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“Shurikens.”
“Whatever.” She clutches the case to her chest. “So march yourself right on out of here or I’ll sic Jinx on you.”
I throw a glance at the cat. He’s still napping.
“Listen, I’m sorry about the other night. I had--”
“Go.” She climbs to her feet and points at the door. “I had to eat an entire rotisserie chicken alone and almost burned the pie because of you. Out.”
I sigh and rise, but I don’t push the matter. “I really am sorry.” I pat Jinx’s head, then walk to the front door. “Lock it behind me.”
“I’ll do what I want. This ismyhouse.” She puts her hands on her hips.
“I get it, tigress. But if you don’t lock it, I’ll come right back through it anytime I want.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Well in that case--” She marches over to the door as I step out onto the porch.
“If you’d just let me--”
The door slams in my face, and the lock clicks over with finality.
Fuck.
* * *
“This isn’t your yard.” She sits on her porch swing and drinks a large glass of iced tea. “You’re trespassing.”
I keep mowing, her grass high enough that I have to put in some extra elbow grease just to get the lawn mower through it. She’s been watching me for ten minutes, scolding me every so often, and drinking her tea while I start to sweat. The nights are chilly now, but the days are still warm enough.
Jinx sits beside her on the swing, his tail flicking as he eyes me. I keep pushing, making neat passes back and forth. Once the front yard’s cut, I jog to my garage and grab my weedeater. The back yard is quick work, and when I get around to the front, she still sits there, but now she has her phone out.
“Look at this fool, Kimber.” She turns the phone around, and I can barely make out a face. “Out here cutting my grass.”
“He better not expect a twenty for this.”
“Nope. I won’t give him a dime.” She takes a big gulp of tea, her face smug, then lays the phone in her lap. “You may as well stop, because this show of neighborly affection is getting you nowhere.”
“Oh?” I trim the high grass around her mailbox until it looks perfectly edged, then I put the weedeater down, leaning it against the red post. I stretch, then reach behind my neck and grab my shirt.
“What are you--”
I pull it off and tuck it into the side of my gym shorts. “Hot out here.” I grin at her, then grab the weedeater and get back to work.
She’s stopped sipping her tea, and I can feel her gaze on me as I edge along the sidewalk. “Go to class,” she grumbles to her friend. “This is an act of war.”
I smirk and finish up along the line of her driveway. Her yard finally looks respectable, and I use my forearm to wipe the sweat from my brow.
She pretends to be reading something on her phone, but her peripheral vision is entirely on me.
“Any other chores you need done?” I lean against one of the porch posts.
“Why would I want a chore done only halfway? I mean, you’ll run off before you’re done, so it really isn’t worth the bother.” She sighs and drains her glass of tea.
I lick my lips. “I know it doesn’t erase what I did, but I truly am sorry I had to leave.”
She finally meets my gaze. “Why? What was so important?”
“Something came up.”
