Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“That’s perfect. I’ll be home by then.”
She nods, gathers the kids, and heads for the park.
Just as I’m about to return to Cricket’s, a black truck comes down the road. It slows as it approaches and rolls to a stop next to me.
Jay slides sunglasses off his face. He looks over my head and gives Cricket a little wave. Then he turns his sights on me.
“Are you any more agreeable this afternoon than earlier this morning?” he asks, grinning.
That grin could melt an iceberg.
I return his grin. “I’m always agreeable, Jay. I don’t know what you mean.”
He chuckles, the sound electrifying the air between us.
“Where are you off to?” I ask.
“I’m headed to the grocery store. Since I’ll be home all week, I gotta grab breakfast and lunch stuff.” He licks his lips. “What are you up to?”
“Cricket made dinner. We’re just sitting out here and enjoying the day. I’m probably going to head home soon and try to get a bit of work done.”
“Oh. What kind of work do you do?”
“I name babies.”
His eyes go wide. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“No.” I laugh. “I name babies as a side hustle.”
“People pay you for that?”
My laughter gets louder, and I don’t bother to reply.
“All right,” he says, shifting in his seat. “I better go. Enjoy your Sunday.”
I tap his truck and take a step back. He pulls away slowly. Once he’s down the road, he picks up his speed. The rumble of the engine growls through the air.
“What was that all about?” Cricket asks.
I jump to find her standing on the sidewalk behind me. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and a knowing grin is painted on her red lips.
“That was nothing. He just said hello,” I say.
“Gabrielle, Jay Stetson says hello to no one on this street. Not willingly, anyway.”
I lift my chin and step off the road and next to her. “He speaks to me.”
“Interesting.”
“Well, we are neighbors, so it makes sense. Right?”
“Yes,” she says curiously. “But it is surprising. He’s quite reserved. It makes me wonder . . . Have you already wooed the mysterious Jay Stetson with your womanly wiles?”
We both laugh.
I think again of the “almost” moments.
“But it would’ve been wrong of me to do that because it wouldn’t have gone anywhere.”
“No,” I say, sighing. “He said that there could never be anything between us. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like flirting with him.”
“You and every other woman in the world. But he doesn’t flirt back with the others.”
I gaze down the street. He’s long gone.
“He doesn’t exactly flirt with me either,” I say. “And if he does, he makes sure to temper it with something that reminds me that he will never act on it.”
She hums. “Well, then, I guess you just see what happens.”
“Nothing will happen, Cricket. He’s made that loud and clear. And I’m just overly needy because I haven’t had sex in a long damn time.” I wink at her. “But I will sharpen my skills on him this week to use Friday night with Della.”
“Oh dear.”
I laugh at the expression on her face. “On that note, I’m heading home. Thank you for a wonderful Sunday dinner.”
She gives me a quick hug. “I love that you’re here.”
“Me too.” I pull away. “Thank you for helping me and the boys get settled in. Alden is feeling like home again.”
Life is feeling so much less . . . lonely now.
“Well, we are glad to have you back.”
Cricket heads into the house, and I walk toward home.
CHAPTER TWELVE
JAY
Jay, I’m really worried about you,” I say to my reflection in the bathroom mirror. “What is wrong? Why are you doing this? You can go get a piece of ass if that’s what you’re after.”
My stomach twists because that’s not what I’m after. Not specifically, anyway.
I shove away from the vanity and head back into my bedroom. I whisper a prayer that it somehow started storming in the last twenty minutes, making outside housing projects out of the question. But as expected, it’s the brightest day Ohio has seen since I moved here.
Damn it.
Feelings that I’d forgotten existed surge inside me. It’s that need to be around someone, that almost unbearable urge to say their name. It exceeds wanting to fuck or to fuck around. It’s bigger than that. It encompasses all the senses—seeing her smile, breathing in her perfume, touching her soft skin, listening to her laugh. The only thing I don’t know is how she tastes.
“Fuck,” I say, growling into the air. I’ll never find out how she tastes either.
I could say no. I could just not show up or tell her that I got busy. Nothing would be worse for the wear. Even though I shouldn’t, I want to see her.
As preoccupied with Gabrielle as I am, I’m that angry with Melody. I haven’t been angry with her—not like this—for a long time. The sentiment was more bitter. Loathing. So disgusted that I couldn’t even think about her. But now that Gabrielle is next door and I can’t manage my damn self, I’m pissed as hell at Melody for doing this to me.