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“Just wondering what you look like under all that scruff.” Her tone and the accompanying smile were flirtatious. But what was the harm? He wouldn’t be here long anyway.
He rubbed his beard. “Underneath all this, I’m hideous. All scarred and grotesque. I’m like the phantom, and this is my mask.”
She chuckled. “I highly doubt that. Do you normally wear a beard?”
“Nah. Just too much bother to shave on the trail.”
A text came in and she checked her phone. It was Rick, confirming the time for their double date Friday. He’d called last night to make the invitation official—and to flirt for a few minutes. Why didn’t she enjoy flirting with Rick as much as she enjoyed flirting with Wes? Probably because Rick flirted with every human being with double X chromosomes, whereas Wes... well, she didn’t really know who he was, did she?
But for some reason she wanted to find out.
Chapter9
“You’re letting some vagrant stay in your backyard?” Gavin stood on her doorstep the next morning before the clinic opened, hands perched on his narrow hips, wearing a dark scowl.
“Good morning, Brother. Come inside. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
He entered her apartment and frowned at her innocent Keurig. “That’s not coffee. Who is this guy, and why’s he staying in your shed?”
Here we go again. Her family was overprotective of her. She was the baby of the family—and the potential disease didn’t help matters either, especially as she’d approached thirty. They were always after her for working too much, and they went on high alert if she had a memory lapse, stumbled over her own feet, or was simply in a bad mood.
Avery scooped Boots’s generic kibble into her dish, and thecat pranced forward. Katie must’ve told Cooper about Wes and Cooper had told Gavin. She was surprised Cooper wasn’t on her doorstep too.
“Not that I owe you an explanation, but he’s not a vagrant, and he’s down with a bug at the moment. He needed a place to crash, what with it being a holiday weekend.”
“And then you invited him to stay and renovate your shed? I can make room for him at the campground if that’ll help.”
“He’s fine where he is, thank you. And it’s a carriage house.”
“What do you even know about this guy?”
Avery crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m perfectly capable of screening people, you know. I run a business, remember? I made the necessary phone calls to insure he was a capable contractor and decent human being, and I really don’t appreciate being underestimated.”
His shoulders lost some starch. “I was just worried about you having a stranger on your property. This neighborhood is all but deserted after business hours, and you’re here all alone.”
“That’s what locks are for.”
“And why didn’t you ask me to handle the renovation? I was a highly sought-after contractor in my former life, you know.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I did ask you. Twice. You put me off.”
“I’m building that big cabin at the campground. But maybe I can squeeze your shed in on my day off.”
“Not necessary. But I need another doctor at this clinic ASAP.” According to her Fitbit she was averaging five and half hours of sleep per night. Better than during residency, but still. She was too old for this.
“I didn’t think you were in that big a hurry. Or that you wereserious about using that shed”—when she gave him the evil eye, he said—“carriage housefor a living space.”
“Well, I was serious, and now the job’s getting done—or at least started. Keep feeling guilty though, since I’ll need your help once Wes leaves. And he’ll need to borrow your tools too. Whatever he’ll need to install windows and a new roof.”
“He’ll need to pull a permit.”
“He’s well aware.”
Gavin glanced out the kitchen window toward the backyard. “I’d like to meet him.”
“It’s seven forty-five in the morning and he’s sick.” She held his gaze, not backing down.
“Later then.”
