Page 17 of Pink and Country

“You still haven’t answered the question.” Why wouldn’t he let it go? The wrinkles around his eyes deepened.

“Why would I want a picture of you?”

“Do you always answer a question with a question?”

He huffed. I shrugged.

“Are you always that nice to people you meet for the first time?”

My neighbor balled his hands at his sides. Yeah, I noticed. “You think you’re a smart ass, don’t you?”

I pinched my lips together. This was the most fun I’d had in a long time.

“Maybe I am.” I offered him my most irresistible smile.

“Stop wasting my time, woman. Did you or didn’t you take my picture?”

I sighed. This man had no right to talk to me like this. His words now spewed venom.

“I’m glad we’ve decided you’re an ass. It’ll be easier to not talk to you ever again.”

Hot Neighbor’s eyes bulged out, and he gave his forehead a scratch with the side of his thumb.

“I’ll ask you one last time. Did you or didn’t you take a picture of me?”

“No. I didn’t. Happy now? I took a panoramic picture of this beautiful view.” I motioned my hand all around me. “Being handsome doesn’t give you the right to be an insensitive jerk and talk to me like I’m worth less than you.”

Did I just call him handsome? Abort, abort. April, retreat. Don’t show him any weakness. I tipped my chin up, turned on my heels, and didn’t spare my hot neighbor another glance.

“You think I’m handsome?” Gone was his annoyance. Amusement now filled his tone. I stormed away from him. Every word he spoke infuriated me. “And, just so you know, I’m not an insensitive jerk.” The irritation in his voice had dropped a notch.

I glanced at him over my shoulder while I swaggered further away. “You did nothing to prove you weren’t. Sorry, but I’ll file you under the asshole category. That’s where you belong with your over-dimensioned ego and wrongly aimed anger.”

“You have categories for men?” Genuine surprise lit up his gorgeous face. His stare drew me in. He smirked, never breaking eye contact. My knees buckled under the intensity of his gaze.

“Why not, I think you deserve—” Bam. I bumped headfirst into a large—obviously misplaced—oak tree as I turned my head around. I shut my eyes for a second in an attempt to regain my balance and ditch the dizziness that made my knees weak.

“Are you all right, miss?” a small voice asked me with a strong Southern accent. I looked down. Handsome Neighbor’s son was tugging on my sweater sleeve, worry filling his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m good. I think. I hope I gave this tree a big pounding headache. It shouldn’t stand in my way.” I winked at him, and he giggled.

Handsome Neighbor ran to join us. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem a little pale. Do you want to sit down for a minute?” He switched to a softer tone while addressing me this time. I saw concern swimming in his agitated-before-the-storm-waters gray eyes. Why did everything about him have to be so damn hot and enticing?

“I’ll be all right. I should go. Sorry for the a-hole comment.” My hand rubbed my forehead, trying to dissipate the soreness thumping in my skull.

Handsome Neighbor clutched my elbow from behind, and I leaned into him for a second. His warm touch erased all traces of my uneasiness. Something passed between us, but I ignored it.

His hand lingered on the small of my back, and I breathed him in. His smell was addictive.

“Miss, why is your hair pink? Is it real? Because my friend Beatrix wants pink hair too. She thinks she’s a fairy. If you have pink hair, it means you’re a fairy too. Beatrix was right, fairies exist. This is soooo cool.”

Aware of his eyes on me, I ignored HN’s amused gaze. In my head, I renamed him HN. A simpler and shorter version of Handsome Neighbor. Or Hot Neighbor. Or Highly (Annoying) Neighbor. Yeah, HN would do.

I squatted a little to level my eyes with the boy, ignoring the throbbing in my skull. “What’s your name?”

“Jack,” he quipped, a warm smile stretching his lips. He held out his tiny hand, and I shook it, his striking resemblance to HN impossible to ignore.

“I’ll tell you a secret, Jack. Beatrix is right to believe in fairies. Life is full of magic. Most people choose to ignore it. But if you look close enough, you’ll see magic everywhere. My hair turns pink whenever I focus on everything amazing in my life. It makes my days much more exciting. When my hair is blonde, I feel like I’m a grown-up, and my life isn’t as much fun. If you believe in magic, it will find you.”