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“I’m not. I might not listen or respond. But you can talk.”
I smiled. “That sounds more like the neighbor I’ve come to know and dislike.”
Fox smiled back and looked down at my foot. “How’s the ankle feeling?”
“Much better.”
“We should take the ice off for a little while.” He leaned forward and untied the towel. His fingers brushed against my leg, and it felt like my skin caught fire. I jumped, surprised at the feeling. Fox pulled his hands away, holding them up. “Sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“No. I’m, uhh…just ticklish. That’s all.”
I got the feeling Fox might’ve seen through my excuse. But if he did, at least he didn’t call me out. “How does it feel now?” he asked.
I rolled my ankle around. “Better. It’s definitely only a sprain.”
“You got lucky. Could’ve cracked it the way that board gave out.” Fox glanced around the deck. “This is probably about four-hundred square feet. I’ll get you some estimates to replace it when I’m over at the lumberyard this week.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Not a big deal. I’ll be over there anyway.”
“Alright. Well, thank you.” A mosquito landed on my arm. I smacked it off, but a second one had already landed on my leg. “Crap!” I whacked at it.
“Gets buggy out here after the sun sets. Lasts about an hour and then it clears up. Why don’t I help you inside?”
I sat up and shifted my feet to the ground. “I can do it.”
Fox stood, and the board under his feet made a creaking sound. “Shit. This thing’s dangerous.”
He stepped forward and leaned. I thought he was going to help me up like he did before. But instead, he scooped me into his arms.
I yelped. “This is worse! Now you’re putting both our weight on the wood at once. We’re definitely going to fall through.”
He walked toward the house. “Better me than you.”
“How so? Why is it better you get injured than me?”
“’Cause I can live with a broken ankle. Wouldn’t be able to live with letting a lady break hers if I could stop it.”
I’d never been the type to play damsel in distress, but I had to admit, it was kinda nice being carried by Paul Bunyan. I looked down as he fiddled with the sliding glass door to open it. “It’s pretty high up here. You get a different perspective from this view. I’m always looking up at people.”
“If you say so…”
Fox set me down on a chair in the kitchen. As soon as my ass hit the wood, my phone started buzzing. I frowned at the name flashing.Noah. My eyes jumped to Fox’s face. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who’d read the name.
“My ex. He’s upset I’m down here.” I pushedIgnoreand the phone quieted.
Fox’s eyes narrowed. “Why the hell does he care where you are?”
“He wants me to forgive him. Give him another chance.”
“Is that what you want?”
“No, definitely not. I’m not happy with the way things ended, but I’ve had a lot of time to think about the relationship we had. I realized I was settling into a life I thought I was supposed to have and not really the one I wanted, if that makes any sense.”
Fox nodded. “It does.” My cell started to buzz again. Fox and I read the name flashing at the same time. “Why don’t you just tell him to stop calling?”
“I have. But he’s persistent.”
