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“Friend. Date. Night!” The line went dead.
She’d hung up on him, and here he was smiling down at his phone screen with the stupidest grin.
Cadence was fun to mess with.
He opened a text thread and typed out, See you at home. Send.
Cadence replied immediately with a middle finger emoji, and then said, I am blocking you.
Mmmm, he didn’t like that. He didn’t like losing the game.
He stared at that last message as his smile slowly faded. He cared if she blocked him. He cared. It had been a long damn time.
He typed out, Only teasing. I’ll be there tomorrow. I can get the boys to help too. Have a good rest of the day at work.
Oh. Okay. Thank you. That actually takes something off my to-do list.
His smile returned slow. She hadn’t blocked him. See you at home, he teased again, then second-guessed himself and deleted the message before he sent it.
It was better to end on a good note with a woman like her.
“Your face looks so stupid right now,” Dante called.
When he looked up, Dante and Jordan were staring at him.
“Does she have nice titties?” Jordan asked.
Don’t talk about her like that, the animal inside of him growled. Ooooh, it was dangerous to get the monster riled up. Careful, Jordan. Kru silenced his phone and shoved it into the back pocket of his worn work-pants so he would feel the vibration in case she called again, and then pulled his earmuffs back over his ears. He flashed Jordan a look and ripped the cord on his chainsaw as he walked past him. His chainsaw roared to life and Kru went back to work on a cut he’d already started on a thick cedar tree, well aware of the boys’ glares on his back. They were a new logging crew, and Jordan was human, which meant Kru had to be on good behavior. He was pretty sure maiming a human would make the local news and get him fired, and honestly? He liked this job. It was a great workout, and his animal was tired and quiet in his head by the time he got home each night.
For a man like him?
Silence of the mind was a gift.
Up the mountain, Gunner blew a whistle. Kru looked up to see his Crewmate waving them up the hill.
“What now?” Dante muttered as he cut the motor on his chainsaw.
Up on a ridge of the mountain, Gunner cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “The lease fell through. We have to pull off the job until Kong gets it sorted.”
“Shhhhhit,” Jordan grumbled. “I have a kid on the way! I can’t be missing days.”
“I’m guessing you haven’t met Kong personally,” Kru said as he shoved the tree away from them. The trunk splintered and broke, and the humongous tree fell right where he’d wanted it to. He cut the motor of his chainsaw. “He’ll have it fixed by the morning.” He walked up toward his flannel and clapped Jordan on the shoulder. “Take your lady out on a date tonight. Take advantage of a half-day off. She’ll appreciate it.”
“We can’t afford a date-night.”
Kru pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and handed it to Jordan. “Take her out. Trust me. She probably needs a night out.”
Jordan just stared at the money in his hand with wide eyes. “I can’t take this.”
“It ain’t for you. It’s for your pregnant lady. Just plan a dinner and take her out. You can thank me later.”
Dante pulled two twenties out of his wallet and slapped them in Jordan’s hand. “As a dad of a toddler, I’m telling you, enjoy a date-night with your lady. Take her to Starline Steakhouse in Saratoga. It’s thirty bucks a steak but I’m telling you, man, you’ll remember it when your lady lights up. She’s working hard growing that baby.”
Jordan blinked hard and clenched his big fist around the cash. He cleared his throat once, twice. “Thank you. I’ll text her now.”
Kru allowed a private smile as he shrugged his flannel on. Good on Dante for seeing what he was trying to do and having his back.
Up the hill, Gunner was pacing the ridge by the stationary yarder, talking to himself.
