AllFreeNovel
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“Do you need help with anything? Putting together furniture, or…”
My voice trails off, the thought out of my mouth before I can think better of it. Wasn’t I just complaining to myself about how tired I am? What I need is to go inside and shower and stretch and sort through my bills for the month—so why am I offering to play construction worker for my new neighbor?
She gives me a soft look of appreciation, and I groan internally.That’swhy. That look would be enough to bring any man to his knees.
“Thanks, but I can do it on my own.” She looks at her daughter and rests their foreheads together, her voice dropping to a whisper. “We got this, don’t we, Junie Bee?”
My lips tilt up at the adorable interaction, though I can’t ignore the sliver of disappointment I feel at her declining.
“Alright, well…Sydney and I will be just next door if you need anything. And apologies again about her escape artistry today. I appreciate you taking care of her.”
“No problem. See you around, neighbor.” She gives me a quick wave then turns and heads back in the direction she came from.
My eyes drop to the sway of her hips as she goes, to the jean shorts that fit snugly on her peach of an ass and her cute little cowboy boots and…
I turn and head into my own house, Sydney at my heels, ready to be fed. I’m not sure how old Busy is, but Idoknow she is far too young for me to be eyeing like that. Though really, I shouldn’t be giving eyes toanywoman, regardless. I might not be married anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’m suddenly free to do whatever the hell I want.
Intent on distraction, I focus my attention on first setting out food for my girl, then hunting down the reason she was able to escape. Though, try as I might, I can’t find anything.
Sydney’s a great dog, so I’ve never needed to crate her. Instead, she gets to enjoy the place to herself on the days I leave her at home while I’m at work. Not once have I returned to a bag of food ripped open or stuffing from a pillow on the floor. She doesn’t chew on anything I don’t explicitly give to her. Normally when I get back, she’s lying comatose on the couch or sprawled on her back in the strip of sun that comes through the back door. The idea that she escaped somehow just feels…mind-boggling. Especially since I can’t figure out how she got out of the house.
After a while, I give up the search and head to the shower, rinsing away the sweat and dust from the day before tugging on a pair of shorts, grabbing a beer, and plopping onto the couch in front of the TV.
But before I can even reach for the remote, my phone rings. I groan when I see who it is, though I still hit accept and put it on speaker.
“Hey, mom.”
“How’s my baby?” Her voice comes through the line and fills the room, and I wince slightly at the sound of it. Maybe that makes me a jerk, but right now, with how exhausted I feel, I can’t muster the energy to care.
“Tired,” I tell her honestly. “How are you doing?”
I glance around, realizing I didn’t grab a bottle opener. Shoving up from my seat, I return to the kitchen as my mom replies.
“Amazing. Vance took me to the Caribbean last week, remember?”
Idoremember. She called me from the car on the way to the airport to brag and then hung up on me when I didn’t get as excited as she wanted me to.
“It was incredible,” she continues, not waiting for me to respond. “We went to this all-inclusive resort and danced anddrank and sunned by the water. Ugh, it was perfect. Exactly what I needed.”
Finally, I find the bottle opener and snag it, turning to head back to the living room, but my eyes catch on movement outside the window over my kitchen sink.
Busy and Junie are walking out onto the shared dock that sits between our two cabins. My mother’s voice fades into the background as I watch them, the setting sun sparkling brightly on the water behind their silhouettes as they take a seat on the wooden jetty and share bites from what looks like a sandwich.
They paint a cute picture.
“Reid! Are you even listening?”
My mother’s voice cuts through and I turn away, heading back to the living room to the beer that’s waiting for me.
“Sorry. Say that again?”
The reality is I don’t want to hear anything about Vance or my mom or this stupid vacation. Why she is nearly relentless about sharing this stuff with me when I’ve tried to make it clear I don’t want to hear it is beyond me.
But I’m all she has now, no matter what has happened in the past. She might have let me down in ways I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive, but she’s still my mom. So I listen as she recounts their trip, trying to be the dutiful son, trying to give her the attention I know she wants, even if I’d rather be doing literally anything else.
chapter three
Busy
