Penny smiles and slowly shakes her head. “No, you’re not. I’m just saying, Josie’s as stubborn as they come. But I promise, she and those kids are worth it.”
Jo was right when she said we’re strangers now, but if she’s anything like the girl I met all those years ago, the girl I’ve imagined, my gut tells me she’s only gotten better with age. And to parent our daughter together? That would absolutely be worth whatever work I have to put into being part of their lives. Whatever that looks like.
Jay’s basketball hoop has a new net. I’m certain of it. The old one had been fraying since Chad and I bought this house, hanging on by a few dingy threads, like most things were back then. I’m standing on my porch, coffee in hand, the pristine white net swaying in the breeze, reminding me that, once again, Tyler has quietly stepped in to help out. How early did he come by to pull that off and disappear before anyone noticed?
“Motherfucker,” I mutter aloud, rubbing the crease that’s starting to form between my brows. The nerve he has to jump in, fixing things all willy-nilly. And why do I kind of like that he’s taken the time to notice where I’m lacking, quietly filling in the cracks?
Snapping a quick pic, I send it to Penny. It’ll probably take her a while to respond, but I know she will later. Last night, I overheard her telling Ashley she and Cassie were going Black Friday shopping in the city today. She’s on a mission to find something special for Austin’s mom. Austin and Cassie were estranged from their mother for years, the result of decades of abuse from their father. Now they’re trying to rebuild their relationship one day at a time. Penny’s been working extra hard toget to know her and give her some grace after all she’s been through.
The broken screen door slams behind me as I step back inside to busy myself with the dishes and laundry, like the flutter in my belly isn’t quietly taking over. In a few short hours, Tyler will be here, playing basketball in my driveway with Jay. I pop my earbuds in and hit play on the latest audiobook I downloaded from the library app, hoping it’ll distract me from the rush of thoughts and feelings I’m not ready to deal with.
With the slowest of slow burns playing in my ears, I lose myself in the story as I catch up on laundry. I’ve just put Abby’s folded pile in her basket, my cell resting on top, when I spin to head to her room and run smack dab into a chest.
Several things happen at once. The laundry basket slips from my hands, my phone and clothes landing at my feet, but I hardly register it.
My head rears back, and without thinking my hand flies up to rest on a chest. A very, very firm chest. As though possessed by some traitorous reflex, said hand proceeds to rub—yes, rub—over the hard lines and ridges. I inhale deeply, eyelids fluttering shut as the scent of bergamot and a hint of citrus invades my senses. It smells a lot like temptation, like something I could lose myself in if I’m not careful.
It appears the sudden motion of my head was enough to loosen my cheap earbuds from my ears. They didn’t get the memo that when they aren’t in my ear, the audio should pause, and now my audiobook is playing not only out loud from my phone speakers, but also during one of the spicy scenes.
“That’s right, baby. Choke on my cock like a good girl,” the narrator’s voice says, loud enough for Tyler to hear.
Beneath my hand, the solid chest vibrates with quiet laughter, and my eyes snap up to topaz and infuriatingly long lashes behind the lenses of his glasses. My face floods with heat, creeping up my neck and blooming onto my cheeks. Did Iseriously grope him? Apparently, yes, yes, I did. And now he knows where my dirty mind waswhileI was groping him.
I yank my hand away and ball it into a fist at my side, grappling for control of my thoughts. Tyler kneels and hits pause on my audiobook that JUST. WON’T. STOP. TALKING, gathering the basket and clothes from the floor.
By the time he straightens, I’ve somehow pulled myself together, at least on the outside. I’m sure my face is red as a tomato but I do my level best to school my expression, like I’m totally unbothered and definitely not still thinking about the way his chest felt under my palm. Or how good he smells.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” I squeak, putting quick distance between us. My voice is definitely pitched an octave too high.Try to play it cool, Josie.But let’s be real. Not once in my thirty-six years on earth have I played anything cool.
“Clearly,” he replies, lip twitching at the corner. “Jay let me in. He’s getting his shoes and his ball. He told me to sit in here and wait.”
Mercifully, Jay comes dribbling down the hallway, saving me from any further embarrassment.
“Jay,” I warn. “You weren’t raised in a barn. Outdoors only.”
“Sorry,” he mumbles. He stops dribbling and makes his way out the front door, the ball tucked under one arm. Smudge scampers along, and Tyler follows.
“Sorry about fondling your chest,” I call after him, wishing for the ability to sink through the floor and disappear. Tyler looks back at me, head shaking.
Once they’re outside, I collapse onto the sofa, throw a hand over my face, and groan into my palm.Sorry about fondling your chest?Really, Josie. What was I thinking? I’m supposed to be unaffected by his presence. But I can’t help it. Time has certainly been kind to Tyler. Each time I see him I notice something else that’s changed for the better. From the refined strands of silver at his temples, those brawny shoulders and rippled chest, to aneven more chiseled jawline than I traced with my fingertips so many years ago.
I stand, taking a deep breath, careful to keep my back to the window where Tyler casually dribbles across my driveway. With the laundry basket perched on my hip, I pop my earbud back in and head to do another load.
Finally, I’m at the bottom of the dirty pile, so I head to the living room to fold and sort. But before I can stop myself, I’m inching closer to the window. The blinds are wide open, offering the perfect view of Tyler, and dammit, I feel my entire body melt on the spot.
My lips part, and I’m practically drooling watching the veins on his forearm flex as he deftly dribbles the ball. A laugh bubbles up when Jay catches him off guard, swooping in to steal the ball and nail a shot for two points.
But then, like I’m seeing it in slow motion, Tyler has to go and lift his shirt, wiping the sweat from his face. The skin I see is tan, like he spends his days shirtless, a temptation to everyone in sight. As though compelled to take note, my eyes zero in on the ridges of his abs and the trail of hair that goes south like a goddamn invitation. Well, now. Guess I’m tucking that sight away for my nighttime session with my bullet vibrator, because that’s the only action I’ll have for the foreseeable future. Lord have mercy and bless his heart.
My phone rings in my earbuds, startling me back to reality. I grab it from the coffee table and accept the call from Penny.
“Tyler’s playing basketball with Jay,” I say by way of greeting.
She laughs, an evil, maniacal sound. “Already knew that. He told Austin that was his plan.”
“Penny. I have a daughter with a fucking Greek god. A full blown Adonis. I groped his pecs! Then, y’know, because that’s not bad enough, I apologized for fondling his chest.”
Penny bursts into a fit of giggles. “Oh my god,” she says between gasps of laughter. The muffled voice of Cassie soundsthrough my earbuds, asking what happened, so Penny takes a minute to tell her. “Josie, only you would do something like that,” she says, returning to the call.
