Page 3 of Working For Her Attention

“How do you like Forge Creek so far?” I blurted out. I was not by any means a sociable person, not the guy who ever made friends easily. Not when growing up, I was always too busy being the one who had to step in and help my mom with my three annoying younger sisters.. But goddamn, my brain was working a million miles a minute to figure out what other things I could bring up just to get a couple more minutes of her time.

“What?” She blinked slowly, almost like I was snapping her out of her own thoughts.

“You’re new to town, right?”

“Right.” Electricity still zipped and zapped between us as I stepped a little closer.

That’s when it struck me.

I was staring at the girl I would one day marry.

And just like that, I took my hand back as if she had suddenly burned me. Her eyes widened before two cute little lines formed between her brows with confusion.

“Well, umm…” I licked my suddenly dry lips. “I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself.”

“Okay… thank you.” Her voice sounded melodic in my ears, and as much as part of me wanted to fucking run, the other part wanted to stay and ask her how, out of every city in the world, she found herself in Forge Creek.

“Right, well…” I started to take a step back, and then another when she started to move towards me, and it was too late for me to ask what she was doing, when I lost my balance and tripped down the step of the front porch. “Shit!” I cursed, and she made a sound that was a cross between a stifled laugh and a squeak of horror. “Well, umm…”

“If you ever need anything, I’m here,” she added kindly, pretending I hadn’t just almost eaten shit right off her front porch.

“Right. Same, umm…” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet. Without overthinking, I took out one of my business cards and handed it to her. “Here.” She carefully walked down the steps of the porch and stopped right in front of me. Avery reached for the card and looked at it as a breeze wafted past us. The scent of sugared strawberries and honey wafted into my nose, and I stifled a groan. I was in serious fucking trouble. One little sniff, and I was about to drool like a rabid animal.

“In case I have any heating and cooling needs?” she asked. Her eyes rose to meet mine. Standing so close only reminded me of our size difference. I hovered over her short, curvy stature. The tips of my ears warmed with embarrassment.

“That or anything at all… my cell’s on the back.”

“Oh, thanks. Actually…” she started to say, and I stilled, tempted to close the small space between us and hold her hand again. “Umm…” I blinked and waited, but she shook her head. “Nothing. Never mind.”

“No, what is it?”

“It’s okay. I can Google it. Have a good time, umm… going to the gym?” she guessed, and I nodded.

“Yeah. There is a great place in town.” Geez, did that make me sound like some kind of gym bro?

“Right, well⁠—“

“I was born and raised here.” The words just tumbled out, and she blinked. “I just mean, if you’re looking for something in particular, I know all the ins and outs about Forge Creek and the surrounding areas, so I could help.”

“Oh, it’s nothing super important. I was just going to ask if you knew about an animal shelter or“— she shrugged and blushed adorably—“but I think I should probably start with something easier to make sure I can take care of a living thing… like a plant,” she joked, but I couldn’t get myself to smile along with her. Not when I was so damn entranced by her.

“Well, if you change your mind about an animal shelter, let me know.”

“Okay.”

“You thinking a cat or dog?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure.” She crossed her arms over her chest, making it close to impossible not to stare at her bountiful breasts. “I’ve never had either.”

“Are you serious? You’ve never had a pet?”

“Nope.” Something flashed in her blue eyes, a hint of sadness I wanted to desperately wipe away.

“Dogs are the best.”

“How did I know you were going to say that?” she teased playfully. Thankfully, the mood had lightened a little.

“Cats are okay. It just depends on the cat. My sister had one who was an asshole. The only time he wanted anything to do with you was to scratch the hell out of you. My other sister had one who was the sweetest.”