Chapter Thirteen
I rapped on the cottage door with a blueberry muffin and an iced Horny Hag drink for Maisie. Poe had said it was her favorite. But standing on the porch in this weird version of the morning after was beyond bizarre.
Here are some carbs and coffee. Let's talk about how you watched me rub one out.
This was a first for me. I’d never had a woman watch me jack off unless she was DJ diddling herself next to me in some kinky tandem masturbation fest. I’d also never had a woman dip while I was scrubbing my balls in the shower. Usually, I was the one who hinted it was time to go. What she’d done last night was so heartless and, well, strangely hot. It put another tally in the column of why Maisie was so damn attractive. I couldn’t win against her, but I was determined to not outright lose.
When there wasn’t an answer, I pushed the doorbell. Her hearse was in the driveway, so I knew she was there. I pulled out my phone to message her on the PadHopper app since I still didn’t have her number.
Me: Answer the damn door.
Maisie: No.
Me: I have coffee.
Maisie: I’m not a coffee addict like Kaylee. That won’t work on me.
Me: I mean, at this point, it’s just bad manners.
Maisie: I’ve seen your taint. I think we’re past social niceties.
Me: Say it taint so. You’re really going to ignore me like this, tornado?
Maisie: Yeah. And by the way, this isn’t very PadHopper Super Host of you.
Along with her text, she sent a screenshot of the fine print that stated a host cannot impede or harass a guest. She put a neon pink star next to the section which forbids excessive visits and visits before 9 am.
I sighed, placing the cup and muffin by the rocking chair. As I got close to the driveway, I heard her small voice. “Dane?”
Turning around, I saw her there on the front porch with tight, black Levi’s with rips in all the right places, a cropped white T-shirt showing off a sliver of her tummy, and her brown leather cowgirl boots.
She held the cup under her chin, her doe eyes in full effect. “Thank you. You know, for not pushing me into something I wasn’t ready for last night.”
“It’s the bare fucking minimum, Maze.”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Not every guy sees it that way.” Her face twitched as she lifted her cup in a slight cheers.
I couldn’t stop watching her. As I walked backward to my car, a piece of paper flapped in the wind under the windshield wiper on her hearse, catching my attention. I fought to rip it out. By the time I opened it, she was already by my side. Two simple words were typed out, large and in the center.
Found you.
“What does this mean?” I asked, showing her.
She read the words, her hand jerking away from the paper like it was about to bite her.
I stretched it to display it further. “Maisie, what does this mean?”
Her mouth formed a small line as she rolled her shoulders. “It must be an inside joke from some of the girls at the coffee shop.”
“What do you mean?”
Moments like this, I was kicking myself in the ass for not having a porch camera at the cottage. If I did, I could just pull the footage.
She yanked the paper from my hand, turning to make her way back to the cottage. “Um, yeah, I dunno. This whole thing has been a fever dream.”
“So you’re just going to leave? Just like that?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I need to get going.”
“What about last night? What about us?”
Then, at the threshold of my childhood home, she turned and murmured a sentence that never got easier to hear.
“There’s no us, Dane. We were just a fling. I’m sorry, I have to go.”