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“Not much of a guard dog, are you?” I picked up a chunk of flooring and tossed it into the dumpster.
“Max!” Audrey came running after her dog, dressed in a tank top and a pair of cut-offs that showed off her legs.
Nice legs. Not skinny, exactly, but firm.
I tore my eyes away. Looking at her skin was going to remind me of what she’d looked like naked.
“Hi.” She flashed me a friendly smile. “Sorry about Max. He thinks everyone is his best friend.”
“I can see that.”
“I guess we didn’t have a chance to actually meet before.” She held out her hand. “I’m Audrey Young.”
I took her hand in mine. Her skin was soft, her grip firm. “Josiah Haven.”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry, that sounded weird. I just mean I remember you. From high school.”
My brow furrowed. Was that why she seemed familiar?
“Oh, no, I didn’t go to Tilikum,” she said, as if I’d asked a question. “I went to Pinecrest but I was a cheerleader and we played you guys in sports a lot. So I remember you and your brothers.”
A cheerleader? No surprise. She still had that bubbly, happy girl thing going on, like at any moment she might do a cartwheel and end with her arms in the air, wiggling her fingers.
Bubbly girls were not my thing, no matter what they looked like naked.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, hoping to end the conversation quickly. “You can let Annika know if you need anything for the house.”
“Oh, thanks. She’s your sister, right? She’s so nice. She called me this morning to explain – well, you know – you.”
I furrowed my brow even deeper. “She explainedme?”
Audrey smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Just so you know, we’re fine. About last night, I mean. It’s no big deal.”
“Did you get hurt?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“No, not really. I might have a bruise or two.” She twisted one arm to examine her elbow. “But I’m fine. That’s sweet of you to ask.”
It was not sweet of me. I was not a sweet guy. Instead of replying, I just grunted.
Her dog—Max, apparently—dropped a ball at her feet. I hadn’t seen him go get it, but I hadn’t really been paying attention to him.
Without missing a beat, she picked it up and tossed it toward her house. “What are you doing over there? Remodeling?”
I glanced at the other house. “Yeah. Just getting started.”
“I was wondering about the big dumpster. This thing is huge.”
Max came back and dropped the ball. She picked it up and threw it.
“It’s a gut job,” I said. “Outdated everything.”
“Did you remodel the house I’m in?”
“Yeah. It’s what we do.”
“You, meaning you and your sister?”
“She works for us, but I partner with my dad.”
