Page 5 of Warm and Dry

"Used to. Just pickup stuff, nothing organized. But I blew out my knee in my early twenties and lost the motivation to get back into it after."

I winced, feeling phantom pain in my knees just thinking about it. "That's rough."

He shrugged like it was long past being a big deal to him. "It’s okay. Gives me the chance to focus on my true passion." He waved to the machines surrounding us. “Laundry.”

I laughed at that. “You’re a lucky man.”

"It’s not a bad gig. I live upstairs, so it's an easy commute." He smiled then gestured upward with one hand. “I even get to swoop in and feed cute hockey players now and then.”

My cheeks warmed at the compliment as my eyes lingered up at the ceiling. Scott had been up there this whole time. He'd watched me on his surveillance equipment and came down specifically to help. I didn't know if that was mortifying or sweet or something else entirely.

It was time to change the subject. "Must be nice to live right above your business."

"It has its moments." His stare was attentive, like he was genuinely interested in what I was gonna say next. "You like working in HVAC?"

"Most days." I took another bite of my sandwich and spent a few seconds chewing before I spoke again. "I like the physical aspect of it. I wouldn’t survive sitting at a desk. And there's something satisfying about fixing something that was broken, ya know? You go in, figure out what's wrong, and make it work again."

He nodded like that made complete sense to him. "Pretty much the same reason I like running this place. Low drama. Things work when people need them. If they don’t, we fix them. Nothing carries over until tomorrow. People leave happy or satisfied or whatever, and it’s nice to know I helped them knock something off their list."

"Happy…except for the kiosk."

He pointed at me and nodded. "Except for the kiosk. Which I'm fixing today."

The dryer buzzed, reminding me why I was even here. Before I realized I'd moved, I was on my feet and heading to the machine. Everything felt warm and dry as I pressed my face into the jersey and breathed it in. There was nothing better than the smell of fresh laundry. Okay, maybe a few things, but not much.

It just took a minute for me to get everything back into the bag, and I made the mistake of checking the clock again. Fuck. It was getting late. "I really appreciate how nice you’ve been, but I gotta run." I picked up my gear bag and tried to remember how to be a normal person who said goodbye without reading too much into random kindness. "Thanks for the sandwich. And the electrolytes. And the… Well, everything."

He walked me to the door and pushed it open. The sun was peeking out and the rain had stopped. "Win your game, Forest."

"I'll try." I shifted the gear bag on my shoulder and glanced up at him. "Thanks again, Scott."

I made myself walk to my truck without looking back. Almost made it too.

4

SCOTT

Forest had been gone for forty minutes, and I was still thinking about him.

I went back upstairs and finished up my birthday cake, but the vibe was lost. After everything that had happened with Forest, my whole day felt outta sync.

Because I couldn’t resist, I cut myself a slice and ate it while I stared at the monitor that showed all the cameras downstairs.

There were a few regulars down in the laundromat but no one who needed my help.

My eyes kept drifting toward the dryer Forest had used and the bench we ate at. It was ridiculous how badly I was pining for a guy several years and a lifetime of experience younger than me.

But I couldn’t help it.

He was exactly my type.

Technically, I’d never dated a guy with longish hair and a shortish beard, but I suddenly wanted to. Desperately.

I put my plate in the sink and told myself to find something useful to do. So, I headed downstairs and got started.

The kiosk signage was simple and made me feel guilty for waiting so long to just get it done. I found a plastic frame in my office and printed step-by-step instructions in a font big enough to read without squinting. Then I hung it up next to the screen so there was no way anyone could miss it. I also added my phone number to the sign so people could reach me in an emergency instead of waiting for tech support to help.

While I was down there, I checked all the machines for lost items and then wiped down the folding tables. Staying busy helped pass time, but I kept glancing at the bench where Forest sat eating his sandwich. With my eyes closed, I could picture his forearms on his thighs, giggling in a way that seemed almost foreign to him.