Page 8 of Take Me Home

Better ask now before I get interrupted again.By the time I’d helped everyone who needed it, it was about time to wrap up and get out to the farm. That meant I’d have to pull another early morning or late night some day this week to keep my project moving forward. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t annoyed.

I knew Darcy was waiting on me, and I wanted to make a good impression. I’d already been late on the first day, which wasn’t like me. I didn’t want her to think that’s who I was.

She was the girl I’d eyeballed at the sports bar a couple of weeks back, the one I’d looked for on Tinder after I left. If I hadn’t been with one of the kids I coach, I definitely would have talked to her. Of course, it was a bad assumption that she was single, and maybe that’s why I didn’t see her on Tinder. I’d have to get it out of Eli somehow.

I stayed on Tinder, but I hadn’t been getting what I wanted out of dating for a while. I’d dated around in my two years in West Virginia, but nobody stood out. I’d quit baseball in favor of graduate school so I could start focusing on a more stable life. I was tired of traveling constantly and having my livelihood depend on my body being injury-free. I’d been pretty fortunate to only have minor injuries when I played professionally, but it felt like the other shoe was always waiting to drop.

At the same time, I was starting to feel the pull to a wifed-up life. Sure, sleeping with new people is fun, but I missed deeper relationships. I’d had a decent one in college, but ultimately, she wasn’t the right fit. I wanted somebody to share the big stuff with, a best friend that I also got to fuck and cuddle and tell all my secrets to.

Darcy, however, stood out. She was the kind of person I was looking for. She was also my boss for the summer. I really, really wished I’d just talked to her that first time I saw her, so it wouldn’t be so weird if I made a pass at her. I loosely let her know I was interested, but she shut it down pretty fast. I didn’t think that was the end of it, though. Not with the way she looked at me.

My headlights flashed over her sitting on the steps of the trailer, squinting into the light as she stood and picked out a wedgie. I don’t know why, but that already had me fired up. Probably because it had me thinking about her spectacular rear end. The jean shorts she wore showed off her sleek legs, just the right level of thick and toned. Her friendly wave brought me back down to earth.

“Hope I didn’t keep you waiting long!” I started.

She gave a non-committal shake of her head, with a soft smile. I hoisted myself into the bed of my truck to get my bag, a somewhat oversized duffel left over from my baseball days.

“Got a body in there?” Darcy asked, a devious glint in her eye.

“A what?”

“A bod—never mind. Dark humor, bad joke,” she backpedaled.

“I thought that’s what you said. Eli told me you were quippy.” My eyes scanned her, muck boots coming midway up her calves, those shorts, and a white t-shirt that looked soft and draped nicely over her boobs reading “The Shiny Diner.”

“I shudder to think what else he’s told you. He has all the childhood dirt,” she said, scuffing her boot on the ground and wrinkling her nose. As if she could have been cuter.

“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” I said mischievously, holding her gaze for just a slight extra beat. If I was supposed to not flirt with her all summer, I wasn’t going to survive. I usually didn’t flirt with people at work, but this was a farm. Surely things were more casual. She rubbed her lips together and cleared her throat.

“Can I help you carry anything?” she offered, looking to the truck.

“No, my murder bag should do it,” I joked, trying to get her to laugh.

She shook her head in wonder. “Men are such light packers.”

“I sublet my apartment in Huntington for the summer. Most of my stuff is still here.”

“Smart,” Darcy said, impressed, then gestured to the trailer. “Shall we? I’ll give you the grand tour of the palace.”

“After you. Where’s Caleb?” I asked as she unlocked the door. I stepped inside but didn’t really look around. I was too focused on her, trying to catch glimpses of her deep chocolate eyes.

“He had a family thing come up. He’ll move out tomorrow after work.”

I nodded and finally looked around the space. “Alright so, kitchen? Bathroom, I see?”

“Yep. We’re on well water, so pardon any smells. Bright side, it should make your hair really soft.” I didn’t realize my eyes were on her hair until she was sweeping the sea of dark curls behind her ears self-consciously. I wanted to reach out and touch it for myself to see if it was soft. She fidgeted, settling on pulling her hair into a ponytail and twisting the end of that as she talked.

“The keys in the door are yours. Bedroom’s back through there, along with a TV room. Let me show you where fresh sheets are.” I trailed behind her down the narrow hallway. I peered into the surprisingly large bedroom.

“Where the magic happens, huh?” She gave me a courtesy laugh before she opened the linen closet door.

“Linens are here, oh jeez—” she stammered, as the linen closet door pinned her body to mine. I felt her warmth, smelled her fruity-flowery shampoo, and got to see just how soft that t-shirt was. I put a hand to her arm, balancing her. She leaned forward to slam the closet door shut and end this predicament, a predicament that didn’t bother me in the slightest. She stepped away from me and into the bedroom. “Shit, so sorry!”

“It’s really okay,” I said, leaning against the doorframe and chuckling at how flustered she was. I blushed a little becauseshewas blushing. I realized I was probably blocking her escape route, so I stepped into the bedroom toward her. She looked up at me, eyes wide and breath hitching in her chest. Fuck, she was either terrified of me or hot for me.

“I should—” she started, skirting past me and out into the hallway again. “I’ll let you get settled! Come find me at the house if you need anything!” She barely got those words out before the front screen door was slamming behind her. As I walked to the door to get the keys out of the lock, I saw Darcy out in the yard, struggling to turn on her phone’s flashlight.

That just wouldn’t do. I cracked open the door and grabbed the flashlight next to the door.

---