can do it without you…” His voice trailed off and a disappointed look furrowed his brow.
“No, I’ll come. What time?” She touched her phone to see the screen. It was now barely 1pm.
“The guys will leave about five o’clock. How about after that?”
“Sounds good. Now go away so I can read.” She shoved him away and started to giggle. She couldn’t help herself where he was concerned. And the idea of having someone in her life that she couldn’t get mad at really appealed to her. She could stay mad at Blaine for such extended periods of time that it felt like she was always angry, always in knots. There was good coming out of this divorce. She was going to be happy.
He craned his neck so he could kiss her on the temple without exposing his hiding place. “Thanks for the cupcake, cupcake.” He winked at her and wandered back towards where his truck was parked near Laurel’s.
She was all butterflies and tingles inside. It was a new feeling for her, both welcome and uncomfortable. Somehow, she knew that Joey would be more than happy to help make that discomfort go away. She rather enjoyed that idea, even though it was probably a horrible idea.
By the time she drove over to the house that evening, she was relaxed and happy. The remainder of her afternoon had been spent reading a book. And she had even started a new one. She chose something light and happy. Jennifer Crusie romance novels always fit that bill. Soon after Joey left, Laurel had returned to the gazebo with a fresh sweet tea and a Boston Cream Cupcake. It was heaven. Really, though it may get uncomfortable, there was no way that she was going to leave this town. It had already become more like home to her than Burlington ever was.
After freshening up, for goodness knew what reason since she was only going to be seeing Joey, she headed down the stairs to leave again. Naturally, she wasn’t able to avoid Keely again. They had made a dinner date, which suited Marti perfectly. It gave her an excuse to not go to Joey’s house, to not get drawn in, to not stay and make a memory…even if it might have been the most amazing memory of her life.
The charm in his pocket felt warm to the touch. And it should. He had been holding it in his hand for over an hour as he imagined giving it to Marti. He loved the way she lit up every time he found an excuse for a new addition to the bracelet. There was no way he wanted her to ever forget the night before; even though it hadn’t turned out quite like he had hoped. The best part was that he could tell Marti was enjoying herself, too. He would have been absolutely certain had he managed to get her pants down before they were hosed down by his crazy neighbor. Still, nipples don’t lie. Hers responded to him…to his lips, to his touch, and especially to his tongue. He squeezed the sterling silver piece as he waited.
She pulled in. Why couldn’t she ever take his advice? As much as he wanted to call her out, to remind her that it was safer to back in, he resolved to stay away from that conversation since he was determined to have a nice evening with her. He watched her emerge from the Escape and he had to admit that vehicle was much better suited to her than the Vue. Blue was her color. She walked toward him and smiled.
“So what would you like me to see?” She asked. She was so calm.
“You look great,” he remarked as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You must have had a really nice day.”
“I did, thank you.” She looked toward the house. And he was bothered that she was so interested in the house. Maybe this ruse to spend time with her wasn’t going to work after all.
“Well, there has been a lot of progress in the house. Can we pick some colors and cabinets? I have samples in the kitchen.” He threw an arm around her and walked her toward the backdoor, since the new porch wasn’t completely finished yet.
When they entered the room, she all but squealed in delight. The room really was shaping up. There was so much light. The new tile looked great, but he walked her straight through to the front room. “The