Page 10 of Sweetheart and the Grouch
“What? Why?”
He takes the vegetables out of the basket and drops them in the sink. “You know why.”
“Because I’m nineteen?”
“And because I’m thirty-five.”
“All I’m hearing is that we’re both adults.”
“Yeah. Well, only one of us is old enough to drink, and the other still has ‘teen’ at the end of their age.”
“That means nothing. I’ve met plenty of supposed adults who behaved like children acting out. Maturity comes from life choice and experience. Not the number of years you’ve been alive. And I’ve got maturity in droves.”
“Then you’re mature enough to accept my decision and not fight it,” he fires back, using my own logic against me. “I am your neighbor. That’s all we get to be.”
My mouth opens and closes. I want to argue, but I also realize that in doing so, I’ll only prove to him that I can’t handle being told no—like a child. “If that’s what you want.”
He hands me the washed carrots. “It’s what I want.”
At first, I say nothing. I just look up at him, wrapping my hands around the vegetables in a way that ensures our fingers touch. And when he visibly shudders, I open my mouth and whisper, “Where’s the peeler?”
It takes him a moment to blink and realize what I just said, but when he does, he clears his throat and says in a husky tone, “Top drawer.”
From there, we move about the kitchen quietly, only communicating when an instruction needs relaying while we chop and grate, mix and stir. Elena joins in once she’s finished her longwinded hand-washing routine, and I once again marvel at his patience with her until finally a tray of savory muffins are placed inside the oven.
“How long do we wait?” she asks, looking through the glass door. “I’m getting kinda hungry here.”
“Twenty minutes,” he says, turning the dial on a timer and handing it to her. “I’m gonna use that time getting a few supplies together so we can get the stink of smoke out of your cabin when breakfast is done.”
“Getting rid of us that quickly?” I blurt, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks when his eyes snap to mine.
“Wouldn’t you rather get settled into your new place over spending another night having to share a bed here?”
I’d rather be sharing your bed…
We continue staring at each other, as if daring the other to say what’s really on their mind, until Ellie does the answering for me.
“I want my own room. Ainsley wiggles too much and she snores.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t touch his eyes. “Then it’s settled.”
I move into the bedroom and pack our few possessions into a bag, feeling my heart sinking as I look around the room to make sure I have everything. Everything inside me is telling me that it’s with Ajax I belong. But how do I say that to him without coming off as a crazy person? He already thinks I’m too young. Telling him I think that maybe he’s my soulmate will probably only make him think I’m childish for believing something so romantic exists. But it’s the one thing I’ve always held onto. The one thing I’ve believed in even in my darkest moments—that one day, I’d find my one true love. What if it’s him and he’s the entire reason I chose Whisper Valley in the first place?
Closing my eyes, I think about his hands on my skin, remembering the way his hot mouth collided with mine, and the way he lifted me effortlessly onto the counter. My arms wrap around my middle, and I sway as if to music, losing myself in the pleasure of dreaming about what could be. Whatshouldbe. When I hear a throat clearing not far from me, I’m quick to straighten my arms by my sides and stop moving.
“I wasn’t doing anything,” I say quickly, my face feeling scarlet from the heat in my cheeks as I meet Ajax’s eyes with alarm.
Ellie is with him and she giggles. “What were you even dancing to?”
Lowering my gaze to my feet, I shove my hair behind my ear, wishing myself invisible. “Just a song in my head. It was nothing,” I lie, not about to explain to my little sister what I was really dreaming of.Why can’t there be a rewind button on life?!
“Breakfast is ready,” Ajax murmurs, and I nod.
“Sure. Great. I’ll be out in a minute.” I don’t look up until I hear him leaving. And then I flop face first on the bed. Now he’s never going to take me seriously.
AJAX
“Ithought you might be a superhero before, Ajax. But now I reckon you’re more like a magician,” Elena says as we wipe down the walls of their cabin with a solution made of vinegar, water and a little lavender oil. We’re getting a little low, so Ainsley is outside mixing up some more.
