Total pages in book: 14
Estimated words: 13099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 65(@200wpm)___ 52(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 65(@200wpm)___ 52(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
“Understandable.” Percy gave me an easy smile. His extroverted, chatty nature had been on full display at the social events we’d both attended. “I’m glad to see you up and around. No lingering effects from the fire?”
“No. But Shelby and I wanted to say thank you to your crew. You saved us a trip to the emergency room.” I’d been treated on the scene for smoke inhalation while another paramedic had bandaged Shelby’s leg.
“You’re welcome.” He shrugged, an easy roll of his broad shoulders. “That’s what we’re here for.”
“Well, we made you a casserole.” I held up the metal pan. We’d forgotten to buy a disposable pan, so I’d simply used one of ours. “Stuffed shells. You can take it with you on your next shift if you want. It freezes well.”
“You brought me a hot dish?” His forehead creased as he cocked his head.
“It’s cold now, but I put the heating instructions on the top.”
“Sorry, I’m from the Midwest.” He chuckled, and had I been paying attention to more than his chest, I might have noted his slight accent. “Casseroles or, as my mom always said, hot dishes are a way of life. After my dad died when I was young, we had a full freezer for months.”
“That’s good that the community helped you.” I nodded, unsure how to express sympathy for a loss I knew only too well. “Another advantage of small-town living, not that my older kid agrees.”
“The football player? He’s lucky to be at a small school.” Percy finally took the casserole from me but seemed in no hurry to send me on my way as he walked through the small living room to the kitchen/dining room combo that mirrored my own. He stuck the wrapped casserole in the fridge. “I grew up in a small Minnesota town, but went to a county high school that pulled from all the other area small towns. Getting a starting spot on our team wasn’t easy.”
“What position did you play?” I hadn’t played myself, but I’d turned a lifelong football fandom into a volunteer position helping with Soren’s team when the previous coach had experienced some health issues.
“Running back. I wanted to be a quarterback, but there was too much competition for that spot. I settled for scoring in other ways.” He gave me a wink that went straight to my suddenly way-too-interested dick.
“I see.” I cleared my throat. “Well, I should probably let you get back to sleep.”
“That’s all you came over for?” he asked, giving me a blatantly long once-over. He had a reputation as a flirt with all genders, a trait I shared. I was drawn to confident, take-charge personalities more than a particular set of body parts, and a commanding voice like Percy’s was an added bonus. The air grew thick, not simply from the lack of air conditioning.
“To drop off the casserole and say thanks, yeah.” My voice came out ridiculously husky. “Why else would I come by?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve seen you looking when I mow or run.” Voice light, he offered another of those devastating winks. “I was hoping you might be here for the neighborly equivalent of a booty call.”
I gulped, doing a fast set of calculations. Soren was at a friend’s house while Shelby had walked the couple of blocks to her mom’s house with the leftovers from our casserole. “I could be.”
Chapter Two
Percy
“I could be.” Stu, my neighbor, looked the part of an art teacher or possibly an aging surfer. He wore his dark-brown hair in a messy ponytail, had what seemed like a whole collection of colorful T-shirts and board shorts, and usually sported paint smudges in a few spots on his person. Today’s shirt featured a joke about Van Gogh I didn’t quite get while his shorts had red chili peppers on them. I wasn’t the artist, so I lacked the precise color label for his warm skin tone, which made me think of Hawaii and other tropical locals. And his lips, rosy and sinfully full, inspired far more X-rated thoughts. He nodded again, like he’d come to some sort of agreement with himself.
“Thought so.” I smirked. I’d been waiting for an opportunity like this for months now. I opened the fridge and extracted two bottles of a local microbrew I’d discovered since moving to the area. “Beer?”
“Yes, please.” Stu accepted the second beer and followed my lead in opening it and taking a long sip. And lord, those lips wrapped around the cold glass bottle transformed my already active imagination into a steady stream of pornographic thoughts.
“Kids expecting you back?” I asked, using neighborly concern to disguise a necessary fishing expedition before this little visit went further.
“No. I share custody with my ex, who lives nearby.” Stu followed me back to the living room. “Shelby will likely sleep there tonight, and Soren’s with friends.”