that morning, I sigh, feeling hopeless. Boxes of Collin’s stuff line the wall where his Tesla used to be parked. The other two stalls are teeming to the edges with my paintings, signs, and extra stock. “This sucks.”
Nahla hugs me to her side. “You’ll get back there, sweetie. I know you will.”
“I hope you’re right.” Strangely enough, I’ve sold eight high-priced paintings in the last two days. I haven’t sold much from my wilderness collection in a year, but now it’s going like crazy. Maybe someone who knows me is pity buying.
Hey, this chick’s life crumbled in a week. Help her out.
Though I’m grateful, it only adds to the weight on my chest because though my checking account is no longer negative, I don’t know what’s going to happen next.
Like he said he would, Cason shows up around ten that morning, with coffee.
I smile at him as he exits his car. I notice he’s driving a Jaguar. Which confirms my theory that he shouldn’t need to rent a room above a garage. Dude could probably buy an entire apartment complex if he wanted. Either that or he’s secretly an escort too because that’s what little Miss Lindsey Long was driving.
He hands me an iced coffee. “Saw this and thought of you,” he tells me, handing it over.
I take it from him, unable to stop the warmth in my cheeks. “Cute. I have a lease for you to sign.”
“I have a cock for you.” Stepping forward, he invades my personal space and grips the top of his door, swinging it closed. “I mean, check.”
I step back and try like hell to ignore his cock comment even though it did things to my lower half I’d rather not talk about. “Do you have much to move in? You have a game later, right?”
“I have clothes.” He motions to the back of his car. “That’s about it.”
“Simple man, are you?”
“Baseball players travel light.”
There’s some truth to that. They never know when they’re going to be traded. Maybe that’s something instilled in them before they get to the majors in order to prepare them for the future.
The room above our garage is fully furnished, a weekend project I’m super proud of. Collin and I originally thought it would be a fun little place for guests when they stayed over, so I decorated it to feel like a country cottage, complete with white tongue-and-groove ceilings and everything from Pottery Barn’s spring collection. There’s a small galley kitchen, a balcony overlooking our pool deck, and even a bathroom.
“Sometimes the hot water takes a while,” I tell him, running my hand over the marble countertops that match the ones inside the house. Can you tell I’m nervous in here with him?
If not, I am.
Cason doesn’t say anything and looks around, the early afternoon sun filtering in through the roman shades.
Much like our home, Collin didn’t spare any expense when building this apartment or the putting green in our backyard. I plan on renting an excavator, tearing that green up, and installing a sauna. Someday.
I show Cason around and head into the bedroom when the door to the studio opens, and in walks Tatum like she lives here. Wearing purple corduroy overalls with lace trim at the bottom, no shirt, and a straw hat she refused to leave behind at an antique store, she strolls through the studio apartment above the garage.
No lie, she walks up to us, flicks her hat up with a snap of her thumb and forefinger, and flattens her lips. “Hey, bitches.”
Thank you, Sadie.
Cason snorts. “I think this kid might be my new best friend.”
I roll my eyes as Tatum walks around the room. “Careful what you say around her. She’s a repeater.”
“Noted.” His eyes move from the bed, and he tosses a lazy smile my way. “This should do.”
I hate that my insides turn to mush. Had I been out of the game too long? Is this what men are like now?
Can you classify a college boy a man?
Asking for a friend.
Fuck, stop staring at him.
I’m trying!
“You tried this bed out yet?” he asks, his voice low and seductive.
“We can’t have sex. At all. You’re on the bench throughout these six months.”
Blinking slowly, he does that thing he did in the bar when he licked his lips. “We’ll see about that.” Cornering me against the wall separating the bed from the bathroom, he breathes me in. “I desperately want a chance on the mound again.”