Page 10 of Nerdy or Nice
Before loading up a single kitten, I'd made sure to fluff up the blanket nice and high so they'd all be protected from the wind. Even so, I was beyond anxious to get them home.
I'd even offered to carry them back on my own, but true to his word, Drake had insisted on hauling the carrier himself while I trudged uselessly beside him.
At least he'd finally zipped his coat, sothatwas good. The last thing I needednowwas another look at his muscles – or his backside.
Yes, Ididnotice it when he turned away to push the newly empty stroller closer to his front door. But it's not like I'd been staring.Much.
Now, as we plodded along the sidewalk, I gave him a quick, sideways glance.Why was he going to so much trouble?
Was he worried that I'd damage his carrier? Or refuse to return it?
Of course, there might be a less cynical reason.Maybehe was just a nice guy in spite of his hot body and cocky smile. But if hewasa nice person, this offered me little comfort in the big scheme of things.
I wasn't his type.
He'd said so himself.
I regretted this for all of thirty seconds before reminding myself that he was living in his grandfather's basement.Probably, he was unemployed, too.
But then, I reconsidered. Maybe his grandfather was living withhim.Maybe Drake had a perfectly respectable job and a love for his extended family.
As for myself, I hadthreejobs – the pet-sitting thing, a part-time tutoring job, and a seasonal gift-wrapping gig that I'd taken for Christmas cash during my college winter break.
As far as Drake, maybe he and his grandfather were just roommates. I thought of my two favorite cousins. They were sisters, and the two ofthemlived together in the same house.It was smart.
Maybe this guy was smart, too.Hey, anything was possible, right?
I gave him another sideways glance before asking in a casual sort of way, "So, what are you doing home on a Monday morning?"
Looking amused by the question, he replied, "Same thing as you."
Well, that was annoyingly vague. "Really? Because technically, I'm working." I pointed to the pet carrier. "You know, watching the kittens."
He glanced toward the carrier in his arms. "Yeah, me too."
Was he messing with me?Hehadto be.
I was just gearing up for another try when he asked, "So, what's with the stroller?"
At the moment, the stroller was sitting abandoned on his front porch. But Ihadpromised to drive back to his house later this morning to retrieve it. "You mean…why did it break?"
"No. I mean why were you pushing it in this weather?"
I gave an awkward laugh. "Oh, come on. It's not like there's a blizzard."
"Yeah, but it's not summer either."
"Oh, please," I said. "We live in Michigan. Summer lasts what? Five minutes? If we waited for summer, we'd never do anything. And besides, I'm doing it because I'm being paid to."
"So, you charge your aunt for pet-sitting?"
The question caught me off guard. For one thing, it sounded like a veiled accusation. For another, I didn't recall telling him that I was pet-sitting for my aunt.
But then again, Ihadbeen a little distracted. "I didn't charge her anything," I told him. "I mean, I offered to do it for free – wealldid – but she insisted on paying."
"Lucky you."
Was he being sarcastic?From his tone, I couldn’t be sure. "What are you saying? That I'm taking advantage of her?"
