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I shrugged. “Whatever.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t sound so excited about it.”
I lifted my food and shook my head. “Let’s go—before I change my mind and the only thing you have to eat for dinner is that duck.”
The inside of Josie’s house looked a lot better than the last time I’d been here. The kitchen cabinets were all stripped of their hideous green paint, and the doors had been rehung straight. She’d installed new hardware, and the stainless-steel appliances that had been delivered last week gave the room a spruced-up feel. But it was the other side of the kitchen that caught my attention. Rows and rows of Christmas cards hung from strings on the wall.
Josie came in from putting Daisy to bed and noticed me staring. “They make me feel good.”
“Wasn’t judging. Just looking around. The place is really coming along.”
She walked to the stove and turned the knob. “You weren’t judging? Who are you kidding, Fox Cassidy? You think I’m weird. I see it in your face.”
“Why would I think you’re weird? Because you hang Christmas cards in the house in July and swim in a kiddie pool with a male duck you named Daisy?”
She squinted at me. “How did you know I bought Daisy a swimming pool?”
Uh-oh. I had no choice but to come clean. “I get notifications from my security system on my phone. You ran into my yard earlier today, and it sent me an alert.”
She tilted her head. “And it shows youmyentire yard too?”
At least come partially clean…“Most of it. Yep.” Needing a change of subject, I pointed to a cabinet. “Those have plates in them? Food’s getting cold.”
She might’ve suspected I was full of shit, but at least she let it go. Josie took out a plate and utensils, then lifted a bottle of wine from the counter. “Do you like pinot noir?”
“I’ll just have a little.”
I split the takeout onto two plates, and Josie and I sat across from each other. “If you’re ready to paint the living room”—I pointed in that direction—“I can throw a second coat of spackle on and sand.”
“Thank you. But you’ve done enough. I’ll find someone to do it. I was going to attempt it myself, but even YouTube said it wasn’t an easy job.”
“It is once you’ve done it a few times. Second coat is easier than the first. Won’t take me long.”
“Still.” She shook her head. “It’s okay. Plus, Porter offered to do it, so if I can’t find someone, I can always call him.”
I lowered my fork. “Porter wants in your pants.”
Her nose wrinkled. “He did ask me out to dinner.”
“Trust me. He’s like a stray. You let him hang around once and he keeps coming back.”
It didn’t escape me that here I was again, too. Different day. Different scenario. But… My situation wasn’t the same. I lived right next door. I wasn’t trying to get into her pants. I was just being neighborly. Right?The photo on my damn phone might say differently.
“I ran into someone you know today.” Josie forked a bit of her dinner.
“You’re going to have to be a little more specific. It’s a small town. I know a lot of people.”
“Her name is Quinn. She owns the toy store in town. It’s where I got the kiddie pool.”
Shit. A lifetime ago, I’d made it a rule to not get involved with women who lived in Laurel Lake. Unfortunately, I made that ruleafterspending time with Quinn.
“Oh yeah?”
The twinkle in Josie’s eye told me Quinn had shared more than advice on which toys ducks liked best. “She said you two were a couple in high school.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say that.”
“No? What would you say?”
