Page 28 of Take My Love

I snort. “You’re so dramatic. If you want, I can help you look.”

“You sound like you’re tryin’ to get rid of me only after two days…” He puts all the bags in the buggy, glancing at me over his shoulder with a shit-eating smirk. “But that can’t be, right?”

“Perhaps I’m not being obvious enough,” I mutter under my breath.

Margarita’s smile stays planted in place when she tells me the total. I grab my wallet and scan my card, then take the receipt.

“Give Millie kisses for me,” I tell her, then follow Silas with the buggy out of the store.

“I didn’t want Margarita thinkin’ we were together,” I blurt, loading the bags in the back of Silas’s truck.

“What?”

I swallow hard. “If I don’t specify that you’re livin’ with me temporarily, she’ll assume we’re together. And if she thinks that, it’ll get ’round town that we’re datin’. Considerin’ you were engaged four days ago, I don’t wanna be known as the other woman. Or worse, the reason y’all broke up. So yes, I have to clarify or they’ll call me a homewrecker.”

“Okay, that’s fair.” He nods. “So you don’t mind that I’m there?”

“Well…” I hand him the last bag. “Undecided. It’s only been two days.”

The corner of his lips tilts up. “I know you said being friends would complicate things, but if I promise to keep my hands to myself, we could be, right?”

It’s not his hands I’m worried about.

It’s my heart.

Closing the door, I inhale a deep breath. “If you don’t make me wanna kill you in your sleep by the end of the week, then I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, deal.”

Silas drives us downtown so he can get rubber boots in his size and some new jeans.

“Whaddya think of these?” He turns, lifts his shirt, and shows me his ass.

“Um…” I lick my lips at the tight globes in my direct view. “Why’re you showin’ me?”

He faces me, shrugging. “I dunno. Aundrea always wanted to see.”

“They look fine to me. But you might want some looser ones since you’re bendin’ and movin’ ’round a lot. Those look like one wrong move and they’ll rip down the middle.”

“Yeah, that would suck. Be right back.”

He walks to the shelf at the back of the store, and I go back to doom scrolling on my phone. After a long day in the heat, I’m ready for a bath and pint of ice cream.

“Okay, I’m ready.” He kicks my foot, grabbing my attention.

“Did you find everythin’ you needed?”

He holds up the boots in one hand and three pairs of jeans inthe other. “Yep. Found a few flannels too since Aundrea hated ’em and never let me wear ’em.”

“Let you?” I arch a brow, eyeing them tossed over his shoulder.

“Well…she said I looked like a hillbilly lumberjack and wouldn’t be caught dead with someone who wore one.”

Karma needs to kick her where the sun don’t shine.

Grabbing my bag, I follow him to the checkout. “Sounds like the woman’s equivalent to changin’ her hair color or cuttin’ it after a break-up ’cause her man had a preference.”

“I like my hair, so the flannels will have to do.” He shrugs, setting his items on the counter. “Although…”