It did indeed. Only Matty now wondered if this would stop there. She was excited and terrified to find out.
Chapter fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Spring was in full force when Reese exited her home to drive to work. The birds were singing in the oak trees that towered over the bungalow. The scent of dew clung to the grass, and she was light as air.
Ever since their time together on Sunday, she had felt a burden leave her. She hadn’t realized just how much the shower situation was getting to her. She had showered twice that night and every day since, taking as long as she could. There was even an impromptu trip to the store for bath bombs and ridiculously expensive soap, the kind that left its scent on the skin for hours.
And then there was Matty. It had been so hard to let her inside the house. The next morning, after her brave moment of calling the handywoman for help, she had panicked. It was terrifying. Sharing her secret. Sharing what she was living in was more than she could bear, and she had had every intention of turning Matty away.
But then Matty had somehow talked her down and didn’t even bat an eye when she walked into the home. Not even the slightest indication that she was shocked or disgusted by what she saw. It was the complete opposite of what Reese had anticipated. It could not have gone any better.
They had even both been vulnerable. The fear, and then the embarrassment, that flashed across Matty’s soft, handsome face when the GED pamphlet fell to the floor was so relatable. Reese had experienced that exact same thing not thirty minutes before. It was obviously a sensitive topic for her. It had left Reese wondering how much support the dark brunette had. Did someone plant that doubt in her head? Or did Matty really lack the confidence to believe she could pass those tests on her own? She was clearly intelligent. The cases full of books. The ability to fix things by looking at whatever it was and deducing the issue.
The woman had taken up residence in her head ever since.
Reese pulled into The Church’s small gravel driveway. Her stomach dropped at the sight of Jayvon waiting on the front porch.
She grabbed her purse and coffee, then slid out of the vehicle. “This is either really good or really bad.”
“I wish I could say it was good.”
“Damn it.”
They both turned at the sound of Kerrie’s little Ford Ranger pulling up beside Reese’s car. Her eyes immediately went to the passenger seat, where Matty was. They grinned at each other. She completely forgot about Jayvon and whatever issue there was.
“Hey, Reese.” The bright grin on Matty’s face made her skin prickle.
“Hey, Matty. No jeans today?” she asked, motioning to the tan Carhartt work pants she was clad in. Reese’s mind instantly flashed to the way her jeans had tightened around her thighs and ass as she squatted on her heels in the bathtub. She had almost drooled on herself when she saw the band of what Reese assumed were black boxer briefs.
“Nope, we’re working on a new residential house that Turtle Grove just bought. We’re going to be tearing out walls and patching the roof, so I wanted something more heavy-duty.”
Just the thought of Matty on a roof, the sun shining on her skin and that damned tool belt slung around her hips, made Reese melt a little inside. That tool belt might as well have been lesbian catnip.
“Sounds like a busy day.”
The clearing of a throat pulled them out of their two-party world. Jayvon and Kerrie were both staring at them, amused looks on their faces.
“Uh, well, I guess I should get going.”
“Yeah, I need to get clocked in. I’ll see you around.”
“See you around.”
With one last exchange of cheesy grins, Matty began walking down the hill toward the main campus while Reese turned her attention to her waiting coworkers.
“So, you and Matty, huh?” asked Jayvon with a raised eyebrow.
“We’re just friends.”
“Jayvon, we’re friends, right?” Kerrie asked.
“Yes.”
“Have we ever stared into each other’s eyes like that?”
“Not that I recall.”
