Page 15 of Pinch of Love

Self-care? I just wanted to get clean, so I added some lavender sea salts, and that was it. They dissolved fully before I even got in the tub. Promise!

I clenched my jaw and tried to push the image of her stepping into the tub right out of my mind. This was strictly professional.

I typed a quick message back.

I’ll be over to unclog your pipes shortly.

The moment I sent the message, a fierce heat ran through me. What in God’s name kind of text did I just send to Maya? I closed my eyes and shook my head, groaning. I stretched my arms and let out a deep breath as I typed back.

Not your pipes. The pipes. I’m only going to unclog the tub.

Within seconds, a text from Maya came over.

What else would you be unclogging?

And waiting just enough to make me extremely uncomfortable, Maya sent another text.

Kidding. While my pipes are a little rusty, I know you meant the tub.

With a little winky emoji.

I felt a smile creep onto my lips, and I knew Maya would be pleased that she’d made me smile again.

“Alright, Rusty...” I stopped myself and looked behind me when it hit me that Rusty wasn’t here any longer. My constant pal of eleven years was no longer eagerly waiting for me to leave the house so he could crawl into my bed and nap. My Irish setter, who’d been with me since the beginning of my life crumbling into a massive pile of rubble, was gone.

Forever.

I cleared my throat and shook my head.

“Damn dog,” I muttered, wiping a tear away. “It’s been three months, and I still think he’s here.”

Closing the front door softly, I walked to the Jeep and wondered if I’d ever get over Rusty. He was like my child, even more so than the pets I’d grown up with.

There was just something about him. We were kindred spirits, full of mischief and a carefree middle finger salute when the time called for it.

And I’d say the last several years of my life had definitely asked for that response.

I glanced in my rearview mirror and reversed out of my driveway as I tried to shake off the emptiness of Rusty’s absence.

The balmy air tangled my hair as I drove to my rental with the top off. Nothing beat a Wisconsin summer. The air was clear. The skies were brilliant blue and stretched as far as the eye could see, and the sunsets…

Man, the sunsets were out of this world. Usually, because a storm was about to cross the North and the skies would blaze.

I pulled into the rental and turned off the car right when a mosquito landed on my neck. I smacked it hard and chuckled.

The summers were great apart from the skeeters.

The door opened, and Maya gave a quick wave as she came outside. Her pink dress stopped right above her knees, and the full skirt accentuated her hips-waist-boob ratio in an awesome way.

Just seeing her made my entire body respond in a way that it shouldn’t. Sure, I was like any other male around who could see that Maya was beautiful, but it took more than beauty to ever make me notice. And the one time I did, it all got taken from me.

Damn.

Why did seeing Maya bring up all these feelings?

And Rusty?

I hadn’t talked to him in weeks.

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