Page 14 of The Lineman

Mike was nervous, but it was totally adorable. The way he blushed and stammered, the way he panicked over frozen peas like he’d committed a felony—it had been a while since I’d met someone who didn’t try to be cool and collected all the time.

And his dog humping my leg within five minutes of meeting him?

That was hard to forget.

I took another bite, staring out at the lines.

Maybe I should ask him out, I thought, surprising myself mid-chew.

I hadn’t been on a real date in . . . hell, longer than I cared to admit. Most of my relationships had been casual, low-maintenance and easy. Guys in Atlanta rarely wanted more than a roll in the hay, so I didn’t put much more effort into getting to know them than a good slap and tickle.

But Mike . . . he didn’t seem like the type for casual.

Which—honestly?—might be a good thing.

Mike and I hadn’t really discussed dating or relationships or whatever. Crap, we hadn’t had time to discuss much of anything. Still, I had a good sense of things. He was a good guy, incredibly awkward and insecure, but a good one.

I finished my sandwich and tossed the wrapper.

“Ah, screw it,” I muttered.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Thenextstopwasa transformer swap, which should have been straightforward.

Except for the kid in the yard who wouldnotstop asking questions. Why didn’t children come with an “off” button or switch?

“How high up are you going?”

“Have you ever fallen?”

“Can you see my house from up there?”

“What happens if you touch the wire?”

I sighed. “Kid, if I touch the wire, I die.”

His eyes got huge.

“Cool.”

Future lineman, right there.

Or crispy kid, who knew?

Sometimes, we did more than just fix power lines, like when a cat got itself stuck on a pole, and the entire neighborhood gathered like it was some kind of sporting event.

“She’s been up there all day!” the owner wailed.

I looked up at the fluffy idiot who stared down at me like I was the problem.

“This happens a lot?” I asked.

“Every couple of months,” the guy admitted.

I sighed, climbed the pole, grabbed the cat, and got clawed for my efforts.

When I handed the ungrateful bastard to his owner, the whole street applauded like I was Superman.

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