Page 73 of Make it Real
I walked up beside her. “It’s looking good.”
She made a face. “It’s getting there.”
“June doesn’t expect you to spray it down with wood polish, does she?”
“I don’t think so, but a spray down wouldn’t hurt.” She picked her floral water bottle up off the floor and drank the last gulp down. “Think Ty has a pressure washer?”
“I think a pressure washer would knock this whole place down.” Seemed sturdy enough for the vehicles, but I sure wouldn’t push it.
“We could use a toothbrush, then. Isn’t that the way you cleaned things in the Army?”
She grinned up at me, and I gloried in her teasing.Crazy kids.
“Only really disgusting things. So, yeah, the barn counts.” I eyed the way her hair clung to her forehead in sweaty tendrils. A bead of sweat worked its way from behind her ear down the side of her throat, and I wanted to brush it aside with my thumb in the worst way. “Are you holding up in the heat okay?”
Barn had no insulation, poor circulation, and the temperature hovered around a hundred degrees. June had rented giant fans for the reception, but those wouldn’t arrive until the tables, chairs, and all the rest came on Friday.
“I’m okay. Is it too much for you?”
I winked at her. “Darlin’, I’ve been through worse. Why don’t you take a breather and I’ll refill this for you.”
I took the empty water bottle from her hand, letting my fingers glide over hers. Her lips parted in a soft little intake of breath that made my stomach jolt like I’d hit rough air. Or had suddenly become desperately hungry.
I needed to shut down that hunger. I’d promised her she could be in charge of the physical side of our fake relationship, and I’d broken that promise in the orchards. Kissing her had barely been a thought—it’d been an all-out need, and I’d acted on impulse. Did I regret it? No. Had I replayed that kiss in my head? More times than I could count. Should I do it again? Absolutely not.
Pretty sure with Callie, satisfying one need would only lead to others, a series of dominoes taking us to places I’d sworn we’d stay away from. No matter how much I longed to visit those places.
I swallowed hard, trying to clear my thoughts. All this over a finger touch? Maybe itwastoo hot in here.
I turned from her and found my beat-up stainless steel water bottle resting on the cross beam of the barn’s side wall. “Anyone else need water refills? I’m headed to the house.”
Turned out everyone needed refills, and I juggled six earth-friendly containers in my arms.
Wade took three from me. “I’ll help you out with that.”
“Thanks, guys.” June looked about as wilted as Callie did, but she had a spark of determination to her, too, like this miserable heat couldn’t possibly get in the way of the wedding reception of her dreams.
Wade and I strode off, crossing the gravel lot between the vehicle barn and Ty’s house. He kept shooting glances my way, and I figured he had something smart sitting on the tip of his tongue.
I sighed. “Out with it.”
“You’re just so adorable, is all.”
He laid it on thick, sounding like a teenager sighing over their crush.
“I’m always adorable. Didn’t think that’d ever been in question.”
“Checking in on Callie, watching her like your eyes are glued to her. It’s a sight.”
Why couldn’t my whole family have got their gloating in over dinner the other night? One and done, bam, out of their system, and we could all move on. But no. Now Wade wanted a turn.
“You’ve seen me with women before.”
“I actually haven’t. Not since high school, and that’s long enough ago now not to count. This is a novel experience.”
“At least you’re not giving me a hard time about it.”
He laughed as we stomped the dirt off our feet on Ty’s welcome mat. “I’ve only just begun.”
