any chance I can borrow your car to take the kids where they need to be?”
“Of course. I’ll ride with you, and we’ll make it breakfast instead.”
“You’re the best.”
“Oh, he’s getting all shiny from the heat.”
“That’s sweat, Leti.”
“Hush. I’m having a fantasy. I’ll know this is really a dream if he walks over and turns on the hose so he can let the water run down his body before he shakes his head and flings water in slow motion.”
“I don’t think I need to get back into the dating world nearly as much as you do.”
“You have no idea,” Leticia muttered. “What time do we need to leave tomorrow?”
"A little before eight.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
“Are you just going to stand there and be a Peeping Tom until he’s finished with the yard?”
“Obviously.”
“You’re such a goob, Leti.” She just hung up instead of replying. I laughed when I saw her put her hand on top of the fence so she could comfortably rest her chin.
On a whim, I decided to go outside and see if I could make her dreams come true - for no other reason than that I’d kind of like to watch the show myself.
Zane shifted his focus from the grass in front of him and smiled when he saw me. I walked over to the spout on the side of the house and kinked the end of the hose before I turned it on and then dragged it toward Zane. When he saw me walking his way, he stopped the mower.
“What’s up, Slugger?”
“I know it’s hot and muggy out here, so I thought you might want to cool off.”
“Oh! That would be great! Thanks!”
Zane took the crimped hose from me and bent forward so he could drink from it before he stood up and held it over his head. Just like I’d imagined, the water ran down his chest in rivulets, highlighting the tattoos and solid stomach that I found even sexier than defined abs.
He bent forward and took a few more sips from the hose before he kinked it again and handed it back to me.
“Thanks, babe.”
“Oh, no. Thank you,” I replied as he shook his head to get the extra water off his hair and then swept it back and secured it with a band he pulled off of his wrist. “I should be done soon so we can hang out.”
“That would be great.”
“I’m gonna get back to it before I lose all my light,” Zane said before he pulled the cord to get the mower started again.
His back was muscular and covered in tattoos, and as I watched him walk away, I had the sudden urge to spray myself down with the hose in the hopes that it would help me come to my senses.
I watched him until he got to the end of that row and then went to turn off the water so I could get out of his way.
I went back inside to where I’d left my phone by the sink and saw that I’d missed a text.
“You’re the best friend a girl could ever have. Thank you for the show!”
I burst out laughing and then waved at Leti, who was still watching him. Apparently, she’d enjoyed the water fantasy playing out in front of us as much as I had.
◆◆◆
I walked out onto the porch and sat next to Zane before I handed him a beer.
“Thanks, babe.” Zane twisted the top off and took a long drink before he blew out a breath and said, “You do that shit by yourself?”
“The boys and I take turns. Technically, it was Dayton’s week to mow, but he wanted to go with Dawson, and I didn’t want to hold him back. He’s been really chill since he spoke to Dr. Hamilton the other night. I was hoping that hanging out with Dawson and his buddy would be good for him.”
“Could be. Are you sure you can trust Dawson to keep him away from your mother?”
“He remembers living with her and has a completely different opinion of Jill than Dayton does. Plus, I know the kid they’re hanging out with and where he lives - which is nowhere near anywhere that Jill might be.”
“Good.”
“Thank you for helping me out. I really liked hanging out with you today.”
“I’ve enjoyed hanging out with you too. Call me the next time it’s your turn so I can take your spot.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Haven’t I told you before that I rarely ever do anything I don’t want to do?”
“Yes.”
“I still want to take you out.”
“Finally?” I asked with an embarrassed laugh.
“As far as I’m concerned, this is our third date.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes!”
I took a sip of my beer before I asked, “What’s the next date going to entail? Roofing the house?”
“Does it need one?”
I shook my head before I said, “Don’t get me started on all the things this house needs.”
“We need to decide which night would work best for us to go out. If I have to wait until next weekend, I’m not gonna be patient and stay away until then.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” I assured him as I bumped his shoulder with mine. “I like hanging out with you enough that it would probably make me a little sad to have to wait a week to see you.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Dawson works evenings this week, so I can’t have him babysit, but my friend is back in town. I bet she’ll do it for me. I’ll have to get back to you on when exactly.”
“I’ve got Tuesday night off.”
I winced before I said, “We take dinner to Grandma and hang out with her on Tuesday evenings.”
“Okay, well, talk to your friend and find out what works, and I’ll make it happen.”
“For a guy who doesn’t have any kids of his own, you’re pretty understanding about how hard it is to make arrangements for a sitter.”
“Only an asshole would give you shit about taking care of your kids.”
I looked at Zane for a few long seconds before I smiled and said, “Luckily, you’re not an asshole.”
“Depends on who you ask,” he said, as he looked into my eyes. “I know you’ve got more shit to do that I can’t help with, and I should probably go since I’m on call tonight.”
“Okay.”
Zane leaned closer, and his lips touched mine in a whisper-soft kiss that shot electricity all the way to my toes. When he leaned back, he smiled before he said, “Sweet dreams, Courtney.”
I smiled back at him before I said, “You too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait.”
Zane set his unfinished beer on the step and then stood up before he turned around and winked at me. “Bye, babe.”
“Bye.”
I watched him get into his truck and drive away and then followed his progress down the street until he turned the corner.
I put my fingertips over my lips to hold his kiss there and resisted the urge to jump up and dance around the front yard. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been so comfortable with a man I barely knew and couldn’t wait to spend even more time getting to know him.
My brain kept saying he was too good to be true, but the rest of me was screaming for that pesky organ to shut the hell up!
Right now, I wanted to float on the cloud of my hot biker crush so that when reality set in and he showed his true colors, I’d have something sweet to remember because that was bound to happen sooner or later.