Jameson had the bright idea of having a cookout today. He was all about it and texting me last night to see if I’d come by and help him move some shit around his yard. Yeah, no problem. He failed to say we couldn’t do anything until noon because Ashton was sleeping, that his to do list included mowing the damn yard, and I’m on beer duty. Which is Jameson’s way of asking me to bring some of my brew and stop by the store for some everyday kind of beer.
But, because I know J and his grand plans—and poor execution- I opt to go straight to his house instead of the store first. I figure Landon and I can go to the store while he and Ashton bicker and dance around whatever it is they’re “not” doing. Once he went in the house and was talking to Ashton, Landon and I hightailed it out of there and to the store.
“J said he invited that new office manager he hired. What’s her story?” Landon asks me as I pull in the parking lot of the grocery store.
“No idea. She’s hot as fuck but cold as ice. She is somehow immune to my charms.”
“What? There’s a woman in town who isn’t dropping her panties at your feet? Say it isn’t so!” Landon teases, but since Jameson decided he wasn’t interested in dating or whatever, I haven’t been spending many nights alone. And while it’s great in the moment, I’d like to meet someone I could have a conversation with and not just a round of tonsil hockey.
“Her name’s Minnesota, she is really organized, has a bit of a chip on her shoulder, a tight ass, and the most delectable tits I’ve seen.”
“Minnesota? What’s that about?”
“No clue. She’s a little sensitive about it, too.”
Landon and I finish our shopping in record time and head back to Jameson’s. Ben and Piper are pulling in the driveway when we get there and before long we’re all hanging out in the backyard playing a game of cards, poking fun at each other like always. After about an hour of cards, we’re taking a break when the doorbell rings. Jameson excuses himself and when he returns I am leaning down to the cooler to grab a beer when I look up into a pair of big brown eyes.
“Hello,” I say slowly, dragging out the last part of the word. Who brought a kid? None of our friends have kids. Well, sometimes Jameson has his niece, Hope, but this isn’t Hope. This little rugrat is shorter and looks to be a bit younger.
“Arizona, please come here. Sorry, Owen.”
I recognize that voice, but it’s the long, tan, and gorgeous pair of legs that have my attention. I instantly think of how they’d feel wrapped around my shoulders. My gaze lifts and settle on a pair of tits I’ve come to appreciate over the last few weeks. Minnie. By the time my eyes meet hers, she looks less than impressed with my appraisal of her body.
“No worries. Who’s the squirt?”
“My name is not squirt. I am Arizona Leigh Jennings,” the little tot says matter of factly.
“My middle name is Lee too,” I say, extending my hand formally. I like kids fine, so long as they don’t cry or need me to hold them.
“Auntie, why does this boy have a girl name?”
Minnie and I both laugh. I stand to my full height and take in the woman before me in a less assuming way. Minnie is simply beautiful. Today she is wearing her wavy blonde hair pulled away from her face which makes her seem more youthful than she does at the office. Her big cobalt eyes dance each time she smiles and that only adds to her beauty. There’s more to Minnie than her beauty. Something tells me there’s a lot more to Minnesota Walker than meets the eye.
“Ari, the name is for both boys and girls, just spelled differently. And, Owen, this is my niece, Arizona, and that little one that has taken a liking to Jameson is my other niece, Cali.”
“Cali and Arizona? I’m sensing a theme with your family, Minnesota.”
I note a slight shudder from Minnie when I speak her full name. I’m not sure if it’s a shudder of disgust or lust but either way, it causes her cheeks to pinken and I like that.
“Well, it was, uh, nice to see you. I should…” Unable to complete her sentence, she’s being pulled away from me by her little niece, who shoots me a look of contempt. Lovely, a shorty with attitude.
“Yeah, sure, see ya.”
I watch as Minnie walks away and I allow my eyes to drop to her ass. I’d like to send a thank you note to whoever designed those shorts, even if they’re responsible for my own shorts feeling a little too tight.
About two hours ago, Jameson left with Ashton on some sort of family emergency. That left us to finish up their cookout. Which is fine by me, it means more food and beer for us and less awkward tension from them. I don’t know what is going on with those two but seriously, their drama is filtering over into the rest of the group and it’s making it less fun to be around them.
Minnie started rounding up the girls when Jameson and Ashton left but Piper convinced her to stay longer. Although she’s been talking to everyone, I think she felt awkward at the idea of being at Jameson’s house after he left. I’m probably the only other person she knows here but even that is limited to the few times we’ve talked in the office. Okay, she talks and I flirt.
I add more ketchup to my plate to dip my burger when I feel a pair of eyes on me. It’s not a creeper feeling like when I’ve slept with a girl and then run into her again the next weekend but can’t remember her name. Stephanie? Shelly? Stacy? I never really remember. I’m horrible with names. Now, if all girls had an original name like Minnie, I’d remember. Her parents had the right idea. Not only did they create a goddess of a daughter, but they gave her a name no man will forget.
But, this feeling of being watched isn’t like those girls from the bar. Nah, this is something different. I take a bite of my burger as I look around the yard. Everyone seems to be deep in conversation, Piper and Minnie bonding over their love of reading, and Ben and Landon playing a game of horseshoes. The little baby, Cali I think is her name, is napping on a blanket. Then I see the person responsible for the stare, that little squirt from earlier. Standing right next to me.
“Can I help you?”
“Why do you have so much ketchup?”
“Excuse me?”
The little girl climbs up on the chair next to me, crossing her arms over her chest as she sits on her knees. The look on her face is less interest and more evaluation. It’s a little unnerving.
“You already have ketchup on that burgler.” Her tone is a little accusatory for as little as she is. “I can see it all over the places but then you got more. It looks like your burgler has an owie.”
I look down at my plate, and sure enough, ketchup is dripping from the bottom of the bun and onto the plate. Not one to waste, I take the end I’m eating from and scoop up the dropped ketchup and take a huge bite while smiling at her.
“Mmmm. I love ketchup.”
“You’re silly.” She begins giggling before she finally uncrosses her arms and, hopefully, her judgment of both me and my ketchup use is over.
The squirt and I talk for a few minutes about nothing and everything important. She explained that she is four years old, a big sister, and has grand plans of being a princess. I explained why ketchup is the best condiment on the planet and agreed princesses were pretty cool.
Just as we were about to discuss her love of ponies, Minnie swooped in, offering apologies for the kid bothering me. My initial reaction was to agree but then I realized the kid wasn’t bothering me. That’s weird. Of course, I’d had a few beers and not much annoys me at that point.
And, although the sun was beginning to set and a slight breeze picked up around us, unfortunately for me the breeze didn’t cool off what was happening to me. No, the breeze was to blame for my body temperature rising. That and the fact that Minnie’s bra didn’t conceal how her nipples reacted to the cooler temps.
Thankfully, before I had to hide what was happening in my pants at the sight of her nipples, Minnie excused herself and the kid. Shortly thereafter she left with the kids and the party started to disband. Landon and I offered to stay and clean up so Ben and Piper could head for home.
Once all the food was put away and the chairs stacked, Landon and I let ourselves out and headed for our apartment. While apartment living isn’t ideal, especially since both of us rely on our parents’ homes for our hobbies, it’s where we need to be for now. Each of us is saving up to buy houses and if we’re lucky those purchases will happen this year. Landon is looking for something with land with enough space for him to have a workshop. He woodworks in the evenings and having a designated space for his equipment and pieces are priority one for him.
Myself, I need a space with a cellar or basement. Brewing my own beer requires I have a space that is free from outside light and stays cool but not freezing. While we are lucky enough to have seasons, winter can be frigid and I would like to be able to brew and ferment all year long.
“You feel like grabbing a few drinks tonight?” I ask as he pulls into his parking space at our complex.
“Nah, I’m not feeling it tonight. I think I’ll go work on that piece I’m doing for my aunt. Her birthday is next month and I promised my mom I’d have it done.”
“Ya about done? It’s a wall piece?”
“Yeah, I’ll be done in time but my mom is driving me nuts about it so I figured I’d head over there tonight and it’ll give her a little peace of mind.”
“Cool. See ya later.”
Walking toward our place, I allow myself the briefest moment to acknowledge this is when having a girlfriend or at least someone I spend time with would be nice. I don’t do well alone. Probably because growing up my dad was in his own world wallowing over my mom. Still not something I understand. She left. I’ve never understood why he was sad about that. Regardless, I was left on my own and hated it. Heating up cold pizza, making a scrambled egg and toast, or heating up canned soup for dinner was less than ideal. Instead, I spent a lot of time at either Landon’s or Jameson’s house. Each of their moms pitying the poor kid with the drunk single dad.
Of course, neither Mrs. Montgomery nor Mrs. Strauss would ever say they pitied me. Nah, they’re real moms and they’d never say that about a kid. They also wouldn’t leave their kid to go have a family with someone else. Yep, that’s what she did. My dad won’t admit it but I heard him mumbling to himself during one of his drunken rambles. He went on and on about how he and I were never enough and her new family was. As usual, this ended with him blaming me. I wasn’t enough. That was his point.
Point taken.