I snorted. “Yeah. For being a dick. I could’ve been nicer.”
He shrugged but still didn’t look at me. “I’m a big boy, Ryder. You don’t have to apologise for not wanting to fuck me.”
I huffed. “Is that what you think?” I moved in front, forcing him to look up at me. This close, the twelve or so centimetres I had on him were highlighted, and for the first time, I noticed a small scar on his right temple. I gave in to the urge to tuck an errant lock of dark brown hair behind his ear, and he leaned into the touch. I immediately dropped my hand.
“The last thing I want to do is turn you down,” I admitted. “You’re the sexiest man I’ve met in a long, long time. But I’m not that guy. The fuck-your-ex-out-of-your-system kind of guy. At least not when it’s only forty-eight hours since you broke up. Your ex was more than just a boyfriend, I think, right?”
Thaddeus’s eyes found mine, and he gave another shrug. “To be honest, looking back, I’m beginning to question exactly what he was. Yes, more than a boyfriend, for sure. But it’s more complicated than that.”
I waited for him to explain, but it quickly became clear he had no intention of doing so. I changed tack. “I should apologise again for creeping on you just now. It was a jerk thing to do, but I’m so used to being on my own that coming home to find you cooking and dancing in my kitchen?—”
“And singing badly; don’t forget that part.” He gave an almost smile.
“Andsinging badly,” I agreed. “To be honest, it caught me off guard, but in a nice way. I was enjoying the moment, I suppose.”
Thaddeus cocked his head. “You’ve never lived with anyone before?”
I grimaced. “I have. But it’s been a while.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Fair enough. On a different note, do you mind if I ask your age?”
I answered straight away. “Thirty-seven.”
His eyebrows popped. “Really?” He looked me up and down, and my belly did that squirmy thing again. “You’re doing all right for an old fella.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Watch it, pipsqueak.”
He laughed.
I shot him a narrow look. “Fair’s fair. So, how old are you?”
He straightened his shoulders. “Twenty-nine going on fifty after the last two days.”
I huffed. “You and me both.”
“Ouch.” He winced. “I’ll try not to take that personally.”
“I meant the council stuff, not your unexpected appearance.”
He grinned. “Sure you did. And now that we’ve cleared that up, although I’ve nothing against the honest scent of a hard-working man, you’ve got plenty of time to shower before dinner.”
I swallowed a laugh at being ordered around in my own house and enquired, “Exactly whatisfor dinner?” I tried to peer around his shoulders, but he moved to block my view.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he informed me haughtily. “I’m no Jamie Oliver, but I do okay. You’ll have to trust me.”
And oddly enough, I did. “Fine, but before I go, there was no sign of the council again, I take it?”
“Nope. Nothing. I spent most of the day on my laptop, admiring your garden, and getting my washing dry. I’m using a couple of your chargers by the way.”
I nodded. “No problem. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you’ve shovelled the compost back where it belongs. Thank you. It must’ve taken you a fair while. You didn’t need to, of course, but I’m very grateful.”
Pleasure pinked his cheeks, and he grinned. “You’re very welcome. It’s been a day of firsts, that’s for sure. I meant to ask how it all works, the three piles, I mean. It’s a system, right?”
I nodded. “The first pile, the one you landed in, contains the most recent raw material—manure, food scraps, vegetation, and so on. As the heat builds with decomposition, I keep adding to it until I have a big enough mound. Then I start turning it over at intervals until it eventually becomes this rich black soil—gardener’s crack.” I winked. “The second pile is halfway to being ready and still being turned. The last one is ready to be spread around my garden, after which I’ll start that pile all over again.”
Thaddeus’s brow wrinkled as his brain chewed over the information. It was pretty damn cute. “That seems kind of random,” he concluded. “You just guess when it’s ready?”
I smiled. “No. I know when it is.”
