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When I’m on the front stoop, she leans on the doorway and smiles softly. “Thanks again.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow night, for our first official date.”
“This wasn’t it?”
I shake my head and walk down the steps, impressed that my feet are listening to my brain because I want to stay here and kiss the hell out of her.
“No, ma’am. Because if it was, I’d be kissing you right now.”
I wink at her and climb into the truck, loving the way she looks right now, in that skimpy outfit with her hair up, wishing I could stay.
“Taking it slow, Wild,” I mutter to myself as I back out of the driveway. “This is one time you need to have patience.”
Jake is pulling into the driveway just as I am, and we climb out of our trucks and grin at each other.
“How’s the family?” I offer my fist for a bump, which he taps with his own, as we walk into the house through the garage.
“They’re good. The kids are cute. They wanted me to give them piggyback rides around the backyard. I’m going to be sore tomorrow.” He grins at me, and I can see that he had a great time. “Erin made lemon chicken for dinner.”
“You know, I don’t think I know what your favorite dinner is.” I pull a bottle of water out of the fridge and toss it to him before retrieving my own.
“Food.” He shrugs. “I don’t really have a favorite. I’ll eat anything.”
“Pizza? Burgers? Steak?”
“Yes, yes, and yes.” He laughs and turns to retreat to his bedroom. “I have some zombies to kill, and Russ is already waiting for me.”
“Have fun,” I call back.
Jake plays video games online with a couple of friends in the evenings, and I don’t mind at all. I’d rather he was here, shooting zombies and talking shit while eating junk food than out and about doing God knows what.
I haven’t talked to Jake yet about my seeing Polly. I want to see if it’s going to go anywhere before I loop the kid in. If it fizzles, there’s no need.
I don’t think he’ll have an issue with it. He likes Polly.
I make my way through the house and make sure it’s locked up tight before I go up to my office to settle in and work for a few hours.
As I pass by Jake’s room, I can hear the noise from the game, and Jake yells out, “Haha, you’re an idiot, SheenaWasAMan69. Did you see that? Yeah, man, let’s go over there and see if we can get the loot.”
I grin. I’m relieved that bringing Jake into my home has been so seamless. Almost effortless. Given what he’s gone through in the past two years, he deserves to feel safe and happy in his home.
There hasn’t been even one day of nasty attitude from him. Even the first time he came out here to work for me, he was sullen and quiet, but he never showed the attitude that Chase warned me about when he asked me to take Jake on.
And I’m happy he’s here.
CHAPTER FIVE
POLLY
“Ididn’t realize until after he left that I never even put on a bra,” I say to Summer as we set little bouquets of pink roses on the tables at Snow Ghost, the bar at the ski resort where we always hold our monthly Iconic Women’s Collective meetings. Today is a lunch meeting. “I was a freaking zombie. My brain was fuzzy from the crazy week, and as he drove off, I realized I wasn’t wearing a bra. The girls were just all…out there.”
Summer snickers as she places the final bouquet just so. “I bet he was salivating.”
“I can never see him again.” I prop my hands on my hips. “I have to call off tonight’s date.”
“Of course, you don’t,” Summer says, shaking her head. “I highly doubt that you turned Ryan off with your post-shower outfit, Polly.”
“He probably thinks I’m a first-class tease.”
