They’d kissed. She’d watched him undress, though only from the waist up, through his bedroom window and then implied his stripping skills were lacking. Then they’d kissed again. That didn’t mean they were in an actual relationship or that either of them even wanted to be.
She certainly didn’t. For her, it was simply a matter of being attracted to a man for so long that she was powerless to resist him now that he’d finally noticed her. And she still hoped to be out of there by the end of the summer. There was no page to be on because there was no book. It was a short story. A vignette.
It was just a slice of life. A small but dreamy and delicious slice.
Case’s phone buzzed in his pocket for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, but he ignored it until the bucket he was strapped into had been lowered to the ground and he could unhook himself. The hydraulic arm wasn’t fast, but he was able to answer it before it went to voice mail.
It was Lane’s mom, Laura, who still answered the business phone for them. “Toby Smart just called because his cat is stuck up in a tree.”
He snorted. “Did you tell him that cutting the tree down seems like a pretty radical way to get a cat out of it?”
“He asked that you bring the truck over and use the bucket to rescue Evangeline.”
“Evangeline? Did a woman go up after the cat?”
“No, that’s the cat’s name.” Laura sighed. “Since it was shared with me at length, would you like to hear the story of how Toby rescued a kitten named Cuddles from the shelter, but decided to rename her something grand so she could aspire to great things?”
“Like getting stuck in a tree?” He scrubbed his hand over his sweaty, grimy-feeling face, thinking about the shower that was practically calling his name. “He should call the fire department.”
“They told him to put food out and when the cat is hungry, she’ll come down. He tried that around noontime, but Evangeline wasn’t interested and his neighbor gave him a lengthy lecture about how every squirrel and skunk in town was going to show up on their street.”
“I’m wrapping up this job, and his place is between here and Lane’s, so I’ll stop by. If the cat’s still in the tree, I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’ll call him back. Since Toby gave it to me, do you want to hear the list of Evangeline’s likes and dislikes as to being touched and spoken to so this can be as nontraumatic as possible for his sweet angel?”
His growl made Laura laugh, and she was still laughing when he hung up on her.
An hour later, a very irate Evangeline had been reunited with her owner on the ground, and Case bore a few battle wounds on his hands and neck. They burned like fire thanks to his being allergic to cats, and he thought about that shower waiting for him again while Toby secured Evangeline in the house and paid him for the call. What Case was charging him was barely worth the time it took to write the check, but their fathers had learned soon after starting the tree service that owning equipment that could reach higher than the average ladder meant they’d spend a good chunk of their time doing “quick favors” for people if they didn’t draw a line. The Danforths and Thompsons didn’t mind helping out their neighbors from time to time, but if the truck was required, a check needed to be written.
The crew—who’d left the job in the truck pulling the chipper—had already gone home when he arrived at his cousin’s house, so he parked the boom truck in the row with the other equipment and started his personal truck to let the AC run. Boomer had left with Lane earlier in the day since it was hot and they were cutting down the only shade tree in the customer’s yard, so after running the two checks in to Laura—who forced him to submit to having his cat scratches cleaned and lathered with ointment—he was free to head for home.
When he pulled into his driveway, Boomer didn’t run to the sidewalk and bark, waiting for the signal to cross as he usually did after Jack and Eli wore him out and he was ready to come home. Lane’s truck and all of the Sutton vehicles were in the driveway, which meant they were probably in the carriage house.
He should go over and see what they were up to. See if there was anything he could do to help. But he was hot and grubby and exhausted, and—if he was being honest with himself—a little resentful that Lane had taken off early. Case knew there would be more and more of that the closer they got to opening the brewery, and he was mostly okay with it, but there were times he’d like to be the one hanging out in a climate-controlled glass room brewing beer.
Case stayed in the shower until the water ran cold, and then threw on a pair of sweatpants since he didn’t think he’d be going anywhere tonight. Between hot water relaxing his muscles and the low hum of the AC, he was feeling lazy, and all he wanted to do was fill his stomach and—after his dog came home—hang out on the couch and do some channel surfing.
When he picked up his cell phone from the bed where he’d tossed it before showering, he saw that he’d missed a text message. For a moment, he was tempted to ignore it—just toss the phone down and go downstairs. He wasn’t in the mood for a summons across the street and he was starving. But then the camera spotted his face and unlocked enough to show him the notification.
It was from Gwen.
Smart move, running inside. It’s a mess over here.
Guilt hit him and he dropped into the armchair in the corner of his room, which was usually just storage for sweaters or hoodies that he’d worn over shirts once or twice, so they weren’t really dirty but also weren’t clean enough to go back in a dresser drawer.
What’s going on?
Evie watched a few YouTube videos and thinks she’s a master plumber now, and Lane’s trying to explain how drains work and she’s not taking that well. Mom’s in a weird mood and Mallory’s mad because she was late picking up the boys from summer camp and had to pay a fee because Lane’s truck was blocking in all three cars because of the Sheetrock delivery and he had his keys in his pocket and wouldn’t come upstairs until he was done with some science thing he was doing in the cellar.
Case pictured Gwen furiously typing all that into her phone with her thumbs and couldn’t help smiling, though it faded quickly. She had a lot on her plate, obviously, and despite having a great sense of humor, she probably wouldn’t find his amusement funny.
Is there some way I can help?
He really didn’t want to get dressed again and go over there, but if she needed him, he would in a heartbeat.
No. Save yourself. Stay hidden and lock your doors.
He laughed.You people have my dog.
