It's Definitely Not You - Abby Brooks Page 0,30

my grip on sanity.

After popping a few Tylenol and icing down my shoulder, I heated some leftovers for dinner and got ready for bed. I braced myself for the bad dreams that inevitably kept me awake half the night after opening that box of nightmares.

Instead, copper hair, fuck-me lips, and an obscenely short, white coat paraded through my mind. By the time I woke up the next morning, I had a long list of fantasies that required Kennedy’s unquestionable obedience—and an impressive case of morning wood.

I was in serious trouble.

If I couldn’t handle being in the same room with her without my body rioting, what would happen when our sweaty bodies came together on a project? She’d be bending and twisting, and I’d be trying not to gawk at her hips, her ass, her pert breasts…

With a groan, I flopped back onto my bed and threw my good arm over my eyes.

“Nothing good can come from this,” I murmured, with the biggest, shit-eating-est grin that ever was.

Chapter Fifteen

Joe

A week passed and Kennedy approved the removal of my sling on one stipulation. I had to swear to rest my shoulder until she could help with my projects around the house. Considering she worked two jobs, I had a lot of downtime.

Never a good thing for me.

Desperate to keep myself from going crazy, I latched on to the first good idea that came to mind—another gift for Maxine.

She had been so appreciative of the bookshelves, surely a bigger surprise would make her even happier. Small surprise, good. Giant surprise, gooder. The logic seemed solid.

During my copious downtime, I realized the overgrowth in the backyard obscured a potential oasis of relaxation. Once I noticed the serenity hiding in the jungle of weeds, I couldn’t get the idea to transform it out of my head. I sent pictures of the area to Harlow, along with my vision for the finished product, and she spent a few days coming up with ideas for the landscaping.

Her artistic eye didn’t let me down. The sketches she sent back had me bobbing my head and cranking the excitement. I bought the supplies and scheduled the delivery for early Tuesday morning, when Maxine would be out all day for Carl, Judo, and book club with Delores and the girls. Kennedy would go from one job to the next, so the Monroe house was mine.

For labor, I called in favors I wasn’t owed with Collin, Lucas, his brothers, and their wives. They arrived bright and early, coffee in hand and sarcasm flying. Part of me wondered what would happen if Kennedy came home early and found Collin and Harlow West in her grandma’s backyard. I even considered calling her home on some made up emergency, but refrained. Finishing the work in time to surprise Maxine was more important than seeing Kennedy’s face light up over meeting her favorite international superstar.

Funny how many times I had to remind myself of that throughout the day.

The Huttons and Wests sweated through the work, but finished with smiles on their faces as they packed up.

“I owe you big time,” I said to Lucas as he leaned on a shovel, surveying the transformation.

“You really, really do.” He wiped his forehead, streaking dirt into his hair. “Looks good though, doesn’t it?”

Where once overgrown ferns and yucca plants ruled, bougainvillea bloomed in tidy mulched beds. A rock garden surrounded a new pond, ready for koi if Maxine gave the go-ahead. I wasn’t going to throw something living into her backyard without her permission. A hammock stretched under palm trees and cushion laden chairs surrounded a fire pit.

“I can just see Maxine and Kennedy out here after a long day.” I shoved my hands into my back pockets. “Winding down with a glass of wine.”

Lucas gave me a look. “I thought you hated the granddaughter.”

“Maxine loves her.” I shrugged. “Plus, she’s not as bad as I thought.”

“Right.” Luc gave a low laugh and a shake of his head. “Let’s go with that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I followed him as he gathered his things and started loading them into vehicles.

“It means I think you’re full of shit. ”

I scoffed. “How can you say that? She’s not as bad as I thought she was. The end.”

Collin paused on his way to his car. “Who’s he trying to bullshit? You? Or himself?”

“Time will tell,” Lucas said with a laugh. “Either way…” He leveled a finger at me. “You owe us big for what happened back there today.” The gathering clan