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I heard him chuckle as I made my way out of the room.
I’d rather blister in the hot sun on my walk home than be alone with River Pierce in his car.
Because I already knew where that would lead.
twenty-one
. . .
River
It had beena week since I’d seen Ruby, and I was going out of my fucking mind. She’d made it clear that she wanted space, and damn if the woman didn’t stick to it. I thought she’d break.
Expected a booty call text after the night we’d shared.
But she’d gone radio silent.
And I sure as hell wasn’t going to beg her to talk to me. The ball was in her court.
If only her brother wasn’t such a clingy motherfucker. I couldn’t shake this guy. He’d texted me every day, and I was running out of odd jobs for the bastard. He’d been the laziest guy on the planet before I’d agreed to help him out, and now he was suddenly the most reliable dude on the planet.
So, I’d made up a bullshit job and asked him to stain my dock today while I was at the office. It was a large dock, and it was a shitty job, so I figured he’d be a no-show for this one. I’d left the stain and the brushes on the back porch and texted him that it was there if he wanted to get started. A part of me hoped he’d flake because I didn’t have much more for him to do.
I pulled up at my house, and his car wasn’t there.
Finally. I’d given him more than he could handle.
I walked around to the backyard and saw Rico lying in the middle of the grass with the hose beside him, and I’d be damned if the dock wasn’t rocking a new coat of stain and completely finished.
“Wow. You did the whole thing?” I asked.
He sprung forward and held up a hand. “Yep. All done.”
“What’s with the hose?”
“It’s hot out here, and I didn’t have any water. So, I’m drinking Magnolia Falls’ finest.”
“You didn’t bring water? Where’s your car?”
“My battery is dead, and I need to get it fixed.” They lived out a ways, so that had to be about a two-mile walk.
Rico was full of surprises.
“Come inside and get a Gatorade and something to eat. Have you been out here all day?”
“Yep. Got here around eight a.m.”
I led him inside and handed him a bottle of blue sugar water and a banana. I didn’t know when I became a babysitter, but Rico had definitely attached himself to me.
“The dock looks really good. Thank you. I didn’t expect you to do it all today.” I pulled out my wallet and handed him the cash. I paid him a lot more than usual because he’d done a hell of a job.
“Well, Romeo needs me at the gym the next few days, so I didn’t want to leave you hanging with a half-finished dock.”
Damn. Romeo was doing that all on his own now. This wasn’t a favor anymore; Rico had actually proven he could be reliable.
I glanced down at my watch. I’d promised my grandmother I’d be by to see her in an hour.
“Give me five minutes to change clothes, and I’ll give you a ride home on my way to my appointment.”
