Page 105 of Just One Kiss

Her raised eyebrows demanded an explanation.

“Yours is old and broken.”

“It was out of gas.”

“Trust me, Carly, it’s junk.”

She eyed him. “You mow a lot of lawns in Chicago?”

He pulled the old mower into the garage, then pushed the new one toward her. “This one is state of the art. It will practically mow the lawn itself.”

“I don’t need a state-of-the-art lawn mower, Josh.”

“Well, now you have one, so you’re welcome.”

She groaned. “This changes nothing.”

He waved her off. “I know. You’re still mad at me.”

“No, I’m—”

But he yanked the pull cord and the engine roared to life, drowning her out. He grinned, and she rolled her eyes.

He waggled his eyebrows at her as he walked by, taking his first pass on her lawn.

He bought me a lawn mower.

Unbelievable.

Josh spent the entire morning in the yard. Mowing, weeding, raking. By the time he finished, Carly’s house was ready for the Lion’s Club Garden Walk.

And Carly couldn’t utter a word of complaint.

* * *

Later that night, after her shower, Carly changed into pajama shorts and a tank top, eager to get downstairs where her pint of almond praline Ben & Jerry’s had softened to the perfect texture on the counter.

It was the first night Jaden was sleeping in his room since his surgery, and Carly had already decided to stay up late watchingFriday Night Lights.

She was standing in the kitchen, fishing through the dishwasher for a spoon, when she heard a soft knock on the door.

“What in the world?” She flipped on the outside light and found Josh standing on the porch.

She pulled the door open and stared at him. “I thought you finished hours ago.”

He’d showered and changed out of the clothes he’d mowed in, and was out of breath, like he’d been running.

“Are you okay?”

How many times had he shown up on her back porch, in need of help? Now, a grown-up version of that young boy stood before her, and her feelings warred with each other. That boy had won her heart a million times over—but this man had broken it just as many times.

How did she reconcile that?

She shoved aside thoughts of years gone by and focused on him now. Why was he here?

“Josh?”

“No, Carly,” he finally said. “I’m not okay.”

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