Page 35 of Denim & Diamonds

“Oh goodness,” she cried. “I’m a walking disaster today, aren’t I?”

I needed to end this. Now. “How about a change of scenery?” I suggested.

“Yeah, before she kills someone…” I heard Axe mutter.

“Why don’t we go for coffee? I’m getting a caffeine headache anyway.” I rubbed my temples, pretending to soothe the pain. “We got a fair amount of work done.”

“Okay…” She shrugged, seeming a little defeated.

The two of us said goodbye to my brothers and headed to a local diner.

We each ordered a slice of apple pie to have with our coffee.

This was a much better environment for Feb. I admired her beautiful profile as she gazed out the window. The sunlight streaming through caught her eyes just right.

“What are you thinking, Red?”

She moved her gaze to me. “It’s so good to be out and about in the daylight here with you.”

“I forget how rare that is. Not anymore, though.”

“I’m so lucky to experience this world away from the hustle and bustle. To have a reason to be here.” February frowned. “I don’t want to go back tomorrow.”

“So don’t.” I rubbed my thumb along the mug. “Stay for a bit. You must have vacation days? ”

“I do, but it’s a bad time.”

Of course it is, you idiot. She’d been away from work long enough when she was at Sierra. She must have tons to catch up on. “Right. Sorry to assume it would be easy to take time off.”

A glimmer of hope crossed her face. “Although, people do get sick unexpectedly, right?”

“Sometimes they do. Yes.” I smiled.

“Maybe I’ll stay one or two days.” She nodded. “I have to think about it.”

“I’m happy you like it here,” I said.

“I like you . That’s first and foremost.” She grinned.

“But yeah, I feel at peace here. I didn’t get a feel for what life in Meadowbrook was like before—aside from that time you took me to the fair.

In some ways, being outdoors with you today did more for my mental health than the entire stint at Sierra.

” She shrugged. “Even if I wasn’t very helpful. ”

“While you won’t be constructing houses anytime soon, I still loved spending time with you.”

“Your brothers are funny.”

I rolled my eyes. “They’re something, all right.”

“You’re lucky to have them.”

I nodded. I definitely realized that.

February took a bite of her pie. “What’s next on our agenda?”

“I don’t know. Did you have something in mind?”

“As I mentioned, I want to get a feel for your normal routine. What would you normally do after a day of work?”

Probably shouldn’t admit that first on the agenda would likely be taking a shower and whacking off.

“I’d head home, get out of these clothes, then make something hearty to eat after working up an appetite all day.

Maybe rub Oak between the ears for a while on the couch.

” I winked. “But you know, today I only have an appetite for one thing. Can you guess what it is?”

She licked her lips. “I might have an idea.”

“What do you think about letting me spread you open tonight and making you come only with my mouth? For starters, of course.”

Her face turned red, and I felt her foot move against my leg. Her eyes flickered with desire. I fucking loved getting her hot and bothered.

“Is that my answer?” I murmured.

“That’s a resounding yes.” She grinned.

On the way home from the diner, we stopped at Margie and Joe Reynolds’ grocery store to pick up a few things.

It was a mom-and-pop establishment that had been around as long as I could remember.

Whenever I needed odds and ends, I went there instead of the bigger supermarket.

We gathered ingredients for the stew I planned to make for dinner.

“I noticed you told them to keep the change,” February said as we exited the store.

“Yep.”

“Except you gave them two-hundred dollars when the bill was under fifty.”

I nodded.

She rubbed my arm. “How often do you do that?”

I opened the door of my truck and placed the grocery bag on the seat. “It’s the least I can do for them. I know they’re struggling to keep it open.”

“That’s really sweet,” she said as she hopped in.

After I started the engine, I explained further. “Well, I owe Mr. Reynolds, actually. When I was a kid, he used to let me get away with stealing candy. ”

“Aw, really?”

I nodded. “He caught me once and didn’t say anything to my mother because he knew we were going through a rough time. You know what he told me?”

“What?”

“He said, ‘Kid, all you had to do was ask. I’ll give you the candy so you don’t have to steal it.’ And from then on, he did just that.”

“Wow. What a nice man.”

“Yeah. I never forgot that.”

After a moment, February snapped her fingers. “And that was your good deed of the day. Am I right?”

I shook my head. “Actually, my good deed of the day was getting you away from that worksite before you damn near killed yourself.”

We both got a good laugh out of that. But then my phone chimed. It had been sitting on the console between us.

February looked down at it. “You just got a text.”

“Who is it?”

She picked it up, and her face turned crimson. “It’s Nina. Your ex.”

I clenched my jaw.

For fuck’s sake.

The calls had stopped, and I’d thought we were over this. Today had been going so well...

“What does it say?” I asked.

February swallowed. “She’s at your house and wants to know where you are.”