Page 45 of Bottle Rocket
She thought so too. It was one of the reasons she’d bought this condo. There was a privacy fence separating her from her neighbors, a pretty patio, and a big shade tree in the corner.
“I wish I could enhance the backyard,” she said. “Make it more usable and homey.” She wasn’t particularly handy, but she had dreams of a porch swing and flowerbeds and bird feeders.
“I could help you with that.”
She glared at him, and he grinned. He couldn’t help her with that, and he fucking knew it. She stomped back inside.
“So what’s up with these peaches?” she asked. They’d bought a million of them. They were dainty and fresh and fuzzy.
“These peaches and this ginger”—he held up the large root—“are going to be the base for the best jam you’ve ever had.”
“You talk a big jam game,” she said. “I’m not convinced you’ll be able to deliver.”
“And what will you give me if I do?” He snuggled up behind her and smelled her hair. She’d noticed he did that a lot.
She closed her eyes. “Jam?”
He laughed. “Fair enough.”
She sighed and glanced around at the mess in her kitchen. There were canning contraptions everywhere. It was very intimidating.
“We’ll start with boiling the jars,” Leo said.
From there they scored the peaches and set up an assembly line of blanching—boiling the peaches for a few seconds, then dunking them in an ice bath. The scent of peaches filled her kitchen, and buttery sunrays filtered in through her windows.
“This is one of my favorite things to do in the summer, but it’s hard in my Airstream. Not enough room.” Leo transferred another round of peaches from the boiling water to the ice water. “Thank you for letting me commandeer your day.”
That made her feel guilty for all her unhappy thoughts. She wasn’t truly unhappy. She was super happy, in fact, which was the problem. She was enjoying this way too much.
“You’re welcome. It’s fun,” she grumbled.
“You ready to peel?”
“I guess.”
She picked a peach out of the ice bath. It was soft and slightly warm. She had no idea how she was supposed to peel it, but she figured thexthey’d scored on the bottom would be a good place to start.
She made a right mess while trying to get the skin off. She managed to squish about half the peach in the process. When she’d finished, she plucked the stone out and turned to Leo in triumph. His eyes were full of heat and humor.
She grabbed another with a smile, loving the way he was staring at her. She’d made it through two peaches before Leo wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“I could show you how to do it quicker. My way is also less messy.”
She liked the mess, but she didn’t tell him that. Instead, she said, “You want to pool stick me.”
“What?”
“Yeah, oldest move in the book. The man puts his arms around the lady to show her how to shoot pool. But with peaches.”
He laughed and kissed the back of her neck. Goosebumps bloomed over her shoulders, and she dropped her peach on the counter.
“Watching you do that is turning me on,” he whispered in her ear. “Watching you do anything would turn me on, but this is really getting to me.”
She huffed and picked her peach back up. She squeezed the flesh out of the skin. He made a sexy rumbly noise in the back of his throat.
“Oh my god, you perv,” she said with a laugh.
“I know. I’m sorry.” He mouthed along her shoulder.
