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“No, I guess I’m always inside by now. Do they realize that it’s as bright as the sun?”
“I don’t think so. It’s Mr. and Mrs. Welsh and they’re getting up there in age. I think that they turn the light on before they go to bed and don’t realize that it’s quite so bright.”
“I could break it,” Wade offers and I snicker.
“No, the moment is ruined now,” I sigh.
“I could fix it… starting by breaking that light.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” I say, leaning up on my tiptoes and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
I drop back down to my feet and smile up at him.
I can’t quite read the expression on Wade’s face and for a second, I start to get self-conscious. Maybe I should invite him inside, but I’m not sure that I’m ready for that.
Not quite yet anyway.
“Well, I’ll… I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say as I take a step back from him.
“Tomorrow,” he agrees, his voice husky.
I head inside and take one last look at Wade before I close the door and turn the lock. I can’t help but smile as I get ready for bed. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
TEN
Wade
The morning sunstreams through the half-open windows of the building, casting long shadows across the floor as I finish up the last of the trim work. My hands move almost on autopilot, the rhythm of the work calming my mind, but it’s not enough to keep my thoughts from drifting to Auden.
She’s been in my head since the moment I woke up this morning, and if I’m being honest, she’s been there a hell of a lot longer than that. There’s something about her—something more than just the way she smiles or the way her eyes light up when she’s excited about a new design. It’s the way she makes me feel. Like maybe, just maybe, I’m worth something more than the sum of my parts.
I set down the nail gun and step back to admire my work, but my mind’s only half on the job. The other half is replaying last night, the way she looked at me after I had kissed her. I can’t get that look out of my head. I’ve seen a lot of things in my life, but I’ve never seen anything that made me feel as alive as that.
The door creaks open behind me, and I turn to see Auden standing there, her arms crossed casually over her chest, a soft smile playing on her lips. She’s dressed in her usual work clothes, jeans, a fitted shirt that hugs her curves just right, but there’s something about the way she’s looking at me that makes my chest tighten.
“Hey,” she says, walking over to where I’m standing. “Looks like you’re almost done here.”
“Yeah,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. “Just finishing up the trim. Should be out of your hair by tomorrow.”
She laughs, a light, musical sound that makes my heart skip a beat. “You know you’re never in my hair, Wade. I like having you around.”
There’s a warmth in her voice that sends a shiver down my spine, and I have to remind myself to keep it together. We’re at work, after all, but that doesn’t stop the way my eyes linger on her, the way my mind starts wandering to places it probably shouldn’t be going when we’re standing in a half-finished building.
“Speaking of getting out of your hair,” I say, trying to steer the conversation back to something safe, “you want to grab lunch with me? I was thinking we could take a break, get something to eat.”
She nods, her smile widening. “That sounds great. I could use a break.”
We pack up our tools and head out to a small diner down the street, a place we’ve been to more times than I can count. It’s nothing fancy, but the food’s good, and it’s quiet enough that we can talk without having to shout over the noise. As we walk, I can’t help but notice the way her hand brushes against mine every so often, the casual touches that send sparks shooting through my veins.
We settle into a booth near the back, and the waitress, who knows us by now, brings over our usual drinks without us even having to ask. There’s a comfort in the familiarity of it all, but at the same time, there’s this undercurrent of something more—something that’s been building between us for weeks now.
“So,” Auden says as she stirs her iced tea, “what’s the plan for tonight? I was thinking we could grab dinner, maybe see that new movie everyone’s been talking about?”
The idea of spending the evening with her, just the two of us, sounds perfect. But as much as I want to focus on the movie, I know my mind’s going to be elsewhere—on her, on us, on the way she makes me feel like I’m the only guy in the world when she looks at me.
“That sounds good,” I say, trying to keep my tone casual. “I’ll pick you up around six?”
“Six works,” she replies, her eyes twinkling with something I can’t quite place. “But I’ll warn you now, I might not be ready on time. I promised Lena and Arlowe that I would stop by Clay and Cupcakes for a bit. Our hangouts always seem to last longer than I think.”
