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“Noooo…” she drawled. “The longer I talk to you on the phone, the longer it takes me to leave work.”
“Byeeeee! Meet you at the house so we can let our Gigi out first.”
“Good idea,” she laughed at his rushed voice, but he’d already hung up the phone. The man only seemed to have two speeds – normal and rushed.
* * *
Pulling up to the house,June saw the little rental car he was borrowing parked up front, and noticed Ian was standing in the yard looking at her place. She felt a sense of shame and realized that no one came over to her house… for a reason.
She went to her parents’, met her brother there or at a restaurant, because she didn’t want the questions, the comments, or the analysis that was obviously going in Ian’s mind right now.
Mobile home parks had a reputation and a stigma, as if they weren’t as good – but you know what? A home was… a home. She had enough images that she had to maintain already.
“Is there a problem?” she asked in greeting – only to see him turn, his frown melted away as he smiled at her.
“Only opportunities, Minx.”
“Such as…” she drawled, feeling slightly defensive and saw his smile widen a little more.
“Such as a friend helping his prickly girl figure out a way to make it easier for Gigi to get to the yard, so our puppy doesn’t destroy your home – and I want to apologize. I didn’t even think about it until I was lying in bed at the hotel…”
“Yeah, we were going to talk about that mess you dumped on me,” she muttered and sighed. It was really hard to be mad at someone who realized their own mistakes, took ownership, and was being quite charming about it.
“Forgive me?” he asked gently, reaching for her hand. His thumb brushed against her knuckles as she was drawn into his open expression as he gazed at her like she was the best thing he’d ever seen in his whole life… and pulled her hand away.
“Let me get Gigi, so we can go.”
“Retreating,” he acknowledged, chuckling. “Fair enough. Am I allowed in, or should I wait here?”
“Depends on if she poo’d everywhere and destroyed my kitchen, or…” June hesitated and turned to see Ian right behind her, looking down.
“Do I have something on the back of my dress?”
“Just a gorgeous shape,” he volunteered, grinning at her. “I missed you.”
Her mouth dropped open in surprise – and she snapped it shut, quickly turning and putting the key in the door without another word. As she opened the side door to the mobile home, she heard Gigi’s excited panting that someone was visiting and grimaced.
Poo – again.
“Nope,” she muttered, and put a hand on Ian’s chest, stopping him from entering. “She’s destroyed my floor, and you aren’t…”
He scooped her up into his arms in one quick move before stepping inside and setting her quickly on top of the TV console, spinning her around so her legs were dangling towards the living room – not the kitchen.
“I love those sexy pumps on you, and want them to stay nice. It thrills me to no-end that you dress like a really classy lady,” he began, immediately yanking several paper towels off the roll as she stared at him in shock as he let Gigi out. “My girl is not picking up…stuff …ever.”
“Ian, I’m quite capable…” she began as he bent over and moved about the kitchen, watching him flex and turn.
“I know you are capable, but this is my fault. Those delicate hands shouldn’t be tainted. I adore the fact that you are soft, sweet, and so feminine… and me? I’m just a grunt. I’m tanned, filthy, work hard, and my palms are callused badly. I guess it makes me sexist, but I want my girl to stay… delicate – like the flower she is.”
June stared at him, his words rolling over her as he finished cleaning the last spot… then looked under her sink to yank out some cleaner and wiped the floors like it was nothing. He stood a moment later, washed his hands, and looked at her pointedly.
“Does it make me sexist?” he asked. “Am I wrong in thinking in such an old-fashioned way, or…” his voice trailed off.
“What?”
“You sure are beautiful,” he breathed and smiled. “I guess I was distracted or trying so hard to do the right thing that I never really took a second to appreciate how lovely you look today.”
June swallowed.
