That Hot Night

“Can I trust you?”

Betty folded her arms. “Do you have a better option?”

I could say no, but this was the perfect chance for some alone time with the only woman to flee my bed before I woke up for a proper goodbye.

“No, I guess I don’t. Let me get myself together and I’ll go look Janey up,” I promised and climbed the stairs, unsure which was more exhausting, these women, or my five-mile run.

“You might get her to agree easier if you went just as you are,” Helen added.

Betty smacked her lips in disapproval. “Come on Helen, we talked about this. Rafe is pretty to look at, but he’s not for Janey. We’ll find someone else for her.” Betty grabbed her friend’s arm and the two women walked away, arm in arm, heads bent together like they were exchanging state secrets.

They stopped at the end of the block and turned back to me. “I hear she’s at home!” Helen called out before they turned and disappeared from view.

I frowned at them, sure they were up to something, then again, they were always up to something, which made it pretty difficult to tell when I needed to be worried. For now, I was hot and sweaty and desperately in need of a shower.

But why did Betty say I wasn’t for Janey? That they would find someone else for her?

Someone else! Who?

Twenty minutes later I found Janey exactly where Helen said I would. What Helen hadn’t mentioned, what she couldn’t have known, was that I’d find Janey in a tight pair of cut-off jeans that hugged her ass and showed off the lines of muscle in her legs as she lay flat on the grass, taking a photo.

“Well now I’d say I have the best view in Tulip.”

She froze at my voice, and I kept my gaze on her butt while she decided the best way to get off the ground gracefully. “Rafe,” she jumped up onto her knees, a position that gave me all kinds of dirty thoughts, before she pushed up to standing. “What brings you by?”

Damn she was cute as she blew a thick strand of hair out of her face, one small hand fisted at her hip just to make sure I knew how displeased she was at being interrupted.

“A couple of little birdies told me you needed help scouting a location.” She would know right away who told me, the only question was, how long would she fight me on it, because Janey loved to fight.

“You got some bad intel, because I don’t need any help, and even if I did…”

“You wouldn’t want it from me,” I finished the sentence for her.

“And, even if I did,” she said with emphasis, “I can find my own help. And finish my own damn thoughts!”

My lips quirked up at her unnecessary and unwarranted anger. “My bad.” When I held my hands up defensively, she rolled her eyes.

“Now that you know I don’t need any help, you can get on with your day.”

“Okay,” I told her and shoved my hands deep into my pockets, ready to wait her out if I needed to. “Sun is so pretty out here, light bouncing off everything.”

A low growl escaped her, and she snatched a small black bag from the ground. “Come if you must, but if you can’t keep up you will be left behind.”

“You do know what I do for a living don’t you?”

Janey whirled around, a look of absolute innocence on her face. “No. What?”

“Smart ass,” I grumbled and grabbed black bag to sling over my shoulder. “You’re not gonna fight me on carrying the bag?”

“Nope. I’m letting you prove those muscles aren’t just for show.” She laughed at my scowl and that sound, so rich and full of life, pulled an answering laugh from me.

We walked in silence for a few minutes while I gathered my thoughts, trying to figure out the best way to ask her why in the hell she ditched me at the hotel that night. It wasn’t ego, it was curiosity. Mostly.

“Why do you have to scout locations?” It wasn’t the conversation I wanted to have, but maybe if I eased into it, things wouldn’t go totally to hell.

“So that I know what equipment I need for a specific time of day. Don’t want to drag the wrong lights all the way out here, or anything else for that matter.”

“Okay, but why do you need all these exotic locations? Don’t photos of half naked men sell themselves?” She sent me a mischievous smile over her shoulder.

“Does that mean you’re willing to get half naked when it’s time to shoot you?”

I nearly tripped over my feet at her surprise question. “Ah, no.”

“Didn’t think so,” she shot back and turned away, again. We continued to walk in silence, but it wasn’t a tension filled kind of silence where one, or both of us, felt compelled to fill it. Instead it was nice. Almost comfortable. I was feeling hopeful all of a sudden.