“Have you missed me?” He blinked first.
“Does it matter?” My head tilted to the side as I curled my shorter hair behind my ear.
“No.” His eyes shifted, inspecting me from head to toe. “But have you missed me?”
The familiar thrill and anxiety of falling in love came rushing back. My mind raced with possibilities and fear. My heart fluttered as it tried to find its normal rhythm again. I don’t remember falling out of love with Kael, yet there I was … falling in love with him again. A disorganized euphoria of emotions made it impossible to speak.
“Are you really not going to answer me?”
I shrugged. “Do I really have to?”
“Are you seeing anyone?”
My lips twisted. “Does it matter?”
“No.” He grinned, bending to the side to set my bag on the ground. “But are you seeing anyone?”
I giggled, shaking my head.
“Is that a no?”
“It’s a ‘you’re crazy.’” I unlocked my doors and gave him a gentle nudge with my elbow, so he’d step aside. I grabbed the bag and opened the door. “It’s been good seeing you.” I told my heart to just chill out and play it cool for once.
“Who’s mowing your lawn?” He blocked the door with his body after I climbed into my Tahoe.
I fastened my seat belt. “I mow it.”
“Have you ever thought about paying someone else to do it?”
“No. Why?” I slipped on my sunglasses.
“Well, I’d be willing to make the same deal with you on your lawn as I did clearing snow from your driveway.”
Pressing my finger to the top of my sunglasses, I slid them down to the tip of my nose, eyeing him over the frame. “Oh, yeah?” As hard as I tried to play it super cool, I felt the burning in my cheeks and the prickling along my skin as my breaths struggled to stay even.
He nodded slowly, that grin killing me as he reached for my face to remove the strands of hair blowing across my lips. “It’s the Christian thing to do.”
“Funny … I’ve always thought of you as Satan.”
“I can see that.” He rested his hands on the edge of the roof. His T-shirt slid up and his shorts slid down, giving me a glimpse of his abs and the trail running south of them. “So …”
Snapping my gaze up to his face, I swallowed hard. “Yeah … so … Friday works. You can mow my lawn Friday.”
He tapped the roof three times and stepped back. “Friday.”
I shut the door and held my breath until he was in my rearview mirror. Then I released a harsh breath. “Oh, Elsie … you’re in trouble.”FridayMy hands shook as I tried to thread my needle just after one o’clock. I’d woken up at six that morning, walked with Amie and Meadow, and showered for nearly twenty minutes—shaving, exfoliating, conditioning.
Lemon water.
Stared out the front window.
Read a few chapters of my book—near the front window.
Quilted by the front window.
Lunch on the front porch.
And back to more quilting.
Amie: Is he there yet?
Me: No. (crying emoji)
Amie: Lol. He’ll be there.Just as I typed the crying emoji four more times, he pulled into the driveway. Pursing my lips, I blew out quick shallow breaths followed by several deep ones as I angled myself away from the window so I could see him, but he couldn’t see me.
“Jesus …” My lips parted as he shrugged off his shirt, tucked it into the back of his worn jeans like a rag, and lifted his lawnmower out of the truck bed.
Over the next hour, I drooled. He mowed, trimmed, and edged my yard. After he loaded everything into the back of his truck, I adjusted my strapless sun dress, rubbed my glossed lips together, and stood idle at the door, waiting for him to knock or just barge in like he’d done so many times before.
“Breathe, Elsie,” I whispered, closing my eyes.
They sprang to attention, wide and panicked the second I heard the rumble of his truck starting. I threw open the door as he backed out onto the street and put it in drive.
“Wait!” I ran down the driveway in my bare feet, toenails freshly painted red, as he headed down the street. “Kael!” I stopped in the middle of the street, releasing my flailing arms to my sides when I realized he didn’t see me.
Then his brake lights illuminated. He pulled off to the side of the road.
My phone vibrated in my right hand.
Kael: Going to shower.
Me: Kiss me.
Kael: I’m sweaty.
Me: Kiss me.
Kael: Later.
Me: Kiss me.
Kael: Soon.
Me: I’m living in the now. KISS ME!Kael hopped out—shirt covering his tan torso again. He ran his arm across his sweaty forehead while walking a straight line down the middle of the street toward me. “Your dress is white.”
“Kiss me.”
“People could be watching,” he continued making his way back to me.