“It's all good. Ethan looooves kindergarten, thank God, and Carl is handling some tough cases at work but swears he enjoys the stress. Things are busy with the catering business, but that's a good thing, right? So, I guess you could say life is busy all round. How are things with you? How’s it going being a business owner these days?”
“It's a whole different set of challenges to just working at the daycare,” I replied. “But I'm really glad I went ahead and bought it. It's been hard, but very rewarding. I'm actually turning a good profit these days, even though things can be stressful and unlike your hubs, I can’t say I enjoy the stress,” I joked.
“Yeah, well, I never claimed he was normal. So, what else is new?”
“Well,” I said. “This new guy just moved into the house across the road from me.”
“The one that's been empty for months?”
“Yeah, that one.”
A mischievous grin spread across her face.
“And is he hot? Is he rich? No, wait, he lives in your neighborhood, so probably not rich. So, is he gainfully employed? And most importantly... is he single?”
I chuckled. “Actually, he is hot. Like holy hell hot. Like those guys you see on calendars hot. The first time I saw him, which was earlier today, he was mowing his lawn shirtless – all muscled and ripped.”
Kerry laughed. “No way! And did you speak to him?”
“Actually, I've got his kid sleeping in the room Ethan always sleeps in.”
“What? Damn girl, you move fast!” Kerry teased.
“You know it's nothing like that! He's a single dad. And yes, he is gainfully employed. He's the new principal of the high school down the road, JFK High.”
“Wait. He’s a principal? How old is this guy?”
“According to the neighborhood historian, he’s 32. I guess he must be really good at his job. Anyway, his babysitter canceled at the last minute, so I offered to help him out.”
“Oh, I bet you did.” She gave me that nod like I was some kind of harlot. “And what's he gonna give you in return? A nice, long, drawn-out massage, huh?” she asked with a wink.
“No,” I replied with a laugh. “That wasn’t part of the bargain, but a girl can dream,” I joked. “And hey, he says he's good at handyman stuff, so—”
“Oooo, so he’s good with his hands,” Kerry wiggled her eyebrows.
“I was gonna say he's going to help me fix up a few things around the house. You know I'm not good with that stuff.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I know. I guess that worked out pretty well then, huh?”
“It did.”
“I still think that you should have asked him for a good, long massage, though.”
“Kerry!”
“Come on; you know you need it. And by it, I’m not talking about an actual massage. I want to make that clear.”
“Yeah. I was aware, smartass. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.”
“What? You're single, he's single, he's hot, you're hot – what am I missing?” she grinned.
I shook my head. “Really? We both know it's not that simple.”
“And it doesn't have to be complicated either,” she said with a knowing glare.
I sighed. “This is me changing the subject. So, how’s the weather?
“Fine,” she huffed. “But this isn’t the last I’m gonna have to say about the hot guy next door.”