The shirtless stranger walked in again. This time he had her fishing net.
“Stand back. I don’t want to accidentally hit you.” He was used to giving orders and having them followed.
Hope did as instructed. She certainly didn’t know how to get rid of wildlife going bonkers in an enclosed space. In fact, she’d forgotten the net was out on the porch. She backed up, and the man used it to herd the tumble of birds back toward the door. Hope raced over and opened the screen.
“It’s working! Go on, get out of here,” she said.
Hope tried not to notice that the man, while gray-haired, was rather ripped.I mean, she thought,he’s shirtless.What else am I supposed to do but notice his abs?
He followed the birds with the net, and somehow, he got them to the door. He followed behind them as they flapped their way through door and back outside.
Hope brought up the tail end of the strange melee and closed the screen door behind her. The avian war proceeded out into the trees. And Hope tried to find her composure, which she’d completely lost a second ago. Not exactly how she liked to present herself upon meeting new people, especially new people with guns and, uh, guns.
“Thank you.”
“I thought someone was being murdered in here.”
“I, uh, yeah, I screamed. They squawked; they brought a pitched battle into my kitchen. It totally startled me. In fact, maybe get the paddles. I thought I had a heart attack for a second.”
“Really? I can call nine-one-one for help if you think you’re in distress.” His eyes turned from intense to gentle, and they were blue, really blue, she noticed.
“No, I’m kidding. I’m Hope and fine.”
“I hope you’re fine too.”
“No, my name, it’s Hope.”
“Ah, I’m Greg McQueen.”
“Nice to meet you. So, the uniform, this is standard issue for Irish Hills?”
“Ha, yeah, this is embarrassing. I’m next door. Just got home and heard the screaming.”
“Ah.”
“There’s my place, see, one dock over. Welcome, sorry about our rude avian population. Though, I don’t think they were fighting if you know what I mean.”
“Uh, um, oh.” Hope realized what he meant. She hoped she wasn’t blushing; she was way too old for that! If her face was red, though, maybe Greg McQueen would think she’d had a cardiac episode. Somehow that was preferable.
“Well, aggressively amorous birds, armed strangers, it’s supposed to be a quiet little spot.”
“It normally is. I haven’t had a neighbor in a long time. I guess I’m out of practice.”
“Yeah, standard neighbor greetings are more along the lines of borrowing a cup of sugar, maybe?”
“You were screaming loudly.”
Hope was totally embarrassed now that she’d lost her cool like a cartoon housewife encountering a mouse.
“I didn’t know anyone was around, much less a half-naked-gun-toting, ugh, neighbor.”
Greg McQueen laughed at her description. “True, true, I mean, next time you’re in trouble and need my help, I’ll be sure to grab a shirt and a formal introduction request from Emma Francis Quinn.”
“Good, yes, that seems appropriate,” Hope laughed.
“Now, I’m going to go home unless there are other woodland creatures that I can help you dispatch?”
“No. I’m good. It looks like the love birds are gone.”
