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“I think you smell amazing.”
“Mama always hates the way I smell after work.”
I shake my head. “I don’t see why. It’s honest sweat.”
He reaches over and shoves my shoulder. “You’re being weird,” he says. “Stop it.”
I shove him back. “You stop it.”
He shoves me again. “You stop it.”
“No, you.” I grin at him.
“When did you get so damn pretty?”
I draw in my chin and stare at him. “Now I know you’ve lost all your marbles. Did you get too much sun today?”
He shakes his head. “No. I’m fine.” He motions toward the work he did and grins. “So, you like the bushes?”
“I love them, Grady.” I look out over the yard. “You mowed around the house?”
“I still have to finish it.” He looks out over the lawn. “This place is so perfect.” There’s a tiny pond about three hundred feet from the house, and his eyes linger there. “Do you know if that pond has fish in it?”
“It’s supposed to, but I really have no idea.”
“You going to let me come back and fish it one day
?”
“You can come back any time you want to, Grady. You should know that by now.” I kick at a rock with the toe of my shoe.
“That’s what I was thinking,” he replies quietly. “I just wanted to be sure.”
Just then, a delivery truck drives up.
“What’s that?” he asks.
I do a little dance. “That’s my new bed.”
“Well, I’ll let you get to it. I have a few more things I want to do before we start painting.”
“Grady,” I say reverently, “don’t work too hard.”
He shakes his head. “This isn’t work, Clifford.” He lifts his hands to indicate the space. “This was fun.” He stares at my face. “Besides, anything that makes you smile and hug me is worth doing every fucking day.”
Then he walks off as the movers get there with my new bed. I show them where I want it, and they assemble the bed frame in the downstairs master bedroom. Then they bring in the new mattress and box springs. I had already brought out a set of sheets, pillows, and blankets, just because I didn’t want the mattress to get dusty or soiled, so I make the bed up and step back to look it over. I’d also bought a new comforter, and towels, soaps, and shampoos for the bathrooms, so I unload all of that and put it away.
I walk over to the kitchen window and look out to see Grady running the weed eater around the trees in the yard. He spots me watching from the window, grins and waves at me. I wave back.
And it hits me like a ton of bricks falling on the top of my head.
I know in that moment that I’m in love with the man I’ve hated with every fiber of my being for the past twenty-five years. I’m falling head-over-heels. And he has no idea.
He can’t find out, either. If he did, he’d laugh his ass off at me. Grady Parker would never think of me that way. Not ever. And I don’t particularly want to have him laugh in my face, so I’ll keep my feelings to myself and we can work on this friendship thing we have going on.
Because I’m starting to enjoy being friends with Grady. I certainly don’t want to ruin it by falling in love with him.
17
