Page 44 of Buy Back My Love

“Yes, please, before I drop this shit.”

Van parked along the curb and got out, but Snoop tried to follow him across the center console. “Nah, you stay in there,” Van told him before shutting the door. He looked over at me as he came up the walkway. “Can’t have you knocking my neighbor down again.”

“See, now you admitting he did it.”

“I ain’t admit nothing.” He reached me and took the top three boxes out of my arms. “Where you want these?”

“The kitchen island is fine.”

I stepped aside and let him go in ahead of me. Lord knows I had already noticed Van was good-looking, but watching him walk into my house did something a little different. His waves were laid like he brushed them for a living, and that plain T-shirt fit across his back and shoulders way too damn well. Something about him reminded me of one of them nineties R&B singers my mama used to have playing around the house, just without all the leather and rain.

Van carried the boxes inside and set them on the kitchen island before heading right back out for the rest. I grabbed a couple of the smaller ones and followed him, and between the two of us, it didn’t take long to clear the porch.

He set the last box on the island and looked around the living room. “You did your thing with this place.”

“Thank you.” I smiled as his eyes moved around the room before landing on one of the lamps I’d bought from his family’s estate sale.

A smile spread across his face. “Man, they really do look good in here. Memaw would’ve loved this setup.”

“I was hoping I did ’em justice.”

“You did.”

Van kept looking around until his attention landed on the big-ass TV still sitting on the floor in front of the media console. “You gonna mount that?” he asked.

I followed his eyes and crossed my arms. “My boyfriend was supposed to hire somebody to come do it for me, but he hasn’t gotten around to it yet.”

Van looked over at me, and I could tell from the little smile on his face that he remembered our conversation at the estate sale. “It’s complicated, huh?”

I smacked my teeth. “He’s a truck driver. He’s gone most of the time, so he hasn’t had a chance to handle it.”

“You ain’t gotta explain nothing to me.”

“I wasn’t explaining.”

“Sounded like it.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he smiled before nodding toward the TV.

“I can mount it for you.”

“Oh, no, you ain’t gotta do that.”

“I know I don’t have to.” Van slid his hands into his pockets. “I don’t mind.”

I glanced toward the front window where Snoop was still waiting in the Jeep. “Weren’t y’all headed somewhere?”

“Dog park, but it can wait. I’ll take him back home and grab my tools while I’m there.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” Van headed toward the door. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

He gave me a quick nod before walking out, and I stood there watching through the window until he got back into his Jeep and drove down the street. As soon as his Jeep disappeared, I grabbed my phone and called Anika.

She picked up after a couple rings. “Girl, what’s up?”