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Chase lunges as the squirrel launches, and I shriek unhelpfully as the fluffy-tailed pest comes toward the exit. Benji barks again and pounces toward the furry lunatic, but I’m gripping his collar tightly enough to prevent any progression.
Whipping a one-eighty, the squirrel dives back into the bathroom, rendering all of Chase’s hard work up until this point null and void.
“Whoopsie-daisy,” I manage before sliding fully out of the way and into the living room. From the sound of things, the valiant fight continues for another minute and a half before the squirrel once again jets out the door. This time, though, without me blocking the path, he makes it all the way to the actual door of the motor home and jumps back into the great outdoors again, bounding toward the nearby trees like he’s the one who’s been assaulted here.
“Brooke?” Chase calls, his eyes harried as he searches for me upon his own exit from the bathroom. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Are you kidding?” I breathe. “You freaking samurai-ed that thing! I barely had time to scream before you were going Spider-Man on that squirrel’s ass. Although, I think Benji is a little pissed he didn’t get in on the action.”
We both look to Benji and find that my doggo is currently lying down beneath the small kitchen table with his face between his paws and a pout on his lips.
“Next time, my man,” Chase states through a laugh, the slightly winded nature of his breath making it sound raspier than normal.
I walk over to give Benj a scratch between the ears, but he just lets out a groan that lets me know I need to give him some space.
“I closed the vent above the shower so another one can’t get in that way,” Chase explains. “But we’ll have to be careful of the side door. I noticed it was open when I got back and heard your scream, so I’m not sure which way it got in.”
“Hot damn,” I say through an incredulous laugh. “From New York City to the scene of a squirrel attack. I feel like I slept my way into a new dimension.”
“Did I forget to tell you I drove the motor home down Alice’s rabbit hole?”
“A little heads-up would’ve been nice.”
“Sorry about that.” His tickled smile is nearly too much for my pathetic heart, and my laugh dies to a smile.
Silence stretches between us then, and my smile turns uncomfortable too.
I feel terrible because it’s not Chase’s fault that I don’t know how to just be around him. I’m a dancing bundle of nerves where an exciting faint is the finale of my nightly show.
I need to find a way to be normal or neither of us is going to survive.
“Maybe I should—”
“It’s going to be dark—”
Chase and I both speak at the same time, and a thrill runs down my spine as my heart flutters into a skip.
“Sorry,” we both say simultaneously.
Officially gun-shy, I nod in a gesture of You go ahead rather than speaking. He smiles and runs a handsomely veined hand through his thick black hair.
“I was just saying it’ll be dark soon, so I’m going to double-check all of our power connections and grab some firewood just in case we want one.”
“That sounds like a fantastic plan.” And seriously more philanthropic than mine.
“What were you going to say?” he prompts when my embarrassment delays me from filling in the gap.
“Oh, ha-ha,” I say nervously. “I thought I might just take a shower.”
Not only do I need a reset, but I think some rogue pee might have run down my leg in the mayhem.
“Great. That sounds like a terrific idea. I can shower later,” he offers with another smile, turning toward the door with a hook of his thumb and heading out to take care of everything we need to survive without complaint. I notice that he takes time to shut the door securely, even pulling on it slightly to test it before walking away.
My head falls back, and I slap my palms over my face in shame.
God, Brooke, you have really got to get it together here. This is day one. DAY ONE.
Jumping into action, I make a quick trip to my suitcase to get my shower toiletries and then head back to the scene of the squirrel crime. The toilet sits unflushed when I enter, so I take care of that as a first order of business and then crank on the shower knob to full heat.
It’s a scientific fact that women’s skin is ready and willing to be scalded at all times, so long as it’s done in a shower.
And even though my best buddy will be annoyed with me, I give him one final scratch behind the ears, whispering, “You just chill here, Benj, while I shower.”
