Page 5 of Defender

“Well, yeah… I mean, he’s older but,” she shrugs, “older guys are hot. Plus, they have their lives together and they know how to treat a woman. You guys totally connected. I could see it. Just give it a try. Maybe it wouldn’t be as weird as you think.”

I shrug and push back the strands of hair that’ve come loose from my clip. “Yeah, I think it’s over. I mean, I never told him about the medical thing either. So…”

“Stop. You don’t need to feel bad about that, and it doesn’t have to stop your life. You’re still a smart, loving, compassionate person that would make anyone’s life better.”

I know she’s trying to help, and I appreciate her for it, but it’s not the truth. I struggle every day. “I think I’m going to head up to the lake and take some pictures. There’s an old miner cabin up there that I’ve been wanting to capture at sunset.”

“That’s hours away.” Nora reaches out for me. “Why don’t we get lunch first? If you don’t want to talk about your drama, we can talk about mine. My mom called while I was helping Mrs. Robinson with the veggies. She said that Colton wants to meet up for that nanny job in a few weeks. How am I going to do this?”

She lands her hand on her hip, and though I’m pretty sure she’s still talking, I catch a view of Gunner wheeling a mound of dirt from the pile out back toward the rose bushes. She’s not kidding about him being attractive. Online, I knew he was big, I could tell by the way the camera framed him, but in real life he’s much, much bigger. His biceps are bigger. His shoulders are bigger. His hands are bigger. He’s…a beast of a man.I guess it makes sense considering the time he spent in the military. Military men are typically jacked, right? Or, at the very least, they value their fitness.

“I lost you.” Nora turns back, following my line of sight. “Oh… yeah… that’s a good reason to ignore me. You sure you don’t think you should go after him? I saw him checking you out, too.”

“What? When?”

“I went into the house to get drinks earlier and he was watching you work. You picked up this purple flower, weed thing, and you were smelling it. He couldn’t look away.” She grins menacingly. “He leaned that giant body onto his shovel and just stared. He was practically drooling. He likes you… despite what he’s saying out loud.”

I draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I love you. I think you should take the nanny job and see what happens. Maybe Colton likes you, too. I mean, if you two are spending that much time together, one of you is bound to crack.”

Her eyes widen. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Come on, let’s go grab a bite to eat.”

Gunner dumps the wheelbarrow out, spreading dirt over the last bush before tamping it down with his boot. I have a feeling I could watch him work all day. “I think I’m gonna shower and head up to the lake. I want to get set up before sunset and there’s a mile hike in from the parking lot.”

“I’ll go with you then. I don’t want you to be alone right now.” She squeezes my arm and grabs the bucket of weeds off the ground, tossing the remnants in the nearby line of trees. “It’ll be fun. We can pack a picnic and listen to music or read together. I’m still trying to get through that fantasy book we picked up last week. Are you reading it?”

“I am, but there’s not enough smut.”

She laughs. “Right? Like, come on… fuck her with your monster dick or lick her clean with your split tongue. I’m in chapter five! I need some action!”

Clearly, we have a problem, but it’s nice to have one together. “I love you, but I think I’m gonna head out on my own tonight. I need some time to myself, and you know how lost I get when I’m taking pictures. We still have that date later this week, right?”

Nora offers me a soft smile. “Okay… but you have to promise me you’ll call if you get lonely. I’ll hike my big ass out there with some buttered popcorn and a chocolate bar. Promise.”

My smile widens. “Deal. Should we say goodbye to Mrs. R? Where is she?”

“Oh, we’re good. She went inside an hour ago to clean up and nap. You should say goodbye to the hot guy, though.”

I shake my head and climb up into her dad’s truck. “Nope! We said our goodbyes right after we said hello.”

“And it’s not weird that you guys were friends? Can you at least keep talking casually?”

“He asked, but you saw him. We can’t be friends. I’d definitely do bad things to him… with him… whatever. You get it. It wouldn’t be healthy.”

“Since when do you care about being healthy? Just do bad things and have fun. What’s the point of life if you’re not taking chances?”

“Fair, but what about the part where I’m addicted to boredom? I mean, that matters too, right?” I glance toward her and smile. “Who else is going to sit home on Friday night crocheting little dragons with their mom?”

“Ya know, we really need to get to these spankings because you’re begging for it.” Nora laughs as she pulls back up the road where we came from this morning.

“Maybe a spanking would do me good. How about I try this hike first? If I don’t come back with a new attitude, I’ll bend over for the proper punishment.”

Nora grins, rubbing her hands together playfully before gripping the wheel again. “Okay, but I’ll be ready.”

“You better be. I’m a runner, so I might need to be tackled before I’m spanked!”

Her brows narrow before she bursts into laughter as she pulls into my driveway. “Tackled and spanked? Girl, I don’t run for anyone.”

“Well, that’s the only way I’ll learn.” I have no idea what we’re even talking about anymore, but I love that we can hang out and be random. I guess that’s the bonus of being best friends so long.

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