Page 42 of Mr. July

I hadn’t heard from her since I received official notice from the small claims court. The lawyer in me knew it was wise to not communicate further. I missed our bickering. Now that I had a face to match her words. My blood heated in an entirely different way. I itched to get under Bunny’s little do-gooder’s skin. I couldn’t help myself. The court just granted her a date of July 10. It was the perfect excuse to make contact. I opened up my app…. Screw it if she uses it for court. We’re never going to get there. I’ll settle an hour beforehand, giving her back her entire deposit if the app unfreezes my rental listing.

This was for me now. I’m playing chess, owning the board and when it’s time I’ll take the queen. I did warn her she had no idea who she was messing with. Somehow, sparring with her became more intriguing then clubbing with Hunter or reviewing contracts. I missed the banter, the way she got under my skin, making me hot under the collar. My life had become… safe. Vanilla. I couldn’t help myself.

From: homeowner1278

To: [email protected]

SUBJECT: GAME ON

I am most definitely an attorney. I’d send you my license number, but you’d probably stalk me, and I already have enough women doing that. You’d lose your mind over how good looking and successful I am. And since I know you have a sex fetish or candy penis fetish, my picture would definitely send you off the edge. And since this is fact, as stared by the evidence I gathered in my home which was witnessed by my housekeeper and documented with pictures, my using this language in an email to you cannot be construed as sexually harassing.

P.S.

Candy dick fetish. There I said it again. Just because I can.

Seventeen

Mid-June

I quickly swept the balls of dog and cat hair that had collected in corners on my floor. I straightened the pillows on the couch that came with the rental. A soft breeze blew in, bringing the fresh smell of ocean. The summer crowd slowly trickled in during May but now in mid-June they were here to stay until fall. Gran took the day off to drive down and visit me at the shore. I hadn’t seen her since Christmas. I was nervous, hoping seeing Pop’s boat floating gracefully at the dock wouldn’t be too much for her.

My cell dinged with a new email. My brow furrowed as I read it. It was from the small claims court, the date was set for July 10th. Truthfully, I had pushed Mr. Hot-shot Homeowner to the back of my mind. My days have been so full. So full of days on the ocean, analyzing data, writing reports, and making hypothesis. After a five-mile bike ride back to my apartment, instead of showering right away, I often took out the dogs from their crates for long walks. I didn’t have to, I wanted to.

Sometimes, I’d paddleboard in the quiet of dawn before I bike to the research facility. In the early evening, as the sun turned the sky shades of pink, I took Pop’s boat out on the bay, drop anchor, and just bask in the glory of it all—my new life that I never dreamed possible on Christmas Day. I made my own Christmas wish come true. I had the power within me the whole time. It was a lesson I’ll never forget. My skin was golden. Freckles were emerging. My hair was getting bleached by the sun. I didn’t care. Muscles appeared that I never had before. I was living and breathing the ocean life and loving every second of it. I was coming into my own in ways I never had before.

“Ryan? You up there?”

“Gran!” I flung the screen door open, waving her up. My heart squeezed in my chest as we hugged. She smelled like gardenias and talcum powder, just as she always had. Gran was home. Her love was the one constant all my life.

“Look at you! I hardly recognized my darling granddaughter! So fit… so healthy!” Her eyes shone as she took in my bare feet, tan, and longer hair that the sun had turned a lighter color.

I grinned. “The ocean works miracles. I feel like a different person on the inside, too.”

“I’ve never been prouder. You took control over your life. Captained your own ship.”

“Well, I did have the best cheerleader in my corner. You look different too.” There was a sparkle in Gran’s eye. Color in her face that I hadn’t seen since before Pops got sick.

She waved her hand. “My job keeps me fit as a fiddle.”

I remembered that husky voice I had overheard that one time. “Your boss treats you well?

“He’s a devil that one. But we’ll talk about him later. Show me around.”

“There’s not much to see.”

“You have a lovely view.” I made a grand gesture to the galley kitchen where instead of a wall there was a half-one with stools.

“Nice calendar.”

My face heated as she spied it.

“Oh, it was here from the previous tenant.”

“It’s not July yet dear, it’s almost the end of June.”

“But July was so much better,” I half came clean.

“Well, it’s much hotter that’s for sure.”

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