Page 19 of 183 Reasons

Jay nods from the middle of the truck’s front bench seat. He’s the least friendly of us in the morning.

I reach into the tray on Jay’s lap and grab my coffee—large, bold, skim milk, two sugars—ready to get this over with. I tip the cup toward Ryan, guy code forthank you.

We ride in silence and let the coffee do its job. They stacked the wood high in the back of the truck. If done correctly, we can knock this out in a couple of hours. When Ryan signals to turn right on Chasm Drive, I nearly spit out my mouthful of coffee.

“What the hell, dude? You good?” Ryan asks.

“Why are we on this road?”

“This is the address my mom gave me. She said there’s a new lady in town who needs two cords. Hence the overflowing pile of wood behind you.”

“Yeah, I got that, we’re stacking wood. No one told me we were stacking wood here.”

“And that matters because …?” Ryan looks at me like I’m certifiable.

“It doesn’t. It’s just I thought you said it was somewhere else,” I say, avoiding their stares by looking out the side window.

Out of hundreds of homes in this area, we are delivering and stacking wood at Solia’s cabin. What are the chances of this?

Ryan pulls into the driveway, just as I did a week ago, does a three-point turn, and backs up as close as he can to the hill near the rear of the house.

We pile out of the truck, coffees in hand. Ryan hits the button and the bed starts moving, dumping the wood for us to move to the bottom of the hill.

“It’s hot as balls out here.” The sweat is already running off Jay’s face. He pulls his shirt over his head, followed by Ryan doing the same.

We’ve been friends for years, and if I sit here with my coffee and my shirt on in this heat, they’ll razz me to no end. I take off my hat first and then pull the shirt up and over my head, tossing it into the truck cab.

I pull my hair back, replacing my hat on my head, and glance at the north-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows. Just as I look, I see a silhouette. Solia moves a little closer, and I trail her body to where they meet a pair of barely there cotton sleep shorts, followed by a pale pink tank outlining her breasts. Her hair is parted in the middle, falling to her shoulders in the sexiest, sleepiest way. As I take in the full length of her, I hold my stare, and I can tell she wasn’t expecting to see me, just as much as I was not expecting to be here. She lifts her hand and grabs hold of the cord hanging in the window and slowly closes the blind.

That was odd.

What seemed ten minutes must have been two in reality. The beeping of the truck bed slamming back into place refocuses my mind. Jay and Ryan clearly witnessed the window scene, and Jay watches for my next move. “We’ve got a resident hottie in the cabin, twelve o’clock.”

“Come on, man, let’s get done what we came here to do.” I try to derail Jay’s attention from Solia.

Ryan stays at the bottom of the hill tossing the wood to Jay who is at the top behind the house. Jay then tosses the logs to me to stack in rows, filling each rack.

If anyone has ever stacked wood, they can vouch for the fact it’s exhausting and a complete and total body workout. Within fifteen minutes, sweat drips off my face, down my chest, to the waistband of my boxers that extend slightly above my jeans. I forgot to throw on a belt.

Just as I catch the latest log coming at me, Solia appears on the deck. Noticing she changed into a fitted T-shirt and running shorts, I stand still and soak in the view. Leaned against the house in a runner’s stance, she appears to be gearing up to pounce over the railing.

“I had no idea you were part of a wood-stacking crew. Just what don’t you do?” She is flirting with me. It’s beyond hot.

“I honestly had no idea I was coming here this morning. I’m as blindsided as you. I would’ve warned you this time. Wouldn’t want the three of us interrupting another dance party.” I wink. “These are my childhood buddies. You must’ve met Janice? That is Ryan’s mom. She’s an exceptional woman, but sometimes I get roped into stacking wood for her. Had I known it was for you, I would’ve offered myself.”

“I appreciate the help, but honestly, I’m all set.” She ices over, her expression stoic. “Listen, even though we only met days ago, I want to be clear that I’m not into seeing guys who are already hooking up with other chicks. It’s not my style, and I have zero energy for this type of bullshit.”

I drop the log in my arms and walk toward the deck. “Whoa. Solia, I’m not sure what you mean, but I’m not seeing anyone. I’m as single as they come.” I scratch the back of my head and wait for a response.

She places both hands on the deck rail and leans forward. “I was at the lake yesterday and just happened to be standing by the road when you drove by.” Her face hardens and she crosses her arms over her chest.

I stretch my back, both hands on my knees, and laugh. “Solia, that was Brynn. She’s a college kid we hired from Plymouth State to work at the store this summer. She was at the orchard and had a flat tire, so I gave her a ride to her parents’ house a few miles away.” I straighten and look directly at her and watch the blood drain from her face. She covers her cheeks with both hands and shakes her head.

“Oh my god, you must think I’m such a psycho. I swear I’m not usually so presumptuous. I assumed … obviously I assumed … shit, sorry. What came over me? I really fucked this up. I was looking forward to our date today, and when I saw you drive by, I immediately felt I missed a red flag. I assumed the worst, and that wasn’t fair to you. I’m sorry.” She pouts her lips and tips her head to the side.

“Get over here, crazy one. You don’t need to apologize, but it is nice to know you are looking forward to today.”

She comes off the deck and walks over to our assembly line and tries to join.

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