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“Hey, Aunt Emma. Uncle Orval,” I say, pulling the door closed behind me. “What’s up?” I ask, glancing between their smiling, knowing faces.
“Orvie, it must be Take Your Erection to Work Day,” Emma states bluntly, an ornery smirk on her wrinkled face.
“Those were always my favorite days at work too, my love,” Orval replies to his wife, patting me on the back as if in accolade.
“Umm, yeah, so, problem? What’s the issue?” I ask as I adjust my hips to try to mask my rapidly deflating erection, thanks to my elderly aunt drawing attention to it.
“Oh, there isn’t an issue, not really. We just saw you sneaking into Kathryn’s room and were worried that you didn’t have enough protection.” Emma gives me a look as if her comment was the most normal thing in the world.
“Protection?”
“Yes, you know, condom, love glove, rubber sock, raincoat. Do you have enough, Jensen?” she asks, watching and waiting (very eagerly, I might add) for my reply.
I can feel the mortification tinge my cheeks. So this is how Kate feels when she becomes embarrassed, huh? Fuck. I run my hand through my hair. “Uh, yeah, I think I’m covered.”
“Oh, let’s hope you suit up. It’s a great way to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Or is she on the pill?” my aunt asks.
All I can do is stare at her in horror. “I don’t know,” I whisper, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole.
“Well, these are the things you should always ask on the first date, Jensen. If the sex is in the plans, you should ask about contraception. Maybe even stop by the local pharmacy beforehand, you know, just in case.”
“Unless you’re thinking with the little head, and you forget. That happened to me once,” Orval says, staring off into space.
“That’s how we got our Trish,” Emma confirms.
“Wow, okay, look at the time,” I say, glancing down at the wristwatch on my arm. “I really should be getting back to work.”
“Well, we don’t want to keep you,” Emma replies, moving to the side so I can pass.
Of course I’m not out of earshot before I hear my uncle say, “You know, Emmie, all this talk about sex has my main sail ready to stand and salute.”
That’s something I’ll never forget overhearing for the rest of my life.
* * *
By the time the workday draws to an end, I’ve had no less than four text messages, and not from the woman I’d prefer. No, these came from Ashley. Asking if she can call Max later (she knows she can). Asking how his school day was (he wasn’t even out of school yet). Asking how work is going (she hated talking about my work when we were married). And my personal favorite, asking if we had any weekend plans.
I know exactly what she’s doing and it pisses me the hell off.
She’s fishing for information about any plans Max and I may have with Kate.
Ignoring the messages, I finish the job at hand. The plants are in the ground and doing well, the new paving and retaining walls are built, and the flowers blooming. My job here is done. Well, except for one thing…
With the job trailer loaded up, I send Wes home for the day. He’ll pick up Monday morning, jumping right in to our growing list of landscape maintenance clients. With Brody back at school and participating in sports, Wes will pick up that slack in helping maintain clients. Between him and Jonas, I’m hoping I’ll finally have a little more wiggle room to breathe. This business is still my life (and my livelihood), but there’s no reason I need to work it twenty-four seven. Especially with Max.
And Kate.
This property, though…this property is the one I’ll be maintaining, like my mom’s property. And I won’t be charging. I can’t charge my mom, and there’s no way I’ll be able to invoice Kate either. Sure, she’ll be billed for the initial job, materials, and labor, but from this point forward, I’m doing it because I want to. Because I love it. Because I love her.
Yeah, I said it.
I love her.
I’ve always fucking loved her, and having her back in town, back in my arms only reiterates that fact. I should be terrified. I should probably keep my distance, but I just can’t. I don’t want to. It’s like the missing piece of my heart is finally back in place, back where it belongs.
That’s why I’m taking a few of my hand tools to the pool house. The contractors put on the new roof and the plumbing was repaired, but the rest of it is mostly cosmetic, with a lot of cleaning. I knew Kate wanted to leave it as close to original as possible, just make sure it was secure. They did a great job on the updates, but there are a few things I wanted to do to the inside.
I step inside the building. The windows have been open these last few days, replacing that old, musty smell with fresh seaside air. I notice right away Rhenn updated the lighting, installing can lights in the ceiling and giving it an open, bright feel. The old chairs in the corner are gone, most of them damaged from years of being left out in the weather. The old curtains hang from the changing area, but I have an idea for that. The bathroom and shower stall are all new too, but there’s a small touch I wanted to add to that room.
