before and it’s just easier if we are all up front about these things.” He crossed his arms over his chest and waited thoughtfully for a response.
“Do you really have to ask me that? I would think last night would be proof enough. I can’t fake that, Joey. I can’t pretend. I don’t play games with the heart. Love is far too valuable, far too rare. I’m really feeling for you in a way that is completely unexpected, utterly unplanned, and incredibly unbelievable.” She walked up to him and kissed him on the lips…nice and lingering. “Does that answer your question?” She raised an eyebrow and challenged him to find fault with her response.
“Yeah. We’re good.” He sighed. “Okay, so let’s make that loser regret losing you.”
The outfit selection came with a mini lesson. It focused on the art of dressing sexy the right way. And there was a bonus lesson that she would later think of as ‘Nothing is Sexier than Confidence.’ Joey was certainly right. After all, he had way more years of experience with the male mind. For that reason alone, she deferred to his expertise. Another reason was that he was giving her the inside look into his mind, too. He was sharing what he found attractive. And that mattered to her more than anything.
They left Hope House before Keely could make it out of the kitchen. And then they drove in their vehicles to her house. Pulling into the driveway yet again earned her a stern look, which she laughed off. Soon enough the three guys he had roped into going to Vermont with her were loaded into the Escape with their change of clothes for the quick trip.
The guys were in the SUV, and Joey walked over and hauled her into his arms. “I need you to know how much last night meant to me. I know I don’t tell you. I know I’m lousy at letting you in. You deserve so much more than I have to offer.”
He might have said more, but she interrupted and stuck a finger over his lips. “Hey, I get to decide if you are good enough, not you…just like you get to decide if I’m good enough. Quite frankly…I’m awesome. You’d be crazy to walk away from this.” She struck a pose with kissy lips and was rewarded with the laugh she hoped to receive.
“Well, no one has ever been able to prove that I’m crazy, but there are a few who have made that claim.” He looked down at her, kissed her forehead, and sent her on her way. “Climb in. Don’t forget your seat belt. Always look both ways. Finally, for the love of God, start backing in. It could save your life.” He shut the door and watched as she backed out of her driveway and headed a thousand miles away from him. He was going to feel every minute of her absence. Sighing, he walked to the porch and prepared to motivate the rest of the crew to work a miracle while she was away.
They took turns driving just like he suggested, but when she wasn’t, she had shotgun. She offered to move to the back seat, but they were all careful to keep their distance. One muttered something about needing his job and having a family to support. It seemed that they had all been warned away from her. She smirked and shook her head when she thought of him talking to them.
They arrived at the house about the time the 11 o’clock news started. They had made good time, but after sixteen hours in the vehicle, they all needed to stretch. “Damn, this is going to be a long night,” she complained. “Okay, guys. The plan is simple. We need to load the POD that was dropped off here.” She pointed to the storage container in front of the garage. “Furniture first, then boxes. And we have to be done by 9am. That’s when they are coming back to pick it up. That’s when my time is up. No doubt I’ll have to deal with my soon to be ex at some point. We stay focused. I’ll be the runner, too, since I’m otherwise useless. I’ll go get us drinks and food. I’ll pick up whatever you need.”
They nodded and even though they were all tired before they even started, they seemed determined to help her out the best they could. There were boxes and packing tape, bubble wrap and blankets