Hardwood - K.M. Neuhold Page 0,28
to eat Chinese food and watch a musical, I’m your man,” I joke.
“I’ll remember that,” he promises.
I see him out and then put Fermata away and clean up all his toys. As I take a shower and get ready for bed, I remind myself over and over that I’m not allowed to have a crush on Ev.
Chapter 9
Watson
On Saturday morning, more than a week since Ev came over to hang out, my phone vibrates on the table as I sip my coffee.
Everett: You have plans today?
Watson: Not so far. What did you have in mind?
My stomach flutters with anticipation as I wait for his reply, a grin already tugging at my lips from one stupid text message. Clearly the whole don’t crush on Ev plan isn’t working as well as I’d hoped.
Everett: I was thinking about getting Livi a guinea pig like you suggested, but I don’t know the first place to start. I thought maybe you’d be up for coming to the pet store with me and helping me out?
Watson: Sounds like fun. Buy me lunch after and you’ve got yourself a deal.
Everett: You’re on.
We make a plan to meet at noon, so I have some time to finish my coffee, laze around a bit, and then take a shower.
If I take a little extra care when I get dressed after my shower, it’s only because there’s a cute manager who works at the pet store, not because I want Ev to think I look good today. I choose a bowtie with little pawprints on it, because it seems appropriate and put on a blue button up shirt that Mia once said brings out my eyes.
We meet at the pet store, and I try not to drool too hard at the sight of him in a tight, and I mean tight, white t-shirt and a pair of holey jeans. He’s muscular but not huge, and just the slightest bit of chest hair peeks out from the collar of his shirt. He’s wearing his signature baseball cap and grinning at me before I even reach him.
“I like your bowtie,” he says when I get closer.
“Thanks.” I reach up and adjust it reflexively. “I like your hat,” I tease, and he rolls his eyes.
“Val hates the thing. She’s threatened to burn it on more than one occasion.”
“Really? I honestly do like it. It suits you.” Without thinking, I reach up and tug at the bill. I catch his eyes, and they heat as our gazes linger for a few seconds.
I clear my throat and take a step back. “Ready to become an expert on guinea pigs?”
“Absolutely,” he agrees, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his hair before replacing it. “Let’s do this.”
The cute manager is working today, so I smile and wave at him as we make our way toward the rodent section. He blushes and waves back.
“You know that guy?” Ev asks.
“Porter?” I ask, pointing a thumb at the manager. “Only a little. He’s working here while going to school. He’s working on his undergrad right now and planning to apply to vet school in the fall. His last boyfriend was not supportive of his busy schedule, so I talked him through the breakup.”
“Wow, I’m afraid to know what info you’d have on someone you know more than a little,” he jokes.
“Just you wait,” I tease back, giving him a wicked grin.
We find the right aisle, and I start telling him all about the daily needs of a guinea pig, pointing out the best chew toys and tossing some items into the cart we grabbed on the way in.
“These cages all look kind of small,” he says studying the various enclosures.
“Yeah, unfortunately it’s hard to find a really ideal rodent cage. They need more space than most people are willing to give them, so these cages are kind of the best retail can do.”
“Hmm.” He runs his hand over his stubbled chin as he thinks. “Maybe I should build one instead.”
“I’m sure the piggies would like a bigger home than these,” I agree. “If I was the least bit handy, I would’ve built Fermata a cage instead of sticking him with a store bought one.”
“Okay, that’s what I’ll do then. I can get to work this week and surprise Livi with it next weekend,” he decides. “We have tons of space in the basement I could put it.”
“It’s a finished basement, right? We don’t want these guys getting all cold and lonely down there.”
“Of course,” he assures