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“What you got for me tomorrow?”
Confused, I look up at him towering beside me, his stern gaze focused in front of him. “What do you mean?”
“Your list,” he grumbles, setting the pan he was drying aside and finally meeting my gaze. “I told you I’d help you out with whatever you needed. I meant it. You’ve got enough going on and I’ve got the time.”
“You work hard all day, Butch,” I reason.
“So do you.”
I give him an exasperated look. He won’t win this argument with me. “You’re a blue-collar man. I know what it takes to do the work you do day in and day out. It’s not fair of me to ask you to come here and do mundane chores after a long day on the mountain.”
He tosses the dish towel on the counter and turns to fully face me, his body briefly brushing against mine as he takes a deep breath. “I wish you would.”
Stunned, I gape at him for a moment as my heart swoons its own race.
He does?
“You—” I’m cut short by the blaring ring of my phone. I spare a glimpse at it sitting beside the sink. It’s Alison.
“I should get going,” Butch tells me, moving toward the door to put his boots back on.
“I’ll walk you out,” I start to say when my phone stops ringing only to immediately start up again. She’s going to blow me up with back-to-back calls until I answer, isn’t she? I snatch my phone and swipe to answer. “Can I call you back—”
She squeals, “Tanner asked me out!”
“Tanner Wright asked you out?”
Butch looks up at me as he laces his boots up. “Asked who out?”
I hold the phone away from my ear. “Alison.”
“Yeah?” she asks through the phone, still giddy on cloud nine.
“No, no. I wasn’t talking to you. I was—”
“Then who are you talking to? Is Garrett home?” she questions.
I sigh. “Can you hold on a second?” I say, muting the phone as Butch grabs his tool bag from the floor. I don’t want him to leave like this. He’s giving me the same look Frankie gives me when I deny him a treat after powering through one of our walks.
“The faucet in the bathroom drips and the showerhead is loose,” I start, and I swear his eyes sparkle as I list off several more chores. “I’m sure you noticed the gutters need to be cleaned and the siding in the back needs to be power washed badly. And I’d love to clean out the shed. There’s so much junk in there that hasn’t been touched in forever. I couldn’t even tell you what kind of random tools and things my dad hoarded over the years.”
“All right,” he says, looking practically thrilled. “Is it the showerhead itself or where it’s attached to the wall that’s loose?”
“All of the above,” I say. “I wouldn’t mind looking at new ones. Maybe we can go together later this week and you can help me pick one out?”
Alison’s voice drifts from the phone in my hand, asking what the hell I’m doing and that she needs to speak to menow.
“Do you still have the card I gave you?” he asks, and I nod. “Text me and we’ll figure out a time. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
The way he says it comes out like a question. And I love that he sounds unsure, even after everything I just said. I smile, moving toward him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Butch. Goodnight.” I lift on the tips of my toes, my lips brushing against his scruffy cheek in a soft peck. “Drive safe.” My lips tingle as I drop back down to my feet.
“Text me,” he repeats, clearing his throat as he turns quickly. He hesitates before he finally opens the door. “Night, Cassidy.”
I watch him from the door as he gets in his truck and drives away. He didn’t want to leave just as much as I didn’t want him to leave. But he did. Why? Is this how he is when he picks women up from the bar? There’s no way. So why now?This is different, I think to myself. I can feel it. Garrett always says I have a shitty sixth sense when it comes to men—is that what’s happening now?
Am I wrong about Butch?
The questions rattle in my head as I close the door and Alison’s piercing squeal thatTanner is texting herreminds me she’s still on the phone. Before I take her off mute, I make sure to text Butch to let me know when he gets home. And it feels so right when I do.
